Yahoo! News: World News

---

• Escaped China activist in U.S. protection-rights group
• Gunmen hit Syrian army from sea, Moscow slams rebels
• Israel ex-spy warns against "messianic" war on Iran
• Saudi Arabia: bin Laden family let in on humanitarian grounds
• Russia, China agree on Syria, North Korea: Chinese minister
• Sudan arrests foreigners in disputed border region
• France's Hollande says his ideas winning in Europe
• Mali junta rejects West African transition plan
• Egypt Salafis back ex-Brotherhood man for president
• European firms keen but cautious over Myanmar: Ashton
• Syria derides UN chief as peace plan in crisis
• Group: Blind Chinese activist under US protection
• Tear gas used as 25,000 rally for Malaysia reforms
• ElBaradei returns to Egypt politics with new party
• Saudi closes embassy in Egypt following protests
• Israeli ex-intel chief slams PM's Iran stance
• Gunmen kill 2 guards in attack on Afghan governor
• Large van bomb defused on Northern Ireland border
• Pirate party makes a raid on German politics
• Obama releases $147M in aid to Palestinians

Escaped China activist in U.S. protection-rights group Posted: BEIJING (Reuters) - Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng is under U.S. protection in Beijing after an audacious escape from 19 months under house arrest, a U.S.-based group said on Saturday, in a drama that threatens to ignite new tensions between the two governments. The United States has not confirmed publicly reports that Chen, who slipped away from under the noses of guards and eyes and ears of surveillance equipment around his village home in Shandong province, fled into the U.S. embassy. ...

Gunmen hit Syrian army from sea, Moscow slams rebels Posted: BEIRUT (Reuters) - Gunmen in inflatable dinghies killed several security officials in an attack on a military unit on Syria's Mediterranean coast, state media said on Saturday, the first seaborne assault reported during the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad. The night raid, along with the killings of at least 15 people in violence in two areas near the capital, underlined the threadbare state of a U.N.-brokered ceasefire deal that has Western leaders talking of tougher steps to stop the bloodshed. ...

Israel ex-spy warns against "messianic" war on Iran Posted: A former Israeli spymaster has branded the country's leaders unfit to tackle the Iranian nuclear program because of what he called the "messianic feelings" behind their threats to launch a pre-emptive war on Iran. Other veterans have come out against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak recently, but the criticism from former domestic intelligence chief Yuval Diskin was especially strong. ...

Saudi Arabia: bin Laden family let in on humanitarian grounds Posted: JEDDAH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has allowed the family of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden into the kingdom on humanitarian grounds, state media reported on Saturday, almost a year after U.S. special forces killed the world's most wanted man in Pakistan. Pakistan deported the family this week, ending months of speculation about the fate of his wives and children who were detained by Pakistani security forces after the May 2 raid. A Saudi official was quoted by the state Saudi Press Agency (SPA) as saying the family arrived in the kingdom on Thursday. ...

Russia, China agree on Syria, North Korea: Chinese minister Posted: MOSCOW (Reuters) - China and Russia agree entirely with each other's positions on the crisis in Syria and on North Korea's nuclear program, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping said on Saturday in Moscow. "The sides hold 100 percent coinciding positions on the issues of North Korea and Syria," Cheng, who was accompanying Vice Premier Li Keqiang on a visit to Russia, told reporters through an interpreter. Russia and China have protected Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by blocking two U.N. ...

Sudan arrests foreigners in disputed border region Posted: KHARTOUM/JUBA (Reuters) - Sudan said it had arrested a Briton, a Norwegian and a South African on Saturday, accusing them of illegally entering a disputed oil-producing border area to spy for its enemy South Sudan. South Sudanese officials denied the allegations and said the men were working with the United Nations and aid groups clearing mines and had got lost in the remote territory close to the boundary between the two countries. ...

France's Hollande says his ideas winning in Europe Posted: PARIS (Reuters) - France's Socialist presidential frontrunner Francois Hollande welcomed Germany's call for growth measures on Saturday as a sign Europe was accepting his warnings of the risk of austerity. Hollande, on course to win next weekend's presidential runoff against President Nicolas Sarkozy, insisted German Chancellor Angela Merkel would eventually accept his proposal to renegotiate a German-inspired budget discipline pact. ...

Mali junta rejects West African transition plan Posted: BAMAKO (Reuters) - A military junta that seized power in Mali last month rejected a regional plan to extend the rule of an interim civilian government on Saturday, casting a shadow over delicately-balanced negotiations to resolve the country's crisis. The junta had already agreed to hand over power for 40 days to a civilian government led by caretaker president Dioncounda Traore, and then allow the country to hold elections by the end of May. But the West African regional bloc ECOWAS on Thursday said the interim government should have up to 12 months to hold the elections. ...

Egypt Salafis back ex-Brotherhood man for president Posted: CAIRO (Reuters) - Influential Egyptian hardline Islamist movement, the Salafi Call, said on Saturday it will back moderate former Muslim Brotherhood member Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh for president, hurting the Brotherhood's chances of winning next month's vote. "The Salafi Call has decided by majority vote to back Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh in the presidential elections," senior Salafi Call member Yasser Borhamy said. "The Nour Party, the political wing of the Salafi Call, has also voted to back Abol Fotouh. ...

European firms keen but cautious over Myanmar: Ashton Posted: YANGON (Reuters) - European firms seeking to invest in Myanmar are unlikely to rush into business deals until more concrete reforms are put in place, despite a suspension of economic sanctions by the EU, its foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Saturday. The European Union and other powers have moved in recent weeks to ease sanctions on Myanmar, as the once pariah nation embarks on landmark reforms and seeks engagement with the world. ...

Syria derides UN chief as peace plan in crisis Posted: Syria derided U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon as biased and called his comments "outrageous" Saturday after he blamed the regime for widespread cease-fire violations — the latest sign of trouble for an international peace plan many expect to fail.

Group: Blind Chinese activist under US protection Posted: A blind legal activist who escaped house arrest in his Chinese village is under the protection of American officials, activists said Saturday, creating a diplomatic dilemma for the U.S. and Beijing days ahead of a visit by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Tear gas used as 25,000 rally for Malaysia reforms Posted: Police unleashed tear gas and chemical-laced water Saturday at thousands of demonstrators who staged one of Malaysia's largest street rallies in years, demanding fair rules for national elections expected soon.

ElBaradei returns to Egypt politics with new party Posted: Reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei launched a new political party Saturday that he said aims to unite Egyptians and save the country's revolution from a messy democratic transition.

Saudi closes embassy in Egypt following protests Posted: Saudi Arabia closed its Cairo embassy Saturday and recalled its ambassador following protests over a detained Egyptian human rights lawyer in a sharp escalation of tension between two regional powerhouses already on shaky terms due to uprisings in the Arab world.

Israeli ex-intel chief slams PM's Iran stance Posted: The former head of Israel's Shin Bet security agency has accused the country's political leaders of exaggerating the effectiveness of a possible military attack on Iran, in a striking indication of Israel's turmoil over how to deal with the Iranian nuclear program.

Gunmen kill 2 guards in attack on Afghan governor Posted: Two Taliban militants hiding handguns in their shoes slipped into a provincial governor's compound in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, setting off a fierce gunbattle that left two security guards and both attackers dead.

Large van bomb defused on Northern Ireland border Posted: British army experts defused a 600-pound (275-kilogram) van bomb Saturday on the Northern Ireland border, the largest such bomb in more than a year linked to Irish Republican Army die-hards.

Pirate party makes a raid on German politics Posted: Pirates are capturing Germany's political system.

Obama releases $147M in aid to Palestinians Posted: American aid officials said Saturday they will restore development programs for Palestinians after President Barack Obama ended a six-month funding freeze that shut down the local Sesame Street and other projects.

You are subscribed to email updates from World News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610