Nepal: Maoist rebels kill 32 officers

Less than a week after its deadliest assault, Maoist rebels attacked a police post in the remote midwestern hills of Nepal and killed at least 32 police officers, authorities said today. The rebel attack in Sitalpati, about 250 miles west of the capital, Katmandu, began Thursday night and lasted this morning.

The battle came a day after the army killed at least 48 rebels in the Achham and Doti districts, about 375 miles northwest of Katmandu.

Last weekend, rebels killed 137 police officers, soldiers and civilians in an attack on the Achham district headquarters and a nearby airport. It was the deadliest attack by Maoist rebels since their campaign to topple the constitutional monarchy began six years ago.

Egypt: Critics demand punishment for train fire that killed 363>

As investigators tried to uncover the cause of a fire that turned a train into an inferno, a growing number of voices demanded punishment Thursday for those to blame for Egypt’s worst train disaster and criticized the government for negligence.

The death toll was 363 in the Wednesday disaster and a team of 70 government investigators and coroners led by Egypt’s top prosecutor began its inquiry into the cause, interviewing the driver, railway engineers, ticket conductors and other witnesses.

The train’s conductors and engineer defended their response, saying they had done all they could to stop the burning train and fight the fire.

On the eve of a major Muslim holiday when families traditionally gather for a feast, victims’ relatives converged on Cairo’s main morgue Thursday, trying to find the remains of their loved ones among bodies burned beyond recognition.

Saudi Arabia: Pilgrims complete main ritual

Sweltering under a merciless sun, millions of Muslim pilgrims gathered Thursday amid tight security near the holy city of Mecca as the kingdom’s top cleric distanced Islam from terrorism and urged support for the Palestinians.

The convergence on Mount Arafat marks the high point of the annual Muslim pilgrimage. The plateau and a rocky hill, called the Mountain of Mercy, is the site where Islam’s Prophet Muhammad gave his last sermon in 632 A.D.

Sheik Abdul Aziz Al al-Sheik told the 2 million pilgrims in a sermon that Islam was incompatible with terrorism, and he said attributing terrorism to Islam is unjust.