BENIN

At least 35 killed in fire at petrol warehouse

At least 35 people were killed and more than 10 seriously injured in a fire at a petrol warehouse on Saturday in Benin's southeastern department of Oueme, the Beninese Ministry of the Interior and Public Security reported. The fire, in a town near the border with Nigeria, was probably started when bags of petrol were being unloaded from a vehicle at around 9:30 am, the ministry said in a statement. The fire engulfed the place, causing an initial toll of 35 deaths, including one child.

MIDDLE EAST

Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in raid

Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians in a predawn raid in the West Bank on Sunday, the Palestinian health ministry said, as the army confirmed it carried out "counterterrorism" activity in the occupied territory. The Palestinian health ministry identified the two killed as Osaid Abu Ali, 22, and Abd al-Rahman Abu Daghash, 32. Troops dismantled an "operational command center" inside a building and also uncovered a large number of explosive devices, the army said in a statement. Some 190 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the start of the year, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Israel says most of those killed have been militants.

SOMALIA

Bombing toll climbs as more bodies found

Emergency workers in central Somalia dug through rubble to recover more bodies on Sunday after a truck bombing killed over a dozen people and brought buildings crashing down. A suicide bomber drove the vehicle which was loaded with explosives toward a security checkpoint in the town of Beledweyne on Saturday, triggering an explosion that left scores trapped under bricks and concrete. Police told Agence France-Presse on Sunday that the toll had reached 21 deaths reported earlier but could not provide an exact figure. The number of wounded in Saturday's truck bombing in Beledweyne stood at 52.