MIDDLE EAST

NEW SETTLEMENT HOMES APPROVED IN VIOLATION OF ‘ROAD MAP’

Prime Minister Sharon has approved construction of 1,000 more homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, officials said yesterday, violating an American-backed peace plan that calls for a building freeze.

Mr. Sharon’s aides said they had Washington’s tacit approval for the plan, because the houses would be built inside existing settlements that are among the enclaves Israel insists on keeping under any peace settlement with the Palestinian Arabs.

American reaction was muted compared to earlier criticism of settlement building. In Washington, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said, “Our concern is to determine whether these tenders are consistent with Israel’s commitments” to freeze settlements.

Palestinian Arabs denounced the plan, while Israel’s moderate opposition Labor Party, mentioned as a possible partner in Mr. Sharon’s governing coalition, demanded that the project be canceled.

The issue resurfaced a day before a crucial meeting of the governing body of Mr. Sharon’s Likud Party, which is to vote on whether the prime minister can continue efforts to woo Labor into joining his shaky coalition.

Early today, an explosion in Gaza City killed at least five people, including three Palestinian Arab terrorists, hospital officials said. It was not known what caused the blast. Two of the dead were identified as being members of Hamas, and another was a member of the group Islamic Jihad.

– Associated Press

CARIBBEAN

PARAMILITARY LEADER ACQUITTED OF MURDER

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – A jury yesterday acquitted a leader of a paramilitary group blamed for killing some 3,000 people, after a 14-hour murder trial that angered human rights groups and provoked criticism of the new American-backed government.

Louis-Jodel Chamblain was acquitted of the murder of Antoine Izmery, an importer who bankrolled President Aristide’s presidential bid in 1990, the year before he was ousted in a coup. During the regime that followed, Mr. Chamblain led the paramilitary Front for the Advancement and Progress of the Haitian People, a group blamed for killing some 3,000 regime opponents from 1991 to 1994.

Eight witnesses were called by the prosecution, but only one showed, and that witness said he knew nothing about the case, according to Viles Alizar of the National Coalition for Haitian Rights. Two defense witnesses showed up but offered few details, he said.

The American Embassy said it was concerned with the acquittals but recognized the challenges faced by the interim government.

– Associated Press

SOUTH AMERICA

VENEZUELAN ELECTION OFFICIALS AGREE TO AUDIT REFERENDUM VOTES

Venezuelan election officials agreed yesterday to conduct a partial audit of the results of a recall referendum won by President Chavez, amid opposition charges of election fraud.

The National Elections Council along with the American-based Carter Center and the Organization of American States will audit votes from 150 polling sites, said Nelson Rampersad, the opposition’s representative in the council. An OAS official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the audit plan.

The audit will compare the results produced by touch-screen voting machines and paper receipts of each vote, the officials said. No date for the audit has been set. Mr. Chavez won Sunday’s referendum by almost 58%, according to official results endorsed by the OAS and the Carter Center. But the opposition has refused to accept the outcome, alleging massive fraud. Opposition leaders have demanded a recount.

The audit came at the request of the OAS and the Carter Center, the OAS official said. Earlier yesterday, the OAS secretary-general, Cesar Gaviria, said an audit would help calm the country.

– Associated Press

EASTERN EUROPE

SCHROEDER ADOPTS RUSSIAN GIRL MOSCOW

Thousands of Russian children are adopted by foreigners every year – but few go to such high-profile homes as the leader of Germany.

Chancellor Schroeder’s decision to welcome a 3-year-old Russian girl into his home made the national television news in Russia and won praise from adoption advocates who say Russians should follow Mr. Schroeder’s example.

Mr. Schroeder and his wife, Doris Schroeder-Koepf, picked up Victoria several weeks ago from a children’s home in St. Petersburg, the German newspaper Bild reported yesterday. She joined Ms. Schroeder-Koepf’s 13-year-old daughter, Klara. Mr. Schroeder, 60, has no children of his own.

While an official of Mr. Schroeder’s party confirmed the adoption, the German government refused to comment, citing Mr. Schroeder’s right to privacy. Russian officials also were silent, but Russian news agencies quoted an unidentified Kremlin source as saying Mr. Schroeder had informed President Putin about his plans.

About 200,000 Russian children are awaiting adoption, many living in cash starved children’s homes where educational opportunities and medical care are limited. Homes are found for about 15,000 every year, with about half adopted by families living outside Russia.

– Associated Press

EAST ASIA

HONG KONG CANDIDATE ARRESTED IN ‘SEX STING’ BEIJING

The Chinese government set up a fake sex sting operation to arrest a candidate in key elections in Hong Kong, pro-democracy politicians in the territory claimed yesterday.

Alex Ho Wai-to, who was due to stand as a Democratic Party candidate in next month’s legislative council elections, has told his family he was arrested in the mainland Chinese city of Dongguan while on a business trip.

He said he was asleep in his hotel when police burst in. While they beat him up in the bathroom they produced a prostitute, took pictures, filmed them, and put condoms and women’s underwear on the bed.

He was sentenced later to six months in prison under administrative procedures that allow police to send people for “re-education” for short periods without trial.

The elections are a test of support for Beijing. But pro-democracy politicians say they have suffered dirty tricks. Some have had their offices vandalized and have received threatening calls.

– The Daily Telegraph