NORTHERN IRELAND
IRA dissidents threaten official
Outlawed group brands Sinn Fein politician Martin McGuinness a traitor
DUBLIN — Irish Republican Army dissidents threatened Sunday to kill top Sinn Fein politician Martin McGuinness and resume attacks in England as part of their efforts to wreck the IRA cease-fire and Northern Ireland power-sharing.
An Easter statement from the outlawed Real IRA distributed to Irish media branded McGuinness a traitor because he holds the top Irish Catholic post in Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government with British Protestants.
The statement warned McGuinness — a former IRA commander — that “no traitor will escape justice regardless of time, rank or past actions. The republican movement has a long memory.”
Supporters later read out the statement at small rallies beside the graves of IRA dead at cemeteries in Belfast and Dublin.
McGuinness offered no response. He previously has appealed to the public to tell police about dissident IRA activities and says extremist threats won’t deflect him from cooperating with Protestant past enemies.
The Real IRA also claimed responsibility Sunday for a long-disputed killing of a Sinn Fein official who was exposed in 2006 as a British spy. Denis Donaldson, Sinn Fein’s former chief legislative official inside the power-sharing government, was shot to death at his rural hideaway in northwest Ireland four months after he confessed his duplicity at a Sinn Fein news conference.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
President’s family visits nearby St. John’s Church
President Barack Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters took Easter Communion at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Lafayette Square. Rev. Luis Leon made no direct reference to the Obamas, who made their first trip to a Washington church since Inauguration Day. St. John’s is popular among presidents, both for its proximity and for its familiarity to the Secret Service. A pew nine rows back from the altar carries a small brass plaque designating it as “The President’s Pew.”
ITALY
Survivors mark Easter
Earthquake survivors sought comfort amid the tragedy that leveled their cities and killed hundreds of people as they celebrated Easter Sunday mass in makeshift chapels across central Italy.
Premier Silvio Berlusconi, who attended a mass for rescue workers and volunteers in L’Aquila, declared the emergency phase over, but said it would be months before most people displaced by the quake will know if they can go back to their homes.
“Within two months we hope to certify which buildings can be inhabited and only then will we know how many citizens can return to their own homes,” Berlusconi said.
AFGHANISTAN
Women’s advocate killed
A female provincial official known for fighting for women’s rights was gunned down in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, following a day of fighting in the region that left 22 militants dead, officials said.
A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack.
Gunmen killed Sitara Achakzai outside of her home in the city of Kandahar then drove off, said Matiullah Khan Qateh, police chief of Kandahar province. He said four men drove up on two motorcycles and shot Achakzai as she was exiting her car.
Achakzai, a dual German-Afghan citizen, spent the years of Taliban rule in Germany and returned to her native country to fight for women’s rights, said Shahida Bibi, who worked with Achakzai.
A member of Kandahar’s provincial council, Achakzai was vocal in encouraging women to take jobs and to fight for equal rights, Bibi said.
ISRAEL
First talk for leaders
JERUSALEM — Israel’s new prime minister spoke to the Palestinian president Sunday for the first time since taking office, telling him that he seeks close cooperation to drive peace efforts forward.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Sunday’s conversation was initiated by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who called the Israeli leader to send him greetings for the Jewish Passover holiday.
Describing the conversation as “warm and friendly,” Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli leader recalled past talks and cooperation with Abbas and said he intended to maintain a similar relationship in the future. Netanyahu was also prime minister from 1996-99 and served as foreign minister 2002-2003.
Abbas’ office said Sunday’s call was a gesture of courtesy to the new Israeli prime minister and lasted a few minutes. It said it was the first time the two men have spoken since Netanyahu took office.
FLORIDA
5 dead in boat crash
PALM VALLEY — Five people were killed and seven seriously injured when a 22-foot pleasure boat crashed into the rear of a docked tug boat Sunday, authorities said.
The crash happened about 7 p.m. on the Intracoastal Waterway in St. Johns County, about 20 miles northwest of St. Augustine, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Joy Hill.
Three of the injured were airlifted from the crash site and all seven were taken to area hospitals, she said. Hill was not sure whether the injuredwere tossed into the water.
