Car Bomb Kills Eight In Somalia’s Capital

INTERNATIONAL: A large explosion on a road leading to the international airport in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday, killed at least eight people, and injured nine others, as reported by health officials.

The road also services a major police academy and a compound where United Nations and foreign government staff members and officials reside.

It is the latest attack to hit Somalia’s capital as the country grapples with political infighting and a growing humanitarian crisis.

The bombing, part of a string of attacks blamed on the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabab extremist group that has gripped the country in recent months, comes as the country’s leaders struggle to resolve a political crisis that has distracted the government from the deteriorating security situation.

Somali Memo, a news website affiliated with Al Shabab, has said the militants have claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday. It said the group had targeted “a convoy of vehicles carrying white security officers.”

The group aims to overthrow the central government and impose a strict interpretation of Islamic law. It carries out frequent gun and bomb attacks on security and government targets, but also on civilians. It also carries out attacks against African Union peacekeeping troops.

Venezuelan Fuel Pipeline Damage in Explosion

Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA on Wednesday has blamed an explosion along a major gasoline pipeline on "criminal sabotage", adding that the line would be repaired swiftly.

Authorities in Venezuela's eastern Anzoategui state reported the blast late on Tuesday, which state governor Luis Jose Marcano stated was presumably caused by "attempts to perforate the pipeline.”

PDVSA has said the pipeline distributes gasoline throughout Venezuela's eastern states, adding that it had deployed all available teams to repair the breach and prevent service disruptions.

There was no immediate confirmation of who was responsible for the blast or whether it caused casualties.

Venezuela faces gasoline shortages following years of divestment in the country’s refineries, which can process 1.3 million barrels a day, but operates at low capacity.

Four People Survive in a Helicopter Crash in Philadelphia

Four people, including a 2-month-old infant, have survived after a helicopter crash outside a church in west Philadelphia on Tuesday.

A drone video shows debris and remnants of the medical helicopter outside the Drexel Hill United Methodist Church, with first responders and emergency vehicles standing by in the densely populated residential neighborhood.

The chopper carrying the baby, a nurse and two helicopter crew members was on its way to a Philadelphia hospital on Tuesday afternoon when it crashed on the front steps of the church. All four occupants were able to self-extricate without sustaining life-threatening injuries, officials have reported.

An Upper Darby police superintendent told local media it was "an absolute miracle" that no one was injured and that no trees or power lines were brought down in the crash.