This combination of undated photos shows Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, left, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19. – AP

WASHINGTON: Alleged Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has told investigators he and his brother had originally planned to commit suicide attacks during Fourth of July celebration, reports said Thursday.

The ethnic Chechen brothers had considered striking during Boston’s large city celebrations to mark the Fourth of July but aborted the plan after building their pressure-cooker bombs quicker than expected.

The Washington Post reported that the Tsarnaevs had driven around Boston to scout potential targets before deciding to attack the city’s world-famous marathon on April 15, leaving three dead and more than 260 wounded.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is accused of carrying out the bombing with older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who is said to have masterminded the attack and was gunned down in a police shootout.

Investigators learned of the brothers’ original plot to target July 4 celebrations during questioning of Dzhokhar following his arrest, the Post and the New York Times reported, citing two unnamed law enforcement officials.

Dzhokhar had also told authorities that he and his brother had watched Internet sermons of Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American cleric who was killed in a drone strike in 2011 after moving to Yemen.

However there was no evidence that the brothers had engaged in any communication with Awlaki, The Times reported.

How the two brothers came to be radicalized has become a central focus of the investigation, with most attention falling on Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s trip to Dagestan in 2012.

From left, Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, from Kazakhstan, with Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in Times Square in New York in this undated picture added April 18, 2013. — File Photo

BOSTON: Three 19-year-old friends of one of the alleged Boston bombers were charged Wednesday with trying to cover his tracks by throwing out fireworks and a laptop and then lying to US police.

The three teenagers — two Kazakhs and an American — were fellow students at Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s university and appear to have been hastily trying to keep him out of trouble rather than taking part in an organized conspiracy.

Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov were accused of conspiring to destroy a laptop and backpack containing fireworks belonging to Tsarnaev, while Robel Phillipos, an American, is charged with making false statements to police.

The three are alleged to have tried to help Tsarnaev avoid arrest after seeing his picture on television three days after the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three people and wounded more than 260 others.

Tsarnaev is accused of carrying out the bombing with older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who is said to have masterminded the attack and was gunned down in a police shootout hours after the pictures were released to the media.

Officials have said they believe the two ethnic Chechen brothers acted alone, but authorities are probing a six-month trip taken by Tamerlan to the restive North Caucasus region of Russia in 2012.

According the formal complaint released by the Justice Department, Kadyrbayev texted Dzhokhar the night of April 18 after the images went public, saying one of them looked like him.

Tsarnaev responded, texting “lol” (laughing out loud) and “you better not text me.” According to the charge sheet he also told Kadyrbayev: “I’m about to leave if you need something in my room take it.”The three friends then met at Tsarnaev’s dormitory room on campus and watched a movie while waiting for him to return. Then they noticed a backpack containing fireworks that had been opened and emptied of their gunpowder.

“Kadyrbayev decided to remove the backpack from the room in order to help his friend Tsarnaev avoid trouble,” the charge sheet says, adding that he also removed a jar of Vaseline he thought might have been used “to make bombs.””He decided to take Tsarnaev’s laptop as well because he did not want Tsarnaev’s roommate to think he was stealing or behaving suspiciously by just taking the backpack,” it said.

Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov took the items back to their apartment, where they placed them in a black garbage bag and threw them into a nearby dumpster.

Police later recovered the items from a landfill.

When police questioned the three over the next week, Phillipos initially said he did not remember going to Tsarnaev’s room on April 18 and later said the three had gone there but left after no one answered the door.

During a fourth interview on April 26, Phillipos “eventually confessed that he had lied to the agents during his previous interviews,” and had been asked to go to the dorm room in a text from Kadyrbayev, the charge sheet said.

Kadyrbayev’s attorney Robert Stall told reporters the 19-year-old “absolutely denies” the charges, and disputed the allegations that Kadyrbayev immediately recognized Tsarnaev from the photos that were circulated.

Kadyrbayev “assisted the FBI in this investigation,” Stall said. “He is just as shocked and horrified by the violence in Boston that took place as the rest of the community.”

Tazhayakov’s lawyer, Harlan Protass, said his client was “shocked” to hear of Tsarnaev’s alleged involvement, adding that he “has cooperated fully with the authorities and looks forward to the truth coming out.”

All three suspects briefly appeared in court Wednesday in handcuffs to hear the charges read against them. Phillipos is due back in court May 6, while Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov have a new hearing scheduled for May 14.

Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov, Kazakh nationals in the United States on student visas, face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the Justice Department said.

Phillipos faces up to eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Tsarnaev, who is still hospitalized for gunshot wounds suffered during the police chase in which his brother was killed, has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction and could face the death penalty.

The release of the pictures of the two brothers kicked off a violent midnight police pursuit and a city-wide manhunt that paralyzed Boston.

This undated image released by the FBI shows Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who police have taken into April 19, 2013, according to the Boston Police Department. — Photo by AFP

BOSTON: Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev could face the death penalty after being charged on Monday for his alleged role in the attacks that left three people dead and 200 wounded.

The 19-year-old was said to be alert as he was arraigned in his hospital bed on charges of using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction, and malicious destruction of property by means of deadly explosives, the US Department of Justice said.

The charges came as Boston marked the one-week anniversary of the twin marathon bombings with a moment of silence observed across the nation, including the White House to the New York Stock Exchange.

If Tsarnaev, a naturalised US citizen of Chechen descent, is convicted of the federal charges, he faces time behind bars — or even death.

“We’ve once again shown that those who target innocent Americans and attempt to terrorise our cities will not escape from justice,” said US Attorney General Eric Holder. A first court hearing was set for May 30.

The unsealing of the federal charges against Tsarnaev, who suffered gunshot wounds to the head, neck, legs and hand before his capture late Friday, came as White House spokesman Jay Carney said he would not be deemed an “enemy combatant.”

We will prosecute this terrorist through our civilian system of justice,” Carney said after some Republicans had called for Tsarnaev to have the same status as the “war on terror” detainees held in Guantanamo Bay.

Tsarnaev was caught after a massive manhunt that virtually shut down Boston and its suburbs on Friday. His brother and alleged accomplice Tamerlan, 26, had been killed in a chaotic overnight shootout with police.

A clearer picture of Tsarnaev’s role in the attacks emerged with the release of an affidavit from an FBI agent on Monday, which revealed the teenager had been caught on film planting the second backpack bomb.

Surveillance footage showed Tsarnaev calmly walking away from the scene after the first bomb was detonated, according to the affidavit.

Tsarnaev, who remains bedridden and hospitalised, spoke only one word aloud at his bedside hearing Monday, responding “no” when asked whether he could afford an attorney, according to a transcript of the hearing released Monday.

Otherwise, the record showed he nodded when asked whether he understood the process and the charges against him. The federal judge said she found him “alert, mentally competent, and lucid,” according to the transcript.

As counterterrorism agents trained in interrogating “high-value” detainees waited at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to learn more from the teen, Bostonians attempted to put the traumatic week behind them.

The city honored the victims of the blasts with a moment of silence at 2:50 pm that was also observed in Washington, by President Barack Obama and lawmakers, and in New York, at the city’s stock exchange.

Hundreds gathered outside the security cordon set up near the blast sites at the marathon finish line on Boylston Street to honor the dead and wounded.

Some prayed, others left flowers. Church bells rang out across the city.

FBI investigators are still hoping to get answers from Tsarnaev about the brothers’ possible motive, and learn whether other attacks were in the works.

An unnamed US government source told CNN that “preliminary interviews with Tsarnaev indicate the two brothers fit the classification of self-radicalized jihadists,” and that international groups were not involved.

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said Sunday that the brothers, who had been living legally in the United States for more than a decade, had more homemade explosive devices and appeared to have been planning more attacks.

He said federal authorities were trying to track down how and where the two suspects obtained firearms and explosive devices.

An M-4 assault rifle was recovered in the boat where Dzhokhar was captured, The New York Times reported.

The brothers also apparently used two handguns and a BB gun in the shootout with police in the Boston suburb of Watertown. They are also believed to have shot dead a campus police officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Investigators are now probing a six-month trip made by Tamerlan in 2012 to Russia’s troubled regions of Dagestan and Chechnya, and whether he was radicalized or trained there.

US Senator Lindsey Graham said the FBI and Russian intelligence may have missed warning signs and made basic errors like misspelling Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s name, allowing him to travel to Russia undetected.

“I’ve been told by the FBI that the reason that his name did not pop up in the system was because it was misspelled,” Graham said.

“We don’t know if he misspelled it,” or if it was the fault of the airline, identified by Graham as Russian flagship Aeroflot.

“We certainly missed it here.”

SWAT police officers leave the scene in Watertown, Mass. Friday, April 19, 2013, after the manhunt for the second of two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing was captured. — Photo by AFP

WATERTOWN: An ethnic Chechen teenager suspected of conducting the Boston marathon bombings is in a serious condition and being treated in hospital after his dramatic capture, police said on Friday.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was found hiding in a boat in the backyard of a house in the Boston suburb of Watertown, wounded and weary after a gun battle with police overnight in which his accomplice brother was killed.

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said that with Tsarnaev’s arrest, “the citizens of the city of Boston and this area can be confident that the threat has been removed.”

Police, state troopers and FBI agents zeroed in on the boat on Franklin Street after a man went out of the house and saw blood on the boat, Davis said.

The man then opened the tarp covering the boat and saw a man covered with blood inside, and called police.

“I’m so happy because the people in the greater Boston area will be able to sleep tonight because of the work of these individuals,” Boston Mayor Thomas Merino told reporters, in a tribute to police and law enforcement agencies.

Davis said a perimeter was set up around the boat before a major operation ended a drama that started with the twin bombing at the marathon on Monday.

“Over the course of the next hour or so, we exchanged gunfire with the suspect who was inside the boat,” he said.

“And ultimately, the hostage rescue team of the FBI made an entry into the boat and removed the suspect who was still alive in the boat.”

The two main suspects in the bombings that killed three people and wounded about 180 others — Tsarnaev and his older brother Tamerlan — were located after a police officer was killed and another wounded during a violent spree overnight that began at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s campus.

Davis said more than 200 rounds of gunfire were exchanged during that incident, and that the two men had hurled improvised explosive devices and handmade hand grenades at officers.

The 26-year-old elder brother died of bullet wounds and injuries from explosives strapped to his body, a hospital doctor said.

Police descend on School and Walnut streets in search of suspects April 19, 2013 in Watertown, Massachusetts. — Photo by AFP

BOSTON: One of the Boston bombing suspects reportedly died on Friday after a shootout with police, as explosions rang out near the tense US city and officers stayed on the hunt for a second suspect.

The manhunt began after a campus police officer was killed at the elite Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Boston Globe reported, days after the city’s historic marathon came under attack.

The first suspect was caught by police in the Watertown district north of MIT, and US media said he later died of his wounds.

Describing the shootout, local resident Adam Brown told AFP: “There were blasts, it could have been grenades.”

MIT, one of the world’s top universities, is situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just across the Charles River from Boston where three people were killed and 180 injured in a double bomb attack on the marathon on Monday.

Authorities made no comment on a link between the manhunt and the bombing at the marathon finishing line, the worst terror attack in the United States since the September 11 atrocities in 2001. There has been no claim of responsibility.

But the dramatic developments came shortly after the FBI released pictures and video of the two men suspected of planting the bombs, appealing for help to identify the pair who were carrying large backpacks.

Both appeared to be young men, one dressed in a white baseball cap and the other in a black cap. The FBI gave no details of their identities or origin, naming them only as Suspect One and Suspect Two.

Authorities said that a second police officer was wounded in the dramatic nighttime operation which saw heavily armed police swoop on the Watertown district and cordon off a large area of the university and surrounding streets.

Media reports said the events cascaded with a robbery at a gas station followed by the killing of the campus officer and then a car chase to Watertown.

The NBC-WJAR channel showed film of a man lying on the ground in a street in the town and surrounded by police.

The university warned students to stay indoors as police with rifles patrolled the streets and search helicopters flew above the campus.

“The shooter remains at large; police continue to search the campus. Please remain indoors until further notice,” said an emergency alert issued by the university on its website.

The MIT campus police officer suffered “multiple gunshot wounds” when he responded to a disturbance, said Middlesex District Attorney Michael Pelgro in a statement.

The officer “was transported to the hospital and pronounced deceased,” said the statement, which added that there were no other victims.

Two bombs were placed around the marathon finish line on Monday, spraying nails, ball bearings and other metal fragments into massed spectators, many of whom suffered horrific injuries.

The men are seen in the video walking calmly, one a few paces behind the other, weaving between crowds on Boston’s Boylston Street where the race finished.

President Barack Obama vowed to the people of Boston Thursday that the “evil” bombers would be brought to justice.

At a special service at Boston’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Obama vowed:
“Yes, we will find you, and yes, you will face justice.”

We will find you, we will hold you accountable,” he told a congregation of 2,000, including relatives of the dead, survivors of the blasts, rescuers and city leaders.

“If they sought to intimidate us, to terrorize us,” Obama said, then “it should be pretty clear by now that they picked the wrong city to do it.”

Boston has held emotional tributes to the dead — eight-year-old Martin Richard, Boston University graduate student Lu Lingzi of China and Krystle Campbell, a restaurant manager.

Obama paid tribute to all three at the service.

More than 100 of the wounded have left Boston hospitals and fewer than 10 of those still in hospital remain in critical condition. Some will require new operations, doctors said.

Boston Police guard an area at the one mile checkpoint near Kenmore Square after two bombs exploded during the 117th Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts.—Photo by AFP

BOSTON: The Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) agents zeroed in on how the Boston Marathon bombing was carried out — with kitchen pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails and other lethal shrapnel — but said they still didn’t know who did it and why.

An intelligence bulletin issued to law enforcement and released late Tuesday includes a picture of a mangled pressure cooker and a torn black bag the Federal Bureau of Investigation says were part of a bomb.

The FBI and other prominent law enforcement agencies repeatedly pleaded for members of the public to come forward with photos, videos or anything suspicious they might have seen or heard.

President Barack Obama branded the attack an act of terrorism but said officials don’t know “whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organization, foreign or domestic, or was the act of a malevolent individual.”

Richard DesLauriers, FBI agent in charge in Boston, said at a news conference that the “range of suspects and motives remains wide open.” He vowed to “go to the ends of the Earth to identify the subject or subjects who are responsible for this despicable crime.”

Scores of victims of the Boston bombing remained in hospitals, many with grievous injuries, a day after the twin explosions near the marathon’s finish line killed three people, wounded more than 170 and reawakened fears of terrorism. A 9-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy were among 17 victims listed in critical condition.

Heightening jitters in Washington, where security already had been tightened after the bombing, a letter addressed to a senator and poisoned with ricin or a similarly toxic substance was intercepted at a mail facility outside the capital, lawmakers said.

There was no immediate indication the episode was related to the Boston attack. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the letter was sent to Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi.

Officials found that the bombs in Boston consisted of explosives put in ordinary, 1.6-gallon (6-liter) pressure cookers, one with shards of metal and ball bearings, the other with nails, according to a person close to the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe was still going on.

Both bombs were stuffed into black duffel bags and left on the ground, the person said.

DesLauriers confirmed that investigators had found pieces of black nylon from a bag or backpack and fragments of BBs and nails, possibly contained in a pressure cooker. He said the items were sent to the FBI laboratory at Quantico, Virginia, for analysis.

The FBI said it is looking at what Boston television station WHDH said are photos sent by a viewer that show the scene right before and after the bombs went off. The photo shows something next to a mailbox that appears to be a bag, but it’s unclear what the significance is.

“We’re taking a look at hundreds of photos and that’s one of them,” said Jason Pack, FBI spokesman in Boston.

Investigators said they have not yet determined what was used to set off the explosives.

Pressure-cooker explosives have been used in international terrorism, and have been recommended for lone-wolf operatives by Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen.

But information on how to make the bombs is readily found online, and US officials said Americans should not rush to judgment in linking the attack to overseas terrorists.

DesLauriers said there had been no claim of responsibility for the attack.

He urged people to come forward with anything suspicious, such as hearing someone express an interest in explosives or a desire to attack the marathon, seeing someone carrying a dark heavy bag at the race, or hearing mysterious explosions recently.

“Someone knows who did this,” the FBI agent said.

The bombs exploded 10 or more seconds apart, tearing off victims’ limbs and spattering streets with blood, instantly turning the festive race into a hellish scene of confusion, horror and heroics.

The blasts killed 8-year-old Martin Richard, of Boston, and 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, of Medford, Massachusetts.

The Shenyang Evening News, a state-run Chinese newspaper, identified the third victim as Lu Lingzi from the northeastern Chinese city.

She was a graduate student at Boston University

The Chinese Consulate in New York said in a statement Tuesday that another Chinese citizen was wounded and was in stable condition following surgery.

Doctors who treated the wounded corroborated reports that the bombs were packed with shrapnel intended to cause mayhem.

“One of the sickest things for me was just to see nails sticking out of a little girl’s body,” said Dr. David Mooney, director of the trauma center at Boston Children’s Hospital.

At Massachusetts General Hospital, all four amputations performed there were above the knee, with no hope of saving more of the legs, said Dr. George Velmahos, chief of trauma surgery.

“It wasn’t a hard decision to make,” he said. “We just completed the ugly job that the bomb did.”

Obama plans to visit Boston on Thursday to attend an interfaith service in honor of the victims.

He has travelled four times to cities reeling from mass violence, most recently in December after the schoolhouse shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

In the wake of the attack, security was stepped up around the White House and across the country. Police massed at federal buildings and transit centers in Washington, critical response teams deployed in New York City, and security officers with bomb-sniffing dogs spread through Chicago’s Union Station.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that the stepped-up security was a precaution and that there was no evidence the bombings were part of a wider plot.

Pressure-cooker explosives have been used in Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Pakistan, according to a July 2010 intelligence report by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department.

One of the three devices used in the May 2010 Times Square attempted bombing was a pressure cooker, the report said.

“Placed carefully, such devices provide little or no indication of an impending attack,” the report said.

The Pakistani Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the 2010 attempt in Times Square, has denied any part in the Boston Marathon attack.

Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen gave a detailed description of how to make a bomb using a pressure cooker in a 2010 issue of Inspire, its English-language online publication aimed at would-be terrorists acting alone.

In a chapter titled “Make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom,” it says “the pressurized cooker is the most effective method” for making a simple bomb, and it provides directions.

Naser Jason Abdo, a former US soldier, was sentenced to life in prison last year after being convicted of planning to use a pair of bombs made from pressure cookers in an attack on a Texas restaurant frequented by soldiers from Fort Hood. He was found with the Inspire article.

Investigators in the Boston bombing are also combing surveillance tapes from businesses around the finish line and asking travellers at Logan Airport to share any photos or video that might help.

“This is probably one of the most photographed areas in the country yesterday,” said Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis. He said two security sweeps of the marathon route had been conducted before the bombing.

Boston police and firefighter unions announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to arrests.

Boston Police guard an area at the one mile checkpoint near Kenmore Square after two bombs exploded during the 117th Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. — Photo by AFP

BOSTON: Two explosions struck one of America’s top sporting events on Monday, killing at least three and wounding more than 100 as the Boston Marathon erupted in a maelstrom of blood, screams, smoke and panic. See gallery.

As cities from New York to Los Angeles went on high alert, Americans with ever-vivid memories of the September 11, 2001 suicide airliner attacks automatically wondered if the country had been hit again by terrorists.

President Barack Obama went on national television to say it was not yet clear who was behind the blasts. He said the perpetrators would pay. He did not utter the word “terror.”

We still do not know who did this or why. And people shouldn’t jump to conclusions before we have all the facts,” Obama said. “But make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this, and we will find out who did this, we’ll find out why they did this.”

A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said later that “any event with multiple explosive devices — as this appears to be — is clearly an act of terror.”

At the blast scene, a horrific chorus of high-pitched wailing and screaming rang out as bewildered runners and spectators fled the carnage and debris.

News reports said one of the fatalities was an eight-year-old boy and that some of the injured lost limbs. One woman told CNN the blast was the loudest sound she had ever heard, and it made the ground shake.

The thunderous blasts struck near the finish line of the marathon, long after the winners had crossed. Competitors who were still running when the blasts rocked downtown Boston were diverted elsewhere. Some 27,000 people were entered to take part in the event.

Video footage on American TV showed the moment when the first blast apparently struck: the detonation came on the left side of the course, behind spectators and a row of colorful national flags showing how runners come from around the world to take part.

Security people in yellow jackets threw their hands to their ears as the blast took place and at least one runner was thrown to the ground as white smoke billowed upward. The already waving flags whipped violently with the shockwave of the explosion.

Grisly accounts abounded. “We saw people with their legs blown off,” Mark Hagopian, owner of the Charlesmark Hotel, told AFP from the basement of a restaurant where he had sought shelter.

“A person next to me had his legs blown off at the knee — he was still alive.”

It was bad, it was fast,” he said. “There was a gigantic explosion… we felt wind on our faces… Police were saying: ‘Get out, get out, leave, leave there may be more bombs.’”

Boston police Chief Ed Davis raised the death toll from two to three at a late evening news conference at which other officials fended off a barrage of questions about the investigation into the explosions.

FBI special agent Rick DesLauriers did say: “It is a criminal investigation that is a potential terrorist investigation.”

More than 100 were injured, Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick said, without giving an exact figure. The Boston Globe said it was at least 125.

NBC News, citing officials, reported that police had found “multiple explosive devices” in Boston, raising the possibility of a coordinated attack.

The twin explosions come more than a decade after nearly 3,000 people were killed in airplane strikes on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.

The sense of panic in the immediate aftermath of the blasts, and fear of more explosions, was so acute that Boston authorities urged people not to congregate in large crowds.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she believed the blasts were in fact an attack but it was unclear if the perpetrators were homegrown or foreign.

Asked if this was terrorism, she told reporters: “It looks that way.” Security was stepped up in New York and Washington — both sites of 9/11 attacks — as well as in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

In the Big Apple, police said they were boosting security at hotels and “other prominent locations in the city.”

The blasts in Boston rattled US markets, sending the Dow and the S&P 500 down at the close.

The Boston Marathon is one of the biggest annual athletic events held in the United States. Racers must qualify to compete and there are tens of thousands of spectators.

The race attracts world-class athletes, most of whom would have likely completed the race a couple of hours before the blast went off. The video clip of the blast showed the marathon time clock at 4:09:44.

Hours later, the flag at the majestic white dome of the US Capitol in Washington was lowered in honor of the blast victims.

Journeymen plumbers dyed the Chicago River green to mark the start of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. —Photo (File) Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO: If the luck of the Irish is with you, there will be shamrocks, Guinness and a party of fine friends to share your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on March 17th.

Dublin won’t be the only city decked out in green for the festivities honoring the patron saint of Ireland, so that’s why online travel consultant Hotwire (www.hotwire.com) has helpfully provided this list of its Top 10 St. Patrick’s Day destinations. Reuters has not endorsed this list:

1. Chicago, Illinois

Besides offering delicious deep-dish pizza and wonderful views of Lake Michigan, the Windy City is home to one of the most spectacular St. Patrick’s Day displays in the world. Every year, thousands of festive Midwesterners take the train downtown to celebrate the holiday and witness the dyeing of the Chicago River. Using over 40 pounds of environmentally friendly coloring, the river stays green for an entire day, providing the perfect backdrop for the St. Patrick’s Day parade and throngs of enthusiastic locals.

2. Boston, Massachusetts

As home to a thriving and Irish pub scene and the Celtic-influenced punk rock group Dropkick Murphys, Boston is a prime spot for celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. Every year, the city holds one of the biggest parades and boasts party after party at one of their many vibrant pubs. Visitors can also walk along the city’s Irish Heritage Trail, which begins at the Rose Kennedy Garden and ends near Fenway Park, to experience firsthand the rich Irish background behind some of the city’s most beloved historical areas.

3. Dublin, Ireland

A boy from Downpatrick walked along with the St.Patrick Day parade in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. —Photo (File) AFP

What better place to celebrate an Irish holiday than, well, Ireland? Last year, an estimated 500,000 festive folks flocked to the city to celebrate the holiday and enjoy a few pints from the Emerald Isle. This year, the city is putting a spin on its annual parade with a new theme of the “People’s Parade”, allowing 8,000 people from around the world to sign up to be in the ceremony and take in the electrifying atmosphere as they march down the historic streets. Dublin travelers can also pay a visit to the Guinness brewery to enjoy a fine beer straight from the source or watch some of the city’s historical buildings light up in festive colors for the Greening of the City.

4. Florence, Italy

It may not seem like your typical St. Patrick’s Day destination, but from March 17th through March 22nd, Florence honors the patron saint of Ireland with a ‘Festa Irlandese,’ or Irish Festival. During this festival, the city offers an Italian spin on the holiday while also hosting pub crawls, live music and of course, alcohol in spades. And those interested in the ultimate Irish pub experience can head to Finnegan’s, which is said to be the only Irish-owned pub in the city.

5. London, England

Spectators gathered for the St Patrick’s Day parade in Trafalgar Square, central London, in 2012. —Photo (File) Reuters

Many of the cities on this list have St. Patrick’s Day Parades; in fact, London’s celebration drew over 100,000 guests last year. But London also hosts a holiday festival at Trafalgar Square that’s full of Irish traditions, like music and dance, which are perfect for families and free to enjoy.

In addition, London offers more authentic Irish-owned pubs than any other city outside of the Emerald Isle, so folks can enjoy some of Europe’s finest – and oldest – Irish whiskeys and beers.

6. San Francisco, California

As home to one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the Western United States, San Francisco offers an eclectic mix of cultural festivities, night life and crowds of enthusiastic locals. Folks can attend the St. Patrick’s Day-themed NightLife event at the California Academy of Science the Thursday before the holiday weekend, check out the famous Market Street parade or pay a visit to San Francisco’s Irish Cultural Center, which hosts its annual “Greenfest Block Party” with Irish cultural activities, music and dancing.

7. Newfoundland, Canada

Newfoundland is a historically Irish locale, with immigrants from the Emerald Isle reaching the small island off the coast of Canada back in the 17th century. One of the island’s main city centers, in fact, is now known as the “Irish Loop” after the settlers who helped found it. As an area of such rich heritage, Newfoundland has declared St. Patrick’s Day a public holiday – making it only one of two cities outside of Ireland to do so.

Because of its deep ties to the Irish culture, Newfoundland is the perfect place for visitors who want to enjoy some traditional Irish dishes and wash them down with a nice pint afterwards.

8. Sydney, Australia

St. Patrick’s Day celebrators shouldn’t forget about our friends Down Under. Sydney, Australia boasts a gigantic St. Patrick’s Day Parade of its own, complete with an overarching narrative and themed floats, but it might be most notable for its party scene. On St. Patty’s, the Sydney pubs and bars stay open until the wee hours, serving up traditional Irish music and Jameson in equal proportion. Those with stronger stomachs and more grandiose party appetites can also check out the St. Patrick’s Day Booze Cruise, which sails through Sydney harbor for three crazy hours of holiday celebration.

9. Buenos Aires, Argentina

In March, Buenos Aires boasts near-perfect weather, and when you take into account it has the fifth largest Irish community globally, there may be no better time than the present to pay a visit to Argentina. With narrow streets and its very own city-wide parade, Buenos Aires offers an authentic experience, as well as a crowded, rambunctious city geography that lends itself to international celebrations like this one.

10. New York, New York

New York’s St. Patrick’s Day parade has been running for over 250 years, and much like its Thanksgiving Day parade, it’s a doozy and is known internationally. While other celebrations would be ecstatic just to draw crowds of 100,000, New York’s parade has been known to feature over 150,000 marchers alone. Visitors can visit the many Irish pubs, partake in a walking tour of former “Little Ireland” or even create Irish-inspired crafts over in Central Park.

Comparisons are odious but I think Detroit can be dreary, while Boston is always bursting with excitement. I have written so much in the past about its institutions of learning, museums and libraries that it would amount to repetition if I mention anything here. 

It’s a long journey from Karachi to Boston with changing flights at Abu Dhabi and New York. Leaving home at 2am, I board Etihad for Abu Dhabi at 5. The flight is short and comfortable, the service is good, but while I go through the magazines which are plentiful, I find most people trying to catch up with their sleep. I guess I am the odd man out.

The real journey, if I may so, begins on the flight to New York. Being a frequent flyer, I am updated from Economy to Business Class. The aircraft is full but the attention to passengers is unflagging. With a variety of newspapers and magazines, not to speak of the book that I am carrying, and a wide range of entertainment on the large screen in front of each passenger, there is not a dull moment. An elderly Columbian woman constantly watches English language movies from the black-and-white era. The one which she sees twice is based on the eternal love triangle; It reminds me of the subcontinental cinema of the 50s. An Arab, a seat ahead, can’t resist the comfort of the flat bed which the seat turns into at the press of a button. He sleeps almost all the way through. I don’t, except for a 40-minute nap. A charming Bangladeshi young woman with her infant looks serious but when I greet her in whatever little Bengali that I know, a radiant smile appears on her face. Such is the love for one’s language!

I enjoy talking to the friendly cabin crew, drawn from various countries who speak English in different accents. Earlier, at the Abu Dhabi airport I run into Michael (I forget his second name) an American, who loves mountains and is returning from Skardu, where he went to have a good look at K2; He sounds like a man in love. Michael says he prefers the Karakoram to the Himalayas and gives technical reasons for his preference, some of which go above my non-technical head. “I hope the rest of your country becomes as peaceful as Skardu and its environs,” he says. I can’t agree with him more.

The food on board is delicious and wide ranging. One can order anything any time but with restricted freedom of movement one is not hungry enough.

Landing at the JFK airport, the first shock that I encounter is that the wheels of my hand-carry decide to part with the bag. I sail through the Immigration and Customs. But at the Security Check on Terminal 5, from where I have to catch the Boston flight, a bottle of mineral water and a tube of shaving cream in my hand-carry cause a mini problem.

“OK, if I am not allowed to carry this small bottle of water, at least allow me to drink the mineral water,” I say. “You can, if you like, but you’ll have to go out, drink it and join the line once again,” was the answer I get. “You can get another bottle once you are in the departure lounge or use one of the many fountains,” says his colleague. The tube of shaving cream is cleared because it falls into the permissible quantity.

The flight is a little less Spartan than the American airlines these days, where the fares are low and hardly anything to eat and drink. This one gives cookies and chips in addition to a cold drink. We land at 10 pm.

Maryam, my granddaughter, thinks Nana (maternal grandfather) lives at the airport because that’s where he is picked up from and dropped off after staying with her for a few days. Much to my disappointment, she is not at the airport, but her two older brothers and dad are there. She doesn’t keep long hours so her Mom has to be with her.

My hosts live in a colonial house in Quincy, a suburb of Boston, named after two early American Presidents, a father and son. The 120-year-old house has been lovingly maintained by the grandchildren and great grandchildren of the man who built it. They sold it last year to Maryam’s parents, who take good care of it. People who live in places like Boston heat up their cars in their garages before they go to work in the long winter months. But this one doesn’t have a garage. Much to my embarrassment, I am reminded that cars were not invented 120 years ago.

Maryam’s parents invite some people from UMass (University of Massachusetts) at Boston. One of them asks me if, as a journalist, I felt safe in Pakistan. “I do because I write on music, literature and culture. The worst that can happen to me is to get hate mail if I make a disparaging remark about a performance of someone’s favourite musician or give an unfavourable review to a book someone raved about.”

There is a Jewish family, who is visiting from Israel. The husband is a rabbi. They have both studied at Boston. I ask him if there are people in his country who sympathise with the Palestinians. “You are talking to one,” he says and goes on to explain that the number of such people is not small. We talk about Pakistan as I answer his queries. We don’t touch sensitive issues. Instead we discuss the nuances of different languages. With migrants from different parts of the world in Israel, one hears a number of languages there.

This is the first time I am visiting Boston in summer. The weather is pleasant but the flip side is that the universities are closed. Last time I was here, I spoke to students of a department on the sufferings of the people in Pakistan and India on account of tense relations between the two governments. I have a standing invitation to talk to another batch of students and the faculty when I am in Boston again.

As I write these lines my hosts are preparing to go for Friday prayers at the Islamic Centre. This will not be my first visit. Two years ago I was there at Eid and I enjoyed the multi-racial lunch there.

The time difference between Karachi and Boston works to my disadvantage. I have to meet the deadline and send this blog before it’s Saturday morning in Pakistan.

The writer, who jointly authored the bestselling ‘Tales of Two Cities’ with Kuldip Nayar and more recently compiled and created ‘Mehdi Hasan: The Man and his Music’ writes and lectures on art, literature and culture. He also pens travelogues and humorous pieces.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.

During the visits, the researchers collected dust from the children’s beds, then took blood samples to look for antibodies against various allergens associated with asthma -- including dog, cat, mouse, dust mite and cockroach proteins. – AP Phot

NEW YORK: Cockroaches have been identified as a possible explanation for dramatic neighborhood variations in asthma rates among New York City children.

In some neighborhoods, 19 per cent – nearly 1 in 5 – of children have asthma, while in others the rate can be as low as 3 per cent. Heavy traffic, industrial incinerators, and other outdoor air pollution sources have all been blamed in the past.

But researchers at Columbia University have now found that children living in neighborhoods with high rates of asthma were twice as likely to carry antibodies against a cockroach protein in their blood, a sign the children had been exposed to the insects and were likely allergic to them.

In addition, homes in the neighborhoods with high rates of asthma contained more of the allergen produced by cockroaches in household dust.

The study provides “further evidence that cockroach exposure is part of the story,” said study author Matthew Perzanowski.

“Cockroach allergen really could be contributing to disparities in asthma prevalence, even in an urban environment like New York City.”

For the study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Perzanowski and his team visited in the homes of 239 seven- and eight-year-olds, half of whom lived in areas with high asthma rates.

Previous research has linked poverty to an increased rate of asthma in childhood, but to eliminate the influence of income or the results, the authors only included families with the same middle-income health insurance plan, to ensure they had the same income and access to health care.

More than half of the children already had asthma.

During the visits, the researchers collected dust from the children’s beds, then took blood samples to look for antibodies against various allergens associated with asthma — including dog, cat, mouse, dust mite and cockroach proteins.

Nearly 1 in 4 children in neighborhoods with high asthma rates appeared to be allergic to cockroaches, compared to 1 in 10 children living in areas where asthma is less common.
Cockroaches leave behind proteins that people inhale and can become allergic to, which in turn increases the chance they will develop asthma, Perzanowski said.

Homes in high-asthma communities also had higher concentrations of the cockroach allergen, as well as allergens associated with mice and cats.

In addition, children who were allergic to cockroaches and mice were more likely to have asthma, noted Joanne Sordillo at the Channing Laboratory of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, who reviewed the findings for Reuters Health.

“Mouse or cockroach allergen exposure may increase the risk of allergic sensitization (allergies), which is in turn related to the development of asthma in children,” she said.
Although cockroach-protein sensitization was more common in children in high-asthma neighborhoods, overall, children who were allergic to dust and cats were also more likely to have asthma.

Perzanowski said the issue of cat ownership is a bit murkier. Some previous research has found that children in homes with cats were more likely to be allergic, but in this study, having a cat did not predispose children to asthma.

“It’s complicated. Avoidance of cats doesn’t seem to reduce your risk of developing asthma,” he said.