Militants open fire on Abbas compound

Ramallah, West Bank

Palestinian gunmen yesterday shot at Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' West Bank headquarters while he was in the compound, but he was not injured, security officials said.

Internal fighting has plagued the Palestinian territories for months, largely the result of a breakdown in authority and command caused by more than four years of fighting with Israel that severely debilitated the security forces and other Palestinian Authority institutions.

Abbas — who was elected president in a Jan. 9 vote after the November death of Yasser Arafat — has vowed to bring law and order to Palestinian areas, and reform his overlapping and corruption-plagued security forces.

The gunmen — members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades armed faction of the ruling Fatah political group — went on a shooting rampage throughout the city of Ramallah, saying Palestinian security officials forced six of them out of the Ramallah headquarters, where they had sought refuge after Israel began hunting down fugitives shortly after violence erupted in September 2000. Arafat had allowed more than 20 fugitives to remain in his compound, and Abbas had followed suit.

Beijing

Taiwan Nationalists, communists meet

Chinese communist officials and a leader of Taiwan's opposition Nationalists yesterday held the highest-level meeting between their parties since civil war split the two sides in 1949, and they called for expanded economic ties.

Lai Ching-te, a senior lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, today criticized the trip, saying it plays into the hands of the communist mainland in its efforts to divide the Taiwanese people.

Chiang Pin-kung, vice chairman of the Nationalists, who once ruled China, is visiting the mainland this week on a history-making trip that underscores a warming in relations with their former communist enemies. Chiang met with officials of the Communist Party's Taiwan Office and the two sides said they agreed on 10 proposals to expand trade, travel and commercial ties. But the agreements were more symbolic than practical, because the Nationalists lack the power to make Taiwan's policy toward China. The Nationalists and communists share a desire to eventually unite Taiwan with the mainland and a dislike for Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian. Beijing accuses him of pursuing independence, while the Nationalists say he is provoking the mainland.

Seoul

Soccer loss to Iran spurs mob violence

The world caught a rare glimpse of mob violence in North Korea yesterday when soccer fans in the highly controlled state hurled bottles, rocks and chairs as the home side lost a World Cup qualifier to Iran.

North Korea limits what the outside world can see of it, and it always makes sure the little that is put in front of television cameras is seen in the best possible light. But at Kim Il-sung stadium North Korean soldiers and police stepped in to try to restore order after defender Nam Song-chol was ejected from the game for shoving Syrian referee Mohamed Kousa during the match seen on international satellite television.

The violence spilled over outside the stadium where thousands of angry North Koreans prevented Iran's players from boarding the team bus.

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Ousted leader told to stay away for now

Kyrgyzstan's interim leader told the ousted president to stay away from the country for now, warning yesterday that Askar Akayev could cause more unrest if he returned and that the government could not guarantee his safety. Akayev, who fled this former Soviet republic last week after violent protests, hinted in a Russian television interview Tuesday that he might be willing to submit a formal resignation if he received security guarantees from parliament. He also said he wanted to come home.

Acting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, however, said Akayev's return could "give rise to mass unrest" in this impoverished country, which is home to a U.S. military base involved in the war on terrorist groups in Central Asia.

Also

Renoir missing: The small painting "Tête de Fillette," or "Head of a Little Girl," by French Impressionist Auguste Renoir has disappeared from the offices of Paris auction house Tajan, police said yesterday. The painting is said to be worth more than $250,000.

Deadly liquor: Twenty-five people died and six lost their eyesight after drinking home-brewed liquor in the northern India state of Uttar Pradesh in the past three days, a senior police officer said yesterday. Dozens of people die in India every year from drinking illicit liquor as poor villagers often turn to a mix of spirits and poisonous chemicals that is cheaper than branded liquor.

New ambassador: China has named Vice Foreign Minister Zhou Wenzhong as its ambassador to the United States, replacing Yang Jiechi, state media said.

Barbados prison unrest: Inmates of Barbados' lone prison set fires and battled guards and each other for a second day yesterday, leaving one prisoner dead and eight injured, the attorney general said. Twenty-one people have been injured in the past two days at Glendairy Prison, outside the Caribbean island's capital.