World Scene

ISRAEL

200 Jews arrive from France

TEL AVIV — Ten days after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon enraged French leaders by urging France’s Jews to leave for Israel, a group of 200 French Jews arrived to start a new life in the Jewish state, with Mr. Sharon at the airport to greet them.

One of the immigrants said, “In five or 10 years, all the Jews of France will be in Israel because of anti-Semitism.”

In a July 18 speech to visiting Jewish-American leaders, Mr. Sharon said France was host to “the wildest anti-Semitism” and asked French Jews to “move to Israel, as early as possible.”

About half of those who arrived yesterday came under an Israeli government program initiated a year ago.

INDIA

Religious riots leave two dead

VERAVAL — Muslims and Hindus burned buildings and clashed with police yesterday in a third day of sectarian riots in this western Indian town, throwing acid at officers who shot at the crowd. The unrest has left two dead and more than a dozen wounded.

Police said the recent fighting began Monday when young Muslim men heckled a passing Hindu girl.

PHILIPPINES

Australian’s remark angers government

MANILA — The Philippines summoned the Australian ambassador yesterday, saying it objected to criticism that a concession to Iraqi insurgents to save the life of a Philippine captive has encouraged terrorism.

Ambassador Ruth Pearce was called in after Australian Foreign Secretary Alexander Downer blamed the Philippines and Spain for a new threat against Australia by a purported al Qaeda affiliate.

Mr. Downer said terrorists had been energized by the Philippines’ early withdrawal of troops from Iraq to save hostage Angelo dela Cruz from being beheaded and by Spain’s pullout after the Madrid train bombings in March.

SOUTH KOREA

227 more refugees from North arrive

SEOUL — The second wave in the biggest mass defection of North Koreans to South Korea arrived yesterday on a flight from an unidentified Southeast Asian country, bringing the total in the two-day airlift to nearly 460.

The group of 227 North Koreans arrived at Inchon International Airport on a chartered Korean Air plane arranged by the South Korean government.

HONG KONG

U.S. urges freedom of press after raids

HONG KONG — The United States has called on the government of Hong Kong to protect freedom of the press after the city’s anti-graft watchdog raided the offices of six newspapers.

The agency raided the newspapers during the weekend and confiscated some reporters’ notebooks after they published the identity of a protected witness in a corruption case.

The United States also urged the watchdog group, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, to conduct its investigations “in a lawful and appropriate manner.”

INDONESIA

Police drop plan to charge cleric

JAKARTA — Indonesian police dropped plans yesterday to charge a radical cleric in the 2002 Bali bombings, but said he will remain in jail.

The 65-year-old Abu Bakar Bashir will be charged with other crimes, including leading the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group and a deadly suicide attack last year on Jakarta’s J.W. Marriott Hotel.

From wire dispatches and staff reports