World briefs 1/9/05

Rescue workers find more bodies in Italy train wreck

BOLOGNINA DI CREVALCORE, Italy -- Rescue workers on Saturday pried apart the mangled remains of two trains that collided head-on Friday in northern Italy, finding four more bodies, firefighters said, raising the death toll to 17. Workers were forced to cut apart crushed train cars to search inside. The force of the crash, which occurred Friday in heavy fog on the Bologna-Verona line, left one carriage standing on end nearly perpendicular with the tracks.

Eleven killed in sectarian unrest in Pakistan city

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A Shiite Muslim was ambushed as he drove through Islamabad Saturday, sparking a rampage of sectarian violence and arson that left at least 11 people dead, including a family of six that was burned alive in its home. Pakistan, a key ally in the U.S.-led war on terrorism, has suffered a wave of attacks blamed on Islamic militants in recent years, sometimes targeting top government officials and Westerners but more frequently hitting religious targets.

Skirmishes bring end to unofficial truce in Aceh

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- Indonesia's military has stepped up patrols for separatist rebels in the tsunami-stricken northern Sumatra island after isolated skirmishes in recent days raised fears the conflict could hamper the relief effort. The more than 20-year conflict was abruptly interrupted by the Dec. 26 earthquake off Sumatra and the tsunami it spawned. Although the Free Aceh Movement, known by the acronym GAM, declared a unilateral cease-fire and the military said it would not target suspected rebels during the emergency, clashes have broken out in recent days.