Grenade in temple kills 4, injures 40
A grenade exploded in a Hindu temple in northeast India on Wednesday, killing at least four people and leaving 40 others injured, mainly in a stampede that followed the blast, police said.
The attack in Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, came during a major Hindu festival – the birthday of the god Krishna, said police officer Kasim Ali.
The army said whoever detonated the explosive apparently escaped in the chaos that followed.
Dozens of insurgencies have festered for years across Manipur and several other northeastern states. Nearly all are fighting for autonomy or independent homelands for the region’s indigenous peoples.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Flooding death toll reaches 626
Flooding from 11 days of heavy rain has killed at least 626 people across Ethiopia, and authorities Wednesday braced for a rising death toll as overwhelmed rescuers struggled to locate missing villagers.
Rivers in southern, northern and eastern Ethiopia burst their banks, and forecasters predicted even more rain.
“Things are getting out of control,” said Inspector Daniel Gezahenge, a spokesman for the southern regional police. “We need additional helicopters and boats for rescuing.”
Kruger National Park, South Africa
‘Animal kingdom’ plan a bit closer
The presidents of South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe officially opened a new border crossing Wednesday, another step toward creating the “world’s largest animal kingdom” – a huge park spanning the three countries.
Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, Armando Guebuza of Mozambique and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe gathered for the formal opening of the Giriyondo border post linking South Africa and Mozambique. The road was opened to limited traffic in December.
It will take years to remove all the barriers blocking free movement of animals through the 14,000 square miles of scrubby, sun-baked bush slated to become the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park.
Experts say the larger park would help conserve animals like the endangered wild dog. It also would ease the pressure on South Africa’s Kruger National Park from the booming elephant population.