Iraq

Attack kills U.S. soldier

Insurgents attacked a U.S. military patrol in northern Iraq on Sunday, killing one soldier and wounding two others, the U.S. military said.

Guerrillas set off a roadside bomb around midday as an American convoy passed through the center of Mosul, Master Sgt. Kelly Tyler said. Mosul is the largest city in the north.

U.S. troops quickly cordoned off the area.

Saturday in Mosul, three gunmen shot and killed an Iraqi policeman on his way to work. The victim was a 24-year-old recent graduate of a police academy that has received support and guidance from coalition forces.

Guerrillas often have targeted Iraqi police and other authorities, accusing them of collaborating with the U.S.-led occupation.

Russia

Death toll at 42 in train bombing

The death toll in the suicide bombing attack on a commuter train in southern Russia rose to 42, after a woman died of her injuries in the hospital, officials said Sunday.

The Friday blast seemed aimed at spreading alarm before Sunday’s parliamentary elections in the already tense region near Chechnya. The attack occurred during rush hour and seemed timed to inflict a maximum number of injuries.

The shrapnel-filled bomb believed strapped to a suicide attacker blew the train car apart as it was approaching the station at Yessentuki, 750 miles south of Moscow.

Authorities in the region declared today a day of mourning.

Nicaragua

Former president sentenced for fraud

Former Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman was convicted on corruption charges Sunday and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and a $10 million fine.

Aleman was accused of illegally diverting some $100 million in government funds to his party’s election campaigns during his tenure in office, which ended in January 2002.

It is the first time a former president has been convicted in Nicaragua. Police used tear gas to disperse rock-throwing protesters outside the courthouse.

Judge Juana Mendez also stripped Aleman of his ability to serve in congress and imposed a fine of $10 million.

Aleman, 57, has been diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension and heart problems and is likely to serve his sentence at his El Chile ranch 17 miles south of Managua because of health concerns.