Briefly

VATICAN CITY

Holy See to detail U.S. abuse defense

The Vatican on Monday will make its most detailed argument yet for why it isn’t liable for bishops who allowed priests to molest children in the U.S.

The Associated Press has learned that in a motion to dismiss a lawsuit in Kentucky on jurisdictional grounds, the Holy See is expected to argue that a key Vatican document calling for secrecy in church trials for sex-abuse cases was not, as victims’ lawyers say, evidence of a Vatican-orchestrated cover-up.

In addition, the Vatican’s U.S. attorney, Jeffrey Lena, said Sunday he would assert that bishops aren’t its employees under the key factors courts use to determine whether employers are liable for the actions of their workers.

The court’s decision could affect new efforts to sue the Vatican in the U.S.

SWITZERLAND

Health experts aim for airing of flu gripes

GENEVA | Health experts are hoping that the World Health Organization’s (WHO) member states will air their grievances over the costly handling of the swine flu pandemic at the agency’s annual assembly starting on Monday.

The issue is on the agenda of the opening days of the meeting, which is due to bring together 60 health ministers as well as officials and specialists over five days.

“I hope that states will demand an explanation because there was considerable waste,” said Marc Gentilini, a member of the French academy of medicine.

Dr. Gentilini backed the decision to alert the world to the new swine flu outbreak in Mexico and the United States more than a year ago but said mistakes had been made in judging the severity of the illness.

H1N1 influenza has left 18,030 people dead since the virus was uncovered, prompting the U.N. health agency to declare a pandemic in June 2009 as swine flu swiftly spread worldwide.

It has now affected more than 204 countries and territories, according to the WHO.

But initial fears about the severity of swine flu, which sparked a rush for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of specially developed vaccines, have largely petered out.

FRANCE

Iran frees academic after almost a year

PARIS | A young French academic arrested in Iran after last year’s disputed presidential elections has left the country and was on a plane returning home, France’s presidential palace said Sunday.

Clotilde Reiss, 25, was convicted of provoking unrest and spying in the aftermath of Iran’s June election, but the 10-year jail term was commuted to a fine of $300,000. Her lawyer said he paid the fine Saturday.

The French government insisted on Ms. Reiss’ innocence and pressed frequently for her release.

Ms. Reiss boarded a French government plane in Dubai and was en route to France, a statement from the president’s office said. On her return later Sunday, she and her family were to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace.

Ms. Reiss was arrested in July and released on bail after a month and a half in custody, but only on condition that she remain at the French Embassy in Tehran until her trial was over.

She was among more than 100 politicians, journalists and activists accused of trying to engineer a “velvet revolution” to overthrow the Islamic leadership. She pleaded innocent.

• From wire dispatches and staff reports