Briefly World

Strong earthquake shakes northern Chile

SANTIAGO: A strong earthquake has shaken northern Chile. There are no immediate reports of injuries and Chiles national emergency office says the only known damages are fallen rocks on roadways. The US Geological Survey said Fridays quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 and was centered near Copiapo,380 miles north of the capital of Santiago.

Religious order says sorry for sex abuse

VATICAN CITY: A conservative religious order that enjoyed the favour of John Paul II apologised to victims of sexual abuse by its founder. French bishops said in a letter to Pope Benedict XVI that they were ashamed of priests who committed abominable acts by sexually abusing children. The letter to Benedict from French bishops,and a website statement by the Legionaries of Christ,were the latest expressions of shame and regret from local churches or religious orders. Both contained expressions of solidarity toward Benedict for his handling of abuse cases.

32 militants killed in clashes in Orakzai

PARACHINAR: Taliban fighters seized a security checkpoint close to the Afghan border,sparking clashes that killed five soldiers and 32 insurgents in a region where the Army is pressing an offensive,officials said on Friday. Many of the dead insurgents in the Orakzai tribal region were Arab and Uzbek,said Maj Gen Tariq Khan,the commander of the Frontier Corps,a major force in the battle against the Pakistani Taliban in the northwest. The Army said the clashes started when security forces tried to recapture a checkpoint taken on Thursday night by militants in the Kalaya area. Khan said 32 militants were killed.