Suspected Taliban militants burn 3 schools in southern Afghanistan
January 28, 2006Suspected Taliban militants set fire to three schools in violence-prone southern Afghanistan, an official said Saturday. The three coeducational schools used by more than 1,000 children were torched Friday night in the Nawa district of Helmand Province, a provincial spokesman said, blaming Taliban militants for the act.
Myanmar arrests 4,754 people in drug-related cases in 2005
January 28, 2006Myanmar authorities arrested a total of 4,754 people in narcotic drug-related cases last year, an increase of 601 people from 2004, a state-run newspaper reported Saturday. Law enforcement agencies arrested 3,888 men and 866 women in 3,079 cases in 2005 and seized more than 811.7 kilograms of heroin, 772.7 kg of opium, 280.3 kg of crystal methamphetamine, 126.4 kg of marijuana and 3.6 million stimulant tablets among others, the New Light of Myanmar said.
M7.7 quake strikes Indonesia
January 28, 2006A powerful earthquake measuring a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 jolted eastern Indonesia early Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The 1:58 a.m. temblor's depth was estimated at 342 kilometers.