WNCTIMES

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's former army chief walked free from jail on Monday with a pardon from President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who appears to have bowed to growing international demands that he release his highest-profile rival. Ex-General Sarath Fonseka kissed his hands and raised them to a group of 2,000 supporters who cheered "Victory to our war hero! Victory to our leader!" and lit firecrackers outside the maximum security prison. Some waved the national flag, emblazoned with a lion and a sword, as he released a white dove symbolizing peace. ...

SANAA (Reuters) - A suicide bomber infiltrated a military parade rehearsal in Yemen's capital Sanaa on Monday, killing at least 63 people in the bloodiest single attack in the city in recent years of instability. Dozens of people, mostly soldiers, were also wounded in the bombing, which left blood and body parts scattered over a wide area. Yemen's defence minister and chief of staff were both present at the event, a rehearsal for Tuesday's National Day parade, but neither was hurt. Officials suspect the attack was carried out by a rogue soldier. ...

DUBAI (Reuters) - United Nations nuclear chief Yukiya Amano started talks with senior Iranian officials on Monday, Iranian media reported, on a one-day visit to Tehran that diplomats say could lead to an agreement for further inspections of Iranian nuclear sites. Hours after his pre-dawn arrival in Tehran, Amano met the head of Iran's nuclear energy organization, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, ISNA news agency reported. No further details were immediately available on their discussions. ...

A Yemeni official says a suicide bomber blew himself up during a military parade rehearsal in the capital Sanaa, killing scores of people.

SANAA (Reuters) - At least 20 people were killed and more than 60 wounded when a man in soldier's uniform blew himself up at a military parade rehearsal in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday, a police source said. Yemen's minister of defense and chief of staff were present but were unhurt, a military source said. Yemen is home to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which the United States views as a major security threat, not only in the region but also on U.S. soil. ...

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's embattled central government will not argue with semi-autonomous Puntland over potential oil revenues for fear of scuttling a fragile peace process, but a top official said on Monday the law made clear control lay with Mogadishu. Canadian firm Horn Petroleum, majority-owned by Vancouver-listed Africa Oil Corp., and its exploration partners started drilling in March in Puntland's Dharoor Block but have yet to announce any proven reserves. Africa Oil and joint venture partners Range Resource Ltd. (RRS. ...

DUBAI (Reuters) - A militant group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in eastern Syria last week that killed nine people and said attacks would continue, in a statement posted on the Internet on Monday. The al-Nusra Front said it was behind the attack on Saturday which targeted military installations in Deir al-Zor. The authenticity of the statement could not immediately be verified. ...

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - One of China's most conspicuously reform-minded leaders has stepped back into the spotlight after the nation's biggest political convulsion in a generation, positioning himself to gain from the fall of populist politician Bo Xilai. Wang Yang, leader of Guangdong province and well known for his deft handling of recent civil unrest there, is the first of three provincial-level party bosses who stand to benefit after a murder scandal snuffed out Bo's career last month. ...