Somalia
Blasts in Somali capital kill 10, injure dozen
At least 10 people were killed Friday and a dozen more were wounded, including several government officials and lawmakers, when two explosions ripped through the entrance of a hotel in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, officials said. A car loaded with explosives was detonated near the entrance to the Central Hotel, and a suicide bomber attacked a group of officials who had gathered there for Friday prayers. Witnesses described bodies lying in pools of blood and burning wreckage of cars inside the hotel. There was no independent confirmation of the number of casualties, but a Somali security officer, Major Nur Mohamed, told Reuters that at least 10 people had been killed and that the death toll might rise. The minister of information, Mohamed Abdi Hayir Mareye, told the state-run Radio Mogadishu that several government officials and a lawmaker had been killed in the attack.
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Suspect says NAACP wasn't target of blast
The man accused of setting off a small explosion last month that rattled nerves because of its proximity to a Colorado NAACP office says he was in a rage over his financial problems and was actually targeting his accountant, according to court documents filed Friday. Thaddeus Murphy, 44, told federal agents that he made the pipe bomb out of a shotgun shell and fireworks fuses, the records said. He said he was angry because the accountant wouldn't return his phone calls or give him back his tax records. It was unclear whether Murphy knew that the accountant, Steve DeHaven, died in June in Mesa, Ariz. Henry Allen Jr., president of the local NAACP chapter, expressed skepticism Friday about the accountant version of the story, but he would not say whether he believed his organization was the target.
United Arab Emirates
Residential tower in Dubai catches fire
One of the world's tallest residential towers caught fire early today in Dubai's Marina district, sending bright yellow flames several stories high, but there were no reports of casualties, civil defense officials said. The fire broke out about 2 a.m. in the 86-story Torch tower on the northeast end of the densely populated district, which is packed with multistory skyscrapers. Debris from the fire cluttered nearby streets after the blaze appeared to be extinguished. The civil defense officials said there were no reports of deaths or injuries. The cause of the fire was not clear.
Ukraine
Fighting continues despite cease-fire
The Ukrainian government and the separatist rebels blamed each other Friday for violating a fragile cease-fire dozens of times, sparking fears of wider hostilities in war-torn eastern Ukraine. A Ukrainian military spokesman said that the Russia-backed rebels fired on Ukrainian positions nearly 50 times in the past 24 hours and that Russia sent more tanks into Ukraine despite a cease-fire that was supposed to begin Sunday. The rebels, meanwhile, claimed that Ukrainian forces had violated the cease-fire more than 20 times Friday.
Stamford, Conn.
Man flies into rage over his $50 haircut
A man who was unhappy with his haircut faces criminal charges after police say he became enraged and threw items around a Connecticut salon. Stamford Police Sgt. Kelly Connelly says 47-year-old Alan Becker was angered further when he learned the trim he got Wednesday morning was going to cost him $50. Connelly says Becker kicked a hole in a salon wall, became hostile toward staff and customers, and threw a candle display and other items, then left. Police say Becker returned later and demanded his hair be "fixed," but the salon refused.
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Mount Carbon, W.Va.: Most residents were allowed to return to their homes Friday along a road where an oil train derailed in southern West Virginia.
Times wires