Russian colonel declared insane in Chechen murder
Russian doctors Monday declared insane the first senior army officer to go on trial for crimes against civilians in the breakaway region of Chechnya, paving the way for his release for treatment.
( By MARIA GOLOVNINA, Reuters, 12/16/2002 11:16 AM PST)

Blair Ups Peace Effort Amid More Mideast Violence
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat accepted a British invitation on Monday to send a delegation to London next month and called for international mediators to finalize a Middle East peace plan.
( BY WAFA AMR, Reuters, 12/16/2002 11:12 AM PST)

Strike halts Italian public transportation
Public transport workers caused traffic chaos across Italy Monday as they went on strike to protest their employers' failure to meet contract demands.
( Reuters, 12/16/2002 11:11 AM PST)

ANC Elects Mbeki to Lead S.Africa Until 2009
The ruling ANC chose President Thabo Mbeki to lead the party for a further five years Monday, virtually assuring his moderate economic policies will dominate South Africa until 2009.
( BY MANOAH ESIPISU AND NICHOLAS KOTCH, Reuters, 12/16/2002 11:09 AM PST)

At least 60 drown as Liberian boat capsizes
At least 60 people drowned and many more were feared dead after an overloaded ferry carrying 200 passengers back from a funeral capsized in the West African country of Liberia, officials said.
( By ALPHONSO TOWEH, Reuters, 12/16/2002 11:07 AM PST)

U.S. hushed 1978 Argentine junta murders
A few weeks after the bodies of seven women who led a crusade to free their loved ones washed up on a beach in southern Argentina in 1978, the U.S. government learned the probable culprits: the junta whose leaders it was cultivating.
( RON KAMPEAS, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 07:09 AM PST)

US Set for Verdict on 'Last Chance' Iraqi Arms File
The United States said on Monday it expected to deliver a final verdict late this week on Iraq's weapons declaration after warning the dossier was flawed and that Baghdad had no more chances to come clean.
( BY RANDALL MIKKELSEN AND HUDA MAJEED SALEH, Reuters, 12/16/2002 05:33 AM PST)

48 Killed in Liberia Boat Accident
An overcrowded boat capsized in Liberia's northwest, killing at least 48 people and leaving more than 100 others missing, authorities said Monday.
( Associated Press, 12/16/2002 05:29 AM PST)

U.N. lab gets samples from inspectors
Experts at the U.N. nuclear agency's laboratory today received the first samples gathered by weapons inspectors in Iraq and planned to begin analyzing the material immediately.
( WILLIAM J. KOLE, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 05:28 AM PST)

France steps up presence in Ivory Coast
France has "no hidden agenda" as it steps up its military presence in rebellion-torn Ivory Coast, the foreign minister said in an interview published today.
( Associated Press, 12/16/2002 05:26 AM PST)

Hong Kong anti-subversion law defended
Hong Kong's leader today defended a planned anti-subversion law that prompted a weekend protest by more than 12,000 people worried about the loss of civil liberties in the former British colony.
( DIRK BEVERIDGE, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 04:16 AM PST)

India rulers call for Hindu, Muslim peace
After a sweeping election victory that opponents said was won by stoking religious tensions, India's ruling party called for an end to bloody confrontations between the Hindu majority and Muslim minority in western Gujarat state.
( RUPAK SANYAL, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 04:13 AM PST)

Russia Seeks Talks With Iraq on Oil Deal
Russia turned up the heat on Iraq on Monday, with its foreign minister demanding that Baghdad open talks to resolve a dispute over a canceled contract with Russia's largest oil company.
( JUDITH INGRAM, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 04:10 AM PST)

Elie Wiesel Testifies at Plavsic Hearing
Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace laureate who survived the Nazi death camps, urged a strong punishment for former Bosnian Serb leader Biljana Plavsic, telling a U.N. tribunal the sentence it imposes for her war crimes will set a standard for centuries.
( TOBY STERLING, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 04:09 AM PST)