Around the World

THAILAND

Protesters at Airport Seize Police Officer

Anti-government protesters occupying Thailand's international airport seized a police officer, escalating tensions in a four-day standoff that appeared headed for a violent confrontation Saturday.

The trouble started after about 1,000 demonstrators moved in on a police checkpoint near the Suvarnabhumi international airport, triggering a showdown that ended without violence when officers hastily withdrew.

Associated Press reporters saw one policeman being grabbed at the checkpoint by three protesters, forcibly put in a vehicle, and driven toward the airport controlled by the demonstrators.

Members of the People's Alliance for Democracy seized the Suvarnabhumi airport on Bangkok's outskirts Tuesday night, and the Don Muang domestic airport in the city on Wednesday, in an unexpected twist to their months-long campaign to oust the government.

ZIMBABWE

Win for White Farmers

A southern African regional court ruled Friday that 78 white Zimbabweans could keep their farms, saying the government's land-grab policy was racially motivated.

The farmers hailed the ruling but acknowledged it is unlikely to be enforced amid Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis.

Also Friday, the United Nations said that aid agencies trying to contain a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe are feeding unpaid hospital employees so they do not have to walk off the job to look for food.

Deadly Clashes Erupt in Nigeria

Clashes between rival ethnic and religious groups in the central Nigerian city of Jos killed at least 20 people and forced thousands from their homes after a local election dispute, the Red Cross said.

Gaza Shells Injure Israeli Troops

Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip blasted a military base in southern Israel with mortar rounds, wounding six soldiers as a truce between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers continued to unravel.

Argentina's Menem Charged

A three-judge panel in Buenos Aires formally charged former president Carlos Menem with arms trafficking in the 1990s. He watched on a live video link from hundreds of miles away because doctors say he is too ill to travel.

Colombians Rally for Hostages

Tens of thousands of Colombians marched in dozens of towns and cities to demand that leftist rebels free hostages they have held for a decade or more. At similar rallies in July and February, millions participated. Organizers blamed the lower turnout this time on rain and the damage wrought by recent pyramid schemes.

Sarkozy Voodoo Doll Allowed

A French appeals court said voodoo dolls of President Nicolas Sarkozy may remain on sale but must carry a notice saying that pricking them harms the president's dignity.

From News Services