Foreign Desk
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Pipeline Explosion Kills 260 in Nigeria
LAGOS, Nigeria — A ruptured gasoline pipeline burst into flames yesterday as scavengers in the impoverished neighborhood collected spilling fuel. At least 260 people died in the explosion in Nigeria’s largest city, the Red Cross said. Scores of bodies could be seen jumbled and fused together in the raging flames at the blast site. Intense heat kept rescue workers back as smoke billowed over the heavily populated Abule Egba neighborhood in Lagos.
— Associated Press
Surgeon Says Castro Does Not Have Cancer
MADRID, Spain — The Spanish surgeon treating Fidel Castro yesterday said the ailing Cuban leader does not have cancer and is recovering “slowly but progressively” from a serious operation. Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido flew to Havana last Thursday to see the Cuban leader and determine how his treatment was progressing. At a news conference, the surgeon refused to clarify what ailment Mr. Castro is suffering from, which Cuba has classified as a state secret.
— Associated Press
Israel Approves New West Bank Settlement
JERUSALEM — Israel has approved a new settlement in the West Bank to house former Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, officials said yesterday. Construction in the northern West Bank town of Maskiot began months ago, but the project only received final approval from the Defense Ministry last week, the head of the Jordan Valley regional council, Dubi Tal, said. The settlement will house 23 families who were evacuated when Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip last year, and will eventually house 100 families, Mr. Tal said.
— Associated Press
Turkmen Parliament Picks Six To Run for President
MOSCOW — The parliament of Turkmenistan ruled yesterday that the Central Asian country’s acting president and five other people — none of them from the exiled opposition — can run for president in an election it set for February 11. Opposition groups denounced the decision and called on America and the European Union to press for a genuinely open contest to replace the former president-for-life, Saparmurat Niyazov, who died unexpectedly last week after 15 years of authoritarian rule.
— The Washington Post
