At least 31 people were killed and 169 injured in an explosion at a mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Friday, according to officials. The blast, which occurred during Friday prayers in the Tarlai area, was reportedly caused by a suicide bomber who detonated a device after approaching the mosque's gates, as reported by BBC World. Eyewitnesses told the BBC that gunfire preceded the explosion.
Following the attack, an emergency was declared, and hospitals began receiving the wounded. An appeal for blood donations was also issued. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident, expressing "deep grief" and calling for a thorough investigation.
In other news, several reports indicate that many smart motorways in England are not delivering the expected value for money. According to reports from National Highways, two schemes, including sections of the M25 and M6, were found to offer "very poor" value. The AA, representing motorists, described the schemes as a "catastrophic waste of time, money and effort," as reported by BBC Business.
Meanwhile, Storm Leonardo continued to batter Europe and northern Africa. The Iberian peninsula experienced severe weather alerts, with torrential rain and strong winds affecting Spain and Portugal. Spain's state meteorological agency, Aemet, issued its highest red alert for heavy rainfall in Cádiz and parts of Málaga, according to The Guardian.
In Nigeria, the chief of a village in Kwara state recounted a night of terror following a massacre by jihadists. Umar Bio Salihu, the local head of Woro, said gunmen killed two of his sons and kidnapped his wife and three daughters, as reported by The Guardian.
Finally, in Venezuela, a plan to turn a notorious prison into a cultural center has drawn criticism. The move is among several measures the acting president has touted, but critics say it erases Venezuela's long history of repression, according to The Guardian. The building, originally designed as a drive-through shopping center in the 1950s, was never completed and later became a site of imprisonment under the regimes of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro.
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