Afghan mosque blast kills 41, wounds 50
KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- A bomber detonated his suicide vest at a mosque in northern Afghanistan as worshipers were leaving Friday, killing at least 41 people, police said.
Officials said another 50 people were wounded in the blast at a gate leading away from the mosque in Maymana, the capital of Faryab province, following prayers to mark the beginning of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, CNN reported.
Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Seddiqi said the number of casualties likely would rise, considering the timing and size of the explosion.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
Security had been tight around the mosque, raising questions about how the suicide bomber slipped past at least four security checkpoints, the BBC said. One official said the attacker was wearing a police uniform.
The bomber attacked as Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged Taliban militants to stop "killing their people and destroying their mosques, hospitals and schools" and join the peace process.
"They can run for any position they want," Karzai said in an Eid al-Adha message. "If they want to join the government they are welcome."
Four-day truce in Syria off to tense start
DAMASCUS, Syria, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Activists reported several clashes between Syrian government forces and rebels soon after a four-day cease-fire to observe Eid al-Ahda went into effect Friday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels and government forces fought in Idlib province after morning prayers, Voice of America said.
The two sides had agreed the prayers would mark the start of the temporary truce.
The Syrian army and rebel leaders had said they would observe the cease-fire but would respond to any attacks. The Syrian army also warned its neighbors against granting safe passage to rebel fighters.
The temporary break was negotiated by U.N.-Arab League special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.
Activists reported three people were wounded Friday when security forces fired on protesters in southern Daraa province.
Government-run television showed Syrian President Bashar Assad mingling with worshippers attending Friday's prayers to mark the beginning of the Muslim holiday.
Agencies of the United Nations, hoping the cease-fire will be honored, have been making plans to deliver humanitarian aid, The New York Times reported. Brahimi had stressed that delivering aid to cities such as Aleppo, Homs and Idlib was a key component of the truce.
Malala's parents now with their daughter
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The parents of Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousufzai joined her in Britain, where she is recovering after being shot in the head by a militant gunman.
As the 15-year-old girl, acclaimed around the world for her bravery in opposing the Taliban and fighting for education for girls in her hometown in Pakistan's Swat Valley, made slow progress at a Birmingham hospital, Pakistani authorities looked for the main suspect in the attack, identified as 23-year-old identified Atta Ullah Khan, a master's degree student of chemistry who remained at large.
Police have already arrested six other men in the Swat Valley in the Oct. 9 shooting of Malala and two other schoolgirls as they traveled in a school bus. The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack and vowed to kill Malala if she recovers because of her support of secular education. The other two girls were not believed to be seriously hurt.
Pakistan's Dawn newspaper said Malala's parents, Ziauddin and Atoor Yousufzai, her brother and a relative flew to Birmingham, England, where Malala was taken Oct. 15 after doctors in Pakistan removed a bullet from her head.
Malala's father, himself an ardent advocate of education, has expressed confidence his daughter would recover. There has been a huge outpouring of sympathy and support for Malala in her country and the Pakistani government has promised protection for her and her family.
Dawn quoted a Thursday announcement from the medical team caring for Malala in Birmingham that she was comfortable and responding well to treatment.
Sandy nears Fla.; could be 'Frankenstorm'
MIAMI, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Hurricane Sandy moved near southeast Florida Friday and may mix with an icy storm as it chugs up the east coast, making what forecasters dubbed "Frankenstorm."
Sandy, weakened to a Category 1 storm after whipping through the Bahamas, moved north-northwest at 13 mph toward the Florida Keys.
The storm system began whipping up gale-force winds in southeast and east-central Florida early Friday. Some school districts canceled classes. Officials warned residents of dangerous coastal rip currents.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the state's east coast from Ocean Reef in the upper Keys to Flagler Beach, 70 miles southeast of Jacksonville, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for points north.
A warning means tropical storm-force winds between 37 mph and 74 mph are occurring or are expected within 24 hours. A watch means those winds could hit within 36 hours.
Waves near shore were rising Friday to a forecast 12 feet to 18 feet, with offshore waves 18 feet to 22 feet.
Sandy -- which whipped through the central Bahamas with violent winds and torrential rains Thursday -- killed at least 21 people across the Caribbean.
State media in Cuba said at least 11 people died as Sandy, then a Category 2 hurricane, brought down buildings and trees in the eastern provinces of Santiago and Guantanamo. Haiti reported at least nine deaths and Jamaica reported at least one.
Sandy is forecast to move north from Florida along the Atlantic Seaboard and could combine, in an unusual confluence of weather patterns, with an early winter storm moving eastward from the Great Lakes and a blast of arctic air from the north, forecasters said.
The result could be rain, snow and fierce winds thrashing several Northeastern states starting Tuesday through Halloween Wednesday -- giving rise to the "Frankenstorm" nickname.
