W O R L D

Another blast hits Syria ahead of UN team visit
Damascus, March 18
A car bomb hit Syria's second city Aleppo today, a day after blasts killed 27 in Damascus, as UN teams readied for a government-led humanitarian mission and for a visit to set up a monitoring operation to end a year of bloodshed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in a statement, said the latest blast targeted political security offices in the northern city of Aleppo, leaving dead and wounded.

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest against Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in front of the Beyazit mosque in Istanbul on Sunday. — Reuters

Occupy protesters clash with police in New York New York, March 18 The police and protesters clashed in New York on the six-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street when activists tried to reoccupy the park in New York’s financial district where their movement was born. Police personnel round up Occupy Wall Street activists at the Zuccotti Park in New York on Saturday. — Reuters

51 militants killed in Pak
Islamabad, March 18
At least 51 militants and four soldiers have died in Pakistan’s restive northwest after security forces backed by combat jets launched a major offensive a week back, officials said today.

Venezuela’s Chavez sings and dances after surgery Caracas, March 18 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sang, danced with his daughter and vowed to win a presidential election this year, a day after returning from what he said was a successful operation to remove a second tumour. Back in action: Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez greets supporters as he attends a ceremony at Miraflores Palace in Caracas on Saturday. — Reuters

Prachanda’s son forced to return $250,000 grant
Kathmandu, March 18
The son of Maoist chief Prachanda was today forced to return a whopping $250,000 grant from his father's government to scale Mt Everest after the opposition launched a protest demanding scrapping its "immoral" decision.

Libya demands handover of Gaddafi’s spy chief

Tripoli, March 18 Libya has formally requested the handover of slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, who has been arrested in Mauritania. Mohammed al-Harizy, a spokesman for Libya’s National Transitional Council insisted Senussi be extradited to Libya to face trial. Abdullah al-Senussi, nicknamed ‘the butcher’, was one of the last significant members of the Gaddafi regime. — AFP

Indian, British armies won’t be able to employ Gurkhas
Kathmandu, March 18
Indian and British armies won't be able to employ Gurkhas, known for their valour, following a Nepalese government decision to eventually stop their recruitment in foreign countries.

Gauck elected German Prez
Berlin, March 18
Activist pastor Joachim Gauck was elected German President by an overwhelming majority today, marking the first time a candidate from the former communist east will be head of state.

Another blast hits Syria ahead of UN team visit

Damascus, March 18
A car bomb hit Syria's second city Aleppo today, a day after blasts killed 27 in Damascus, as UN teams readied for a government-led humanitarian mission and for a visit to set up a monitoring operation to end a year of bloodshed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in a statement, said the latest blast targeted political security offices in the northern city of Aleppo, leaving dead and wounded.

State media, which have said that such attacks aimed to sabotage efforts to find a political solution to Syria's crisis, said it exploded near residential buildings and a post office.

Activists in Aleppo, the target of car bombings on February 10 that killed 28 persons, told AFP in Beirut on Skype that the blast rocked the city early in the afternoon.

Yesterday, twin car bombings killed 27 persons and wounded 140 others in the heart of Syria's capital, the interior ministry said, blaming "terrorists" for the attacks near police and air force headquarters. "Yesterday's explosions were carried out by terrorists supported by foreign powers which finance and arm them," charged Al-Baath newspaper, mouthpiece of President Bashar al-Assad's ruling party of the same name.

"The two attacks... aim to disrupt Annan's mission and to foil international efforts to find a political solution to the crisis," it said, referring to UN-Arab League peace envoy Kofi Annan.

A rally and prayers were being held today at the site of the biggest explosion, in the Al-Qasaa district that is home to many members of Syria's Christian minority.

Opposition activists accused the regime, as in past lethal bombings in the capital and the northern city of Aleppo, of having stage-managed the attacks.

Ath-Thawra, another official daily, pointed the finger at Qatar and Saudi Arabia which have called for rebels fighting the Assad regime to be armed. — AFP

Occupy protesters clash with police in New York

New York, March 18
The police and protesters clashed in New York on the six-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street when activists tried to reoccupy the park in New York’s financial district where their movement was born.

Left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore joined about 600 people chanting: “All day, all week, occupy Wall Street!” in Zuccotti Park yesterday.

The rally, which began in the evening, grew bigger when reinforcements arrived, saying they were ready to stay on the square late into the night. Shortly before midnight, protesters erected a makeshift tent of cardboard and tarpaulin in contravention of rules banning shelters in the park.

Then the police moved into the crowd and started to make arrests, sparking chaotic scenes as hundreds of other protesters tried to hold their ground. Earlier in the day, protesters had marched on nearby Wall Street, resulting in another unspecified number of arrests, police said.

Zuccotti Park was the focal point of the OWS movement when it sprang up in September last year, but a tent camp maintained there by the mix of anti-capitalists, anarchists and people simply disillusioned with their economic future was evicted after two months.

Since the eviction, the movement, which at one point spawned similar tent camps in cities across the United States, has struggled to rally large numbers or find new ways to make its presence felt. However with warmer spring weather arriving, expectations are that Occupy leaders will try to regain their momentum.

Protesters seemed invigorated by their relatively large numbers compared to the small turnouts during street demonstrations over the winter. Some of their old chants were repeated and the former tent camp’s famous-to some, notorious-noisy drum circle was up and running. — AFP

51 militants killed in Pak

Islamabad, March 18
At least 51 militants and four soldiers have died in Pakistan’s restive northwest after security forces backed by combat jets launched a major offensive a week back, officials said today.

A total of 26 militants were killed and 15 more injured when combat jets bombarded rebel hideouts in the Orakzai and Kurram tribal regions today. Seven hideouts were destroyed in the air strikes, officials said.

At least 25 militants and four security personnel have died in clashes in the Bara region of Khyber Agency since March 12, officials said. A dozen security personnel were injured in the fighting.

Troops are currently conducting operations against the banned Lashkar-e-Islam in Khyber Agency.

Officials denied reports that some militants were killed in custody in Bara following the recovery of 14 bullet-riddled and mutilated bodies in the region.

The casualties in the fighting could not be independently confirmed as journalists are barred from reporting from the tribal belt. — PTI

Venezuela’s Chavez sings and dances after surgery

Caracas, March 18
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sang, danced with his daughter and vowed to win a presidential election this year, a day after returning from what he said was a successful operation to remove a second tumour.

"The beating we're going to give the Venezuelan right will be memorable ... not just in the history of Venezuela but in almost all the world," he told thousands of red-clad, ecstatic supporters gathered outside the presidential palace.

The 57-year-old socialist leader flew home on Friday after cancer surgery in Cuba, his third operation in less than a year. His return after a three-week absence thrilled his fans and should quell rumors of his top aides wrestling for power behind the scenes - at least for now.

But so little is known about his health - even what type of cancer he is suffering from has not been revealed - that big doubts remain over whether the normally energetic Chavez will be able to campaign ahead of the October 7 vote.

So Venezuelans have been glued to the images of him since his return. He appeared sure-footed at the airport on Friday, and there were few clues to his condition other than an occasional quiver in his voice during a 30-minute speech after he landed.

Film of him leaving Havana earlier that day showed him quickly climbing the steps to his plane, unaided, after bidding farewell to Cuban leader Raul Castro.

Chavez said on Saturday he will undergo radiation therapy in the coming days, but it is unclear whether that will take place in Caracas or back in Havana. — Reuters

Prachanda’s son forced to return $250,000 grant
Prakash Dahal received the money to scale Mt Everest with his 11-member team

Kathmandu, March 18
The son of Maoist chief Prachanda was today forced to return a whopping $250,000 grant from his father's government to scale Mt Everest after the opposition launched a protest demanding scrapping its "immoral" decision.

Youths and student activists belonging to the main opposition party Nepali Congress and CPN-UML burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai today and staged massive protests to press the government to withdraw the cash offer to Prakash Dahal to scale Mt Everest, the world's highest peak.

Forced by the public outrage against the Maoist-led gorvernment's decision, Prakash, 30, who is a part of 11-men expedition team, told a press conference here: "The Lumbini-Everest Peace Mission 2012 has decided not to accept the aid provided by the government." "We want to return the money to the government, showing respect for the sentiments of the Nepali people." He said he wanted the money instead to be given to the families of the 16,000 killed in the country's decade-long civil war, which ended in 2006.

Prakash has claimed that he has take up the challenge "for the sake of the country, the people and peace and the Constitution". He, however, said that the mission would not stop despite its decision to reject the government fund.

The meeting of Council of Ministers on Friday allotted the sum to the team that is leaving for the expedition of the 8,848 metre Mount Everest on March 29. — PTI

Libya demands handover of Gaddafi’s spy chief

Tripoli, March 18
Libya has formally requested the handover of slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, who has been arrested in Mauritania. Mohammed al-Harizy, a spokesman for Libya’s National Transitional Council insisted Senussi be extradited to Libya to face trial.

“We insist that Senussi is extradited to Libya,” The BBC quoted Harizy, as saying. “There are demands from the ICC and France to get Senussi, but the priority is to deliver Senussi to Libya,” he added.

According to an official, Senussi was held at the airport in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, after flying from Morocco using a false passport. Mauritania has already said it wants to carry out its own investigation before considering any extradition requests. — ANI

Indian, British armies won’t be able to employ Gurkhas

Gauck elected German Prez

Berlin, March 18
Activist pastor Joachim Gauck was elected German President by an overwhelming majority today, marking the first time a candidate from the former communist east will be head of state.

Gauck, 72, claimed 991 votes out of 1,232 from a special assembly of MPs and other dignitaries, parliamentary speaker Norbert Lammert said, against prominent Nazi hunter Beate Klarsfeld, 73, who was nominated as a protest candidate by the far-left party Die Linke.

It was the third presidential election in three years for Germany after the abrupt resignations of Gauck's two predecessors. — AFP