England
LONDON - Under pressure to act before the first anniversary of Princess Diana's death, the House of Commons rushed through a bill ratifying the international treaty banning land mines.
Colombia
BOGOTA - Six youths were found stabbed and bludgeoned to death Friday in one of the teeming slums that ring Colombia's southwest city of Cali, authorities said.
BOGOTA - Two army sergeants have been linked to the massacre of about 30 people by a right-wing death squad in a village in eastern Colombia last year, authorities said.
Sweden
STOCKHOLM - As many as 17 Kurdish teenagers living in Stockholm may have been kidnapped from a summer camp in eastern Sweden, police authorities and domestic media said.
Paraguay
ASUNCION - Paraguay's president-elect Raul Cubas was harshly criticized Friday by his vice president-elect, who called him the puppet of jailed coup leader Lino Oviedo.
Canada
CALGARY - A British soldier survived a 4,600-foot plunge from an airplane after his parachute failed to open properly during a training exercise in Canada, local media reported.
Mexico
MEXICO CITY - Three unidentified assailants gunned down a former top intelligence officer for Mexico's defunct anti-drug agency in the violent northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, officials said.
MEXICO CITY - A Mexican general has been discharged from the army and sentenced to nearly 21 years in jail on drug trafficking charges, the attorney general's office said.
Spain
PAMPLONA - A Briton was trampled by bulls and fellow runners and a Spaniard was gored on the fourth day of Pamplona's San Fermin festival.
South Korea
SEOUL - In an unusual display of solidarity, South Korea's two leading labor groups said Friday they would jointly stage a nationwide strike next week to protest layoffs.
United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan suggested the United Nations might play a role in Mexico's four-year conflict over Indian rights in Chiapas state, but diplomats believed this was doubtful.
Russia
MOSCOW - Russian prosecutors have brought murder charges against the widow of a prominent legislator shot dead last week, officials said.
Germany
BERLIN - Needed: dozens of trash cans, fast. A day before 1 million techno music fans were expected for the 10th annual Love Parade, a court ordered the organizers to set up trash cans for the tons of garbage the partiers are expected to leave behind.
China
HONG KONG - Problems at Hong Kong's new airport have forced its main cargo handler to temporarily halt shipments, and the government announced Friday that an independent body would find out what went wrong and who's to blame.
Guatemala
GUATEMALA CITY - Seven former Guatemalan guerrillas were transferred Friday from prisons in Mexico to jails in their home country, where they hoped to get amnesty under peace accords that ended the civil war two years ago.
Argentina
BUENOS AIRES - Argentine teachers held a 24-hour strike to protest against wages that the government itself admits are low, and they called for a three-day strike in August.