In the World

Thin sheen of oil widens from ship

GIGLIO, Italy - A thin film of oil spread from the Costa Concordia liner as waves battered the wreckage off Italy's coast Wednesday, adding to fears of an environmental disaster in the area's sensitive, pristine waters. Authorities were trying to assess how serious and extensive the spread was but said that so far it didn't appear alarming.

Italian authorities also identified a German woman, Siglinde Stumpf, as being among those killed in the Jan. 13 accident. Stumpf is the 17th person whose body has been identified. Fifteen others are listed as missing.

A large crack also appeared Wednesday between two large glass panels that formed part of the roof of the ship. The film was spreading from a separate part of the vessel, apparently the stern.

The ship contains about 500,000 gallons of heavy fuel and other pollutants. Authorities are hoping to pump fuel from the ship, but the effort was suspended again Wednesday because of bad weather. Floating barriers placed around the ship were lifted by winds, allowing the oily film to spread. - AP

Assange lawyer disputes warrant

LONDON - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Wednesday launched a final attempt to persuade British officials not to force him to go to Sweden to face sex-crimes allegations. A lawyer for the 40-year-old Australian told Britain's highest court that age-old legal tradition would be compromised if it endorsed a European Arrest Warrant written up by Swedish prosecutors.

Although Assange's saga has been shot through with international diplomacy, cyberactivism, and scandal, the case now before the British Supreme Court hinges on a dry technicality: Whether Sweden's public prosecutor was qualified to issue a warrant for Assange's arrest.

The Supreme Court hearing is the latest chapter in Assange's months-long fight against allegations of molestation and rape lodged by two women he met during a trip to Sweden in 2010, just as his website was grabbing worldwide attention with its spectacular leaks of sensitive U.S. documents. - AP

Portuguese court: Fugitive can stay

LISBON, Portugal - Portugal's Supreme Court has refused a second appeal to extradite American fugitive George Wright. A court ruling provided to the Associated Press on Wednesday showed that judges confirmed a decision last month to deny a U.S. appeal for extradition.

The United States can lodge a final appeal at the Constitutional Court in Lisbon. Portuguese police captured Wright, 68, in September, ending his four decades on the lam after escaping from a New Jersey prison.

A lower-court judge ruled in November that Wright had become a Portuguese citizen and that, under Portuguese law, the statute of limitations on his 15- to 30-year sentence for a robbery-murder in New Jersey had expired. - AP

Elsewhere:

A boat has sunk off Papua New Guinea with 350 people aboard in what Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard called a "major tragedy." She said Thursday that Australia was assisting rescue efforts.