Czech republic

Blast injures 40 in Prague

A powerful explosion badly damaged an office building in the center of the Czech capital on Monday, injuring up to 40 people. Authorities believe people may still be buried in the rubble. It was not certain what caused the blast in Divadelni Street, in Prague's Old Town, at about 10 am, but it was likely a natural gas explosion, police spokesman Tomas Hulan said. The street was covered with rubble and was sealed off by police who also evacuated people from nearby buildings and closed a wide area around the explosion site.

Cuba

Nations agree $2b deal

Cuba and Venezuela have signed accords for 51 joint projects worth $2 billion, local media reported on Sunday. At the close of 13th Cuba-Venezuela Intergovernmental Meeting on Saturday night, Cuban President Raul Castro and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the deals for projects in such areas as education, health, sports, culture, food production, construction, transport, communications, energy and support of social missions.

Italy

Moody's cautious on outlook

Rating agency Moody's will monitor the ability of the newly formed Italian government to overhaul the economy, a senior Moody's official told an Italian newspaper on Monday. "We will have to verify the commitment of the new government and its ability to resolutely pursue the huge structural reforms the country needs to improve its creditworthiness," Dietmar Hornung, senior credit officer at Moody's, told La Repubblica. "For now the situation remains difficult," Hornung said.

Pakistan

Eight die in blast

A bomb killed eight people in Pakistan on Monday, including the son of an influential Afghan cleric, and wounded about 45 in the northwestern city of Peshawar, officials said. Bombings and attacks have increased across the country in the run-up to a May 11 general election. The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for most of the violence and some political parties have decided not to hold open-air rallies because of the danger.

AP-Xinhua-Reuters

(China Daily 04/30/2013 page4)