In the World

SAN'A, Yemen - Yemeni warplanes pounded al-Qaeda fighters Monday, killing at least 16, while seven soldiers died in clashes with extremists in the country's south, where the army is trying to uproot the terror group, military officials said. The fighting came a day after government bombings of al-Qaeda positions killed at least 30 extremists.

In one of Monday's attacks, Yemeni warplanes struck an al-Qaeda hideout about 45 miles from the southern city of Zinjibar; at least 10 extremists were killed, officials said. In Zinjibar itself, clashes between the two sides left seven troops dead, according to the officials.

Government planes also fired missiles at a moving vehicle on the outskirts of another southern town, Lawder, killing six extremists inside it, the officials said. - AP

KATHMANDU, Nepal - A plane crashed into a mountain in the Himalayas while trying to land at an airport in northern Nepal on Monday, killing 15 people and injuring six, some critically.

It was carrying two pilots and a flight attendant - all Nepalese - along with 16 Indians and two Danish citizens, both of whom survived, officials said.

The plane was turning to land at Jomsom Airport when it crashed, said Laxmi Raj Sharma, chief government administrator in the area. Sharma said an initial investigation indicated the Dornier aircraft, which belonged to the local Agni Air company, might have had technical problems. - AP

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Ratko Mladic appealed Monday for a six-month delay in the start of his Yugoslav war-crimes trial, saying delays by prosecutors in disclosing evidence could lead to a miscarriage of justice.

The motion filed by lawyers for the former Bosnian Serb military commander was his latest attempt to delay his trial. Last week he also sought a postponement, asking for the Dutch presiding judge to be replaced. The court did not immediately react and has not yet ruled on Friday's appeal by Mladic to have the presiding judge, Alphons Orie, replaced, alleging he is biased.

Mladic's trial is to start Wednesday. He faces 11 charges, including two counts of genocide, alleging that he orchestrated atrocities by Serb fighters in the 1992-95 Bosnian war. - AP

LAGOS, Nigeria - Gunmen surrounded villages in northeast Nigeria and set them afire, killing at least 12 people and wounding 48, the Nigerian Red Cross said Monday.

The attacks targeted four villages early Sunday morning in a remote area of Adamawa state, which borders Cameroon. The number of dead could rise as aid workers remain unable to reach the villages affected and about 2,000 people have fled, the Red Cross said in a report.

The attack likely was a reprisal from Hausa Fulani cattle herdsmen over a killing earlier this year, the Red Cross said. - AP