Around the World

WEST BANK

American Hurt in Clash

An American demonstrator was critically wounded Friday in the West Bank town of Naalin, in a clash between protesters and Israeli troops over Israel's West Bank separation barrier.

Peace activists with the International Solidarity Movement said Tristan Anderson of the Oakland, Calif., area was struck in the head with a tear gas canister fired by Israeli troops. The military and the Tel Aviv hospital where Anderson was taken had no details on how he was hurt.

"He's in critical condition, anesthetized and on a ventilator and undergoing imaging tests," a spokeswoman at the Tel Hashomer hospital said. She described Anderson's condition as "life-threatening."

SUDAN

Four Aid Workers Freed

Four aid workers with the French-based medical charity Doctors Without Borders who were kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur region have been released, the organization's Italian branch said Friday.

The group identified the four as a Canadian nurse, an Italian doctor, a French coordinator and a Sudanese national. "The kidnappers called us. . . . [The hostages] were released an hour ago," a Doctors Without Borders official said, adding that no money was paid.

The Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed the release.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Third Arrest in Killing

Northern Ireland police Friday announced the arrest of a third suspect in the death of a policeman near Belfast this week, the first to be killed in the province in more than a decade.

Police said a man in his 20s was arrested in the killing of Constable Stephen Carroll, shot Monday in the second deadly attack in 48 hours allegedly carried out by members of Irish Republican Army splinter factions.

Carroll's funeral was held Friday and attended by hundreds of black-clad mourners. The funeral came a day after a service for two British soldiers killed last weekend.

Kenya Protects Obama Village

The Kenyan government officially listed the village of President Obama's family as a protected national heritage site in a bid to boost tourism. An official notice said that Nyangoma-Kogelo village had been declared a "protected area."

17 Dead in Canada Copter Crash

There are no more survivors from a helicopter that crashed in the North Atlantic off the coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland, officials said, confirming that 17 people died in the accident. One person was rescued after the helicopter hit the sea while ferrying workers to two offshore oil facilities Thursday. One body was also recovered, leaving 16 people missing.

Dutch Free 7 Terrorism Suspects

Police released all seven people arrested after an anonymous warning of a plot to plant bombs in an Amsterdam shopping district, easing fears that the Dutch capital was the target of a terrorist threat by Moroccan immigrants. Police had offered no evidence to give credibility to the bomb threat, which coincided with the fifth anniversary of the deadly Madrid train bombings.

Prosecutor Shortage in Sicily

Sicily is facing a dramatic shortage of state prosecutors willing to work on the Italian island, creating a major obstacle in the fight against the Mafia, the National Judicial Association said. Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper said there were only four applicants for 55 recently announced public prosecutors' jobs in Sicily, and all four were already working on the island.

Billionaire List Angers Mexico

Mexico is decrying Forbes magazine's decision to include the reputed leader of the violent Sinaloa drug cartel on its list of billionaires. Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, with an estimated $1 billion fortune, came in at No. 701 -- between a Swiss oil-trading tycoon and an American chemical heir. President Felipe Calderón said that "magazines are not only attacking and lying about the situation in Mexico, but are also praising criminals."

By Car Through Icy NW Passage

Scientists preparing for the exploration of Mars are planning history's first car drive through the fabled Northwest Passage, a trip they said will provide data on global warming and humanity's potential impact on other planets. The trip will be made in a modified armored Humvee vehicle.

9 Plan to Halt Arms Flow to Gaza

The United States, Canada and seven European nations agreed to try to stop the flow of weapons to the Gaza Strip by methods such as interception at sea, information sharing and diplomatic pressure. They said, however, that states would not be obliged to join any particular action and that naval vessels would not use force.

Colombian Fraud Victims Get $96

Thousands of investors who lost savings, big and small, in a Colombian pyramid scheme will receive $96 apiece in compensation, the government announced. The official overseeing DMG Group Holdings said that the government so far has recovered $20.5 million, largely in cash found in the company's offices, and that it would be divided equally among the 214,000 investors, regardless of how much they had deposited.

'Vampire' Unearthed in Italy

An archaeological dig near Venice has unearthed the 16th-century remains of a woman with a brick between her jaws -- evidence, experts said, that she was believed to be a vampire. They said the unusual burial suggests the legend of bloodsucking creatures was tied to medieval ignorance of how diseases spread and what happens to bodies after death.

From News Services