Venezuela: Opposition march draws 1 million people

In the opposition’s biggest show of force since it launched a crippling general strike 13 days ago, more than 1 million Venezuelans poured into the streets of the capital Saturday to demand the resignation of President Hugo Chavez.

Chanting “Let him leave today,” protesters filled bridges, overpasses and parks along Caracas’ busiest highway, carrying giant Venezuelan flags, blowing whistles and chanting anti-Chavez slogans.

A separate pro-Chavez demonstration of several thousand people was on the path the opposition rally would need to take to reach the presidential palace. A march on the palace in April led to violence that killed 19 people and sparked a coup that ousted Chavez for two days.

Egypt: U.S. fighter jets fire on Iraqi targets

U.S. jets attacked three air defense installations Saturday south and east of Baghdad after Iraqi military jets violated the southern no-fly zone, the U.S. Central Command said on its Web site.

The command said the U.S. planes used “precision guided weapons” against the sites in response to Iraqi threats.

The military said it hit targets at al-Kut, 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, Qal’at Sukkar, 170 miles southeast of the capital and al-Amarah, 165 miles to the east-southeast.

U.S. and coalition aircraft have patrolled the no-fly zones since the 1991 Gulf War.

India: Heat-seeking missile found in rebel hide-out

Indian soldiers discovered a Pakistani surface-to-air missile in a suspected militant hide-out in Indian-controlled Kashmir – the first such find in 13 years, the military said.

The heat-seeking missile was found Friday in the border district of Kupwara, the Indian Army said in a statement. The area is near the cease-fire line that divides the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

India has long accused Islamabad of providing arms and training to Islamic militants fighting India’s rule over part of the divided Kashmir. Pakistan says it only gives ideological support to the rebels – whom it considers “freedom fighters” – and not weapons.

Ivory Coast: U.N. official expresses empathy for refugees

A top official of the U.N. refugee agency expressed concern Saturday for thousands of Liberians caught up in Ivory Coast’s escalating conflict, as France bolstered its military presence in the battle-scarred former French colony.

U.N. Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Kamel Morjane said the agency was looking at ways to move refugees trapped by fierce fighting in the rich, cocoa-producing West, where rebels have been battling government forces backed by foreign mercenaries and helicopters.

Ivory Coast’s descent into chaos began when disgruntled soldiers tried to oust President Laurent Gbagbo on Sept. 19 and seized the northern half of the country. Since then, new rebel factions have emerged in the West – home to around 45,000 mostly Liberian refugees.

South Korea: Workers refuse to load rice bound for North

South Korean dock workers at the port of Inchon have stopped loading rice bound for North Korea to protest the North’s decision to revive a nuclear plant that U.S. officials believe was used to make nuclear weapons.

“Even if the rice is meant as humanitarian aid, our workers have a strong objection to giving it to the North,” Lee Gang-hee, head of the Kyungin Port and Transport Workers’ Union, said Saturday.