Wikinews:Briefs/April 26, 2010

Intro
From Wikinews, the free news source, this is the audio Wikinews brief for Monday, April 26, 2010. I'm Dan Harlow and here are today's top stories:

NATO tankers in Pakistan attacked, four killed
Several NATO oil tankers were set on fire in the Punjab province of Pakistan, and four policemen were killed in a gunfight with unknown gunmen yesterday, reports say. The Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports it was the Taliban.

The incidents occurred in the town of Talagang. Aslam Tareen, the regional police chief, said that "around a dozen" tankers were set on fire after being attacked with rocket-propelled grenades. Tareen said there was an exchange of intensive fire killing four of his officers leaving two injured and there was petrol station that caught on fire.

DPA says the attack was the deadliest on NATO supply convoys in the province. Close to three quarters of all oil, food, and military supplies to landlocked Afghanistan first pass through Pakistan.

Thai prime minister dismisses offer by anti-government protesters
Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has ruled out a compromise offer by anti-government protest leaders for parliament to be dissolved in thirty days. In a televised address on Sunday, with army chief General Anupong Paochinda at his side, the prime minister dismissed the offer made by the United Democratic Front against Dictatorship, saying such issues could not be resolved in such a short period of time.

Abhisit said the government stood by an offer made during earlier talks with the UDD for the house to be dissolved within the next nine months.

In reaction, the UDD maintained an earlier call for parliament to be dissolved immediately. The group also withdrew from any further negotiations with the government.

WHO starts simultaneous immunization campaigns in over 100 countries
The World Health Organization has started simultaneous immunization campaigns in 112 countries and territories across the world. The unprecedented vaccination drive will last for a week.

This is the first time the WHO has launched such an event across multiple regions at once. WHO officials say their goal is to expand immunization coverage and raise awareness of the importance of vaccines, and that such cross-border activities can prevent disease and save lives.

The agency says an important goal of the immunization campaigns is to reach those who have been excluded up to now. It notes that every year, in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, a quarter of deaths among children younger than five are attributed to preventable diseases. 2.1 million children in the Middle East hadn't received a shot against tetanus, whooping cough, or diphteria last year.

Mississippi tornado kills at least ten
At least ten people are dead after a large, destructive tornado tore through Yazoo City, Mississippi yesterday. 21 people have been hospitalized as a result of the storm, and others have been trapped in cars and houses. Multiple injuries resulted from cars being blown off of Interstate 55 during the storm.

The tornado moved along a path 200 miles long and three-quarters of a mile wide. Among damaged or destroyed buildings included at least twenty houses, a church, and several businesses. According to Yazoo City mayor McArthur Straughter, the storm ripped the roofs off of every building in the area.

The tornado occurred on the third, and most active, day of a severe weather outbreak that had previously affected states such as Kansas, Texas, and Arkansas. The Storm Prediction Center has received 104 reports of tornadoes so far during this outbreak.

Five dead after continuing violence in Nigeria
Fresh violence has broken out in the central Nigerian city of Jos earlier today, killing at least five people, according to witness reports.

The clashes began when the body of a seventeen year old Muslim teenager, supposedly strangled, was thrown onto a main street in the town in a sack, prompting riots. The AFP news service reports the dead body was that of a seventeen-year-old student. According to security officials, the riots have been calmed down, although a youth curfew is still in place.

The area has seen repeated conflicts between Christians and Muslims in the past.

Outro
And those are the top headlines for Monday, April 26th, 2010.

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