NIGERIA
Arrests threatened for militants' parents
PORT HARCOURT — The governor of one of Nigeria's oil-rich states said Wednesday that he planned to arrest the parents of suspected militants to deter attacks on oil installations and government buildings.
The announcement came a day after bands of armed men invaded Port Harcourt, the oil industry's main center, and killed 13 people.
"We will arrest the fathers and mothers of any identified militant," said Rotimi Amaechi, the governor of Rivers state.
GAZA STRIP
Egypt opens border to 2,000 Palestinians
RAFAH — Egypt allowed at least 2,000 Palestinian pilgrims to enter the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, drawing a fierce rebuke from Israel, which had tried to prevent top members of the militant Hamas from returning home.
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Egypt's decision to open its border deepened a crisis in relations with Israel, which has accused Cairo of not doing enough to stop Palestinian smuggling of weapons and contraband into Gaza.
At least 10 senior Hamas members, including former deputy Parliament speaker Ahmed Bahar, were among the returning pilgrims.
AUSTRALIA
Golf balls extracted from 32-inch python
BRISBANE — A snake was saved by surgery in Australia after mistaking four golf balls for chicken eggs, a veterinarian said Wednesday.
A couple had placed the balls in their chicken coop in New South Wales state to encourage their hen to nest.
The balls disappeared, and the couple found a lumpy-looking carpet python nearby.
They took the 32-inch non-venomous snake to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, where a veterinarian operated to remove the balls from the snake's intestine.
BRITAIN
Kitchen fire bested by size XL underpants
LONDON — A British woman's underwear saved the day by doubling as an emergency fire blanket when her kitchen caught fire.
Darren Lines and his cousin were frying bread in Jenny Marsey's kitchen in Hartlepool, northeast England, on Sunday when their meal caught fire.
Lines grabbed the nearest thing from a pile of laundry to put it out: his aunt's billowing, powder-blue, size XL underpants.
He ran them under the faucet and tossed them onto the flames, successfully smothering the fire.
Former Sam Levitz building sells for $8.6 million
