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World in brief

Pope's health is improving, Vatican says

By wire services
Published February 4, 2005

VATICAN CITY - Easing fears about Pope John Paul II's latest health crisis, the Vatican said Thursday he was improving and breathing more easily, but hinted the frail 84-year-old pontiff may have to spend up to a week in the hospital to fully recover.

John Paul has not suffered from any more throat spasms and spent a second restful night at Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic hospital, where a team of doctors was watching him carefully for any sign of complications from his flu, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin.

Italy's ANSA news agency, citing medical sources at the hospital, said the pope had a few sips of water Thursday, suggesting his throat was more comfortable.

Vatican officials said they were considering setting up an audio hookup Sunday so the pope can make his weekly address from the hospital, rather than from his usual perch at a window overlooking St. Peter's Square.

IRAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM: Iran is testing some parts of machines that can be used to make the fissile core of nuclear warheads, despite a pledge to freeze such activities, the Associated Press reported, quoting unnamed diplomats who cited U.S. intelligence Thursday. The revelations dealt a fresh blow to hopes Iran will scrap uranium enrichment. The diplomats emphasized that Iran had not started any of the centrifuges used to enrich uranium.

AFGHAN PLANE MISSING: An Afghan passenger jet with more than 100 people on board was missing after it failed to land at the Kabul airport, a company official said today. The Kam Air Boeing 737 took off Thursday afternoon from the western city of Herat bound for the capital, Kabul, but was unable to land because of bad weather, said Feda Mohammed Fedayi, the airline's deputy director. Fedayi said that the plane was diverted to an airport in Pakistan, possibly Peshawar, but that the company had no word on whether it landed safely.

UGANDA DEATHS: Up to 12,000 people have been killed in hostile action during a war in northern Uganda and many more have died from hunger, disease and malnutrition resulting from the conflict, according to a draft State Department report.

[Last modified February 4, 2005, 00:20:03]