In brief: Suicide bomber kills scores of Afghans

KABUL, Afghanistan – A suicide bomber blew himself up at a volleyball tournament in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing at least 50 people in the country’s deadliest terrorist attack this year, officials said.

The bloodshed came just hours after Parliament approved agreements allowing 12,000 U.S. and NATO troops to remain in the country past the end of the year.

Dozens more were wounded, many critically, said Mokhlis Afghan, spokesman for the governor of Paktika province. He said the bomber was mingling with the large crowd at the sporting event in Yahyakhail district when he set off the explosives.

“There were too many people gathered in the one place to watch the game,” Afghan said.

Naseeb Ahmad, a doctor at Sharan Hospital in Paktika’s capital, said the hospital received about 80 wounded people, 20 of them children. Officials said people of all ages were watching the adult-league inter-district tournament.

No one claimed responsibility.

Former regime member leads election

TUNIS, Tunisia – A veteran politician from the previous regime that ran on a platform of restoring the prestige of the state took the lead in Tunisia’s first free and fair presidential election Sunday, according to exit polls. But there will still likely be a runoff next month.

Beji Caid Essebsi, 87, replicated the success of his Nida Tunis (Tunisia’s Call) party in last month’s legislative elections by taking 47 percent of the vote, with outgoing interim president Moncef Marzouki following with 27 percent, according to one polling company. Other polls gave similar figures, indicating that the two men will go head to head in a second round set for Dec. 28.

Marzouki’s staffers contested the polls, maintaining their candidate had the plurality. Official results are expected in the coming days. The electoral commission said 60 percent of the 5.3 million registered voters participated.

The vote appeared to be a choice between fears over security and the freedoms brought by their revolution, with Essebsi representing the stability of the old ways and Marzouki the fervor of the revolution.

Kenya issues warning to al-Shabab

NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya’s deputy president Sunday denounced the killing of 28 bus passengers by Islamic extremists and said the nation’s military responded by killing more than 100 militants in Somalia.

William Ruto, speaking on a national broadcast, said Kenya is a target of international terrorist groups, including Somalia’s al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaida. He said Kenya’s security forces will protect citizens, including by raiding mosques.

In response to the bus attack, Kenyan security forces struck the al-Shabab camp in Somalia where the bus attack was planned, said Ruto.

“Our message to them is clear; you may sneak and attack innocent civilians. But for any attack on Kenya and its people, we shall pursue you wherever you go,” Ruto said.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the bus attack, in which non-Muslims were singled out and killed Saturday. The Somali rebels said the attack was in retaliation for the closure of four mosques on the Kenyan coast by Kenyan authorities last week.

Migrants rescued from drifting ship

NICOSIA, Cyprus – About 228 migrants, apparently refugees from Syria, have been rescued after their damaged ship drifted for hours in rough seas off Cyprus’ northern coast, an official said Sunday.

Hasan Tacoy, transport minister of the Turkish Cypriot breakaway state in Cyprus’ north, told the Associated Press that the migrants, including 25 children, have received medical checkups and are now housed in a sports hall in the coastal town of Girne.

Apart from sea sickness during their 14-hour ordeal, the migrants are in good health, Tacoy said. Authorities are checking the identities of the migrants, who say they are Syrian and want to go to Italy. Their cases will be handled according to international norms regarding migrants, the official said.

Meanwhile, the Italian coast guard rescued nearly 600 migrants in Libyan waters in five operations in recent days, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa. The operations were carried out after Italian authorities received distress calls via satellite phones from the migrants’ boats.