World briefs 8/28/06

Iraqi official: Abu Ghraib prison totally empty

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Abu Ghraib prison, whose name became synonymous with abuse, has been emptied of detainees, a senior Iraqi justice ministry official said Sunday. "There's not a single prisoner left there," Deputy Justice Minister Busho Ibrahim said. The facility has been turned over to Iraqi authorities since it was emptied on Aug. 15, he said. Iraqi authorities have not decided what they will do with the empty facility, Ibrahim said.

Tribal leader's killing sparks Pakistani violence

QUETTA, Pakistan -- Mobs burned shops, banks and buses in a second day of rioting over the killing of a top tribal chief by Pakistani troops, raising fears that a decades-old conflict in the country's volatile southwest could widen. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told Pakistani television that Nawab Akbar Bugti's death Saturday was "the darkest chapter in Pakistan's history." Police arrested 450 people for rioting, but the violence spread from Baluchistan province into neighboring Sindh province.

Iran tests new anti-ship sub-to-surface missile

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran tested a new anti-ship missile fired by a submarine during war games Sunday, raising worries it could disrupt vital oil tanker traffic in the Gulf amid its standoff with the West over its suspect nuclear activities. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took a tough tone over the nuclear issue, saying his country's decision to pursue nuclear technology was irreversible. The Thaqeb -- Farsi for Saturn -- is Iran's first missile that is fired from underwater and flies above the surface to hit its target, distinguishing it from a torpedo..

Bomb on minibus injures 21 in Turkish resort town

ANKARA, Turkey -- A bomb blast blew apart a minibus in a Turkish tourist resort late Sunday injuring 21 people including 10 British tourists, the local police chief said. The explosion was in the popular Mediterranean resort town of Marmaris. There were two other bomb blasts at the same time in garbage cans on the main boulevard in Marmaris, the state-owned Anatolia news agency reported. The area is lined with bars, clubs, cafes and restaurants. There were no reports of injuries in those blasts. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

-- From wire reports