Bomb at party rally kills 16 in Pakistan

Bomb at party rally kills 16 in Pakistan

parachinar, pakistan

A bomb blast tore through a political rally conducted by an Islamist party in northwest Pakistan on Monday, in an attack claimed by the Pakistani Taliban that killed 16 people, wounded 44 and underscored an increase in violence ahead of the May 11 vote.

The explosion, at a rally in the village of Sewak in the northwest Kurram tribal area, was the latest attack on candidates, political offices and election-related events as the vote approaches.

ACT to start giving tests digitally in ’15

washington

Starting as early as spring 2015, the ACT college admissions exam will go digital, reflecting students’ tech savvy and the demand for quicker results. The tests will still have the familiar multiple-choice options for college hopefuls but they will also expand to include interactive portions, such as a simulated science lab for students to conduct experiments or space for students to explain concepts in their own words.

“The days of paper-and-pencil admission testing are changing,” Jon Erickson, president of ACT’s education division, said during an interview ahead of the company’s announcement this week that it would shift to iPads, laptops and desktop computers and away from the familiar optical scan bubble sheets.

Possible death-camp guard is arrested

berlin

A 93-year-old man who was deported from the U.S. for lying about his Nazi past was arrested by German authorities Monday on allegations he served as an Auschwitz death-camp guard, Stuttgart prosecutors said.

Hans Lipschis was taken into custody after authorities concluded there was “compelling evidence” he was involved in crimes at Auschwitz while there from 1941 to 1945, prosecutor Claudia Krauth said.

Lipschis has acknowledged being assigned to an SS guard unit at Auschwitz but maintains he only served as a cook and was not involved in any war crimes.

Murder probe opens as death toll hits 675

dhaka, bangladesh

Bangladeshi police are investigating possible murder charges against the owner of a shoddily built factory that collapsed nearly two weeks ago after the wife of a garment worker crushed in the accident filed a complaint.

The development comes as officials said Monday that the death toll from the country’s worst industrial disaster had reached 675.

Sheuli Akter, the wife of Jahangir Alam, filed the complaint with Dhaka magistrate Wasim Sheikh, saying her husband and other workers were “pushed toward death” by building owner Mohammed Sohel Rana and two others.

Smuggled dinosaur skeleton is returned

new york

It may be the first time a dead dinosaur is flying for free.

U.S. authorities in New York are returning a 70-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus skeleton to the Mongolian government this week.

The artifact will be flown to its native land free of charge via Korean Air, U.S. and Mongolian officials said today while announcing the repatriation of the priceless artifact.

The skeleton had been looted from Mongolia’s Gobi Desert and illegally smuggled into the U.S. by fossils dealer Eric Prokopi, authorities said.

Associated Press