World Briefs

SHIJIAZHUANG, China – A Chinese court condemned two men to death on Thursday and gave a dairy boss life in prison in the first sentences handed down in the tainted milk scandal, which ignited public anger and accusations of cover-ups.

The sentences and a recent announcement of a compensation plan for the victims appear to be part of a government bid to put an end to the crisis.

A court in the northern city of Shijiazhuang gave a life sentence to Tian Wenhua, 66, the former general manager and chairwoman of Sanlu Group Co., the dairy at the center of the crisis.

Zhang Yujun, Geng Jinping were sentenced to death for producing melamine infected powder and selling toxic food.

RAFAH, Gaza Strip – Hundreds of workers toiled in southern Gaza Thursday to repair dozens of tunnels dug under tents or fake greenhouses while smugglers brought in food and fuel just days after Israel ended a barrage of bombs and missiles aimed at cutting off the supply route from Egypt.

The renewed smuggling underscored how difficult it could be for the Israeli military to meet one of the key goals of its three-week offensive: preventing Hamas militants from bringing weapons into Gaza through the porous Egyptian border.

HAVANA – Fidel Castro watched the U.S. inauguration on television and says he doesn't doubt Barack Obama's "honesty," breaking a monthlong silence with an essay published Thursday in Cuba's state-run press.

The comments by the former Cuban president were released after a meeting Wednesday with visiting Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, who told reporters that "Fidel believes in Obama."

"I personally did not have the slightest doubt about the honesty of Obama, the 11th president since Jan. 1, 1959, when he expresses his ideas," Castro said he told Fernandez, referring to the day his band of bearded rebels toppled a dictator and took power in Cuba.

"But despite noble intentions, there are still many questions to answer," Castro added, singling out the question of whether a capitalist system can protect the environment.

MEXICO CITY – Mexico's Congress has agreed to hold forums on the possibility of reinstating the death penalty for some crimes.

The forums will gather crime experts, human rights groups, academics and others to discuss the merits of bringing capital punishment back to Mexico.

Mexico formally abolished the death penalty in 2005 but has not held an execution since 1961. A

However, a surge in homicides and kidnappings has provoked renewed demands for the death penalty.