Rhode Island

Released Chinese advocate joins another dissident in U.S.

A democracy advocate who helped organize the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests was released by China and headed Thursday to Rhode Island to join another recently freed dissident.

It was the third time in a week Beijing has acted on a case after lobbying from Washington, in what some believe are efforts to stave off a possible United Nations resolution condemning China.

Wang Youcai, 37, a physicist, was given medical parole and left the Zhejiang No. 1 prison early in the day, said John Kamm, executive director of the Dui Hua Foundation, a rights group.

Kamm said Wang was to be met by Xu Wenli on Thursday night in Providence.

In 1998, Wang and Xu were sentenced to prison terms of more than a decade for activities related to the founding of the China Democracy Party.

Germany

IMF head accepts nomination for German presidency

International Monetary Fund chief Horst Koehler said Thursday he was quitting to accept the conservative nomination for the German presidency.

Koehler, 61, told reporters in Washington that he wanted to bring his experience in national and international affairs to the mostly ceremonial post.

“I believe that I am up to the challenge and that with my professional national and international experience will be able to bring something to the office that Germany needs now,” he said.

Since the conservative parties hold a majority in the assembly that chooses the next president on May 23, nomination virtually assures Koehler of winning the largely ceremonial post.

Gaza Strip

Israeli forces raid Gaza town in search of tunnels; one dies

Israeli soldiers battled with Palestinian militants Thursday in Gaza, killing a 14-year-old boy and bulldozing houses during a daylong raid, Palestinian officials said.

The Israeli army said troops entered Rafah, a frequent battleground in the conflict, in search of tunnels used by Palestinian militants to smuggle weapons from Egypt. Soldiers were met with gunfire and grenades, the army said.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat condemned the raid and a Wednesday helicopter strike on a car that killed three Hamas militants. The intensified attacks came ahead of a proposed Israeli withdrawal from almost all of the Gaza Strip.

“They say they want to leave Gaza, but before leaving they are increasing their massacres against our people,” Arafat said.

Late Thursday, the Israeli military imposed a closure on the West Bank and Gaza, banning all Palestinians from entering Israel until at least Tuesday, following the Jewish festival of Purim.