Pinochet daughter back in Chile, held

Santiago, Chile The oldest daughter of former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet returned to Chile on Saturday to face tax evasion charges after dropping a surprise bid for political asylum in the United States, where she said she lived “a nightmare.”

Lucia Pinochet, 60, was detained following her arrival in Chile’s capital, Santiago, where she was met by a judge who served her notice of tax evasion and false passport charges.

The daughter of the former dictator told a reporter for Chile’s state television on her flight that she was “very badly treated” in the United States. She said she was forced to wear a prison uniform and handcuffed when taken to appear before an immigration official.

Pinochet was detained in Washington because of an international arrest warrant.

Judge Carlos Cerda ordered Pinochet held at an academy for corrections officers until at least Monday pending a decision by the Santiago Court of Appeals on whether to uphold the bail she was granted before leaving the country.

Pinochet, the oldest daughter of the 90-year old former strongman, left Chile last Sunday, hours after she was to appear in court to be served with a subpoena along with her mother, two sisters and a brother.

Mozart fans keep celebration going

Vienna, Austria When it comes to parties, apparently there is no such thing as a hangover for die-hard Mozart fans.

After all-night celebrations of the 250th anniversary of his birth, Mozart enthusiasts lined up in frigid temperatures on Saturday for a chance to explore the newly renovated downtown Vienna house where the composer wrote “The Marriage of Figaro,” one of his most beloved operas.

Officials in the Austrian capital – Mozart’s home for three years at the height of his brief but prolific musical career – have thrown the house open for free, 24 hours a day, until this evening to ensure visitors from as far away as China and Mexico get the Amadeus fix they came for.

“I think that a genius who came as a foreigner from Salzburg to Vienna and had his most productive time here should be honored,” said Vienna Mayor Michael Haeupl, who was on hand for the official reopening of the six-floor house at Domgasse 5, after a $10 million renovation.

U.S. soldier sentenced for abusing detainees

Kabul, Afghanistan An American soldier has been sentenced to four months detention for punching detainees in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Saturday.

Army Spc. James R. Hayes, who was reduced to private, was found guilty in a court-martial trial Friday of conspiracy to maltreat and maltreatment. He will forfeit all pay and allowances for four months, the statement said. Hayes was accused of punching detainees at a forward operating base in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan Province in July.

A second soldier accused in the incident, Army Sgt. Kevin D. Myricks, will undergo a court-martial Monday, the statement said.

North Korea aims bellicose words at U.S.

Seoul, South Korea North Korea warned of nuclear war Saturday and vowed to strengthen its deterrent forces as it demanded that Washington show evidence backing its allegation that the communist regime is counterfeiting U.S. money.

“Dark clouds of a nuclear war are hanging low over the Korean Peninsula,” the North’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary carried by state-run Korean Central News Agency.

“The ever-more frantic moves of the U.S. to ignite a new war against (North Korea) would only compel it … to bolster its deterrent for self-defense in every way.”

The North repeatedly has accused the United States of planning to attack. Washington has denied any such intention.

The North’s comments Saturday follow a South Korea-U.S. agreement this month giving American troops more flexibility in the South. The North said the pact was aimed at preparing for war.

Also Saturday, the North dismissed U.S. accusations of counterfeiting and other illicit activities like drug trafficking.