World news round-up
Metro Bomb
At least 42 people were killed and over 100 hundred injured when a bomb exploded in a packed Moscow underground train. The explosion is thought to be the work of a suicide bomber, and is being blamed upon Chechen rebels who continue to operate despite the official end to war 18 months ago. The majority of victims this time hit during the rush-hour blast were students, on their way to classes in the south of the capital.
Turkey survivors
A week after the shock collapse of a Turkish apartment block, a 24-year-old survivor has been pulled safe from the remains. A 16-year-old boy also spent six days buried beneath the rubble before he was found; it is thought that the concrete enshrouding his body had kept him warm. The death toll currently stands at 84, and with a further 20 bodies still missing, rescue operations continue.
Royal Visit to Iran
Prince Charles secretly flew into Iran earlier this week, to visit the earthquake-ravaged city of Bam. His will be the first royal visit to the country since 1975, and has been seen as a major step forward in relationships between the two countries.
Cocklers Killed
Nineteen cockle pickers were drowned off the coast of Lancashire when they became stranded by rising tides last Friday. The cocklers were mostly of Chinese origin - 14 of them asylum seekers, five unknown to British authorities - and working for illegal gangs. The criminal organisation was tracked to Liverpool, and seven suspects have so far been arrested.
Haiti
Continued unrest in Haiti over recent months has again erupted into overt violence, as armed uprisings across the north and west have now spread to almost a dozen towns and cities. In the town of Grand-Goave, many residents have been forced to flee as rebels seized and torched the police station. Elsewhere, hundreds of opportunists seized their chance to ransack abandoned houses whilst the police engaged in sporadic gunfire with angry protestors and attempted to hold off their attacks. At least 41 people have been killed in what the Prime Minister believes to be a deliberate coup, staged by his civil opposition.
Kerry extends lead in US Primaries
Three weekend victories for Democratic front-runner John Kerry have added fuel to his already successful campaign. His two closest contestants, Senator John Edwards and Wesley Clark, have each won just one state so far, and the latest opinion polls suggest that Kerry's lead is only likely to increase. The campaign to be the Democratic challenger to oppose George W Bush in the forthcoming presidential elections will next move to Tennessee, Virginia and Nevada, who hold their primaries this week.
A Lions' Feast
A South-African farmer and three accomplices are due to appear in Court, accused of feeding an ex-worker to the lions. The four were arrested after police found a human skull and the remains of a leg in the lion enclosure. Nelson Shisane, 38, who was sacked from his job last year, had returned to the farm to collect his belongings.
And finally...
A University of Bristol student has auctioned off her virginity for £8,400. Rosie Reid, a Social Policy student, said that she was taking this "drastic action" to avoid graduating £15,000 in debt. "It seemed my virginity was something really valuable, yet at the same time something I could do without", the 18-year-old lesbian student added.
12th Feb 2004