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10 feared dead in Nigeria mosque blast

10 feared dead in Nigeria mosque blast

At least 10 people were feared dead and more sustained injuries after an improvised explosive device went off in a mosque in Maiduguri, Nigeria on Wednesday evening, a security source said, reported Xinhua. Worshippers were holding a prayer at about 6 p.m. local time when the device exploded at the mosque at Gamboru Main Market, a security source of the rescue efforts told Xinhua. A thick smoke enveloped the area after the blast, the source said. Neither the police nor the military has so far issued an official statement regarding the incident.

14 countries condemn Israel's West Bank settlement plan

14 countries condemn Israel's West Bank settlement plan

A group of 14 countries issued a joint statement on Wednesday, strongly condemning Israel's decision to establish 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning that such moves violate the international law, reported Xinhua. The joint statement was co-signed by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom, according to French foreign ministry. "We recall that such unilateral actions, as part of a wider intensification of the settlement policies in the West Bank, not only violate international law but also risk fuelling instability," the statement said. The group emphasized that the expansion of settlements risks undermining the implementation of the Gaza peace plan amid efforts to progress to second phase and harming prospects for long-term peace and security across the region. The 14 nations reiterated their "clear opposition" to any form of annexation and to the expansion of settlement policies, including the approval of the E1 settlement and thousands of new housing units. "We are resolute in our support of Palestinians' right of self-determination," it said, adding that "We reaffirm that there is no alternative to a negotiated two-state solution." On Sunday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a pro-settler politician, said Israel's security cabinet had approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the West Bank, bringing the number of settlements legalized or approved over the past three years to 69.