PERSIAN GULF

JUDGE PUSHES AHEAD WITH TRIAL DESPITE SADDAM’S ABSENCE

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A female witness, testifying yesterday at Saddam Hussein’s trial, said she was stripped naked in prison, hung by her feet, and kicked in the chest by the former Iraqi leader’s half brother, Barzan Ibrahim. The woman provided some of the most gripping testimony so far in the trial, which went ahead despite a boycott by Saddam and four other defendants, who demanded the removal of the chief judge.

– Associated Press

BOMB KILLS EIGHT DAY LABORERS BAGHDAD, Iraq – A bomb planted near a tea stand killed eight men waiting for day labor in a largely Shiite area of Baghdad yesterday, and six other people died in violence across the country. The biggest Shiite party’s candidate for prime minister, Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi, said he expected the government to begin operating in mid-March, following final certification of results from the December 15 parliamentary election and the seating of the legislature.

– Associated Press

MIDDLE EAST

DOCTORS INSERT FEEDING TUBE IN SHARON’S STOMACH JERUSALEM – Doctors inserted a feeding tube in Prime Minister Sharon’s stomach yesterday, according to Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital, where he is being treated for a massive stroke. Mr. Sharon, 77, has been in a coma since he suffered a stroke on January 4, and the stomach procedure was further evidence that he is likely to be incapacitated for a long time. Experts say his chances of regaining consciousness or a meaningful level of activity are slim.

– Associated Press

SOUTHEAST ASIA

DOZENS MISSING AFTER FERRY SINKS

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Naval vessels picked up 114 survivors from a passenger ferry that went down in rough seas in eastern Indonesia, but there was no sign late yesterday of dozens of others still missing, rescuers said. By nightfall, 114 survivors had arrived at the port, an official there who goes by a single name, Siti, said. About 45 others had yet to be accounted for, she said.

– Associated Press

SOUTH ASIA

NEPAL’S KING PLEDGES DEMOCRACY

KATHMANDU, Nepal – King Gyanendra pledged to hold national elections within 15 months yesterday – the one-year anniversary of his power grab – and claimed success in fighting communist rebels, despite an overnight attack that killed at least 20 security forces.

– Associated Press

WESTERN EUROPE

REPORT: IRA SPYING, RUNNING ORGANIZED CRIME RACKETS

DUBLIN, Ireland – The Irish Republican Army has halted violence but is gathering intelligence on enemies and remains deeply involved in organized crime, according to a report published yesterday by Britain and Ireland. The Independent Monitoring Commission’s 46-page report raised doubts about when the outlawed IRA will disband in support of Northern Ireland’s 1998 peace accord and its central goal: power-sharing between the province’s British Protestant majority and Irish Catholic minority.

– Associated Press

U.N. SAYS POLIO ERADICATED IN EGYPT, NIGER

GENEVA – Polio has been stamped out in Egypt and Niger, the U.N. health agency said yesterday.The polio virus has not infected anyone in the two African countries during the last 12 months, leaving only Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan as countries where the disease is still classified as endemic, the World Health Organization said.

– Associated Press

SOUTH AMERICA

VENEZUELAN PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDER SAYS OIL DEALS A GIVEAWAY

CARACAS, Venezuela – A candidate challenging Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez for the presidency said his top campaign issue will be what he calls a massive waste of billions of dollars through generous oil deals for friendly countries. Mr. Chavez, leading in the polls, denied the accusations by candidate Julio Borges on Tuesday night, calling his challenger a “small fry” and expressing confidence in an easy re-election victory in December.

– Associated Press