Italian police find body of banker

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 1, 2001

ROME -- The corpse of a man who was once Italy's most powerful banker was found in a hayloft a few hours after the arrest of a steelworker who allegedly tried to collect a $3.5-million ransom for the body, RAI state radio reported Sunday.

The body of Enrico Cuccia went missing from the family tomb near Lake Maggiore in northwestern Italy's Piedmont region March 20. A few days later, a letter was sent reportedly demanding bank officials pay the ransom money into a foreign bank account.

Turin police Chief Nicola Calvaliere confirmed the arrest of Giampaolo Pesce, 39, and said Cuccia's coffin was recovered late Saturday night with the body inside. He indicated police were looking for accomplices.

Chinese take another scholar into custody

BEIJING -- A Hong Kong-based historian was detained by China's security agency after publishing an article about Chinese support for Malaysian communists, a rights group said Saturday.

Xu Zerong was detained in August by state security agents in the southern province of Guangzhou, where the Chinese historian worked as a university researcher, the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said.

Xu is the third scholar whose detention by China has become known over recent weeks.

EU says it will proceed with Kyoto treaty

KIRUNA, Sweden -- Two days after President Bush rejected the Kyoto global warming treaty, European environment ministers said Saturday the agreement is still "alive" and that they will go forward with ratification plans -- with or without the United States.

The ministers, who gathered here for a three-day meeting, condemned the U.S. president's rejection of mandatory reductions of carbon dioxide emissions called for under the 1997 climate treaty. Bush said Thursday that the compulsory reductions were too harmful to the American economy, but said he would continue to pursue other measures to address climate change.

Mexico to delay daylight saving time

MEXICO CITY -- Starting today, for the first time in five years, it won't be the same time in Mexico as in the United States.

While most Americans spring forward an hour for daylight saving time this weekend, Mexicans will stay in standard time for another month.

As a result, the Mexican capital -- plus Monterrey, Guadalajara and most of the rest of the country -- will be an hour behind the U.S. Central time zone. Mexico won't enter daylight saving time until May 6, when most of the nation will resume Central Daylight Time.

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