2 officers charged in teens' deaths

Paris

2 officers charged in teens' deaths

A French judge has charged two police officers in connection with the electrocution of two teenagers whose deaths in 2005 set off three weeks of suburban violence across the country and have influenced much of the debate in this year's presidential elections.

The judge in the Paris suburb of Bobigny charged the two officers with failing to assist people in danger, officials said Thursday. If convicted, they could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $97,000 under French law.

The two youths, Zyed Benna, 17, and Bouna Traoré, 15, were electrocuted in October 2005 when they climbed into a power substation while trying to hide from police who were chasing them. A third youth who was injured said the teenagers, who were of African descent, had done nothing wrong but were afraid of being harassed by police.

Tehran, Iran

Khamenei: We'll hit back if U.S. attacks

Iran stepped up its warnings to the United States on Thursday, with the nation's supreme leader saying Tehran will strike U.S. interests around the world if his country is attacked.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's words were also likely meant as a show of toughness to rally Iranians, who are increasingly worried about the possibility of American military action as the two countries' standoff has grown more tense.

The U.S. says it has no plans to strike Iran militarily but has sent a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf to show strength in the face of rising Iranian regional influence.

But Iranian media and Web sites have almost daily commentaries on a possible U.S. attack — some of them blaming hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the deterioration in the already sour U.S.-Iranian relations by his provocative rhetoric against America and Israel.

Cosmorama, Brazil

Grandfather frees boy from 16 ft. snake

A Brazilian saved his grandson from the grip of a 16-foot-long anaconda by beating the snake with rocks and a knife for half an hour, police said Thursday.

"When I saw the snake wrapped around my grandson's neck, I thought it was going to kill him," Joaquim Pereira, 66, told the Agência Estado news service. "It was agonizing. I pulled it from one side, but it would come back on the other."

Pereira's grandson Mateus, 8, was attacked by the anaconda near a creek on his grandfather's ranch. Anacondas are not poisonous but kill their prey by coiling around them and squeezing until victims suffocate.

The boy needed 21 stitches on his chest.

Also

Taiwan's new stamps: President Chen Shui-bian said Thursday the name Taiwan would soon replace China on the island's stamps, a move likely to anger Beijing.

Gay-couples bill: Italy's government approved a bill Thursday that would grant rights to same-sex couples but stop far short of allowing gay marriage, considered a step too far by many in Romano Prodi's center-left coalition. The legislation recognizes relations between gays, unmarried heterosexual couples and others who choose to live together, granting rights in such areas as inheritance and health care.

Seattle Times news services