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World in brief

Riot police respond to renewed unrest in France

MONTFERMEIL, France - Riot police deployed in force to a troubled Paris suburb Tuesday night after youths hurled gasoline bombs at public buildings and pelted police with rocks, a stark reminder of last year's more widespread violence.

Dozens of vans carrying riot officers were stationed in Montfermeil, 10 miles east of such Paris landmarks as the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre, and in the nearby suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, the flash point of riots last year.

While there were no immediate reports of a repeat of the violence of the night before, a firebomb was thrown inside a police vehicle, setting it ablaze late Tuesday. Officers inside escaped and there were no injuries.

The first overnight clashes Monday and the tensions again Tuesday were a stark reminder of the anger that smolders in depressed French suburbs, despite new government efforts to tackle high youth unemployment and racial inequalities after three weeks of far worse rioting last fall that shook the country.

National police said nine officers suffered light injuries, mostly from rocks and other projectiles, during the three hours of unrest in Montfermeil on Monday.

Police said they made three arrests and fired rubber pellets to try to disperse the roughly 100 youths.

Israel sends special forces into Gaza Strip

JERUSALEM - Israel on Tuesday made its first military incursion deep into the Gaza Strip since withdrawing from the seaside territory nine months ago, sending special forces backed by a helicopter gunship to ambush a squad of rocket-firing Palestinian militants.

Four Palestinians were killed and about six others wounded in a predawn exchange of fire that lasted more than an hour and occurred nearly 2 miles inside Gaza.

At least three of those killed were members of a cell from the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, the Israeli army and Palestinian medical officials said. A fourth fatality was a member of the Palestinian security forces, according to Palestinian security officials.

The confrontation marked a change in tactics for the Israeli military, which has been frustrated by an inability to quell the firing of rockets in the direction of Israeli cities and towns by Palestinian militants.

United States on offer from Iran: 'Trust but verify'

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration cautiously welcomed Iran's new willingness to negotiate over its disputed nuclear program on Tuesday, even as it intensifies efforts to use international trade and financial levers to pinch the regime.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tuesday his country was ready for "negotiations on Iran's nuclear issue without any preconditions," a reference to suspended talks with European nations that would give Iran modest economic incentives to drop suspect nuclear activities.

"Trust but verify," White House press secretary Tony Snow said.

The administration previously has said Iran makes such pledges as a stalling tactic when international pressure mounts.

European Court: Rework airline antiterror agreement

PARIS - Europe's highest court on Tuesday overturned a 2-year-old antiterror agreement under which European airlines provide U.S. law enforcement agencies with detailed information about passengers traveling to the United States. The agreement was improperly crafted, the court ruled.

The information-sharing, which privacy advocates have criticized, can continue until Sept. 30 to give officials time to fashion a solution, according to the ruling by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

U.S. government officials said they did not believe the decision would nullify the agreement long term.

[Last modified May 31, 2006, 05:21:15]