Another Week in the World

Bomb explodes in Pakistan
A car bomb exploded in a marketplace in Peshawar, Pakistan Wednesday, the same day Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in the country to meet with Pakistani government officials. Though no one has claimed responsibility, a senior intelligence official blames the attack on the Taliban. The bombing, one of many perpetrated by the Taliban recently, killed 101 people and wounded about 160 others. Peshawar has been the target of many of the recent Taliban attacks and lacks the firefighters and excavation capacity necessary to handle the aftermath of bombings like the one on Wednesday.

Church of Scientology convicted
A Paris court fined and convicted the Church of Scientology in France for fraud. The prosecution had asked for a ban on the church, a step recently taken in Germany. Two former church members brought the case, saying they were pressured into paying excessive sums on courses, pharmaceuticals and tests to track their religious progress. The Church of Scientology said it will appeal the case.

Extremist law to take effect
A new criminal code that will take effect in Banda Aceh, Indonesia this month will allow stoning as a punishment for adulterers. Banda Aceh has been using more moderate Islamic law for some time, but extremist groups have managed to push more radical tenets of Shariah law past religious moderates. Even some moderate lawmakers admitted to supporting the law rather than risking being labeled bad Muslims.

*Information compiled from nytimes.com