Chávez threatens to halt Venezuelan oil exports to U.S.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez threatened Saturday to halt oil exports to the United States and said foes of his leftist government are not welcome within the military or the state-run oil company.

Also on Saturday, tens of thousands of supporters of Manuel Rosales, Chávez's main challenger in Dec. 3 presidential elections, staged a 16-mile march through the capital Caracas.

More than 1,000 police were deployed along the route to prevent clashes between Rosales supporters and "Chávistas" who gathered on street corners as the marchers passed.

The opposition has accused Chávez's administration of coercion after Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez was caught on videotape threatening to fire employees of the state-run oil company who oppose Chávez.

Tripoli, Libya

Health workers dispute AIDS claim

Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with AIDS addressed a court hearing their retrial Saturday, reiterating their innocence.

The judge set a verdict date for Dec. 19 in the case, which has drawn international protests and accusations that Libya concocted the charges to cover up poor hygiene at its hospitals.

The six held in Libya since 1999 were previously convicted on the same charges and handed death sentences in 2004. Libya's Supreme Court ordered a new trial last year after international criticism.

Paris

Millions affected by power outage

A power outage Saturday hit 15 regions of France including parts of the capital, firefighters said.

The Rhone, Isere, Loire, Ain and Saone-et-Loire were among the regions affected by the blackout, which struck about 10 p.m. local time. The cause was not clear.

France Info radio quoted French power utility Electricite de France as saying about 5 million people were still without power early today and it was not sure when it would be able to bring consumers back online.

No injuries were reported, though firefighters in Paris said they had responded to nearly 40 calls from people stuck in elevators.

Also

Budapest march: Tens of thousands of people marched peacefully Saturday through Budapest in a candlelit procession to mark the 50th anniversary of the Soviet crackdown on Hungary's 1956 revolution, weeks after other commemorations of the uprising ended in violence.

Yemenis cleared: An appeals court in Yemen on Saturday endorsed a lower court's decision to drop the most serious charges against 19 alleged al-Qaida members, clearing all of plotting to kill Westerners and blow up a hotel frequented by Americans.

Seattle Times news services