Briefly

PAKISTAN

Bombing at mosque kills at least 56

A powerful bomb exploded inside a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Friday, killing at least 56 worshippers and wounding some 194 others, many of them critically, authorities said. The violence started when two armed attackers opened fire on police outside the mosque. One attacker and one police officer were killed in the gunfight. The remaining attacker then ran inside the mosque and detonated a bomb. The death toll will likely rise, police said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.

JAPAN

Court upholds payouts for Fukushima victims

Japan's Supreme Court on Friday upheld an order for utility Tokyo Electric Power Company to pay damages of 1.4 billion yen ($12 million) to about 3,700 people whose lives were devastated by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the first decision of its kind. Broadcaster NHK said the average payout of about 380,000 yen for each plaintiff covered three class-action lawsuits, among more than 30 against the utility, which are the first to be finalized. The decision came as the court rejected an appeal by the utility.

UNITED STATES

10 hospitalized after apartment block blast

Ten people were taken to hospitals and several remain unaccounted for following an explosion and fire at a Maryland apartment building on Thursday morning, authorities said. Video footage from a nearby resident's outdoor security camera shows an explosion obliterating an end unit of one building. Authorities said that of the 10 people taken to hospitals three had serious injuries. The cause of the blast is yet to be determined.

Agencies Via Xinhua