Bangladesh

DHAKA — Hungry people in Bangladesh gathered at sewage ponds floating with dead fish, ignoring warnings from authorities who poisoned the fish for fear it could be toxic. Authorities used a chemical derived from an herb to kill nearly six tons of fish at a plant on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka.

Colombia

BOGOTA — Rebels have killed the kidnapped father of a Colombian boy whose plight came to symbolize the callousness of the country's insurgents. Leftist rebels shot and killed policeman Norberto Perez and another officer, Victor Manuel Marulanda, after they tried to escape.

Indonesia

BINTAN — The U.S. trade representative, Robert B. Zoellick, toured plants on two Indonesian islands south of Singapore to show that the countries of Southeast Asia could stand up to the economic force of China. Zoellick peered into microscopes used for checking plastic contact lenses and chatted with Indonesian workers on an assembly line of memory chips designed for digital cameras.

Italy

ROME — Parents in Italy shuddered after a court ruled that a grown man without a job has the right to demand that his father support him until he finds a position he wants. Italy's top appeals court ruled in favor Marco Andreoli, a 29-year-old who grew up in a wealthy family and has a law degree. He decided to go to court after his father said he would stop paying Marco the monthly $658 payment that was part of a divorce settlement.

Mexico

MEXICO CITY — Mexico's most ruthless drug lord likely was killed by a rival gang aided by corrupt police officers, not in a shoot-out with police as has been widely reported, according to a U.S. law enforcement official. The official said Ramon Arellano Felix, enforcer of the drug cartel run by his family, likely was forced to his knees and executed by gunmen Feb. 10.

Pakistan

QUETTA — A wall at a religious school collapsed Saturday after heavy rains, killing eight children and injuring eight others along with their teacher in the southwestern Pakistan city of Quetta. The children — aged 6-12 — were reciting verses from the Quran when the accident happened.

Portugal

LISBON — Portugal's president has sworn in the new center-right coalition government of Prime Minister Jose Durao Barroso, who has promised to revive the country's economy by cutting corporate taxes and the government deficit. Durao Barroso holds a slim majority of support in the 230-seat parliament after March elections.

Puerto Rico

VIEQUES — Military police fired tear gas at a crowd of demonstrators as officers detained a man and woman whom they said broke onto restricted U.S. Navy land. The incidents occurred during the sixth day of military exercises on the outlying Puerto Rico island of Vieques. Tear gas was used to disperse the crowd, which was throwing rocks at military personnel.

Republic of Congo

BRAZZAVILLE — Resurgent rebels in the Republic of Congo have taken a leading army general hostage. The general, Bouissa Matoko, was captured in the southern region of Pool last week, as the rebels launched their renewed offensive there.

Vatican

VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II has accepted the resignation of an Irish bishop who traveled here to step down in person over allegations he protected a pedophile priest. Bishop Brendan Comiskey, who resigned Monday, became the third bishop to step down amid sex-abuse cases rocking the church.

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Venezuela

CARACAS — Venezuela's largest labor group says it will hold a one-day strike to support protesting oil executives — a dispute that is already disrupting exports by U.S. petroleum suppliers. The Venezuelan Workers Confederation will strike Tuesday to support managers at Petroleos de Venezuela.

Zimbabwe

HARARE — Police cracked down on demonstrations against the presidential elections, arresting at least 22 people in the capital and blockading strategic locations in towns across Zimbabwe. The arrested demonstrators include Lovemore Madhuku, who heads the civic groups organizing the protest against President Robert Mugabe's re-election.

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