Nation/world briefs 9/27/04

Bomb threat forces flight to land in London

LONDON -- A bomb threat that mentioned Iraq forced a New York-bound Greek airliner to make an emergency landing Sunday at London's Stansted Airport escorted by military jets, authorities said. An airport spokeswoman said an Athens newspaper had received a phone call saying there was a bomb on board the Olympic Airlines plane. Authorities immediately notified the pilot of the call, and he asked for a military escort.

Israeli settlers who use weapons face prison

JERUSALEM -- Armed settlers who resist evacuation could face five years in prison under a law proposed Sunday before next year's planned removal of all 21 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and four in the West Bank. Settler leaders vehemently oppose the pullout, and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud Party has voted against it twice. Sharon has spoken of fears of civil war over the withdrawal, and security officials warn that Sharon might be a target for assassination.

Turkey's parliament drops adultery law

ANKARA, Turkey -- A special session of parliament approved legal reforms Sunday aimed at opening the way for Turkey to begin membership talks with the European Union after the governing party dropped a proposal to criminalize adultery, a plan that had upset EU leaders. The vote came before an Oct. 6 EU report that is expected to recommend the bloc start negotiations with Turkey.

Charity leaders' pay raise almost double inflation

WASHINGTON -- Compensation increases in 2003 for the executives who run the largest not-for-profit organizations nearly doubled the rate of inflation, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual survey. The study being released today showed that the median salary of 215 chief executives was $291,356. The median is the middle point of that group, meaning 107 leaders made more than that figure and 107 made less.

Armed militia threatens refugees' return to Darfur

GENEINA, Sudan -- Armed militiamen surged into a western border area where some Darfur refugees attempted to return to their raided village, U.N. security officials said Sunday, raising further concern about how quickly 1.4 million displaced Sudanese could return home safely. U.N. authorities were sending a team to the area to assess the risks to refugees, said West Darfur U.N. refugee security officer Sabir Mughal.

Gas prices jump after hurricane disruptions

LOS ANGELES -- Gas prices jumped more than 5 cents a gallon in the past two weeks, largely because of problems related to Hurricane Ivan, an industry analyst said Sunday. The combined national average for all grades of gas hit $1.94 a gallon Friday, up about 5 cents from Sept. 10, according to the Lundberg Survey of about 6,000 gas stations across the United States.

-- From wire reports