Lebanon

Deadly clashes erupt with soldiers, protesters

Demonstrators set fire to the Labor Ministry on Thursday after Lebanese soldiers shot and killed five people and wounded 12 others during protests against the government’s economic policies, security and hospital officials said.

A civil defense firefighter also died in the hospital after being hit by gunfire in what was Lebanon’s worst violence involving civilians in a decade. The firefighter was trying to douse burning tires set ablaze by demonstrators, officials said. The Lebanese army said 20 soldiers were wounded in the clashes with stone-throwing protesters.

The violence followed a strike call by the General Confederation of Labor and Trade Unions protesting the government’s economic policies and demanding a reduction in gasoline prices.

Puerto Rico

Governor intervenes to end hostage standoff

In a dramatic intervention, Puerto Rico’s governor helped end a nearly three-hour hostage standoff Thursday by confronting the knife-wielding assailant and listening to his demands for a job and a house.

Gov. Sila Calderon, 61, decided to join the negotiations despite the advice of police, who had said it could be dangerous.

Her participation came after the captor demanded to talk personally with the governor. He was arrested after he put down the foot-long kitchen knife he had used to hold captive a receptionist in the governor’s mansion.

“I didn’t come planning to do this,” 28-year-old hostage-taker Roberto Figueroa said later at the police station. “I came to see if she would listen to me.” When she did, he said, “I got down on my knees in front of her and begged forgiveness.”

Nigeria

Muslim state ends polio vaccine moratorium

A predominantly Muslim northern state in Nigeria abandoned its moratorium on polio vaccinations, declaring that samples of newly imported vaccines were safe, a state spokesman said Thursday.

The decision by the state of Kano would open the way for a massive nationwide immunization effort, said federal Health Minister Eyitayo Lambo.

U.N. officials say the eight-month suspension of polio vaccines in Kano state allowed the disease to spread widely across Africa.

Since September, state officials had suspended participation in a global immunization program after Kano officials said local scientists discovered traces of a hormone in foreign-made vaccines that they feared could make girls infertile.

Austria

Austria adopts tough animal rights laws

Hens will be free to run around barnyards, lions and tigers will vanish from circus acts, and Dobermans will sport what nature intended — floppy ears and longer tails — under a tough animal rights law adopted Thursday in Austria.

The anti-cruelty law, one of Europe’s harshest, will ban pet owners from cropping their dogs’ ears or tails, force farmers to uncage their chickens, and ensure that puppies and kittens no longer swelter in pet shop windows.

Violators will be subject to fines of $2,420, and in cases of extreme cruelty could be fined up to $18,160 and have their animals seized by the authorities.

Lawmakers, some holding stuffed toy animals, voted unanimously to enact the law, which takes effect in January and will be phased in over several years. Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said Austria was sending a stern message to the rest of Europe and the world about respecting animals.

“Austria is taking the role of pioneer,” Schuessel told parliament, vowing to press for similar legislation across the European Union.

Mexico

Cuba, Mexico to return respective ambassadors

Cuba’s foreign minister said his nation and Mexico agreed Thursday to return their respective ambassadors, an attempt to mend relations strained by accusations that the communist-run island was meddling in Mexico’s affairs.

At a news conference on the sidelines of an international summit in Guadalajara, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said his meeting earlier with Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez had gone well and that they had decided to restore the ambassadors to their posts.

Mexico was angered by Cuban allegations that a Mexican official arrested in Havana on fraud charges was part of a larger political conspiracy. On May 2, Mexico announced it was withdrawing its ambassador from Havana, and Cuba responded by doing the same with its ambassador in Mexico City.