Foreign Desk
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

MIDDLE EAST
ISRAELI TROOPS KILL ISLAMIC JIHAD COMMANDER
JERUSALEM – Israeli troops early yesterday swooped down on a West Bank hideout and shot to death a senior commander of the Palestinian Arab terrorist group Islamic Jihad and one of his top aides, according to military spokesmen and Palestinian officials. The killing of Luai Saadi, a fugitive blamed by Israeli authorities for orchestrating attacks that killed 12 Israelis this year, drew threats of vengeance from Islamic Jihad.
– Los Angeles Times
WESTERN EUROPE
WORLD HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY EUROPE IS PREPARED FOR BIRD FLU
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Europe is well-positioned to contain bird flu and prevent a feared human pandemic but should not be complacent, health officials said yesterday as new waterfowl deaths were reported in Croatia. The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been confirmed in Russia, Romania, and Turkey, and experts in Britain were trying to determine yesterday whether six Croatian swans found last week had it.
– Associated Press
CENTRAL EUROPE
NEW POLISH PRESIDENT SEALS A RIGHT WARD SHIFT IN POLICY
WARSAW, Poland – The election of conservative Lech Kaczynski as Poland’s president seals a shift to the right with the rise of tough-talking leaders who pledge to protect the country’s interests. But while the tone may sharpen toward old foes such as Russia and Germany, the new Polish leadership will keep its long-standing commitment to the European Union and NATO membership, and its close friendship with America. Indeed, Mr. Kaczynski, who won a run-off election Sunday, stressed during his campaign that as president he wants to make his first foreign visit to Washington, underscoring the priority he places on the trans-Atlantic friendship.
– Associated Press
SOUTH ASIA
AVALANCHE KILLS 18 IN NEPAL
KATHMANDU, Nepal – Eighteen missing mountaineers were confirmed dead yesterday in the single greatest loss of life in recent climbing history. The seven French climbers and 11 Nepalese porters were struck by an avalanche on Thursday as they sheltered in tents at their base camp on the slopes of the 22,987-foot Mount Kang Guru in western Nepal. The party of six French men and a woman was led by 60-year-old Daniel Stolzenberg, an experienced climber, and included his wife Marie, 58.
– The Daily Telegraph
SOUTHERN AFRICA
MUGABE GLEE AS OPPOSITION MDC TEARS ITSELF APART
HARARE, Zimbabwe – President Mugabe’s regime gleefully hailed the “crisis” rocking Zimbabwe’s opposition yesterday as the Movement for Democratic Change risked oblivion. The MDC, which once carried the hopes of millions, tore itself in half over whether to contest elections for a newly created Senate. The dispute threatens to destroy any lingering hope that Zimbabweans might rid themselves of Mr. Mugabe’s dictatorial regime. It calls into question the future of the only significant opposition party in the country’s history.
– The Daily Telegraph
CARIBBEAN
AT LEAST EIGHT DEAD IN HAITI AFTER ALPHA
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – At least eight people were killed and 26 others were missing in Haiti and the Dominican Republic following severe flooding spawned by Tropical Storm Alpha, authorities said yesterday. All eight confirmed deaths occurred in Haiti, which was pounded by torrential rains after Alpha came ashore Sunday as the record-breaking 22nd named storm of the Atlantic season. The storm weakened into a tropical depression before moving into open seas.
– Associated Press