LIBYA

Another Gadhafi is on most-wanted list

The international police agency Interpol placed another son of Moammar Gadhafi, Saadi, on the equivalent of its most-wanted list, joining his father, an elder brother and an uncle as hunted men.

Unlike the other wanted Gadhafi kin, whose whereabouts remain a mystery, Saadi Gadhafi is known to have taken refuge in the neighboring African nation of Niger -- a country caught between a longtime allegiance to Gadhafi and an unease with serving as a haven for his fugitive entourage.

Saadi Gadhafi, 38, a former professional soccer player and onetime aspiring Hollywood producer, is wanted by Libya's transitional government for "armed intimidation" and for misappropriating property while he headed the Libyan Football Federation, Interpol said.

Interpol's decision to issue a "red notice" for Saadi Gadhafi likely will heighten pressure on Niger to return him to his homeland, where he could face trial and imprisonment.

There was no immediate comment from authorities in Niger, one of a number of sub-Saharan nations where Moammar Gadhafi lavished funds, winning considerable good will.

The longtime Libyan leader fashioned himself a "guide" for the continent.

Saadi Gadhafi and assorted Gadhafi functionaries reportedly have been ensconced in luxury villas in Niger's capital, Niamey.

Officials of Niger have said the ex-regime figures are under "surveillance," but it is unclear if they are free or under house arrest.

The U.S. State Department urged Niger to disarm fleeing ex-regime figures and confiscate any gold, jewelry or other valuables that may have been looted from their homeland.

Saadi was best known for his passion for soccer (he had a brief playing career in Italy), fast cars and sleek boats, along with an unfulfilled desire to use Gadhafi Inc.'s vast financial resources to become a Hollywood player.

But Saadi Gadhafi also headed a military unit that, according to Libya's new rulers, cracked down brutally on protesters.

A 2009 U.S. Embassy cable revealed by Wikileaks, the anti-secrecy group, called Saadi Gadhafi "notoriously ill-behaved" and cited his "troubled past, including scuffles with police in Europe (especially Italy), abuse of drugs and alcohol, excessive partying."

In recent years, Saadi Gadhafi has mostly devoted himself to assorted business ventures, including a projected free-trade zone near the Tunisian border and a plan to spend $100 million to produce films.

BAHRAIN

Medical workers get harsh sentences

A Bahrain court sentenced a protester to death for killing a police officer in March and issued harsh prison terms to medical workers who treated protesters wounded during months of unrest there.

The official Bahrain News Agency reported that eight people it identified as doctors who worked at the main hospital in the capital, Manama, received 15-year sentences.

Other medical personnel were given terms of between five and 15 years. The sentences were the latest sign that the country's Sunni monarchy would continue to deal severely with those involved in widespread protests earlier this year, mostly by members of its repressed Shiite majority.

At the height of the protests in the spring, security forces commandeered the Salmaniya hospital and arrested dozens of doctors and nurses. Human rights activists have since accused the government of having made systematic efforts to deny medical services to wounded protesters.

NEWS SERVICES