World in brief: Speaker locks out lawmakers

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri locked out lawmakers from the chamber Tuesday, seeking to block efforts to approve an international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

It was the third attempt in as many weeks by lawmakers from the Parliament’s anti-Syrian majority to try and force Berri, a key opposition figure, to open the chamber’s doors and call a session.

Tuesday’s events have deepened both the paralysis in Parliament and the political crisis in Lebanon, which since December has been buffeted by an opposition campaign to bring down the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora.

N’DJAMENA, Chad

Villages attacked, at least 65 killed

Janjaweed militia attacked two Chadian villages in the volatile southeastern border region close to Sudan, torching houses, randomly shooting those who fled and killing at least 65 people, officials said Tuesday.

Survivors, 2,000 of whom arrived at a refugee camp about 30 miles from their villages, told aid workers that they were attacked by men on horseback, camel-back and in vehicles with heavy weaponry, the U.N. refugee agency said.

The attackers encircled the villages and opened fire, pursuing fleeing villagers, robbing women and shooting the men, many of whom are feared dead, the U.N. agency said in a statement. Corpses were decaying fast because of the heat and would be buried in a common grave, the U.N. said.

The attacks took place Saturday in the border villages of Tiero and Marena, some 550 miles from the capital, N’djamena, but details were not immediately made public.

ABUJA, Nigeria

Courts clash over man’s candidacy

Two courts issued competing rulings Tuesday on the disqualification of a leading opposition politician’s candidacy for president, setting up a legal showdown just weeks before an election meant to solidify civilian rule in the country.

The electoral commission barred Vice President Atiku Abubakar from running in the April 21 vote last month after an executive board of inquiry arranged by his political foe, President Olusegun Obasanjo, said he improperly handled state funds.

Both the electoral commission and Abubakar’s camp said they would appeal Tuesday’s separate court rulings, which will now have to be reconciled by the country’s Supreme Court.

Abubakar told reporters he would respect the final court judgment, telling reporters that even if his disqualification is upheld “if that is the decision of the courts, we will accept that.”

However, he lambasted the electoral commission, saying that under its supervision “no free or fair elections” could be held in Nigeria.

BOGOTA, Colombia

3 Israelis sought for training armies

Interpol issued an international arrest warrant Tuesday for three Israelis accused of training private armies of Colombian drug cartels and right-wing death squads, authorities said.

Yair Klein, Melnik Ferri and Tzedaka Abraham were being sought on charges of criminal conspiracy and instruction in terrorism, said Oscar Galvis, spokesman for Colombia’s domestic intelligence agency.

The men, who face nearly 11 years in prison if convicted, are accused of helping set up training camps to teach private armies working for drug lords about explosives and high-profile killings. The armies later grew into Colombia’s right-wing death squads.