orld Briefs

BEIJING – China aggressively deterred dissent in the capital on Thursday's 20th anniversary of the crackdown on democracy activists in Tiananmen Square. But tens of thousands turned out for a candlelight vigil in Hong Kong to mourn the hundreds, possibly thousands, of demonstrators killed.

The central government ignored calls from US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and even Taiwan's China-friendly president for Beijing to face up to the 1989 violence.

TAMPA, FLA. – Florida deep-sea explorers who raised an estimated $500 million treasure from the 200-year-old wreck of a Spanish galleon should give all the loot back to Spain, a federal magistrate judge said.

But the two-year tug-of-war over the 17 tons of silver coins and other artifacts from what is believed to be the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes y las Animas is likely far from over.

Odyssey Marine Exploration said it will oppose Wednesday's written recommendation by US Magistrate Judge Mark Pizzo, which will be considered by another federal judge who will issue an order later.

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea's top court began hearing the case Thursday of two American journalists accused of crossing into the country illegally and engaging in "hostile acts" — charges that could draw a 10-year sentence in a labor camp.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore's California-based Current TV, were arrested March 17 near the North Korean border while on a reporting trip to China.

LONDON – Prime Minister Gordon Brown geared up Thursday for a major Cabinet reshuffling, trying to recover from a furor over legislators' expense claims and heading off demands from lawmakers — even ones in his own party — to resign.

Brown is expected to announce the Cabinet changes on Monday — and is likely to fire those who have been embarrassed for claiming excessive reimbursements from the government. Four ministers have already quit recently.

JERUSALEM – Israel said it hoped President Obama's speech to the Muslim world Thursday would help usher in a "new period of reconciliation" in the Middle East, but the positive emphasis barely masked discomfort over key policy differences highlighted in the historic address.

A government statement skirted any reference to Obama's calls for a settlement freeze in the West Bank and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.