U.S. ENVOY: ISRAEL CAN RETAIN PARTS OF WEST BANK

JERUSALEM» The U.S. ambassador in Jerusalem says Israel has the right to retain parts, but not all, of the West Bank.

David Friedman’s remarks in an interview with The New York Times published Saturday comes about two months after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to begin annexing parts of the West Bank.

It’s unclear if the ambassador was revealing a component of the long-awaited Trump administration Mideast peace plan.

India reports problems in retrieving climbers’ bodies.

LUCKNOW,

Retrieving the bodies of five climbers of an international team from a notoriously dangerous Himalayan mountain by air isn’t immediately possible because helicopters are having difficulty operating due to strong turbulence, an Indian state official said Saturday.

Uttarakhand state Magistrate Vijay Jogdande also said the Indian Mountaineering Foundation could launch a ground expedition to help evacuate the bodies, which have been spotted at an altitude of 5,000 meters.

He was responding to a statement by the foundation Saturday that it was ready to launch an expedition.

Bulgarian teen arrested, police suspect possible bomb plot.

SOFIA, BUL

A 16-year-old was arrested after Bulgarian police found explosive devices, an Islamic State group flag and other items in the boy’s home that could have been used in a mass attack, a prosecutor said Saturday.

Police in Bulgaria’s second-biggest city, Plovdiv, conducted a search after the high school student’s relatives reported finding handmade bomb components, Deputy Prosecutorgeneral Ivan Geshev said.

Officers said they discovered multiple explosive devices, including a pipe bomb.

Albania president cancels elections, citing tense climate.

TIRANA, Albania’s president on Saturday canceled upcoming municipal elections, citing the need to reduce political tensions in the country.

President Ilir Meta said he acted because “the actual circumstances do not provide necessary conditions for true, democratic representative and all-inclusive elections” at the end of the month. The president said he would clarify his decision on Monday.

Thousands of Albanians who support the political opposition assembled for an anti-government protest on Saturday.

Mayor joins pride parade amid Poland’s anti-lgbt campaign.

WARSAW,

The largest gay pride parade in central and eastern Europe brought tens of thousands of people to the streets of Warsaw on Saturday at a time when Poland’s LGBT rights movement is the target of a government campaign depicting it as a threat.

Diplomats from the United States, Canada and other Western countries continued a recent tradition of joining the festive Equality Parade to show support for a community experiencing leaps of progress and a backlash around the world.

— Denver Post wire services