Briefly World

Pilgrims clambered up a rocky desert hill for prayers on Thursday during the annual Haj,a day after torrential rains that killed at least 77 people.

Saudi floods kill 77 as pilgrims perform Haj

MOUNT ARAFAT: Pilgrims clambered up a rocky desert hill for prayers on Thursday during the annual Haj,a day after torrential rains that killed at least 77 people. Flooding from the unusually heavy downpours hit hardest in Jeddah,40 miles from Mecca,and its surrounding sacred sites where the 3 million Muslims from around the world were on a pilgrimage. Most deaths occurred in shantytowns around Jeddah and along the highway to Mecca. Streets were swamped with water,houses collapsed and mudslides took place,Civil Defence officials said.

Church covered up child abuse in Ireland

DUBLIN: An expert commission says the Roman Catholic Church in Dublin covered up decades of priests sexual abuse of children because its bishops were determined to protect the churchs reputation at the expense of victims. The 720-page report analyses the cases of 46 priests from 1975 to 2004 against whom 320 complaints were filed. The report names 11 priests who were convicted of child abuse but the others,either dead or yet to face trial,have their names omitted or replaced with aliases.

Invading camels to be shot in Oz town

ALICE SPRINGS: Australian authorities plan to corral about 6,000 wild camels with helicopters and gun them down after they overran a small Outback town in search of water,trampling fences,smashing tanks and contaminating supplies. The Northern Territory government announced its plan on Wednesday for Docker River,a town of 350 residents where thirsty camels have been arriving daily for weeks because of drought conditions.

Pirates release ship for 3.7 mn ransom

MOGADISHU: Somali pirates said on Thursday they had released a Greek cargo vessel and its Ukrainian crew after a payment of 3.7 million more than six months after it was captured in the Indian Ocean. After serious negotiations over the past four days,the Ariana is free after the payment of 3.7 million, pirate Ahmed Abdullahi Mohamoud said.However,owners of the ship denied it had been released by the pirates. Agencies

Chicago couple regrets turning down state dinner invitation

Chicago: Former president of citys Kennedy-King College Wellington Wilson and his wife Eleanor,godmother to Barack Obamas daughters Sasha and Malia,declined an invitation to the state banquet hosted by the Obamas.

What could be more important than attending a state dinner hosted by the US President? The dinner was too close to thanksgiving,the couple says. However,Wilson now regrets passing up the invitation.We decided today we should have gone. It is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,maybe, he said.

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If my wife had decided she wanted to go,we would have gone, the Chicago Tribune quoted Wilson as saying. The event was too close to Thanksgiving and our kids come in. We have four kids and about nine grandkids and whoever else decides to show up, Wilson says. PTI