World briefs 2/12/06

Sharon has emergency intestinal surgery

JERUSALEM -- Doctors removed nearly 2 feet of Ariel Sharon's large intestines Saturday during emergency surgery, his seventh operation since suffering a debilitating stroke last month. Surgeons managed to stabilize the comatose Israeli prime minister after initially fearing for his life, but the latest complication makes it even more unlikely he will recover. Sharon was rushed to surgery Saturday morning after doctors, who had noticed abdominal swelling, conducted a CT scan and a laparoscopy, or insertion of a small camera through the abdominal wall. Surgeons detected dead tissue in the bowels and removed 20 inches of his large intestine, Hadassah Hospital director Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef said.

Pakistan: U.S. missiles killed al-Zawahri relative

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- A U.S. missile strike on a Pakistani village last month killed a relative of al-Qaida's No. 2 leader and a terror suspect wanted by America, Pakistan's leader said Saturday, breaking weeks of silence about the identities of the men. The nighttime attack -- which also killed a dozen residents, including women and children -- outraged Pakistanis, who complained it violated the nation's sovereignty. Until now, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf had only said "foreigners" died in the Jan. 13 strike in the town of Bajur. "Five foreigners were killed in the U.S. attack in Bajur," Musharraf told tribal elders in the city of Charsada. "One of them was a close relative of Ayman al-Zawahri and the other man was wanted by the U.S. and had a $5 million reward on his head."

Syria's beleaguered leader shakes up Cabinet

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syria's president ordered a major Cabinet shake-up Saturday, signaling he has no plans to cave under growing U.S. and international pressure over the assassination of a former Lebanese leader and alleged failure to stop militants from crossing into Iraq. President Bashar Assad named his hard-line Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa as vice president and replace him with his deputy, Walid Moallem, a former ambassador to the United States and United Nations.

Sudanese transport plane explodes, killing 20

KHARTOUM, Sudan -- A military transport plane blew a tire while landing, swerved off the runway and exploded at a southern Sudan airport Saturday, killing all 20 people on board, the army said. The crash occurred at about 8 a.m. in Aweil, 525 miles southwest of Khartoum. The dead included seven crew members and 13 passengers, the official Sudan Media Center said.

Italy's government calls election for April 9-10

ROME -- Italy dissolved its parliament on Saturday and scheduled elections for early April, opening what promises to be a bitter campaign pitting Premier Silvio Berlusconi against a strong center-left opponent. Parliament ended two weeks later than originally planned after Berlusconi negotiated a delay that allowed his government to rush through a flurry of legislation. It also allowed the premier to keep up a barrage of TV and radio appearances. Despite the media blitz, the government's popularity has been sliding amid economic woes and political infighting.

-- From wire reports