Northern Ireland: Protestant leader seeks unification referendum

Northern Ireland voters should decide next year whether they want to stay part of the United Kingdom or unify with the rest of Ireland, the leader of the province’s major British Protestant party said Saturday.

Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble surprised an audience of several hundred party activists with his declaration after being re-elected leader of Northern Ireland’s biggest party for another year.

While scheduling any referendum on Northern Ireland’s future would be up to Britain, Trimble said the exercise would confirm that most of the territory’s 1.7 million residents wanted to maintain political union with Britain rather than join the Republic of Ireland, as most Catholic politicians seek.

Nigeria: Prayer meeting stampede kills 12

Gunmen burst into a weekly prayer meeting in Enugu, triggering a stampede by hundreds of worshippers that killed at least 12 people, police and witnesses said Saturday.

The gunmen, who left without wounding anyone, apparently were trying to capture or harm fiery Roman Catholic priest Ejike Mbaka, who was leading the prayer meeting on Thursday night, said the Rev. Evans Offor, a church spokesman.

Mbaka had been repeatedly harassed and sought by Enugu state government officials for questioning, Offor said. He did not elaborate.

Sicily: Hope for survivors of boat wreck fades

Authorities held out little hope of finding more survivors Saturday from a vessel carrying illegal immigrants that capsized in rough seas. About 50 were feared dead.

Despite the gloomy outlook, Italian navy, coast guard and fishing vessels searched the area Saturday.

The wooden boat jammed with as many as 60 immigrants flipped over Thursday night about 65 miles south of Lampedusa, a tiny Sicilian island in the Mediterranean Sea.

Rescuers have recovered 12 bodies and 11 survivors.