Suspect in Tommy extortion case arrested: Jakarta Police arrested
Suspect in Tommy extortion case arrested: Jakarta Police arrested Raden Dodi Sumadi on Wednesday night, a suspect in a Rp 20 billion extortion scandal involving former president Soeharto's son, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra. Dodi, who was arrested in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, allegedly arranged a meeting between Tommy and former president Abdurrahman Wahid to discuss a pardon. Dodi almost evaded a police search of his house until the ceiling of his kitchen, where he had been hiding, collapsed. --JP
16 killed in Kashmir: Sixteen people, most of them separatist Muslim militants, were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir amid tightened security ahead of weekend Republic Day celebrations, police said Wednesday. --AFP
Pope urges prayers: Pope John Paul II, deeply concerned about the impact of the Sept. 11 attacks, urged prayers Wednesday so that a gathering of world religious leaders in Assisi, Italy could contribute to an "authentic and lasting peace." --AP
Ukraine hit by sanctions: U.S. trade sanctions on Ukrainian goods imposed over the illegal copying of CDs came into effect on Wednesday, despite pledges by Kiev to crack down further on compact disc piracy. --Reuters
Israeli warplanes raid south Lebanon: Israeli warplanes attacked suspected Hezbollah guerrilla positions in southern Lebanon on Wednesday after the guerrillas fired rockets and mortar shells at Israeli outposts in a disputed border area. --AP
Food aid reaches volcano-hit Goma: The first bulk supplies of food flowed into volcano-stricken Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, six days after its long-suffering people lost much of their home town to Africa's deadliest eruption in 25 years. --Reuters Myanmar nuclear reactor: Russia has drafted a plan to build a nuclear power reactor in military-ruled Myanmar, despite strong US objections to the project, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday. --AFP
Guantanamo Bay: The U.S. military has put on hold transfers of prisoners from Afghanistan to the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, while detention facilities are added and upgraded, U.S. military officials said on Wednesday. --AFP
Sudanese army: The Sudanese army has begun observing a cease fire with the rebel movement in the Nuba Mountains in line with a U.S.-brokered agreement made in Switzerland, officers said in remarks published Wednesday. --AFP
Al-Qaeda detainees: The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Wednesday that interrogating members of Osama bin Laden's terror network detained at the U.S. military base in Kandahar has prevented new attacks against U.S. targets worldwide. --AP