Russia : Fighting in Chechnya claims lives of seven

Fighting between Russian troops and Chechen rebels persisted Saturday — with at least six Russians killed.

Five of the servicemen were killed and six others were wounded in rebel attacks on Russian positions, an official in the Russian-backed administration said on condition of anonymity.

The sixth Russian soldier was killed when a convoy was shelled outside a village in southern Chechnya, the official said.

The body of a Chechen policeman was found in the center of the capital Grozny, the official said.

Kuwaiit: Suspect recants slaying confession

A Kuwaiti civil servant who previously admitted killing one U.S. computer contractor and injuring another claimed Saturday that authorities forced him to confess, his lawyer said.

Sami al-Mutairi, 25, denied the Jan. 21 shooting of the two computer contractors near a U.S. military camp in Kuwait, counsel Mohammed al-Mutairi told The Associated Press.

The Jan. 21 ambush killed Michael Rene Pouliot, 46, and seriously wounded David Caraway, 37.

Ivory Coast: Opposition march mourns slain leader

About 1,500 opposition supporters marched Saturday through Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s commercial capital, mourning Ash Karamoko Kamara, a well-known entertainer and opposition figure who many believe was killed in a government-backed political assassination.

Saturday’s march was the latest in two weeks of riots and mass protests in Abidjan. Most have been by government loyalists, angry at a French-brokered peace deal they see as giving too much to rebels behind Ivory Coast’s 4-month-old civil war.