Colombia

Top rebel extradited to face U.S. charges

Colombia extradited a top leftist rebel to the United States on Friday to face drug and terror charges, an unprecedented move that followed his group’s refusal to free dozens of hostages, including three Americans and a German.

Ricardo Palmera, wearing handcuffs and a bulletproof vest, became the first leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, to be sent for trial in a U.S. federal court — prompting fears of reprisal attacks.

Palmera later arrived at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C. About 50 minutes later, a two-vehicle convoy left the courthouse with Palmera. Their destination was not announced.

Iraq

Detained Iraqi scientist has cancer, lawyer says

An Iraqi lawyer said Friday that one of Saddam Hussein’s former top scientists, known as “Mrs. Anthrax,” had cancer and was dying in U.S. custody where she had been held for more than a year.

A U.S. military spokesman for detainee operations in Iraq refused to comment on the report that Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash has cancer.

Ammash, a top Baath party official and biotech researcher who got her nickname for her alleged role in trying to develop bioweapons for Saddam, is one of two women incarcerated by the U.S. military at an undisclosed location with other top members of Saddam’s regime.

Ukraine

Prime minister resigns

Viktor Yanukovych announced his resignation as prime minister Friday, handing Ukraine’s pro-Western opposition a symbolic victory, but he vowed to continue his court battle for the presidency of this ex-Soviet republic.

Meanwhile, Viktor Yushchenko, the winner of this week’s repeat presidential election, and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili welcomed the New Year side by side on Kiev’s Independence Square, the epicenter of mass protests that overturned the political order in this nation of 48 million.

Yushchenko soundly won the court-ordered presidential revote Sunday, but Yanukovych has refused to recognize the results and said he would challenge them in the Supreme Court. Under Ukrainian law, Yushchenko cannot be declared president until all appeals are exhausted.

Moscow

State-owned company completes Yukos deal

The state-owned company Rosneft completed the purchase of Yukos Oil Co.’s core production unit Friday in a move that nationalizes 11 percent of Russia’s oil production.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last month defended the takeover as a step to redress injustices during Russia’s shift from communism to capitalism. In doing so, he appeared to drop the pretense that authorities’ action seeking $27 billion in back taxes from Yukos was primarily a law enforcement matter.

Critics charge that the Kremlin wants control of Yukos’ assets and to punish its former chief executive and primary owner, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a political foe of Putin. Khodorkovsky is being held on charges of tax fraud.