Nation briefs 3/8/06

Pope appeals for release of kidnapped infant

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI called Tuesday for the immediate and unconditional release of a 17-month-old epileptic boy kidnapped from his parents' northern Italian home last week. Benedict expressed solidarity with the family of Tommaso Onofri and assured them he was praying for them. The pope's message was sent in a telegram to the bishop of Parma from the Vatican's No. 2 official, Cardinal Angelo Sodano. The letter said the pope joined in Bishop Cesare Bonicelli's appeal "for the immediate and unconditional release of little Tommaso Onofri." Tommaso's parents have told police the boy was snatched from their home in Casalbaroncolo, near Parma, on Thursday night. They said they were held at gunpoint and tied up by two armed men, who made off with the baby and about $180.

Feds: Gotti was king of corrupt Gambino empire

NEW YORK -- As a picture of late mob boss John Gotti flashed on a screen in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday, federal prosecutors took his son on an unpleasant trip down memory lane. In closing arguments at John "Junior" Gotti's retrial for racketeering, prosecutors detailed the younger Gotti's ruthless rise to power as he allegedly took in millions of illegal dollars from the construction business and ordered a brutal assault that nearly killed the founder of the Guardian Angels. Gotti says he quit the mob and insists he had nothing to do with the attack.

China urges better ties with United States

BEIJING -- China's rising economic and political power will benefit -- not threaten -- its neighbors, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said Tuesday, calling for better ties with Washington and urging Iran to settle the dispute over its nuclear program. In a televised news conference during the annual session of China's parliament, Li restated China's positions on a wide number of diplomatic issues, from the Middle East to North Korea. In every case, the message was clear: China is a friendly country eager to work with the rest of the world to resolve issues posing a risk to peace and stability, such as the controversies over nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea. "China's development does not pose any threat to any countries," Li said. "On the contrary, China's development has provided more and more opportunities to the development of other countries in the world."

DeLay wins four-way battle in GOP primary

SUGAR LAND, Texas -- Rep. Tom DeLay won the GOP nomination to the House on Tuesday, beating three challengers in his first election since he was indicted and forced to step aside as majority leader. With 14 percent of precincts reporting, DeLay had 10,005 votes, or 64 percent. His closest challenger, environmental lawyer Tom Campbell, had 4,049 votes, or 26 percent.

Gunmen steal currency at Swedish airport

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Masked gunmen crashed through an airport fence Tuesday, held up luggage handlers unloading crates of foreign currency from an airliner, and left behind a package that looked like a bomb, police said. Stunned passengers waiting to disembark the Scandinavian Airlines jet that had just arrived from London witnessed the brazen robbery at the Landvetter airport outside Goteborg, Sweden's second-largest city. At least five robbers were involved, police said. It was not immediately known how much currency was stolen.

-- From wire reports