Headlines from around the world: 10/28/13

Ten cars rigged with explosives blew up in areas around Baghdad on Sunday, and a suicide bomber attacked soldiers queuing up to receive their pay. The attacks killed a total of 49 people and injured many more. The deadliest attack took place in Mosul when a man driving a car blew himself up outside a government bank where soldiers were waiting to collect their salaries. Twelve people were killed in that attack. 37 more people were killed in what seems to have been coordinated blasts around Baghdad. In the worst of those, two car bombs exploded near a market in Nahrawan, killing seven.

Two Americans were kidnapped by pirates after their ship was attacked near the coast of Nigeria. The oil supply vessel C-Retriever was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea and the ship’s captain and its chief engineer were abducted. Nigerian military officials deployed army and navy units to find the kidnappers but as of now have no “hard information” as to the whereabouts of the pirates or the two Americans. Due to the conditions in Nigeria it is easy for pirates to flourish there and take advantage of the lax security. In 2009 Navy SEAL snipers killed three Somali pirates as they rescued Captain Richard Phillips. According to recent reports pirate attacks are increasing off Nigeria’s coast with 29 attacks on vessels recorded in the first nine months of 2013.

An elderly Australian couple was tricked into transporting almost $7 million of methamphetamine in their suitcases to take back to Australia. The travel company that the couple used told them they had won an all-expenses-paid trip to Canada and threw in a new set of luggage for free. After their week in North America the couple became suspicious about their suitcases and reported them to customs when they arrived in Australia. An X-ray scan showed irregularities in the luggage linings where nearly 8 lbs of methamphetamine was found. The police believes that the couple were victims of a scam targeting elderly Australians which was orchestrated by a fake Canadian-based tour company identifying itself as AUSCAN Tours.

Burglars that stole computers from an office building returned the items along with an letter of apology after realizing that they had stolen from a nonprofit that helps victims of sexual violence. The thieves broke into San Bernardino County Sexual Assault Services. They came through the ceiling and took several computer towers and monitors, as well as a laptop. The following morning the nonprofit’s director, Candy Stallings, was astonished by what she found. An investigator dusting for prints found a note inside the pile of stolen goods. It said “We had no idea what we were takeing. Here your stuff back we hope that you guys can continue to make a difference in peoples live. God Bless.”