in brief

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia

Four die of swine flu before pilgrimage to Mecca

Saudi health officials announced the first deaths from swine flu in this year's annual pilgrimage to Mecca, as four pilgrims succumbed to the disease soon after arriving in Saudi Arabia.

The Health Ministry said none of the victims had been vaccinated and all became sick within two to three days of arriving. Three of the victims were age 75, coming from Sudan, India and Morocco, and the fourth was a 17-year-old Nigerian.

GAUHATI, India

Three bombs explode, killing five and wounding 25 more

Police said three bombs exploded today in India's restive northeast killing five people and wounding more than 25 others.

A local police official said five people died after two blasts went off within minutes of each other outside a police station in Nalbari town near the Assam state capital Gauhati.

The official said about five minutes later a third blast occurred a few miles away.

JAKARTA, Indonesia

Passenger ferry with more than 200 aboard sinks

Indonesian television said a passenger ferry with more than 200 people onboard sank in rough waters near Sumatra island.

Yasin Kosasih, a police chief in Riau province, said the Dumai Express 10 left on an inter-island voyage this morning and sank in poor weather 90 minutes into the trip.

The passenger manifest said it was carrying 228 passengers including 15 children from the port of Batam to Dumai in Riau, Sumatra.

Local police spokesman Anggaria Lopes said dozens had been rescued and a search operation was ongoing.

CARACAS, Venezuela

Chavez defends Ahmadinejad, Carlos the Jackal, Idi Amin

President Hugo Chavez is praising Carlos the Jackal, the imprisoned Venezuelan once notorious for Cold War-era bombings, assassinations and hostage dramas, saying he was a "revolutionary fighter" and not a terrorist.

The Venezuelan president lauded Carlos, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, during a speech Friday night.

Ramirez is serving a life sentence in a French prison for the 1975 murders of two French secret agents and an alleged informant.

During the televised speech to socialist politicians from various countries, Chavez sought to defend other leaders he said are wrongly labeled "bad guys," including Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Chavez called both of them brothers and said he now wonders whether Ugandan dictator Idi Amin was truly as brutal as he was reputed to be.

Chavez on Saturday invited his mentor, Fidel Castro, to visit Venezuela during the coming months.

Chavez read aloud a letter to the former Cuban leader during a televised speech Saturday night, saying "Venezuela awaits you." Chavez proposed that Castro visit at some point between now and April, during a congress of his socialist party.

VATICAN CITY

Pope, Anglican leader agree on closer relations

After offering a home in his church to disaffected Anglicans, Pope Benedict XVI assured the archbishop of Canterbury on Saturday that he is still committed to seeking closer relations between Catholics and Anglicans.

Archbishop Rowan Williams said he came away convinced there was no "dawn raid" on his church by Rome, telling Vatican Radio that he wishes "every blessing" for those who want to become Catholics.

Williams and Benedict met privately for 20 minutes in what the Vatican called "cordial discussions," as part of what has clearly been a difficult visit by the Anglican leader.

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia

McCain says he enjoyed reading Palin's memoir

Sen. John McCain said Saturday that he enjoyed reading running mate Sarah Palin's new memoir and downplayed any tension between their campaign aides as "no big deal."

"I enjoyed the book, and she and I are dear friends. I talked to her on the phone yesterday. We got along fine," McCain said in an interview on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum.

In "Going Rogue," Palin confirms reports of discord between her aides and those of McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate.