Briefly World

A violent late winter storm with fierce rain and hurricane-strength winds ripped across western Europe on Sunday,battering France and four other countries,leaving at least 51 people dead....

Fierce storms in Europe kill 51,mostly in France

PARIS: A violent late winter storm with fierce rain and hurricane-strength winds ripped across western Europe on Sunday,battering France and four other countries,leaving at least 51 people dead. The storm,named Xynthia,was the worst in France since 1999 when 90 people died. Many of the 45 victims in France drowned,while others died when hit by parts of buildings or trees and branches that were ripped off by the wind.

Israel police storm holy site in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM: Israeli police stormed the most contentious holy site in Jerusalem on Sunday to disperse masked Palestinian protesters hurling objects at visiting foreign tourists. The incident was over quickly,but the area remained tense afterward. In the past,violence at the site known to Jews as Temple Mount and to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary has erupted into deadly battles. The police dispersed some 20 masked protesters from the compound.

Spain says ETA chief arrested in France

MADRID: The leader of the armed Basque group ETA was arrested in France on Sunday,officials said,in another setback for the separatists,who have seen five of their commanders taken into custody in the last two years. ETA chief Ibon Gogeascoechea and two other suspected separatists were arrested in a joint French-Spanish police operation in the village of Cahan,France,following a long surveillance operation,said Spanish Interior Minister Alferdo Perez Rubalcaba.

Taliban bomb kills 11 in Helmand

KANDAHAR: A roadside bomb planted by the Taliban killed 11 civilians in Afghanistans southern province of Helmand on Sunday,the provincial administration said. A civilian car struck a roadside bomb in Nawzad district in the north of Helmand,the provincial governors spokesman Daud Ahmadi said. The dead included two children and two women,he said,blaming the attack on Taliban insurgents.

Nineteen people killed in Pakistan

PESHAWAR: Nineteen people,including 17 militants,were killed in violence in northwest Pakistan on Sunday. Two security personnel were killed and another was injured when an improvised explosive device went off in Sararogha area of South Waziristan. Security forces gunned down 17 militants in a clash during Operation Spring Cleaning,to flush out rebels from around Peshawar.

Security tightened in Bangkok after blasts

BANGKOK: Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday ordered security tightened in Bangkok after two hand grenades exploded outside branches of the countrys biggest bank,causing light damage but no injuries. Four grenades were hurled at four branches of Bangkok Bank Pcl late on Saturday.

Simon Cowell is engaged

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LOS ANGELES: Music mogul Simon Cowell has finally got hitched. Stunning make-up artist Mezghan Hussainy ended weeks of speculation by saying she is to wed the music mogul,who she began dating last year,Radar Online reported. Mezghan told our executive vice president David Perel that indeed,she and Simon are getting married. Sporting a beautiful sparkling engagement ring,Mezhgan was all smiles, a source said.

Jim Carrey becomes grandfather

LONDON: Hollywood actor Jim Carrey has become a grandfather for the first time and is bursting with pride. The Bruce Almighty stars daughter Jane gave birth to son Jackson Riley Santana in Los Angeles on Friday,Contactmusic reported. The 48-year-old actor took to his Twitter page to announce the happy news,posting a photo of the newborn wrapped in a blanket.