Eight officials kidnapped

Dozens of masked gunmen have kidnapped eight Pakistani government officials, including five women, in a lawless tribal region bordering Afghanistan, an official said on Saturday.
Some 40 men ambushed a government vehicle near the town of Mir Ali in the North Waziristan district, where Pakistani forces have been hunting down al Qaeda and Taliban fighters, the official said. The hostages had been travelling from Peshawar to assess development work undertaken by the government in the troubled region. There was no immediate word from any of the anti-government groups operating in the region about the kidnapping.