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Car Bombings in Niger Target French-Run Uranium Plant, Army Base as Hollande Vows to 'Destroy' Attackers

Twin car bombings at an army base and a French-run uranium mine in northern Niger killed at least 10 people Thursday, in unprecedented attacks claimed by an Islamist group fighting French-led troops in neighboring Mali.

The Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) claimed the bombings, calling them punishment for Niger's participation in a French-led military offensive against Islamist extremists who had seized control of northern Mali last year and ruled it under a brutal version of Islamic law for some 10 months.

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Syria Opposition's Khatib Proposes Assad 'Safe Exit'

Syria's outgoing opposition chief published an initiative for his war-torn country on Thursday that would grant President Bashar Assad a safe exit, and urged dissident factions to adopt his plan.

Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib published his initiative on Facebook, as the main National Coalition he headed until March gathered in Istanbul to choose a new leader and discuss a U.S.-Russian peace initiative dubbed Geneva 2.

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Not Ours, Says Iran of Drone Found off Bahrain

Tehran on Thursday denied a Bahraini claim it had found an Iranian drone in the sea near Saudi Arabia, and urged Manama to refrain from making "baseless accusations", the ISNA news agency reported.

It cited an unnamed foreign ministry source as denying Bahrain's assertion that the downed aircraft was Iranian.

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Death Sentence for Gaza Palestinian for 'Collaboration'

A military court in the Gaza Strip has sentenced a Palestinian to death for collaborating with Israel and another to life with hard labor, the Hamas interior ministry said on Thursday.

The 43-year-old, identified only by his initials AH, "has been sentenced to capital punishment for acts of collaboration wit the occupation", a ministry statement said.

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Gatecrasher Style: Psy Impersonator Fools Cannes

A man impersonating South Korean entertainer Psy -- famed for his dance song "Gangnam Style" -- ate, drank and partied with the stars in Cannes for two days, The Hollywood Reporter said on Thursday.

Psy "was spotted all over town, attending festival parties and events and posing for photos with festgoers and other celebrities," the movie trade daily said in its Cannes edition.

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Gunmen Kill Four Iraqi Soldiers

Gunmen shot dead four Iraqi soldiers on Thursday, security and medical officials said, the latest attacks in a wave of violence that has killed more than 410 people so far this month.

The gunmen attacked a checkpoint in Taji, north of Baghdad, killing the soldiers and wounding five others, the officials said.

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Syria Refugee Influx Taxes Lebanese Economy and Nerves

Abu Faruq, a kiosk owner in an upscale Beirut district, does not hide his opinion about the influx of Syrian refugees: "Lebanon is occupied by foreigners," he grumbled. "They're ruining us."

As the conflict in neighboring Syria stretches into a third year, a wave of refugees has flooded Lebanon, stretching its economy and testing its resources as well the nerves of its citizens.

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Observatory Says 104 Hizbullah Fighters Killed in Syria so Far, Party Denies Figure

Seventy-five fighters from Hizbullah have been killed in Syria since late last year, a source close to the group said on Thursday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights gave a higher death toll, saying 104 Hizbullah members had been killed in Syria since last autumn, but a Hizbullah spokesman denied the figures.

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Ban: U.N. Combat Troops in DR Congo in 'One or Two Months'

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon pledged Thursday that U.N. troops will be in place within "one or two months" to battle armed rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo's volatile east, as he arrived in the flashpoint city of Goma for a brief visit.

Ban's visit came after three days of sometimes deadly fighting between rebels and government forces that ended months of calm in the mineral-rich east of the country, an area gripped by conflict for more than two decades.

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MVP James Delivers Winner as Heat Beats Pacers

LeBron James drove for a game-winning layup as time expired to give the Miami Heat a thrilling 103-102 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers Wednesday in game one of the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

James, recently named regular season Most Valuable Player for the fourth time, lived up to the billing with his buzzer-beating exploit, ensuring the reigning NBA champions retained home court advantage in the best-of-seven series.

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