Sweden

Suspect confesses to foreign minister’s death

The man suspected of fatally stabbing Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh last year has confessed to the crime, his lawyer said Wednesday, adding that the motive for the murder was not political.

Mijailo Mijailovic, a 25-year-old Swede of Yugoslav origin, confessed Tuesday while being interrogated by police and investigators, his lawyer, Peter Althin, said.

In an interview with Swedish radio, Althin said Lindh’s stabbing wasn’t political but didn’t give a motive. When asked if it was a random act, Althin said, “You could say that.”

The 46-year-old Lindh was stabbed several times in a Stockholm department store while she was shopping with a friend Sept. 10.

Paris

Search under way for Air France suspect

French authorities are searching for a passenger who failed to show up for an Air France flight that was canceled because of security concerns on Christmas Eve, France’s justice minister said Wednesday.

The man, who was ticketed for Air France flight 68 from Paris to Los Angeles on Dec. 24, was believed to have trained in Afghanistan, have ties to al-Qaida and carry a French passport, ABC television news reported, citing unidentified American officials.

Flight 68 was one of six Air France flights between Paris and Los Angeles on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day that were canceled after security talks between U.S. and French officials.

Washington, D.C.

Issue ads continue despite new legal limits

One TV commercial in Iowa urges voters to tell the candidates to support tougher immigration laws. Another in New Hampshire says they should find out where the president and the candidates stand on the issue of nuclear weapons.

Voters might have thought they would be free of issue ads in the weeks leading up to the first contests of the presidential race, thanks to the year-old campaign finance law, but spots by independent groups still fill the airwaves.

The Supreme Court upheld restrictions last month that ban ads that mention federal candidates within 30 days of a primary election and 60 days of a general election if they are paid for with “soft money” — unlimited donations from corporations, unions and individuals.