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AP International NewsBrief at 4:38 p.m. EST(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner applauded in OsloOSLO, Norway (AP) _ With his Nobel Peace Prize diploma and medal placed in his empty chair, imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was given a standing ovation at the award ceremony Friday as dignitaries demanded his release. It was the first time in 74 years the prestigious $1.4 million award was not handed over, because Liu is serving an 11-year sentence in China on subversion charges for urging sweeping changes to Beijing's one-party communist political system. Iran airs new confession by woman in stoning caseTEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ An Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery confessed to helping a man kill her husband and re-enacted the alleged murder in an interview shown Friday on Iranian state television _ an apparent effort by the government to deflect international criticism over the case. It was the fourth time Sakineh Mohammedi Ashtiani has been shown on TV as Tehran faced an international outcry over the announcement that she would be stoned to death, the latest source of friction between Iran and the West. La Familia cartel chief believed killed in MexicoMORELIA, Mexico (AP) _ A leader of the brutal La Familia drug cartel is believed to have been killed in a shootout during two days violence have challenged police and terrified civilians across key parts of Michoacan state, a Mexican official said Friday. Government security spokesman Alejandro Poire said officials have received information that Nazario Moreno Gonzalez _ nicknamed "The Craziest One" _ was killed in clashes between cartel gunmen and federal police. Intense climate talks stretch into final hoursCANCUN, Mexico (AP) _ Exhausted climate negotiators labored nonstop through the night and into their final day Friday, bargaining intensely over draft accords and seeking small, but essential steps to stem global warming. If successful, the two-week Cancun meeting will create a fund of $100 billion a year for developing countries threatened by altered weather patterns, and give them the technology to leapfrog old petroleum-based economic development in favor of clean energy. Haiti candidates move toward direct confrontationPORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) _ Haitians prepared for more violence Friday as rival candidates told supporters to take to streets and tip the balance in a sharply disputed presidential election stained by claims of fraud. Barricades were cleared overnight, but new flaming piles of tires were set up in parts of the city to block off traffic. People rushed to stores opening for the first time in three days to get food, water and provisions for fear the riots will heat up again. Spam downloads surge among WikiLeaks supportersLONDON (AP) _ WikiLeaks supporters on Friday downloaded increasing amounts of the spam-shooting software used to attack companies seen as hostile _ a development that could challenge even Internet giants such as PayPal and Amazon.com during the crucial Christmas shopping season. U.S. data security company Imperva says downloads of the attack program used to bombard websites with bogus requests for data have jumped to over 40,000, with thousands of new downloads reported overnight. Navratilova hospitalized after Kilimanjaro attemptNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) _ Martina Navratilova was hospitalized in Kenya because of fluid accumulation in her lungs after attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. The 54-year-old tennis great is expected to recover. Navratilova was diagnosed with high-altitude pulmonary edema, Dr. David Silverstein, a consultant in cardiology and internal medicine at Nairobi Hospital, said Friday. Royal attack prompts questions over UK securityLONDON (AP) _ British officials defended the country's security establishment Friday after rampaging student protesters attacked a car carrying the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. The chief of the Metropolitan Police pledged to launch a full and detailed investigation into the incident, which saw protesters set upon the heir to the throne's Rolls Royce as it drove through London's busy West End Thursday night. A group of up to 20 protesters, some chanting "off with their heads!" smashed a rear window and splashed white paint on the vehicle. Charles and Camilla were visibly shaken, but unharmed. UNICEF: Polio kills 206 in Republic of CongoJOHANNESBURG (AP) _ A rare and unusually fatal outbreak of polio in Republic of Congo has caused more than 200 deaths in the Central African nation, a UNICEF spokesman said Friday. The disease usually strikes children under 5, but most of those affected have been young men between the ages of 15 and 24, said Martin Dawes, the agency's West Africa spokesman. Famous Christian landmark tree chopped down in UKLONDON (AP) _ The rare thorn tree had ties to the early days of Christianity and pilgrims often left offerings at its base. Local children honored it each year by cutting sprigs to place on Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas dining table. Now British police want to know who sawed off the historic limbs of the Glastonbury Holy Thorn Tree, reducing it to a stump. And they want to know why. (c) 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |