World Briefs

KHARTOUM - Bandits who kidnapped 19 tourists and Egyptians in the desert have moved them from Sudan to Libya, shadowed by Sudanese forces who have said they will not put the hostages' lives at risk. "The kidnappers and the tourists have moved to Libya, about 13 to 15 kilometres (eight to nine miles) across the border," Ali Yousuf, director of protocol at the Sudanese foreign ministry, told AFP. "All hostages are well, according to our information, and we are monitoring the situation... Military forces are in the area, but we are not going to make any move that puts the lives of those being held in any risk."

SAN LEON, Texas - On the eve of October's peak seafood harvesting season, migrant fishermen are sweeping debris from gutted bay side homes instead of scooping shrimp and oysters from the Gulf of Mexico's lucrative floor. The $100 million fishing industry in Galveston Bay is virtually paralyzed. Hurricane Ike's impact is being felt among Gulf seafood harvesters, distributors and restaurants. Government and industry officials fear it will take as long as two years for the processing plants, boats and docks along the bay to recover and rebuild. "It's like a bomb went off," said Lisa Halili, owner of Prestige Oysters Inc., which is among the largest seafood harvesters in Texas and Louisiana. Hurricanes Ike and Gustav hit the region's fishermen hard, causing the industry to lose an estimated $300 million in Louisiana alone.

SHANGHAI, China - A lion cub and two baby orangutans have developed kidney stones at a zoo near Shanghai, making them the latest victims of China's tainted milk crisis. The three baby animals had been nursed with milk powder for more than a year, said Zhang Xu, a veterinarian with the Hangzhou Zhangxu Animal Hospital. The powder was made by the Sanlu Group Co., which is at the center of the tainted milk crisis. The industrial chemical melamine has been found in a growing range of Chinese-made dairy products, and it has been blamed for sickening 54,000 infants in China and killing four.

KAUHAJOKI, Finland - Bomb threats and a flurry of menacing mobile phone messages sparked panic Thursday among students in Finland, as fears grew that copycat attacks would follow the school massacre on Tuesday where a masked gunman killed 10 people and himself. At least one school was evacuated, police questioned two young men about violent Internet postings and a 15-year-old boy was reportedly detained for sending threats to another school. In neighboring Sweden, police arrested a 16-year-old-boy after viewing a YouTube clip in which he posed with weapons. They also urged residents to report any threatening Internet postings to police.