Briefly

Taiwan

Investigators track new SARS case

The new emergence of SARS this week includes key elements of the global outbreak last winter and spring, but world and U.S. health authorities say they’re not alarmed.

Two people who were exposed to a Taiwanese man with severe acute respiratory syndrome later flew to the United States but have shown no symptoms.

In fact, no SARS has been reported in known contacts of the 44-year-old military scientist diagnosed in Taiwan. Taiwan has put 34 people in home quarantine, and Singapore has isolated 75 because they had contact with the researcher, who attended a conference last week in Singapore.

Berlin

Former East German leader wins parole

Egon Krenz, East Germany’s last hard-line communist leader who allowed the historic opening of the Berlin Wall during a brief seven weeks in power, was released from jail Thursday after serving nearly four years for the shooting deaths of East Germans trying to flee to the West.

The 66-year-old Krenz did not smile as he emerged from the Ploetzensee Prison, where he was serving a 6 1/2-year sentence on a 1997 manslaughter conviction. He exhausted the appeals process in January 2000.

“Contrary to what has been said, I have always said it was a personal defeat for me that we were not in a position to prevent deaths and injuries at the border,” Krenz said as he left prison, clutching a black overnight bag.

Although the last Wall death occurred months before Krenz took power, he was held partly responsible for border deaths because, as a longtime member of the Communist Party Politburo, he had condoned shoot-to-kill orders.

Ontario

Niagara Falls survivor fined for stunt

A Michigan man who survived an unprotected plunge over Niagara Falls was fined $2,260 Thursday and ordered to stay out of Niagara Park for a year.

Kirk Jones had been free on bail since his arrest.

The former auto parts salesman said he was depressed when he climbed down a small embankment and jumped into the Niagara River, which swept him over falls on Oct. 20.

Jones remains the only known person to have survived the trip without a barrel, life jacket or other device.

Austria

Iran signs agreement for nuclear inspections

Iran signed an accord Thursday that gives U.N. experts full access to its nuclear facilities, yielding to international pressure to end two decades of secrecy and prove it has not tried to build atomic weapons.

But while Iran called the agreement “historic,” the United States downplayed the signing, saying it was “a useful step in the right direction,” but would require monitoring to ensure Tehran does not break promises.

U.S. officials, who have accused Tehran of trying to develop nuclear weapons in secret, said it would take several years before the world gained confidence that Iran was being truthful about its atomic program.