WORLD IN BRIEF

Travolta’s nannies defended

John Travolta’s 16-year-old son was well supervised before he was found collapsed at the family’s vacation home on Grand Bahama, an attorney for the actor said Sunday. Police have said a caretaker found Jett Travolta unconscious in a bathroom late Friday morning after he was last seen entering the bathroom on Thursday. But attorney Michael McDermott said he didn’t believe Jett was in the bathroom for a substantial amount of time. “There were two nannies with him for the entire evening,” McDermott said. McDermott said he had no knowledge of Jett’s medical history but “understood he had a history of seizures.”

Kremlin escalates gas price dispute

Russia’s state-controlled gas company said Sunday it was hiking the price it wants Ukraine to pay for natural gas, hardening its stance in a dispute that has squeezed supplies to Europe. Gazprom now wants $450 per 1,000 cubic meters, up from its last offer of $418. Ukraine’s state gas company said any increase should be accompanied by a similar hike in the fee Ukraine gets from Russia to move gas through its pipelines to European customers.

9/11 ‘mastermind’ on trial in Paris

The self-described mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks on America goes on trial in absentia in France today for allegedly ordering a deadly Tunisian synagogue bombing. The proceedings in Paris are expected to highlight the reach and complexity of al-Qaida-linked networks in North Africa, although they are unlikely to directly affect the fate of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is being held by the U.S. at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Also on trial are Christian Ganczarski, a German, and Walid Naouar, the brother of the suicide bomber who drove a propane-laden truck into an ancient synagogue on the island of Djerba on April 11, 2002, killing 21 people.

Abducted foreign journalists released

Two foreign journalists —- a Briton and a Spaniard —- were released in good health Sunday after nearly six weeks in captivity in Somalia. The journalists, reporter Colin Freeman, 39, of The Sunday Telegraph and freelance photographer Jose Cendon, 34, were working on a piracy story when they were kidnapped Nov. 26. Somali officials said the men probably were abducted by local gunmen or their bodyguards. It was unclear whether any ransom was paid.

1 killed in series of powerful quakes

A series of powerful earthquakes shook remote eastern Indonesia on Sunday, toppling or badly damaging more than 100 buildings and leaving at least one person dead in Papua province and dozens injured. One of the quakes —- a 7.3-magnitude tremor —- was felt as far away as Australia and sent small tsunamis into Japan’s southeastern coast.

Pro-democracy party sees no hope

Myanmar’s pro-democracy party marked the 61st anniversary of the country’s independence from Britain on Sunday. But National League for Democracy chairman Aung Shwe assessed the nation’s plight grimly, saying, “Hope for the present and future of the country is totally lacking.” Meanwhile, the leader of the military junta, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, warned that “neocolonialists” —- a term often used for Western nations that have been sharply critical of the regime’s human rights record and brutal crackdowns —- were interfering in domestic affairs and inciting riots to undermine unity and stability.