Sarkozy tries to cool torch protest anger

PARIS -- France's government scrambled Monday to tamp down tensions with Beijing and calm anti-French sentiment that has swelled in China since pro-Tibet protesters disrupted the Olympic torch relay in Paris.

President Nicolas Sarkozy dispatched his top diplomatic adviser to China, where a French retail giant has become a boycott target, and he sent an emotional letter to a disabled Chinese athlete who struggled against a Paris protester trying to wrench the Olympic torch from her.

In his letter to "Mademoiselle Jin Jing," Sarkozy noted the "bitterness" felt in China over the incident and insisted that several such attacks by protesters during the April 7 Paris torch stopover "do not reflect the feelings of my countrymen toward the Chinese people."

"You have shown remarkable courage that does you honor -- and through you, honor to your country," he added. Jin, who uses a wheelchair, received the letter Monday in Shanghai from the visiting head of the French Senate.

Brazil priest vanishes on balloon flight

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- A Roman Catholic priest who floated off under hundreds of helium party balloons was missing Monday off the southern coast of Brazil.

Rescuers in helicopters and fishing boats were searching off the coast of Santa Catarina state, where pieces of balloons were found.

Rev. Adelir Antonio de Carli lifted off from the port city of Paranagua on Sunday afternoon, wearing a helmet, thermal suit and a parachute.

He was reported missing about eight hours later after losing contact with port authority officials, according to the treasurer of his Sao Cristovao parish, Denise Gallas.

Gallas said by telephone that the priest wanted to break a 19-hour record for the most hours flying with balloons to raise money for a spiritual rest-stop for truckers in Paranagua, Brazil's second-largest port for agricultural products.

Pirates attack tanker, boat in Gulf of Aden

MADRID, Spain -- Pirates in the lawless Gulf of Aden fired on a Japanese oil tanker Monday, unleashing hundreds of gallons of fuel into the sea, a day after a Spanish tuna boat was hijacked using rocket-propelled grenades.

The attacks highlight an alarming increase in piracy by well-armed bandits, prompting international demands for better protection of the world's shipping lanes.

France plans to present a proposal at the United Nations that would create an international "right of pursuit" allowing countries to chase pirates when they try to flee into territorial waters, the French Foreign Ministry said.

The proposal, which comes after a French luxury yacht was hijacked this month, would also urge stronger maritime patrols in high-risk areas.

U.N. agency criticizes Greek asylum practices

GENEVA -- The United Nations has sharply criticized Greece for its treatment of asylum applicants and its rate of approval of asylum claims of less than 1 percent, urging the country to reform its practices.

The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Monday that the Greek system did not fairly evaluate asylum claims.

The refugee agency has called on European nations to "refrain from returning asylum seekers to Greece." The agency charged in a statement last week that refugees in Greece "often lack the most basic entitlements, such as interpreters and legal aid to ensure that their claims receive adequate scrutiny from the asylum authorities."

UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told The Associated Press Monday that other groups -- including the European Parliament and non-governmental groups -- have raised similar concerns, particularly about the low number of asylum applications granted by Greece.

Bank of England unveils rescue package

LONDON -- The Bank of England unveiled a rescue package worth at least 50 billion pounds ($100 billion) for Britain's financial system on Monday, making one of the biggest moves by a central bank worldwide to shore up confidence amid the global credit crisis.

The British central bank hopes its biggest-ever funding injection, to be made via a swap of assets, will increase liquidity -- and in turn ease restrictions in the mortgage market that have made home loans more expensive -- by encouraging interbank lending.

Bank of England Governor Mervyn King underscored the bank's focus on restoring confidence by promising to meet demand even if it exceeds the 50 billion-pound level.

"There is no arbitrary limit on this so it could well go higher," King said of the offer that will allow banks to exchange potentially risky mortgage debts for more secure, and more easily tradable, government bonds. "Everyone needs to know this is there for them to access as needed."

At least 20 Haitian migrants drown near the Bahamas

NASSAU, Bahamas -- Haitians fleeing their impoverished homeland met tragedy when their boat went down off the Bahamas, killing at least 20 people and leaving only three known survivors, including an alleged migrant smuggler, authorities said Monday.

Survivors said the boat was carrying 24 people when it capsized Saturday night, according to U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Luis Diaz in Miami. Just before dawn Sunday, fishermen heard screams.

Volunteers searched for bodies, tying life preservers onto them so they could be recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard, said Chris Lloyd of the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association.

"We recovered as many as we could," Lloyd said.

The migrants appeared to be aiming for U.S. shores. The accident happened less than 150 miles (240 kilometers) from Miami, said Chief Petty Officer Ralph McKinney of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force. The boat had set out from Nassau and was supposed to stop in Bimini en route to Florida, he said.