Islamists blamed for 18 deaths

ALGIERS - The deaths of 18 civilians killed early yesterday in attacks on villages in northern Algeria were blamed on Islamic extremists, who appear to be stepping up a violent killing spree in the run up to a controversial constitutional referendum. Algerian security forces reported two separate incidents in villages near Medea, 70 km south west of the capital, in which the civilians were "slaughtered in a cowardly fashion".