PERSIAN GULF

EIGHT SOLDIERS DEAD IN SECOND DAY OF CLASHES SAN’A, Yemen – Clashes between the military and followers of a slain cleric in Yemen stretched into a second day of fighting yesterday, leaving eight Yemeni soldiers dead, security and military officials said.

Soldiers were surrounding a mountainous region in the north of the country where followers of Shiite Muslim cleric Hussein Badr Eddin al-Hawthi were hiding, the officials said. Medical officials in the northern province of Sa’dah said eight soldiers were killed and 35 others were injured yesterday.

The fighting began Monday, a week after al-Hawthi’s supporters ambushed a police patrol and killed seven policemen. Eight rebels and 11 soldiers were killed on Monday as army troops used heavy artillery to shell rebel positions concealed in mountains. Al-Hawathi was killed while fighting government troops in September last year. A cease-fire was brokered after his death, but sporadic clashes have prevented a truce from prevailing.

– Associated Press

MIDDLE EAST

ISRAELI PARLIAMENT APPROVES OVERDUE BUDGET

JERUSALEM – Israel’s parliament easily approved the long-overdue 2005 state budget yesterday, meaning Prime Minister Sharon’s government can no longer be brought down by opponents of a Gaza withdrawal set for this summer.

After Mr. Sharon secured a majority by pledging hundreds of millions of dollars in special spending to three parties to secure their votes, the parliament approved the budget 58-36 with one abstention.

The budget confrontation caps a turbulent political year, and settler leaders say they will now take their battle against the pullout to the streets, threatening mass protests and even civil war. Failure to pass a budget by tomorrow would have forced Mr. Sharon to resign, delaying or even torpedoing the plan to remove all 21 Jewish settlements from Gaza and four from the West Bank in the summer.

Opponents of the withdrawal, including many in Sharon’s Likud Party, prevented passage of the budget at the end of last year and continued to vote against the government yesterday, though it was clear the budget would be approved.

– Associated Press

NORTH AFRICA

U.N. VOTE AIMS TO LIMIT FLOW OF WEAPONS TO DARFUR

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council imposed an asset freeze and travel ban yesterday on people who defy peace efforts in Sudan’s Darfur region in a resolution that also aims to limit the flow of weapons into the conflict-wracked area.

The resolution passed 12-0, with Algeria, Russia, and China abstaining.

The vote is the latest step in drawn-out Security Council efforts to confront the Darfur crisis, where the number of dead from a conflict between government backed militias and rebels is now estimated at 180,000.

– Associated Press

WESTERN EUROPE

POPE MAY RETURN TO HOSPITAL, HAVE FEEDING TUBE INSERTED

VATICAN CITY – Pope John Paul II may have to return to the hospital to have a feeding tube inserted because he is having difficulty swallowing, an Italian news agency reported yesterday. The APcom news agency said no decision had been taken and the feeding tube was one option being considered to help the 84-year-old pope get better nutrition and regain his strength. Citing an unidentified source, the agency said the pope’s doctors were considering the procedure, which involves inserting a feeding tube through the throat and into the stomach. Liquid formula is fed through the tube into the stomach, and the tube does not remain in the throat. If performed, the pope would be receiving nutrition the same way Terri Schiavo did before her feeding tube was removed.

– Associated Press

CENTRAL ASIA

KYRGYZ PRESIDENT SAYS HE’S WILLING TO RESIGN

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan – President Akayev, who was ousted, has surfaced in Russia after fleeing this Central Asian nation and said yesterday he would resign if given legal protections – a sign he is willing to yield power.

Mr. Akayev, who fled after protesters seized government headquarters last week, also accused his foes of plotting his overthrow for months. The interim leader, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, said the storming of the government headquarters was never planned, and he called for an official inquiry. In an interview with Russia’s state-run Channel One television, Mr. Akayev emphasized he is Kyrgyzstan’s legitimate leader. Asked whether he was prepared to step down, Mr. Akayev replied: “Of course, of course – if I am given the relevant guarantees and if it is in full accordance with the current legislation.”

– Associated Press