World briefs 3/7/05

West Bank town goes to Palestinians' control

JERUSALEM -- Israel will hand over the West Bank town of Tulkarem to Palestinian control this week, a senior Palestinian commander said Sunday, marking the resumption of confidence-building measures halted after a suicide bombing killed five Israelis in Tel Aviv. Israeli and Palestinian commanders met Sunday for the first time since the Feb. 25 bombing -- attributed to the Islamic Jihad -- that led Israel to freeze the hand-over of five towns and release of 400 more prisoners. That agreement was reached last month when Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas declared a truce to end four years of bloodshed.

Turkish police use tear gas on protesters

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Riot police on Sunday used truncheons and tear gas to break up a group of leftist demonstrators who refused to disperse during an unauthorized demonstration marking the upcoming World Women's Day. Police were seen chasing and beating demonstrators with clubs. One woman demonstrator was knocked to the ground by police officers, then kicked in the face by another officer. Policemen in gas masks could also be seen spraying tear gas directly onto demonstrators' faces.

Italian journalist: Shooting may have been planned

ROME -- Left-wing journalist Giuliana Sgrena claimed American soldiers gave no warning before they opened fire and said Sunday she could not rule out that U.S. forces intentionally shot at the car carrying her to the Baghdad airport, wounding her and killing the Italian agent who had just won her freedom after a month in captivity. An Italian Cabinet member urged Sgrena, who writes for a communist newspaper that routinely opposes U.S. policy in Iraq, to be cautious in her accounts and said the shooting would not affect Italy's support for the Bush administration.

Frail pope gives faithful silent blessing

ROME -- Pope John Paul II looked frail but alert as he silently waved from his hospital window and made the sign of the cross to a cheering and weeping throng, marking his second such Sunday appearance since being rushed back to the clinic for throat surgery to ease a breathing problem. Roman Catholic faithful who gathered beneath the pope's 10th-floor suite at Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic shouted his name, and those watching on a giant screen at St. Peter's Square started dancing at the sight of the ailing pontiff.

Taiwanese protest bill barring independence

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan -- More than 15,000 protesters marched in Taiwan on Sunday, denouncing China's planned anti-secession law and pledging to fight what they claim is Beijing's attempt to force this self-ruled, democratic island to unify with the mainland. The procession through the southern city of Kaohsiung, a major seaport, came a day after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao vowed never to permit formal independence for Taiwan as he opened a parliamentary session that is to enact an anti-secession law aimed at the island. Taiwan-China tensions have risen over Beijing's plan to pass the legislation, which Taiwanese leaders say could set the stage for an attack on the island.