World briefs 1/15/04

Libya ratifies U.N. nuclear test ban treaty

VIENNA, Austria -- In a new signal that Libya is serious about renouncing its weapons of mass destruction, U.N. officials said Wednesday the North African country has ratified the nuclear test ban treaty. Libya's nuclear program was far from producing a weapon and the treaty is 12 nations short of the 44 ratifications needed for it to enter into force. Still, the announcement by the U.N. agency overseeing the agreement appeared to be a further sign of commitment by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to give up nuclear weapons ambitions. Once it enters into force, the treaty bans any nuclear weapon test explosion in any environment.

Brazil arrests airline pilot over obscene gesture

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- An American Airlines pilot was fined nearly $13,000 Wednesday on accusations he made an obscene gesture when being photographed at the airport as part of entry requirements for U.S. citizens, officials said. Brazil imposed the new rules that Americans be fingerprinted and photographed at entry points in response to similar rules in the United States for citizens of Brazil and other countries whose citizens need visas to enter. The pilot, Dale Robin Hersh, lifted his middle finger while undergoing the new security process at Sao Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport, said federal prosecutor Matheus Baraldi Magnani.

N. Korean nuclear proposal under discussion

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea said Wednesday that the United States and its allies are discussing what to offer in return for North Korea's proposal to freeze its nuclear weapons programs, as Washington urges the communist North to return to six-nation negotiations. South Korean Foreign Minister Yoon Young-kwan said countries were "looking into and consulting on North Korea's proposal to freeze its nuclear facilities in return for compensation." But Yoon warned the discussions don't mean countries have accepted the North's proposal to freeze its nuclear programs as a first step in talks if Washington lifts sanctions against the isolated country, resumes free oil shipments, and removes it from the U.S. list of terrorism-sponsoring countries.

Organization attacks Singapore execution rate

SINGAPORE -- Singapore has the highest execution rate in the world relative to its population, outstripping China, Saudi Arabia and Sierra Leone, Amnesty International said in a report released Thursday. More than 400 prisoners have been hanged since 1991 in the Southeast Asian city-state of 4 million people, the London-based rights organization said in a report on Singapore titled "A Hidden Toll of Executions." Most executions were for drug offenses while some were for murder and firearms offenses, all of which carry mandatory death sentences in Singapore, the report said.

-- From wire reports