NewsMarch 20, 2005
World briefs 3/20/05
Putin makes first visit to Ukraine since election; Bomb explodes at Shiite shrine in Pakistan; Car bomb tears through theater in Qatar, kills 1; Strong earthquake shakes coast of southern Japan
Putin makes first visit to Ukraine since election
KIEV, Ukraine -- Russian President Vladimir Putin made a one-day fence-mending trip to Ukraine on Saturday to seek assurances that the country's new pro-Western government would not drive the two former Soviet republics apart. Putin flew to the Ukrainian capital from Paris and met Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who won election in December after street protests forced the reversal of an initial vote count that gave victory to his pro-Kremlin opponent. It was Putin's first visit to Ukraine since the so-called "Orange Revolution." Saturday's brief visit was the second meeting between the leaders. Yushchenko traveled to the Kremlin a day after his inauguration, fulfilling a campaign promise to preserve a good relationship with Russia even as Ukraine seeks membership in the European Union and NATO.
Bomb explodes at Shiite shrine in Pakistan
QUETTA, Pakistan -- A bomb exploded Saturday as minority Shiite Muslims congregated at a shrine in a remote town in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least 27 people and wounding 18, police said. Thousands of worshippers were at the shrine of a Shiite saint near the town of Naseerabad when the bomb went off outside, said Mubarak Ali, a local police official. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and no indication the attack was linked to clashes between renegade tribesmen and government forces at a town elsewhere in southwestern Baluchistan that left at least 30 people dead this week.
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Car bomb tears through theater in Qatar, kills 1
DOHA, Qatar -- A car bomb tore through a theater popular with Westerners during a performance Saturday in Qatar, killing one person, officials said. Twelve other people were injured in the blast in the northern suburb, Qatar's Interior Ministry said in a statement. It gave no other details. The theater is a popular venue for non-Qataris from Western and Arab countries and is located in Farek Kelab, a northern suburb of the capital.
Strong earthquake shakes coast of southern Japan
TOKYO -- A powerful earthquake rattled southern Japanese today, swaying buildings and prompting tsunami warnings. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The magnitude-7 temblor, which hit west of Kyushu Island at 10:53 a.m., was centered at an "extremely shallow" depth below the ocean floor, the Meteorological Agency said. The agency warned of the possibility of 20-inch tsunami waves triggered by the seismic activity. The shaking, which lasted several seconds, was strong enough to topple desks and knock books off shelves.
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