Borussia Dortmund face the difficult challenge of recovering from Tuesday's frightening bomb attack on their team bus as they prepare to host Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga this weekend.
     Players and staff alike were badly shaken after their team coach was rocked by three explosions on the way to Signal Iduna Park ahead of their Champions League tie against Monaco.
     Defender Marc Bartra underwent emergency surgery on a fractured wrist and to remove glass that became planted in his arm after the blast shattered windows on the Dortmund bus.
     His team-mates also felt the psychological effects, losing 3-2 to Monaco after their quarter-final first leg was pushed back to Wednesday.
     Many in the Dortmund squad said they had not wanted to play, while manager Thomas Tuchel railed at the decision to reschedule the match less than 24 hours after the planned kick-off.
     "Unless you experienced it, you can't understand how bad it was for us," said defender Sokratis ...

Rattled Dortmund seek solace after attack

PTI Automatic

The United States is assessing military options in response to North Korea's weapons programs, a top official confirmed today, while acknowledging another provocative test was a question of "when" rather than "if."
	As speculation mounted that Pyongyang is preparing to fire a trial nuke or missile tomorrow, a White House foreign policy adviser said the United States was poised to deal with the security threat.
	"Military options are already being assessed," the official said on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic.
	Describing a fresh test as "possible," the White House adviser said that "with the regime it's not a matter of if, it's when.

US assessing 'military options' as North Korea test looms

The Syrian government's suspected chemical weapons attack on civilians last week amounts to a "war crime," the US State Department has said.
	It also ridiculed comments by President Bashar al-Assad in an interview with AFP to the effect that the alleged attack was fabricated by the United States to justify an American military strike.
	"Sadly, it's vintage Assad. It is an attempt by him to throw up false flags, create confusion," said department spokesman Mark Toner, alluding to what Assad said in the interview Wednesday. It was Assad's first since the alleged April 4 chemical weapons attack prompted a US cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base.
	The suspected chemical attack killed at least 87 people, including many children, and images of the dead and of suffering victims provoked global outrage.
	"Frankly, it's a tactic we've seen on Russia's part as well in the past," Toner told a daily press briefing.
	Echoing charges by Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State ...

US says chemical weapons attack in Syria was 'war crime'

New Zealand authorities have launched an operation to rescue a stranded Polish sailor on a round-the-world voyage after he activated his emergency beacon.
	The 64-year-old, who left Auckland nearly four weeks ago headed for Cape Horn in his 10.6 metre yacht Reginar, was located yesterday by a New Zealand Air Force Orion plane.
	"Polish solo round-the-world sailor is okay after setting off a distress beacon," the New Zealand Rescue Coordination Centre tweeted today after the Orion located the yacht.
	"Yacht's helm (steering) is broken. A cargo ship has been diverted to rescue man."
	He had set off his beacon 2,600 kilometres off the coast of New Zealand.
	The cargo ship is expected to reach the stricken yacht tomorrow morning.

New Zealand to rescue stranded Polish sailor

Brazilian President Michel Temer has angrily rejected an allegation that he was involved in a multi-million dollar bribe paid to his party by the Odebrecht construction conglomerate.
	"This never happened. Not at this meeting nor at any other which I held during my public life with any person or legal entity. I would never put my reputation at risk," he said in a video address yesterday.
	This week, a Supreme Court justice opened corruption probes into almost 100 politicians, including many close to the president.
	Temer is not being targeted in any investigation because he has immunity while in office.
	However, testimony underpinning the decision to launch the probes included an allegation that in 2010 Temer headed a meeting in Sao Paulo where his PMDB party negotiated a bribe from major Brazilian engineering firm Odebrecht.
	Former Odebrecht executive Marcio Faria told prosecutors as part of a plea bargain that his company made the deal to win a contract with state oil enterprise ..

Brazilian president rejects corruption claims

Violent clashes broke out in the Moroccan city of Fes as security forces fired tear gas at radical leftist students.
	Activists and news reports yesterday said some 45 people from both sides had been injured in the confrontation on the edge of the central city's university campus and outside the main court.
	The protesters had come to offer support to two leftist students appearing in court, charged with the murder of an Islamist student who died of his injuries after clashes between the two camps in April 2014.
	Local authorities said "several" members of the security forces were injured and had to be taken to hospital, adding: "The protesters used violence and threw stones."
	Abderrahim Lamrabet from the local branch of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) said 25 students had been injured, while the Economiste newspaper said around 20 members of the security forces were taken to hospital.
	Authorities said 17 students were arrested.

Clashes at Morocco student demo

Wall Street stocks tumbled today, the final trading day of the holiday-shortened week, after the US military dropped a massive bomb in Afghanistan targeting an Islamic State complex.
	The Pentagon's move, combined with worries about Syria and North Korea, sent investors to the sidelines, said JJ Kinahan, chief market strategist at TD Ameritrade.
	"People are saying 'Let's take some risk off the table,'" he said. "With what's going on in geopolitics, who knows what can happen" over the long weekend.
	The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.7 per cent to end the session at 20,453.25.
	The broad-based S&P 500 shed 0.7 per cent to close at 2,328.95, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.5 percent to 5,805.15.
	Markets are closed Friday for Good Friday.
	Petroleum-linked shares were big losers in an apparent round of profit taking following gains earlier in the week. Dow members ExxonMobil and Chevron lost 1.5 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively, while Halliburton slid ...

US stocks tumble ahead of long weekend

The United States today added the brother of Iran's most high-profile military chief Qassem Soleimani to its sanctions list, accusing him of overseeing torture and other abuses at Tehran's Evin Prison.
	The measure from the US Treasury Department targets both Sohrab Soleimani and the Tehran Prisons Organization.
	Soleimani is the younger brother of Major General Qassem Soleimani, who runs the foreign operations arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and who has been photographed visiting Iranian-led fighting forces in Syria and Iraq. Qassem Soleimani is already subject to US sanctions.
	Sohrab Soleimani is the supervisor of the Office of the Deputy for Security and Law Enforcement of the State Prisons Organisation, according to a US Treasury statement. He used to be the director general of the Tehran Prisons Organization
	The new human rights-related  sanctions by the US follow the arrests in Iran of a string of dual nationals from Western countries, many of whom have been detained on ...

US sanctions Iran military chief's brother over prison abuses

The US government will keep an "open mind" on any new loan package from the International Monetary Fund for debt-burdened Greece, a senior US Treasury official said today.
	Despite criticism of international organizations by the Trump administration, the comments allay concerns that US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin could veto any large new aid package for Athens.
	"We're looking for the Europeans to help Greece to resolve its economic problems, and we think the IMF can play a supportive role," the official told reporters. "And we'll look at any potential future agreement with an open mind."
	IMF chief Christine Lagarde on Wednesday said Greece and its eurozone creditors have made progress towards a new loan package that includes debt relief, but that is something the fund has been saying for months without a final deal.
	Greece last week accepted a tough set of reforms demanded by its eurozone creditors in hopes of securing a new loan in time to avert a looming debt default in ...

US will keep 'open mind' on any IMF aid to Greece: official

At least 20 people were killed and nine injured today when a bus crashed into a petrol tanker in southern Mexico, the emergency services said.
	The vehicles crashed early in the day on a highway near the border of Guerrero and Michoacan states, said Marco Cesar Mayares, secretary of the Guerrero state Civil Protection service.
	"For the moment we have 20 people confirmed dead, but we are still working to clear the wreckage," he said.

Traffic accident kills 20 in Mexico: official

Tesla founder Elon Musk said today the electric car startup is set to launch its first semi-truck in September, moving for the first time into that segment.
	Musk made the announcement in a tweet, offering few details about the plan, although he has spoken in the past about moving into the truck segment.
	"Tesla Semi truck unveil set for September. Team has done an amazing job. Seriously next level," he wrote on Twitter.
	The news comes with Tesla stock on an uptrend and the California-based group jockeying for position as the most valuable automotive maker with General Motors, even though Tesla produces far fewer vehicles.
	Tesla's rise reflects a belief in the market that it embodies the future of the industry and has a firmer grip than traditional players on technologies that will inject autonomous features into driving.
	Tesla last year sold 84,000 cars, generating $7 billion in revenue.
	Tesla, which has overtaken Ford in market capitalization, is on track to begin production in .

Telsa's Musk announces plans for semi-truck launch

A local security force deployed across southern Lebanon's Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp today, a commander said, ending a week of sporadic clashes with an extremist group.
	The fighting, which left nine dead and more than 50 wounded, had prompted many to flee their homes and forced schools and shops in and around the camp to close.
	The commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the local security force, which includes 100 fighters from several Palestinian factions, was able to deploy throughout the camp after a ceasefire late Wednesday night.
	Lebanon's army does not enter the camp by long-standing convention.
	"Security forces deployed in the Al-Tiri neighbourhood, which had been the focal point of the clashes," the commander said.
	He added that "extremist Islamist groups" had withdrawn from some areas to avoid further clashes.
	Fighting erupted late Friday after Palestinian factions deployed throughout Ain al-Hilweh as part of an operation aimed at combating the 

Forces deploy in Palestinian camp in Lebanon after clashes

His 90th birthday may not be for a few days yet, but former pope Benedict XVI got an early present today: a visit from his Argentine successor, Pope Francis.
	The two men met at Benedict's home in the grounds of the Vatican so Francis could be the first to wish him many happy returns.
	While the pope emeritus, who turns 90 on Sunday, keeps a low profile most of the time, Francis makes sure he is included in key celebrations in the Catholic Church and brings new cardinals to meet him.
	In 2013, Benedict became the first head of the church to resign in seven centuries, amid speculation he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, unable to cope at the top of an institution beset by scandals.
	He said he no longer had the strength of mind or body to carry on, but his health appeared to improve after he stepped down and moved into a former convent in the grounds of the Vatican.
	"He is serene, calm and in a good mood. He wants to do something small (for his birthday) to match his ...

Pope Francis celebrates Benedict's 90th

Mexican authorities arrested a man suspected of shooting dead a US border guard in 2010 and aim to extradite him to the United States, prosecutors said today.
	Mexican marines detained the man on Wednesday near the border of the northern Mexican states of Sinaloa and Chihuahua, the public prosecution service said in a statement.
	The suspect, Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes, is accused of carrying out along with other suspects the killing of US border patrol guard Brian Terry in December 2010.
	Terry was killed on US soil while trying to intercept a group suspected of stealing drugs at the border.
	Evidence found while investigating the killing indirectly brought to light a controversial arms-trafficking operation involving US authorities.
	They allowed guns to be trafficked across the border to Mexico in the hope of tracking them, but lost trace of some of the weapons after gangs got hold of them.
	Mexico has notified the US government of the arrest with a view to extraditing the suspect ..

Mexico arrests suspected killer of US border guard

Egypt's interior ministry said today it had identified the bomber who targeted a Palm Sunday service at a Coptic Christian church in the northern city of Tanta, killing 28 people.
	On Wednesday, the ministry named the bomber who struck outside a church in the Mediterranean port of Alexandria. A total of 45 people were killed in the two attacks, which were claimed by the Islamic State group.

Egypt says second church suicide bomber identified

The world's chemical weapons watchdog said today that allegations a chemical attack took place in the Syrian rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun, killing at least 87 people, were "credible".
	Following last week's deadly attack, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said technical experts analysed the available information "and their preliminary assessment was that this was a credible allegation.

Syria chemical attack allegation 'credible': watchdog

The rules of engagement governing US-led strikes against the Islamic State group have not been changed under President Donald Trump's administration, a commander said today.
	After taking office in January, Trump ordered the development of a "new plan" to defeat IS, and called for recommendations on changing rules of engagement and "policy restrictions" that go beyond the requirements of international law.
	"We still have the same rules of engagement; those authorities were delegated before any change in administration," Brigadier General Rick Uribe, a senior commander in the US-led coalition against IS, told journalists in Baghdad.
	"We have not changed our procedures due to a change in... administration," said Uribe, who emphasised that the coalition carefully reviews potential targets in order to avoid civilian casualties.
	Despite Trump's vows to increase the pace of action against IS and his assertion that he supports killing the families of militants, current efforts against the 

Anti-IS strike rules unchanged under Trump: general

A student at a military academy in Russia's second city Saint Petersburg has been arrested and charged with "complicity in terrorism", a court said today.
	Cadet Vadim Osipov was ordered to be held in custody until June 9 as investigations continue, the press office for the military court said, without giving more details about the case.
	The announcement of the arrest comes in the wake of a deadly bomb attack on the city's metro system on April 3 that killed 14 people.
	Officials made no link between Osipov's detention and the metro bombing.
	Authorities have blamed that attack on 22-year-old Akbarjon Djalilov, thought to be a Russian national born in Central Asian Kyrgzstan, who died in the blast.
	The has been no claim of responsibility for the attack but investigators say they are probing possible links to Islamic State jihadists.
	Eight people -- all from mainly Muslim Central Asia -- have been detained in Moscow and Saint Petersburg over alleged involvement in the attack.

Russian military cadet arrested for 'terrorism'

Pope Francis washed the feet of former mafiosi today in a prison known for housing inmates who have informed on old mobster allies.
	The closed-door visit to Paliano prison outside Rome saw the 80-year-old pontiff kneel before a small group of inmates, pouring water over their feet, drying them with a towel and bending to kiss them in an age-old Easter tradition.
	"We are all sinners, we all have our limits and our shortcomings," Francis told the prisoners.
	The jail's inmates include some 50 former mafiosi who made deals to provide anti-mafia prosecutors with information in exchange for shorter prison sentences, along with other informers, according to the chaplain.
	The rite, performed yearly on Maundy or Holy Thursday, commemorates Jesus Christ's Last Supper with the apostles.
	In Christian tradition, Jesus is said to have washed their feet ahead of the meal in a gesture of humility.
	"The feet washing ritual dates back to Roman mealtimes, because the roads were not paved and ...

Pope washes feet of mafia snitches in Easter ritual

The United Nations Security Council today agreed to shut down the peacekeeping mission in Haiti after 13 years and replace it with a smaller police-only force.
	The council unanimously adopted a resolution that will end the mission known as MINUSTAH by October 15.
	The decision provided a boost to the new US administration's hopes of cutting back its multi-billion dollar financial contribution to UN peacekeeping.
	US Ambassador Nikki Haley has launched a review of all peacekeeping missions to find ways of cutting back costs and improving the operations, which have been plagued with sexual abuse and corruption scandals.
	After the vote, Haley spoke out against sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers, saying children in Haiti will continue to face a "nightmare" after the troops are gone.
	"What do we say to these kids? Did these peacekeepers keep them safe?" she asked.
	The council agreed that the 2,370 soldiers serving in MINUSTAH will be gradually withdrawn over six months to make way for the 

UN agrees to shut down Haiti peacekeeping mission

The US military today dropped what is considered to be the largest non-nuclear bomb on an Islamic State complex in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said.
	The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb hit a "tunnel complex" in Achin district in Nangarhar province, US Forces Afghanistan said in a statement.
	The strike occurred at about 7:32 pm local time (1502 GMT).
	Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said it was the first combat use of the weapon.

AFP

AFP

Page 1159 - Afp