World briefs 7/13/05

Re-arrest of Surinamese brothers sought in Aruba

ORANJESTAD, Aruba -- A judge heard competing appeals Tuesday in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, with a defense lawyer seeking the release of a Dutch teen in the case and prosecutors asking for the re-arrest of two brothers from Suriname. Brothers Satish and Deepak Kalpoe, and 17-year-old Joran van der Sloot were among the last people to see Holloway before she vanished. The hearings were closed and the judge was expected to confer with two colleagues before issuing a ruling Thursday.

Bomber kills two near shopping mall in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM -- A suicide bomber blew himself up among a group of teens near a shopping mall in the seaside city of Netanya on Tuesday, killing himself and two others in the second such attack since a truce was declared five months ago. About 30 people were wounded, two seriously, police said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from a Palestinian militant group.

Laura Bush visits mothers with HIV in Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Laura Bush praised HIV-positive mothers for working to wipe away the stigma attached to their disease and urged African women to take control of their sexual lives, talking candidly of sensitive topics Tuesday on her visit to Africa. Mrs. Bush's day took her into the extremely poor Khayelitsha township, with its dusty streets and tin-and-tar paper shacks Mrs. Bush went to a facility to showcase the work done there through The Mothers' Programmes, a private organization that receives some assistance through President Bush's five-year, $15 billion anti-AIDS effort. Back in Cape Town later in the day, Mrs. Bush spoke with women from several South African groups fighting against rape and domestic violence.

Kofi Annan to have surgery on injured shoulder

UNITED NATIONS -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan will have surgery to repair a shoulder he injured while cross-country skiing last winter, a spokesman said Tuesday. Annan, 67, had initially been told he wouldn't need surgery for the torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, but doctors determined it wasn't healing properly, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Annan will have the surgery Friday and plans to work from home as soon as he's out of the hospital, Dujarric said.

Fire erupts in busy Costa Rican hospital; 18 dead

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- A pre-dawn fire swept the top floors of a hospital in Costa Rica's capital Tuesday, killing at least 18 people as it engulfed the central staircase of a building without adequate fire exits or a sprinkler system. The 2:20 a.m. blaze broke out on the fifth floor and quickly spread, consuming the top three stories until it was brought under control three hours later, fire chief Hector Chavez said. He said least 14 people died on the fifth floor. The fire affected the neurosurgery and men's surgery departments. Some of the hospital's 522 patients hid under their beds. The cause was not immediately known.

-- From wire reports