CNN - World News Briefs - June 17, 1996

News Briefs

June 17, 1996
Web posted at: 9:00 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT)

War crimes tribunal releases suspect

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (CNN) -- The U.N. War Crimes Tribunal released a war crimes suspect Monday, saying it was prosecuting the wrong man.

Goran Lajic was arrested in March, but insisted he was the victim of mistaken identity. All charges against him were dropped, but the indictment still stands against another Bosnian Serb with the same name suspected of committing war crimes at the Karaterm prison camp in northwestern Bosnia.

Related stories:

War crimes suspects extradited from Bosnia - June 13, 1996
Croatian police arrest war crimes suspect - June 9, 1996

Mothers threaten to block Bosnian elections

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (CNN) -- Mothers of missing Bosnian Serb soldiers say there will be no elections until they know the whereabouts of their sons.

Protesters kept staffers at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe -- the agency in charge of organizing the elections in Bosnia -- from reaching their offices Monday.

Bosnian Serb sources say more than 1,300 soldiers are missing in action or unaccounted for.

Related stories:

U.S.: Bosnia elections must be held on time - June 14, 1996
Ready or not, Bosnian elections forge ahead - June 8, 1996

Bomb wounds 18 at Algerian soccer stadium

ALGIERS, Algeria (CNN) -- Eighteen people were wounded Monday when a bomb exploded at a soccer stadium in Boufarik, about 35 kilometers (18 miles) south of Algiers. Six police officers watching the match were among the wounded.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast. Algeria has been torn by bloody violence for four years, since the start of an Islamic insurgency.

Related stories:

Algerian president proposes sweeping constitutional change - May 12, 1996

Fire kills 4 in Brazilian shantytown

SAO PAULO, Brazil (CNN) -- A fire raced through Sao Paulo's largest slum Monday, killing at least four people -- including two children. The four were trapped in an abandoned building. About 20 people were injured in the blaze. (585K QuickTime movie of the fire)

The shantytown proved to be both a fire-trap and a logistical nightmare for firefighters who could not maneuver their trucks through its narrow alleys. Some people were rescued from rooftops by police helicopters.

War crimes trial hits rocks in Rome

ROME (CNN) -- The war crimes trial in Italy of former Nazi officer Erich Priebke was halted until July 10 on Monday after allegations from the military prosecutor of bias on the panel of judges. Prosecutor Antonio Intelisano told the court he will seek the dismissal of the three-judge bench trying Priebke, 82, who is accused of being among the chief organizers of the massacre of 335 men and boys near Rome in 1944.

The three-week adjournment will give a military court of appeal time to consider Intelisano's petition. At least two Italian newspapers reported Monday that Intelisano and lawyers for relatives of some of the shooting victims believe the judges are not being impartial.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related stories:

Key witness in Nazi trial tries to flee - June 7, 1996
Ex-Nazi refuses to testify at war crimes trial - June 3, 1996

Related sites:

Priebke: The Trial

Deadly Indian cyclone weakens but heavy rain continues

HYDERABAD, India (CNN) -- A tropical cyclone that killed more than 120 people in southern India and caused millions of dollars in damage has diminished, authorities said Monday. (416K QuickTime movie Note: Poor video from source)

The storm, which struck the southeastern coast on Sunday from the Bay of Bengal, was moving northward into the states of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, bringing heavy rain but little wind, authorities said.

In addition to those confirmed dead in three states -- Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka -- more than 190 people, mostly fishermen, were reported missing. Andhra Pradesh, some 1,500 km (900 miles) from the Indian capital New Delhi, bore the brunt of the cyclone, which packed winds of 70 kph (45 mph) when it hit the coast on Sunday.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Accused backpacker killer asserts innocence

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- The man accused of murdering seven backpackers and dumping their mutilated bodies in a remote forest outside Sydney between 1989 and 1992 took the witness stand Monday to say he is innocent. He denied he had ever been in the forest where the bodies were found.

Ivan Milat, 51, a roadworker, has pleaded not guilty to murdering the seven young backpackers, including two Britons and three Germans, who died in what the prosecution called "ferocious" attacks that included rifles, a large knife and maybe even a sword. A German backpacker's head, possibly severed with a cavalry sword, has never been found.

A tourist kidnapped in 1990 has identified Milat as his attacker.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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