Around the world
HOSTAGES: Four heavily armed gunmen who say they are dying of AIDS stormed a schoolroom and took 12 Russian children and their teacher hostage Thursday, then commandeered a helicopter and demanded to fly to Iran. Authorities in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don let the masked kidnappers herd their teenage captives onto the helicopter at the military airport. The aircraft later left for an unknown destination, Itar-Tass news agency said.
ATTACK: Reports from the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh say Azerbaijan has launched a massive attack on Armenian forces south of the enclave, forcing them to retreat for the first time in months. Azerbaijani government troops are using artillery and multiple-launch missiles to bombard Armenian positions, and heavy casualties are reported on both sides.
DISCUSSIONS: China and Russia are discussing a free-trade zone spanning their once-tense border in the Far East, a reflection of the growing commerce between the two countries. The zone would include Heihe City in northeast China and Blagoveshchensk City in Russia on separate sides of the Amur River, which forms the border, the Russian Embassy in Beijing said. It said the proposal depends on whether China agrees to build a permanent bridge across the river within the trade zone.
Across the nation
CONVICTED: Two women who made a videotape showing their apparent discovery of a syringe inside a can of Diet Pepsi were convicted of spreading false information and lying to federal investigators. Deborah Garner, 39, and her 22-year-old daughter, Dawn, both of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, were convicted Wednesday of disseminating false information about a consumer product and lying to federal investigators.
SENTENCED: The husband of former Kentucky Gov. Martha Layne Collins drew more than five years in prison for extorting nearly $2 million from people seeking business with the state while his wife was in office. Bill Collins, 55, also was fined $20,000 Wednesday. Prosecutors said Collins exploited a perception that he influenced the awarding of contracts during his wife's 1983-87 term. He was also convicted of disguising the payments as political contributions and investments.