Syria

Double bombing kills 40 in capital

DAMASCUS — A double bombing near Shi’ite shrines often visited by foreign pilgrims in the Syrian capital killed at least 40 people Saturday, shattering the city’s efforts to isolate itself from the war raging in the country. The Syrian state news service, SANA, said militants set off two explosive charges near the Bab al-Saghir cemetery, just south of the Old City. The attacks were a blow to the government of President Bashar Assad, whose forces have rolled back rebel advances and consolidated their grip on Damascus. That has led to a rise in the number of Shi’ite pilgrims arriving from abroad to visit the city’s sacred shrines, from Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. (New York Times)

Yemen

16 die as airstrike hits open market

SANA — An airstrike by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia on an open market in western Yemen killed at least 16 people, officials said Saturday. The attack late Friday hit a market selling khat, a mild stimulant common in Yemen, and started a fire. The strike came as aid organizations are struggling to draw attention to the plight of Yemen, where years of war have created the “largest humanitarian crisis in the world,’’ according to Stephen O’Brien, the United Nations’ undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs. In an address to the Security Council on Friday, O’Brien said two-thirds of Yemen’s population, 18.8 million people, need aid. He added that 7 million are hungry. (New York Times)

Italy

Anti-immigrant rally turns violent

NAPLES — Riot police moved in Saturday to quell violent protests sparked by the first major rally in the southern city of Naples by the anti-immigrant,

anti-euro Northern League leader. Police fired tear gas and water cannons against the protesters, who tossed bottles, rocks, and Molotov cocktails their way. The Northern League has its base in Italy’s affluent north and has long criticized Rome’s subsidies for the poorer south, but in recent years it has tried to make inroads there, capitalizing on anti-immigrant and populist sentiment. (AP)

GUATEMALA

Death toll hits 38 in youth center fire

GUATEMALA CITY — A key Guatemalan official was ordered not to leave the country Saturday, as the death toll rose to 38 girls in a fire that began when mattresses were set ablaze during a protest by residents at a youth shelter. A judge ordered Carlos Rodas, head of the child protection agency, not to travel abroad as authorities investigate the disaster, which has put a spotlight on alleged failings of the agency. (AP)