12 people hurt in London acid attack

LONDON • Twelve people were injured when a corrosive substance was thrown inside a packed east London nightclub yesterday, the latest in a sharp rise in acid attacks in the British capital.

There were more than 1,800 reports of attacks involving corrosive fluids in London since 2010, according to police data cited by the BBC last month.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Palestinian jailbirds on hunger strike

RAMALLAH • Hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails launched a hunger strike yesterday following a call from leader and prominent prisoner Marwan Barghouti, a movement that could mark a serious challenge to Israeli authorities if sustained.

Israeli public radio reported that Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan has ordered intervention units to be on standby and a field hospital to be set up outside one prison to avoid having to take sick prisoners to civilian hospitals.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Teen surfer dies after shark attack

PERTH • A teenage girl has died after a shark attack near Esperance in Western Australia's south yesterday.

The 17-year-old had been surfing with her father when the attack occurred. She is believed to have been unconscious when pulled from the water with serious leg injuries, leading to massive blood loss , said Fairfax website WAtoday.