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No warrant for ex-Mexican leader

MEXICO CITY - A Mexican judge refused to issue an arrest warrant Saturday against former President Luis Echeverria on charges of genocide in the 1971 killings of student protesters.

Prosecutors said they will appeal the decision in the case against Echeverria, the first former leader to face criminal charges in Mexico's modern history.

Federal Judge Jose Cesar Flores did not explain his decision, and Special Prosecutor Ignacio Carrillo did not reveal which of two defense arguments the judge upheld: whether the statute of limitations on the case had run out or whether there was insufficient evidence to link Echeverria to the killings.

But Mexican media reported the judge said the statute of limitations for genocide was 30 years.

Flores had one day to review the case file, and Carrillo said the judge "did not fully analyze the evidence contained in the 14 volumes, consisting of 9,382 pages, probably because of time constraints."

International observers said the decision could weaken the little faith Mexicans have in their justice system, generally perceived as corrupt and inept.

TOKYO - American family members of accused U.S. Army deserter Charles Jenkins said Saturday they were blocked from seeing their long-lost relative at a Tokyo hospital because U.S. and Japanese officials want to quickly settle the matter of the former sergeant, possibly through a plea-bargain.

The claims by Jenkins' nephew, James Hyman, and his wife, Shirlee, came amid media reports that the Japanese government was urging Jenkins toward a plea-bargain. U.S. officials have been talking about taking him into custody after doctors cleared him of serious medical problems.

Jenkins, who is being treated at a Tokyo hospital, is wanted by the United States for allegedly abandoning his South Korean post in 1965 and defecting to North Korea. Under a bilateral agreement with Japan, U.S. authorities can take custody of Jenkins.

TEHRAN, Iran - A Tehran court acquitted the sole defendant in the murder of an Iranian-Canadian photojournalist, the lawyer and Nobel Peace laureate representing the victim's mother said Saturday.

Shirin Ebadi, who is the chief lawyer for the mother of slain photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, said the legal proceedings were flawed.

Kazemi, a Canadian freelance journalist of Iranian origin, died July 10, 2003, while in detention for taking photographs outside a Tehran prison during student-led protests.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - After months of delay, NATO has ordered hundreds more peacekeepers to Afghanistan to help provide security during presidential elections, but the deployment appeared to fall short of 3,500 troops that were promised.

NATO ambassadors approved two more battalions for Afghanistan, one each from Italy and Spain. A battalion has between 600 and 1,000 soldiers. The alliance also cleared another 500 or so troops to beef up provincial reconstruction teams.

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Three crew members were arrested after a train derailed in northern Turkey Thursday, killing 37 people.

The crew chief in charge of the passenger train and two engineers were charged with negligence, a television report said.