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Syria civil war: Assad hails Palmyra recapture from IS –
President Bashar al-Assad has hailed the recapture of Palmyra from so-called Islamic State (IS) as an “important achievement” in the “war on terrorism”. A monitoring group has backed the Syrian government’s claim that the city was recaptured overnight by the army. Military sources say the Syrian army now has “full control”. It had been gaining ground for several days, supported by Russian air strikes. President Assad said this showed the success of the army’s strategy. His comments, to a group of visiting French parliamentarians, were carried on state TV. IS seized the Unesco World Heritage site and modern town in May 2015. When IS seized the city it destroyed archaeological sites, drawing global outrage. Two 2,000-year-old temples, an arch and funerary towers were left in ruins. The jihadist group, which has also demolished several pre-Islamic sites in neighbouring Iraq, believes that such structures are idolatrous. [BBC]
Temple of Bel in 2011

Cat accidentally sent 260 miles away survives eight days in the post –
A Siamese cat had a very lucky escape when its owners accidentally posted her 260 miles away to West Sussex. Cupcake’s owners were sending some DVDs to a buyer in Worthing but failed to spot their pet was asleep in the cardboard box. The feline spent eight days in the post but miraculously survived the traumatic journey from Falmouth in Cornwall. “Imagine how surprised the recipient was when, along with the anticipated DVDs, an elegant Siamese cat emerged from the box,” explained the Grove Lodge Veterinary Group, who helped track down Cupcake’s owner. “This person was somewhat startled as they were not expecting to receive a free cat along with their order of DVDs.” The stunned buyer contacted the RSPCA who collected the cat and brought her to Grove Lodge for a health check. [Daily Telegraph]

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian Civil War
  • Palmyra offensive (March 2016)
    • The Syrian Army takes full control of Palmyra after heavy fighting with ISIL forces, according to a Syrian military source. (Sky News)
• 2016 Lahore suicide bombing
  • A suicide bomber from a Pakistani Taliban faction kills at least 60 people and injures 300 others at a park in Lahore, Pakistan, and the group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it intentionally targeted Christians celebrating on Easter Sunday. An official says the explosion took place close to Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park’s children’s rides. (CNN) (Reuters) (Al Jazeera) (AP)

Arts and culture

• Thousands of people in Dublin, Ireland, attend the Irish government’s commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising against British rule. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 12 Algerian Army soldiers are killed in a military helicopter crash near the town of Reggane, in Algeria‘s southern Adrar Province. (Reuters)

International relations

• Senkaku Islands dispute, China–Japan relations
  • As part of its wider military build up along the Yaeyama Islands archipelago in the East China Sea, Japan activates, on Monday, a new radar station on the island of Yonaguni, that is close to the disputedSenkaku Islands. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Israel’s Supreme Court blocks the government’s plan, signed last December by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the U.S. Noble Energy and the Israeli Delek Group companies, to develop Israel’soffshore gas deposits. The court found the so-called “stability clause,” that would prevent Israel from making significant regulatory changes for the next 10 years, undemocratically restricts the Knesset’s power. The government has one year to come up with an alternative arrangement or the plan will be canceled. (AP) (Ynetnews) (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Myanmar general election, 2015
  • Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s military chief, pledges to work with the new civilian government that takes over the Southeast Asian country next week, after 54 years of direct or indirect rule by the military. (AP)

• 2014–16 Venezuelan protests
  • According to a new poll, two-thirds of Venezuelans think President Nicolás Maduro should end his presidency this year or be removed via a recall referendum amid a worsening economic crisis. In the event of a referendum, 52.1 percent of Venezuelans would vote to remove him from office, up from 44.5 percent in January, according to the poll. (Reuters)
• 2015–16 protests in Moldova
  • Thousands of people rally in the streets of Chișinău, the capital of Moldova, demanding reunification with Romania. The rally is meant to mark the 98th anniversary since the former Romanian province ofBessarabia was unified with the Kingdom of Romania on March 27, 1918. The protesters say unification with Romania is the way for corruption-ridden Moldova to move forward and join the European Union. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
• Aftermath of the 2016 Brussels bombings
  • Police in Brussels, Belgium forcibly break up an apparent far-right demonstration with water cannons after they joined a crowd of people paying tribute to the victims of the bombings. The demonstrators claim to have marched against terrorism but police intervened when the demonstrators confronted Muslim women and made Nazi salutes. (Euronews) (BBC)

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