Suspect in boys' abuse may have help, police say
By TIMES WIRES
Published October 19, 2007
THAILAND
A Canadian schoolteacher who is the subject of a global Interpol manhunt for alleged sexual abuse of at least a dozen young Asian boys may be avoiding arrest with the help of friends, Thai police said Thursday. Thai authorities issued an arrest warrant Thursday for Christopher Paul Neil after determining he may have sexually abused boys in the kingdom, in addition to the dozen Cambodian and Vietnamese boys, some as young as 6, Interpol suspects he has abused. At Thailand's request, Interpol issued an international wanted persons notice for Neil, 32. Thai police appear to have few leads on exactly where Neil might be, though they have expressed confidence he will not escape their dragnet. Neil was identified by Thai police this week after digitally scrambled images of him with victims were unscrambled and released by Interpol in an international manhunt.
European Union
Reform to increase global influence
European Union leaders in Lisbon, Portugal, agreed today on a broad reform treaty to replace their failed European constitution and give the 27-nation union a more influential say in world affairs, diplomats said. The deal was reported after the EU leaders resolved some housekeeping issues by overcoming 11th-hour reservations to treaty draft text by notably Poland and Italy. The reform treaty promises to accelerate decision-making so EU members can act more swiftly on global issues such as defense, energy security, climate change and migration.
Elsewhere
Mexico: The country issued a tropical storm warning along its Pacific coastline Thursday as Tropical Storm Kiko marched toward land. Forecasters said it would likely strengthen to a hurricane by today.
United Nations: The United Nations said Thursday action would be taken against the interpreter responsible for an erroneous report that Syria has a nuclear facility. Staffers said the freelance interpreter likely works on some kind of contract with the U.N. translation service that will not be renewed.
Russia: The remains of nearly three dozen people unearthed in Moscow are probably at least 100 years old, contradicting earlier indications that they could have been victims of Josef Stalin's political purges, an investigator said Thursday.