Pakistani officials say a roadside bomb has killed six militants in the country's northwest.

Officials say a militant commander named Hakim Khan was among those killed in Thursday's attack in the Kurram tribal region near the Afghan border.

It was unclear who planted the bomb, but officials say a rival militant group may be responsible.

In southern Pakistan, the port city of Karachi began to return to normal on Thursday following days of political violence that killed at least 56 people.

Schools and businesses reopened in Pakistan's commercial hub following a day of mourning.

Nigeria's Secret Service says five people will be charged in connection with deadly car bombings earlier this month in the capital. Those to be charged include the brother of ex-militant, Henry Okah.

Nigeria's Secret Service Spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar said Tuesday Charles Okah and four other suspects are to be charged in connection with independence day bombings that killed 12 people in the capital, Abuja.

A British aid worker kidnapped by Somali gunmen last week has been released.

Local authorities say Frans Barnard, who works for the British charity Save the Children, was freed overnight Tuesday some 250 kilometers from Abado, the town where he was abducted.

Save the Children spokesperson Anna Ford confirmed the news.

"He is safe and well," Ford said. "He is in good spirits. He said it is marvelous that he has been released and we look forward to seeing him soon."

Defense Department officials say shots were fired at the Pentagon building just outside Washington on Tuesday.

Pentagon police say they are investigating reports that several shots were fired near the building in the pre-dawn hours. An initial investigation found evidence that at least two bullets had struck the Pentagon.

Law enforcement officials closed a major highway and several other roads adjacent to the building to search for evidence. It is unclear how many shots were fired or what type of weapon was used.

No injuries have been reported.

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Southern Russia's long simmering Islamic rebellion flared up when Chechen gunmen attacked the republic's parliament, killing three security officers and wounding at least 17 other people before three of the attackers died in a counterattack.

The International Maritime Bureau said Monday that ship hijackings worldwide hit a five-year high during the first nine months of this year.

Captain Pottengal Mukundan is director of the International Maritime Bureau, or IMB, said, "I don't think we can take any comfort from these attacks. We have seen a new area emerge in the South China seas. In Somalia we have seen the attacks come down but the number of hijackings remain high and will, if the trend continues, be at the same levels, if not more, than it was last year."

Saudi Arabia has warned France that Europe is at threat of an al-Qaida attack. A French official says his country in particular, is the target of an imminent attack.

French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said France had received information from the Saudi Arabian secret services that al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia is a threat to Europe, and especially to France.

He said in recent days France has also received information that a female suicide bomber might carry out an attack on French territory.

Nigerian officials say gunmen kidnapped the principal of an ExxonMobil-sponsored school and killed her police escort and driver.

A police spokesman said Thursday the attack occurred Wednesday in Eket in the Niger Delta region.

The kidnap victim has been identified as Pegasus School Principal Lakshmi Tombush, an Indian national.

Authorities have not indicated if any ransom demands have been made.

Police are investigating the abduction.

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Al-Qaida in the Arab Peninsula is threatening to overthrow Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh. The government and al-Qaida rebels have stepped up activity against each other across the country.

In an audio tape broadcast on the internet, the leader of the self-styled "al-Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula" group, Qasim al-Rimi, is threatening to topple Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh.