Today in History March 18 Russian cosmonaut first man to walk in space; Singer John Philips of The Mamas and The Papas died of heart failure at a hospital in Los Angeles ...

Published on Mar 18, 2012 by AssociatedPress

On this day in history: Russian cosmonaut first man to walk in space; Singer John Philips of The Mamas and The Papas died of heart failure at a hospital in Los Angeles. (March 18)

Syria - Finger-pointing after deadly Damascus bombings

Published on Mar 18, 2012 by Euronews

http://www.euronews.com/ It remains unclear who carried out the double-bombing in Damascus on Saturday, but accusations continue to be levelled at both sides.

Al-Baath newspaper, mouthpiece of Syria's ruling party of the same name, is blaming the attacks on 'terrorists supported by foreign powers which finance and arm them'.

State television shows a rally in the capital held by President Bashar al-Assad's supporters.

At the same time, the rebels say the government carried the explosions that killed 27 people in a bid to get international support.

The unrest appears to be spreading eastwards, with more reports of protests and violence in the city of Raqqa.

Unverified amateur film on a social media website is said to show security forces brutally cracking down on anti-government protesters in Raqqa.

A group of opposition activists called the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, or LCC, are reporting the death of an 11-year-old boy there.

More protests may happen today as many consider March 18 to be the anniversary of the beginning of the uprising one year ago.

USA - 'Occupy' protesters return to New York's Zuccotti Park

Uploaded by telegraphtv on Mar 18, 2012

Occupy Wall Street protesters clash with police in New York as they mark the movement's six-month anniversary by camping in the city's Zuccotti Park.

Yemen - An American working as a teacher has been shot.

Published on Mar 18, 2012 by Euronews

http://www.euronews.com/ An American working as a teacher in Yemen has been shot. He was killed in an attack by two men on a motorcycle in the city of Taiz, 200 kilometres south of the capital Sanaa.

Governor of Taiz province Hamoud al-Sufi says the killers and motive are unknown, but an investigation is being carried out.

There has been an increase in violence, particularly linked to al-Qaeda, since the uprising in Yemen.

Following 33 years in charge, Ali Abdullah Saleh handed power over to new president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has vowed to be tackle al-Qaeda.

Militant groups took advantage of the leadership problems, seizing control of some of the country's provinces.