Group will study Russia’s role in firm

France, Germany and Russia will form a working group to study Moscow’s role in EADS, the company that runs Airbus, Russia’s president said Saturday.

Vladimir Putin sought to ease mounting European concerns about Russia’s growing economic ambitions, including the recent purchase of a 5 percent stake of the French- and German-owned EADS by a Russian state-controlled bank.

“I can give you all assurances that it is not a sign of aggression,” Putin told reporters after a summit northwest of Paris with French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Putin said Russia would not use Vneshtorgbank’s share to “change anything in any way” at European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., and that the bank would not seek to boost its interest in the company without agreement from its French and German partners.

San’a, Yemen

President wins by wide margin

Yemen’s president was re-elected with more than 77 percent of votes in the face of the strongest challenge since he came to power 28 years ago from an opponent with a substantial popular following, officials said Saturday.

But the opposition alleged fraud and immediately rejected the result.

Elections commission chief Khaled Sharif said the final tally showed President Ali Abdullah Saleh received 4.1 million votes, or 77.17 percent of 5.3 million valid votes, while challenger Faisal bin Shamlan won 1.1 million votes, or 21.82 percent.

Opposition parties backing bin Shamlan immediately rejected the election commission’s results, claiming their candidate won at least 40 percent. A spokesman said the opposition would announce its own results today.

The elections confronted Saleh with his first serious challenge since coming to power in 1978.

Katmandu, Nepal

WWF-chartered helicopter missing

A helicopter chartered by conservation group World Wildlife Fund with 24 people aboard including an American aid worker, a Finnish diplomat and a Nepalese minister went missing Saturday in Nepal’s mountainous east, officials said.

Early today, five rescue helicopters flew to the area in eastern Taplejung district where the Russian-built MI-17 helicopter disappeared. But bad weather was hampering the search operation, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Pradeep Gyawali said.

The helicopter carrying 20 passengers and four crew left Ghunsa village but never arrived at its destination in Suketar village.