In Pakistan, a former Parliamentarian was among 26 people killed in two separate bomb attacks that targeted a mosque and a tribal council on Monday in the restive South Waziristan region of the country on the Afghan border. The bomber detonated his suicide jacket as former lawmaker Maulana Noor Muhammad was delivering a sermon to a group of worshippers in the mosque at Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan Agency. Officials said 18 people were killed and dozens others injured in the attack. They said that seven of the injured were in a serious condition. The mosque was severely damaged by the blast.Witnesses said the bomber, who had joined the worshippers, suddenly blew himself up. In another incident, 8 persons were killed and 10more injured when a bomb ripped through a jirga or tribal council in the restive Kurram tribal region. The remote-controlled blast occurred when the jirga was meeting in Khomcha area to settle a dispute regarding the ownership of a school. No group has claimed responsibility for the two attacks.