World Scene

BRITAIN

Israeli prime minister called war criminal

LONDON — The mayor of London called Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon a “war criminal who should be in prison and not in office,” and said in a newspaper article published yesterday that Israel is guilty of ethnic cleansing.

Ken Livingstone, already mired in a scandal after comparing a Jewish journalist to a Nazi concentration camp guard, also accused Mr. Sharon of organizing terror against Palestinians and endangering Londoners by fueling worldwide anger.

In Israel, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said the mayor’s comments “aren’t even worthy of an Israeli response.”

ISRAEL

Militants clash with Palestinian police

NABLUS, West Bank — Tensions between Palestinian Authority police and militant groups erupted into violence yesterday as Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a police station, sparking a gunfight that left three persons wounded.

It was the second serious clash between Palestinian authorities and armed groups this week, underscoring the delicate task that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas faces as he tries to rein in militants and restore law and order in the West Bank.

In Gaza, an explosion rocked the Rafah refugee camp, wounding three persons — two 14-year-old boys and a 6-month-old baby — witnesses said.

SWITZERLAND

Five held for links to beheadings site

BERN — Swiss authorities said yesterday they have detained five Islamists suspected of using the Internet to show the killing of hostages — which reportedly included the beheading of an American — and to give bomb-making instructions.

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