World briefs 2/27/05

Israel blames Syria for Tel Aviv suicide bombing

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz on Saturday blamed Syria and a Palestinian militant group based there for a suicide bombing that killed four Israelis outside a Tel Aviv nightclub and shattered an informal truce, prompting him to freeze plans to hand over security responsibilities in the West Bank. Syria denied the charges. The suicide bombing, which broke a two-week period of relative calm, has threatened to derail the informal Feb. 8 cease-fire declaration by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. It also could spark new tensions between Israel and Syria.

Pope to skip Sunday blessing for first time

VATICAN CITY -- Breaking a tradition he kept even after being shot two decades ago, Pope John Paul II will not lead Sunday prayers for the first time in his 26-year papacy as he recovers from a throat operation to help him breathe. With the 84-year-old pontiff advised by attending physicians not to speak after surgery to insert a breathing tube and too delicate to appear at his hospital window, a top Vatican official will bless the faithful assembled at St. Peter's Square, the Vatican said Saturday. While there was no indication the decision signaled any change in the pope's condition, it was a sign of the uncertainty the pope's incapacity may create.

Skyscraper fire in Taiwan kills at least four

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A fire raged through the top floors of a high-rise building Saturday in the central city of Taichung, killing at least four people before it was extinguished, officials said. Rescue workers found the bodies of a 40-year-old security guard and three other employees of the Gold Plaza Tower, and two helicopters rescued nine people from the roof, officials said. No information on what caused the fire was available.