World digest 03/16/04

Police defuse bomb near U.S. Consulate in Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan -- Pakistani police defused a large bomb less than five minutes before it was timed to detonate outside the U.S. Consulate on Monday, averting a devastating terrorist attack two days before Secretary of State Colin Powell visits this country. It was not clear who was behind the thwarted attack on the consulate in Karachi -- Pakistan's largest city of 14 million people and scene of a wave of anti-Western bombings since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Police bomb disposal experts found a plastic water tank containing about 200 gallons of a liquid explosive mix attached to detonators and a timer.

Aristide lands in Jamaica; Haiti suspends ties

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, defying the United States and Haiti's new leaders, returned to the Caribbean Monday, arriving in Jamaica where he had been given temporary asylum. Aristide's return to the Western Hemisphere, two weeks after he was exiled to the Central African Republic to end a rebel uprising, prompted Haiti's interim prime minister to recall his ambassador to Jamaica and suspend relations. Jamaican officials have said Aristide will visit for only eight to 10 weeks to be reunited with his two daughters, who had been sent for safety to New York City, and while he makes plans for a permanent home in exile in a third country.

Israel's Sharon rules out Palestinian negotiations

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Monday ruled out negotiations with the Palestinians, accusing them of doing nothing to stop terror attacks a day after a double suicide bombing killed 10 Israelis. The declaration dealt a blow to efforts to restart peace talks, clearing the way for the prime minister's proposal to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and impose a boundary in the West Bank unilaterally. Addressing Israel's parliament, Sharon said Sunday's attack at the Israeli seaport of Ashdod "reinforces the understanding that there is no Palestinian leader with the courage, the ability, to struggle against terrorism."

Blast in Russia kills two; dozens believed trapped

MOSCOW -- An explosion destroyed a section of a nine-story apartment building in the northern Russian city of Arkhangelsk early today, killing at least two people and injuring eight, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. It cited Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov as saying at least 75 people could be trapped in the rubble. A duty officer in Arkhangelsk said that a gas leak was the likely cause of the blast.

U.S. forces, insurgents battle at Afghan caves

KABUL, Afghanistan -- U.S.-led troops surprised eight enemy fighters in a cave complex in southeastern Afghanistan, prompting a gunbattle in which three militiamen were killed and five others were wounded, the American military said Monday. The fighting was the first reported by the U.S. military since the March 7 start of a new sweep for insurgents and terror leaders, including Osama bin Laden and Taliban chief Mullah Mohammed Omar.

Venezuelan court gives boost to opposition

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuela's Supreme Court gave a major boost Monday to opponents of President Hugo Chavez, ruling that signatures on recall petitions need not be validated. The high court overturned a decision by the National Elections Council to force more than 870,000 citizens to confirm they signed the petitions seeking a vote to recall Chavez. The court ordered the council to accept those signatures as valid. If the citizens don't come forward to say they did not sign, Chavez opponents would have more than enough signatures to trigger the recall vote. Opposition leaders submitted more than 3 million signatures Dec. 19. They needed some 2.4 million to force the vote.

-- From wire reports