Fire broke out in an Egyptian theater during a crowded performance late yesterday, causing hundreds of audience members to flee the burning building in panic, a police official said.
At least 29 people were killed, some from the flames and some in the stampede.
About 1,000 people were crowded into the theater in Beni Suef, a city on the Nile river about 60 miles south of Cairo, when the fire broke out at about 11:45 p.m., a police official said.
It was brought under control by fire crews but destroyed the building.
The official said initial investigations indicated the fire started after lit candles being held by girls taking part in the play came into contact with theater curtains.
Dozens drown, 100 missing in Red Sea
Smugglers on a boat making an illegal crossing from Somalia to Yemen forced passengers into the Red Sea at gunpoint miles from shore, leaving at least 57 dead and about 100 missing, fishermen and a diplomat said yesterday.
An estimated 200 Somalis and Ethiopians, including children, left Somalia's semiautonomous Puntland region in two boats Wednesday. Their ultimate destination was Saudi Arabia, said Jama Mo'alin Omar, a fisherman in the region.
The 18 smugglers — who were armed with guns, daggers and clubs — appeared to be trying to avoid detection when they forced passengers into the Red Sea while the vessels were 10 miles from the Yemeni coastline, Omar said, citing information filtering to relatives in Puntland.
Sabotage cuts off power to 2 million
Suspected rebels dynamited four energy pylons yesterday, leaving more than 2.3 million people in southwestern Colombia without electricity.
Energy officials were scrambling to find a temporary fix while the army secured the area so crews could repair the downed towers.
Authorities believe Colombia's main rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, was responsible.
Gaza City, Gaza Strip
Blast levels house; 4 die, 30 injured
A mysterious blast leveled a building in Gaza City last night, killing four people and wounding at least 30, residents and hospital officials said. The violent Islamic Hamas group blamed Israel, but the Israeli military said it was not involved.
The explosion came hours after Palestinian security forces got their first look at demolished Jewish settlements in Gaza, touring the area ahead of Israel's formal handover in mid-September.
The joint tour by Palestinian commanders and Israeli military officials marked the first time Palestinian authorities were allowed into the settlements, which were evacuated two weeks ago.
The blast in the Gaza City neighborhood of Shajaiyeh destroyed a house in which known Hamas members lived.
Hamas charged that an Israeli missile hit the house.
U.S. submarine hits Turkish cargo ship
A U.S. nuclear submarine collided with a Turkish cargo ship in the Persian Gulf before dawn yesterday. Spokesmen for both vessels said nobody was injured and damage was minor.
The U.S. sub Philadelphia was traveling on the surface of the Gulf when it slammed into the Turkish-flagged bulk carrier M/V Yaso Aysen at about 2 a.m., said a statement from the 5th Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain.
It was the U.S. Navy's second collision with a civilian vessel in the Gulf in 14 months.
Hours later, the vessels docked in Bahrain for a detailed assessment of the damage and repairs.
Aide to leader quits, blames corruption
A close aide to President Viktor Yushchenko who was a chief organizer of the "Orange Revolution" protests said yesterday he had resigned from the government because of systemic corruption around the Ukrainian leader.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, who resigned Saturday, said the situation had grown "even worse" than under former President Leonid Kuchma.
Zinchenko accused Petro Poroshenko, the head of Ukraine's Defense and Security Council, of being one of the most corrupt members of the government.
He also criticized Oleksandr Tretyakov, a top aide to Yushchenko, and Mykola Martynenko, who heads the pro-presidential faction in parliament.
Poroshenko attended the news conference, which was broadcast live, and stood in the back frowning as Zinchenko spoke.
When Zinchenko completed his prepared statement, lengthy applause broke out in the room.
Compiled from The Associated Press and Reuters
A fire Monday night in a theatre in Beni Suef, Egypt, has killed at least 32 and injured a similar number. The fire was started during a performance when a candle on the set was knocked over by an actor and the curtains were set alight. The blaze spread to the stage, which was covered in paper, and then quickly engulfed the rest of the building.

There was a stampede as the panicking audience of at least 100 rushed for the only available exit door, which was blocked at one point by falling supports as the building slowly burnt. The other exit was covered in paper and caught fire before it could be used. Firefighters brought the fire under control after several hours, but not before the building was destroyed.

It is believed the deaths were caused by burns, smoke inhalation and injuries from the stampede. The remaining injured were reported by hospital director Ahmed el-Sharqawi to have burns covering between 30% and 90% of their bodies. A medical team specialising in burns and related care has been flown in from Cairo, and Cairo hospitals have indicated that they are ready to accept patients if necessary. The fire occurred on the third day of a nine-day theatre festival in the farming community, 120 km from Cairo, which featured groups from all over Egypt.