Kabul car bomb wounds six
KABUL: A suicide car bomber blew himself up near a US military base in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, wounding six civilians, an Afghan security official said. The latest attack came little more than a week after brazen assaults in Kabul killed five people. The suicide bomber struck on a road leading east from the city center near the main entrance to Camp Phoenix, a base used mainly by US forces. A man describing himself as a Taleban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a text message the attacker was a member of the group and was targetting a convoy of foreign troops.
US bans texting by truckers
WASHINGTON: The US government on Tuesday banned “texting” by drivers of large commercial trucks and buses to avoid the danger of distracted driving. The ban follows a similar one in December for drivers of federal government vehicles. The new ban carries fines of up to $2,750. Nearly two dozen US states ban “texting” while driving for all motor vehicles and others are considering similar action. Legislation has also been introduced in Congress to prohibit the practice. Many US companies also ban “texting” by their employees while driving on the job.
Mudslides strand thousands in Peru
LIMA: Flooding and mudslides near Peru’s historic ruins of Machu Picchu have killed at least five people and stranded 1,900 tourists, emergency services said Tuesday. Two men drowned in a swollen river, another died in a landslide, and a mother and her child were killed in the town of Cusco when heavy rainfall made their home collapse. Local media also reported a 20-year-old Argentine tourist and his 33-year-old Peruvian mountain guide died as they were trekking the Inca Trail, a famous Andean pathway that leads to Machu Picchu.
Two Venezuelans shot in protests
CARACAS: Two students were shot dead in huge demonstrations in Venezuela after President Hugo Chavez pulled the plug on a television station critical of his government. The demonstrations also left 33 people injured in Merida state, home to one of Venezuela’s main universities, when student groups supporting and opposing the government clashed. Some marchers torched government buildings and vehicles, local media reported.
