World briefs 7/11/07

Deal reached for medics sentenced to death

TRIPOLI, Libya -- A settlement has been reached to resolve the crisis over five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death in Libya for allegedly infecting more than 400 children with the AIDS virus, a foundation headed by the Libyan leader's son said Tuesday. Foundation spokesman Salah Abdessalem did not say how the deal reached with families of the HIV-infected children would affect the case against the six foreign medical workers. The six began working at the hospital in the city of Benghazi in 1998 and were arrested the next year after more than 400 children there contracted HIV. Fifty of the children have died. The prosecution said that the six infected the children intentionally in experiments to find a cure for AIDS. Defense experts testified that the children were infected by unhygienic hospital conditions. In their testimony, the workers said the confessions used by the prosecution had been extracted under torture. Several of the nurses have said they were also raped to force confessions.

Suicide bomber kills at least 17 in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A suicide bomber targeted a NATO patrol in a marketplace filled with children Tuesday, killing 13 elementary school students and at least four other people. The United Nations and NATO quickly condemned the attack for harming so many civilians. Eight Dutch soldiers patrolling on foot -- the apparent targets -- and at least 35 Afghans were wounded in the bombing in southern Uruzgan province, one of the deadliest in Afghanistan this year. The Taliban claimed responsibility. Details about the bombing varied. The deputy district police chief, Jahih Kawi Khan, said 19 people were killed and 35 wounded, while the Interior Ministry said 17 died. Provincial health department chief Luma Khan said 51 people were wounded, mostly children. Afghan officials said the suicide bomber was on foot; NATO said it was a vehicle bombing.

Iranian car maker reacts to gasoline rationing

TEHRAN, Iran -- Fuel rationing has forced Iran's largest car maker to scale down the manufacture of gasoline powered engines and increase production of dual-fuel cars that can also run on natural gas, the company's manager said Tuesday. In an attempt to reduce Iran's multibillion dollar gasoline import bill, the government suddenly imposed fuel rationing last month, sparking riots and outcry among consumers used to subsidies. Iran's state-owned car maker had anticipated fuel rationing and begun to adapt its production, said Manouchehr Manteghi, manager of the company, Iran Khodro. Iran is one of the world's biggest oil producers, but lacks enough refineries and must import more than 50 percent of the gasoline its people use.

Mexico confirms attacks on three gas pipelines

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico's government said Tuesday that a series of gas pipeline explosions were attacks aimed at weakening the nation's democratic institutions after a small, leftist rebel group claimed responsibility. The Interior Department said it was stepping up security at "strategic installations" across Mexico after an explosion Tuesday at a pipeline run by the state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, and two other blasts that rocked gas ducts Thursday. No one was injured in the blasts.

School, family in dispute over boy named Hell

MELBOURNE, Australia -- The Hell family has protested to a Catholic school in Australia after it objected to enrolling their son because of his name. Officials said the boy had been offered a place at the St. Peter the Apostle school in the southern city of Melbourne after discussions among the principal, the parish priest and the family over his last name. But Alex Hell, 45, said he would rather send 5-year-old Max elsewhere because the school balked at taking the boy because of his family name. Hell said he had Austrian heritage and that the name means "bright."

-- From wire reports