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UPI NewsTrack TopNews(UPI Top Stories Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Tornadoes strike eastern IowaIOWA CITY, Iowa, April 14 (UPI) - Eastern Iowa residents surveyed the aftermath Friday from severe storms that ripped through the area spawning tornadoes, high winds and hail. CNN reported at least one death. Homes and cars were crushed, trees were toppled and power was cut to thousands. A tornado touched down at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, the National Weather Service said. Iowa City appeared to be the hardest hit. There also were tornadoes reported in Tama, Linn, Muscatine and Johnson counties and strong storms in northern Illinois. University of Iowa spokesman Steve Parrott said classes were canceled Friday while crews repair the campus and clear debris. Iowa City Police Sgt. Troy Kelsay said the pedestrian mall was closed and cordoned off with yellow tape after reports of looting and gas leaks. A small number of Iowa National Guard soldiers were activated to help maintain security downtown as a precaution, the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported. Egypt reports 12th case of human bird fluCAIRO, April 14 (UPI) -- An 18-year-old woman has become the 12th Egyptian to contract the bird flu in that country where three patients have died. The condition of Samah Abdedl-Ghaffar from north of Cairo was reported stable as members of her family were checked to see if the ailment had spread, the English language newspaper al-Ahram reported. Officials said they believed the woman had been regularly handling infected birds. The latest person to die in Egypt from the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza was Iman Mohamed Abdel-Gawwad, a 16-year-old from Menoufiya. She died after being hospitalized last week suffering from high fever and shortness of breath. World Health Organization figures show the H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed at least 109 people worldwide, though experts think the real figure is higher given that many cases are likely to go unreported. The WHO remains concerned that the human toll has reached triple figures in a relatively short period of time. Explosions at Delhi mosqueNEW DELHI, April 14 (UPI) -- Two explosions were reported Friday at the sprawling Jama Masjid mosque in the older section of India's capital New Delhi, injuring at least three people. The mosque, built in 1658 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who also built the Taj Mahal, is located in a section known as Old Delhi. It is one of the largest places of Muslim worship in the world. Imam Bukhari, the chief cleric of the mosque, told the BBC the blasts went off inside the complex shortly after the Friday prayers. Another official said the blasts occurred near a water tank used by worshippers before entering the mosque. Police sealed off the area. No other details were immediately available. 1 killed, 12 hurt in knife church attacksALEXANDRIA, Egypt, April 14 (UPI) -- Knife wielding attackers Friday killed one person and injured at least 12 others in attacks on three Coptic churches in Alexandria, Egypt, police say. The simultaneous incidents took place during mass and the three attackers fled immediately afterwards, the BBC reported. Copts make up an estimated 10 percent of the Egyptian population of about 70 million and they often complain of discrimination and harassment. Three people died in Alexandria in October 2005 after Muslim demonstrators attacked a church which had put on a play seen as offensive to Islam. Trash worker strike; Athens, Greece, reeksATHENS, Greece, April 14 (UPI) -- A trash collectors strike in Athens, which entered its 10th day, is causing garbage to pile up in the Greek capital, posing a serious health threat. Ekathimerini.com, a news service covering southeastern Europe, reported that about 40,000 tons of rotting garbage remained uncollected in the city. The workers are demanding higher wages and improved benefits but appeared willing to reach a solution. Their union has asked the larger public servants' union to intervene, the report said. Athens Mayor Theodoros Behrakis was quoted as saying city employees had started returning to work. |