Mexico
MEXICO CITY -- Six former Mexico City police officers convicted of robbing and killing an American student have been sentenced to between 68 and 99 years in prison. Frederick McPhail, 27, of New York City, was found in his parked car in Mexico City in November 1998. He had died of alcohol poisoning.Pakistan
ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's military ruler declared 2000 the Year of Human Rights in a country with a grim history on the topic. He vowed to promote women's rights and to try to end child labor and abuses of blasphemy laws.
Italy
ROME -- Treasury Minister Giuliano Amato, nicknamed "Dr. Subtle" for his skill at trimming government spending, is on track to become Italy's next premier in an effort to avoid early elections.
Vatican City
VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul donned simple black vestments and heard the confessions of ordinary Catholics in a Good Friday ceremony at the Vatican.
Slovakia
BRATISLAVA -- About 2,000 supporters of former Slovak Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar protested against his detention after police seized him from his home on suspicion of abuse of power.
France
PARIS -- McDonald's Corp. will not close outlets in northwest France, despite Wednesday's bombing that killed a woman at one of its restaurants, an executive from the world's largest fast food chain said.
Philippines
MANILA -- Air Philippines said it had hired five British forensic experts to help identify badly charred bodies in the country's worst aviation disaster, which killed 131 people on Wednesday.
Germany
BERLIN -- Right-wing extremists set fire to a synagogue in the city of Erfurt late Thursday, German police said. Local residents managed to extinguish the flames before any serious damage was done, police said.
England
LONDON -- The opposition Conservative Party has called for a Europe-wide ban on French beef after reports said that mad-cow disease is rising in France.
Czech Republic
PRAGUE -- Prime Minister Milos Zeman was hospitalized with acute back pain due to a kidney problem, a senior aide said.
Lebanon
BEIRUT -- Israeli helicopter gunships struck suspected guerrilla hideouts in southern Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah guerrilla, officials said.
Greece
ATHENS -- Chinese President Jiang Zemin arrived in Greece on a three-day state visit to develop commercial and diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Cambodia
PHNOM PENH -- Prime Minister Hun Sen received a letter from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on plans to try former Khmer Rouge leaders blamed for an estimated 1.7 million deaths from 1975-79, Cabinet Minister Sok An said.
China
YANGON -- China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have reached an agreement on commercial navigation on the Mekong river after five years of talks, state-run newspapers in Myanmar reported. The agreement was expected to promote trade and tourism in the region.
India
BHOPAL -- A bus ran off a mountain road in central India today killing 16 people and injuring 62, police said.
Nigeria
LAGOS -- Dozens of passengers were missing and feared dead after an overcrowded boat carrying up to 500 villagers sank in a Nigerian river, according to news reports.