In brief: Attack on Shiite mosque kills three

ISLAMABAD – An attack on a Shiite mosque in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Wednesday evening killed at least three people, the latest act of violence to target the country’s religious minority.

At least two people also were wounded in the violence, said Ayesha Isani, the spokeswoman at the hospital in Islamabad where the dead and wounded were taken. According to Islamabad police official Waseem Ali, a man likely opened fire on the mosque before throwing in a grenade – or possibly, before a suicide jacket he was wearing partially exploded.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which happened on the edge of Islamabad.

Pope joins walk on Ash Wednesday

ROME – Pope Francis walked in a solemn Ash Wednesday procession between churches on Rome’s ancient Aventine Hill, calling on people to humbly remember their human limits as faithful began their annual penitential Lenten period.

Francis, carrying his pastoral staff, chanted prayers along with other participants during the few minutes’ walk down the street. He wore a purple cloak, in keeping with the somber Lenten mood as Catholics spiritually prepare for Easter, which falls on April 5 this year.

The pope lowered his head so a prelate could dab ashes on his head during the ceremony inside St. Sabina’s Basilica, a church which dates to the early 5th century. The ashes symbolize mortality.

The ritual of the ashes was a “reminder of the truth of human existence,” Francis said in his homily. “We are limited creatures, sinners always in need of penitence and conversion.”

Canada: Mad cow case came after ban

EDMONTON, Alberta – Canada’s food safety organization says a cow discovered on an Alberta farm with mad cow disease was born two years after the government imposed a tougher ban on animal feed to guard against the disease.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Wednesday the cow discovered this month with bovine spongiform encephalopathy was born in March 2009. The cause is still under investigation.

Paul Mayers, a CFIA vice president, said investigators are working to determine the source of the feed used at the birth farm in Alberta and assess any potential risk factors.

Mayers said the case has been reported to the World Organization for Animal Health and won’t affect Canada’s official beef trade status.