India
NEW DELHI — Britain said on Friday that it had asked India to release a former British army officer who was sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in a mysterious arms drop.
NEW DELHI — The United States plans to recommend a waiver of its 1998 sanctions on spare parts for the Indian navy's British-made Sea King helicopters, Britain's envoy to India said Friday.
Egypt
CAIRO — An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 757 cargo plane suffered heavy damage on landing at Cairo airport in disputed circumstances, airport officials said Friday.
Australia
PERTH — A severe tropical cyclone, packing winds of up to 175 mph, crossed Australia's north west coast on Friday near the remote aboriginal settlement of Bidyadanga.
Russia
ROSTOV-ON-DON — Two bombs exploded on Friday outside a street market in a Russian town near the war zone in Chechnya, killing at least three people and wounding 24, officials said.
Norway
OSLO — A minor earthquake shook parts of western Norway early Friday, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.
Afghanistan
ASHGABAT— The two sides in Afghanistan's civil war may hold peace talks with the participation of the United Nations in the Turkmen capital Tuesday, Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov said.
Mozambique
MAPUTO — Mozambican authorities have arrested 11 police officers in connection with the deaths of 83 people who were jammed into a small prison cell in northern Mozambique, state radio reported.
Thailand
BANGKOK — The poppy plantation area of northern Thailand, a major production base for opium and heroin, has doubled to 5,600 acres in a year, a senior general said.
Germany
BERLIN — Germany's lower house of parliament agreed to apply for a ban on the tiny far-right NPD party on Friday, adding political weight to an emotional issue that the country's constitutional court will ultimately decide.
Indonesia
JAKARTA — With his fading image as a defender of human rights on the line, Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid called for the release of five separatist leaders who were arrested last week.
JAKARTA — Five Indonesian policemen, including the former police chief of East Timor, are refusing questioning by a U.N. team into last year's bloodshed, their lawyers said on Friday.
Argentina
BUENOS AIRES — The Senate has approved the outlines of the government's 2001 budget, raising expectations that the International Monetary Fund will soon release details of billions of dollars in fresh multilateral aid.
Papua New Guinea
SYDNEY, Australia — Papua New Guinea has moved closer to a more stable political future after lawmakers passed a critical law on voting integrity and adjourned parliament for six months to avert frequent moves to topple governments.
Djibouti
DJIBOUTI — Djibouti's government said on Friday the army had put down a police rebellion which left two people dead and six others wounded.
Japan
TOKYO — Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori had no personal link with a gangster with whom he was photographed several years ago and would take legal action if a magazine publishes the picture, the top government spokeman said on Friday.
China
BEIJING — A broad coalition of Tibet, human rights and environmental groups turned up the heat on British oil giant BP Amoco on Friday over its investment in a Chinese oil firm building a pipeline on traditional Tibetan land.