World Scene

AFGHANISTAN

Rival militias clash in north

KABUL — A powerful warlord launched a broad assault against two rivals in northern Afghanistan, the Defense Ministry said yesterday, as the fighting threatened to destabilize the fragile country further.

Forces loyal to Abdul Rashid Dostum moved into Faryab province and were advancing toward the provincial capital along three fronts, said Deputy Defense Minister Rahim Wardak.

The intelligence chief in Faryab’s government, Omayoun Haini, said 2,000 to 3,000 of Mr. Dostum’s men, armed with light weapons, moved in from neighboring provinces on about 200 vehicles and 400 horses.

TAIWAN

Opposition resubmits election lawsuit

TAIPEI — Taiwan’s opposition Nationalist Party resubmitted a lawsuit seeking to nullify last month’s disputed presidential election, just hours after withdrawing the document, attorneys said last night.

Incumbent Chen Shui-bian defeated Nationalist leader Lien Chan by just 30,000 votes out of more than 13 million cast, after an election-eve assassination attempt on the president that Mr. Lien says swung the March 20 election.

Mr. Lien’s attorneys had filed two lawsuits with the High Court — one to invalidate Mr. Chen’s victory and the other to invalidate the election.

The Nationalists refiled the election-nullification lawsuit last night after removing a recount clause.

“We don’t want to see two recounts that may produce different outcomes so we decided to revise our election-invalidation suit, saying a separate recount is not necessary,” said Huang Shan-shan, a lawyer representing Mr. Lien.

CYPRUS

Greek-Cypriot leader urges ’no’ vote

NICOSIA — Greek-Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos yesterday urged voters to reject a United Nations plan to reunify Cyprus in a referendum later this month.

“I cannot accept or sign the plan,” Mr. Papadopoulos said in a televised speech. “I call on you to reject the … plan. I call on you to say a strong ’no.’”

Greek- and Turkish-Cypriots will vote on the power-sharing plan on April 24, a week before the island joins the European Union. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented the plan to the Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot communities last week.

SPAIN

Terrorists planned second attack

MADRID — The suspected terrorists who died in last weekend’s suicide blast had planned another major attack in Madrid, possibly during this week’s Easter celebrations, a court official said yesterday.

Police also fear that Saturday’s explosion, which might have killed seven suspects, and the subsequent arrests of other suspects could stir another cell of militants to mount a “jihad,” or holy war, in Spain, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

FRANCE

Author’s plane found in Mediterranean

PARIS — A French scuba team has discovered parts of the missing warplane piloted by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of “The Little Prince” and one of France’s most beloved writers, an Air Force official said yesterday.

The French aviation hero disappeared during World War II while flying a reconnaissance mission for the Allies over the Mediterranean. Until now, nobody knew where the plane went down.

Two pieces — from the landing gear and engine — of Saint-Exupery’s Lockheed Lightning P-38 aircraft were pulled from the Mediterranean near Marseille, said Capt. Frederic Solano.