Netherlands: Company claims birth of second human clone

Clonaid, the company that claims to have produced the first human clone, said Saturday it had produced a second one — a girl born to a Dutch lesbian.

Neither baby has been confirmed to be a clone by genetic testing, and mainstream scientists are skeptical of the company’s claims.

Clonaid spokeswoman Nadine Gary said in a telephone interview the child was born Friday night, but declined to say where. Clonaid vice president, Thomas Kaenzig, said the baby was a girl whose parents are two Dutch women.

Gary said she expected the second baby would undergo genetic testing to show it was a clone, with DNA identical to that of its mother.

The group made a similar promise about Eve, a cloned girl purportedly born to U.S. parents on Dec. 26. But Clonaid now says the parents of that baby are balking at testing.

Yugoslavia: Former Serb president won’t resist U.N. arrest

Serbia’s former president said Saturday that he would not resist arrest to face war crimes charges before the U.N. tribunal at The Hague.

Milan Milutinovic claimed he posed no danger to anyone who might try to detain him on crimes allegedly committed in Kosovo during the 1998-1999 conflict. But he refused to say whether he would surrender voluntarily.

“I will not cause troubles to (Serbian) police,” he said during a televised interview. His term as president of Yugoslavia’s dominant republic expired a week ago, ending his immunity.

Milutinovic was a member of the inner circle of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who is facing genocide charges before the U.N.

Milutinovic denied he had any role in war crimes in Kosovo, saying he didn’t have control over the security forces in the southern Yugoslav province.

Jerusalem: Israeli troops exchange fire with Palestinians

Israeli troops were fired upon early Saturday while patrolling the West Bank town of Jenin, and five soldiers and one Palestinian were wounded in the ensuing gunfight, the army and witnesses said.

Four soldiers were injured slightly while the fifth suffered “moderate” injuries after being shot at during a routine patrol, the army statement said. The troops returned fire and wounded one of the attackers, the statement said.

But a Jenin resident disputed the army account. Omar el-Khalili said soldiers broke into his apartment at 3 a.m. and herded his family into a bedroom. While there, the troops were attacked by Palestinian gunmen.

The soldiers returned fire, and a bullet fragment struck a neighbor in the hand, he said.

Spain: Oil tanker captain’s jail appeal rejected

A court upheld an order Saturday jailing the captain of the sunken oil tanker Prestige, whose spilled cargo caused what could be Spain’s worst ecological disaster.

The provincial court of A Coruna rejected an appeal of the jailing of the ship’s Greek captain, Apostolous Mangouras, saying there was “solid and conclusive” evidence he disobeyed Spanish authorities in refusing to have the stricken tanker towed away from the coast.

The court, located in the coastal region where the oil spill has devastated the fishing industry, set the captain’s bail at $3.1 million. Mangouras has been in prison since Nov. 17.

The court also urged investigations into whether government decisions during the crisis made matters worse.

Paris: Flights, traffic disrupted by three-inch snowfall

An unusual heavy snow Saturday blanketed Paris, delaying flights, disrupting traffic and dusting the French capital’s famous landmarks and slate roofs with a winter white.

The four-hour snowfall produced about 3 inches that covered cars and sidewalks. The usually crowded Champs-Elysees was unusually quiet but beautiful, lined by snow-covered trees.

Flights in and out of Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport were suspended for about an hour, and the other major airport, Orly, was operating at reduced capacity, airport authorities said.

Flights to Charles de Gaulle were directed to airports outside the Paris region and flights out were delayed by up to three hours, authorities said.

Road traffic also was disrupted and stuck trucks and cars blocked the A4 highway into Paris.