World briefs 11/12/06

Brazilian police arrest hijacker, free hostages

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Police raided a hijacked bus Friday and arrested an armed man who had seized hostages, including his ex-wife, during a 10-hour standoff. No one was hurt. The man, identified as Andre Luiz Ribeiro da Silva, was apparently angry at his ex-wife over their separation and threatened to kill her. He boarded the bus near the working class town of Nova Iguacu earlier Friday and pointed a gun at her head, federal highway police agent Nicanor Amorim said. Police pulled the bus over after being tipped off by the wife of a man on board after he called her on his cell phone.

Fighters clash in capital over Congo election

KINSHASA, Congo -- Gunfire and explosions boomed through Congo's capital Saturday in a new round of fighting between forces loyal to two presidential candidates awaiting the results of a runoff election meant to secure an end to years of war. Residents dashed for cover and street vendors hurriedly packed up stalls in Kinshasa. Two civilians were killed in the crossfire between loyalists of President Joseph Kabila and Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba. The shooting lasted less than four hours and was confined to a couple of blocks in front of the residence and a television station of Bemba, a former rebel leader.

Anniversary of Arafat's death draws Palestinians

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Tens of thousands of Palestinians converged on Yasser Arafat's gravesite Saturday to mark the second anniversary of his death in a rally meant to reinvigorate his faltering Fatah Party. Carrying Palestinian flags, Fatah banners and pictures of Arafat, the crowd marched to the muqaata, the compound that served as the late leader's headquarters and where he spent the last years of his life. Top Palestinian officials laid wreaths at the glass shrine atop Arafat's grave inside the compound and read verses from the Quran, the Muslim holy book.

Hezbollah resigns from Lebanese government

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Cabinet ministers from Hezbollah and an allied party resigned Saturday, a decision that could cost the Western-backed government crucial support from Lebanon's Shiite Muslims. Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said he would not accept the resignations. He has the authority to order the five Cabinet ministers to stay on, but it was unclear if his weak government could enforce the demand. The ministers of Hezbollah and the allied Amal party resigned because talks on forming a national unity government collapsed hours earlier, Hezbollah said in a statement broadcast by the Shiite guerrilla group's Al-Manar television station.

-- From wire reports