Health-worker rally attacked

Johannesburg, S. Africa

Zimbabwean riot police officers brandishing batons charged into a group of 100 doctors and nurses on Wednesday in Harare, the capital, breaking up a demonstration for better pay and working conditions in a nation suffering from both an epidemic of cholera and an economy in free fall.

The health workers, many dressed in uniform, fled as the police approached. Nearby, teachers and other union members tried to join the protest but were clubbed by yet more police officers, and at least 15 were arrested.

The government is paralyzed by a stalemated power-sharing deal, and the official inflation rate is 231 million percent. Grocery shelves are largely barren. Most public hospitals and schools are closed. Since August, cholera deaths have risen to 565, according to the United Nations. More than 12,500 people are infected, and the government lacks the chemicals to purify the drinking-water supply.

Beijing

Fish-firm workers die in dorm fire

A fire at the dormitory of a seafood company Thursday killed 11 workers and injured 10 others in eastern China, an official said.

More than 80 firefighters and 10 fire engines rushed to put out the fire at the dormitory building of Jiayuan Michael Food company, which Xinhua news agency said is a China-U.S. joint venture established in 1998 that produces frozen fish.

"We suspect it may involve electric appliances used to keep warm during cold weather," said Jiang Yonglian, a spokesman for the Qingdao city government office.

Earlier this week, 11 girls died of carbon-monoxide poisoning at a school in northern China's Shaanxi province, while another girl was being treated at a hospital. A news report said the girls had lit a fire to keep warm

Mexico City

U.S. anti-drug package released

The U.S. government finally released the first part of a $400 million aid package Wednesday to support Mexico's police and soldiers in their fight against drug cartels.

U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza formally released $197 million at a signing ceremony in Mexico City, calling it "the most significant effort ever undertaken" by the U.S. and Mexico to fight drugs. The rest will be disbursed throughout the year.

"The Merida Initiative is not just about money. It is about a closer and more collaborative effort by the United States and Mexico to work more effectively together to share information in a more timely fashion," Garza said.

The Mexico plan — which includes no cash — includes helicopters and surveillance aircraft, airport inspection equipment and case-tracking software to help police share real-time intelligence. It also supports Mexican efforts to weed out corrupt police, improve the judicial system and protect witnesses.

Also

Congo correction: Two mass graves that Congo's government said last week contained 2,000 bodies were actually full of animal bones, an official said Wednesday.

Animal remains: Chilean police today found about 100 dead cats and dogs on the grounds of an organization in Santiago that promised to care for pets and strays and instead allegedly killed 40 to 50 a week.

Volcano awakens: The volcano on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat has burst into action, spewing columns of ash and hurling glowing red rocks that set vegetation and a few buildings ablaze in the island's deserted capital, scientists said Wednesday.

Seattle Times news services