A top labor leader says no deal is better than a bad deal. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney says he’s not unhappy that World Trade Organization talks in Seattle collapsed last week. Sweeney tells CBS, delegates put an emphasis on issues that were important to them and that trade talks will continue with or without the World Trade Organization. The talks last week ended with delegates failing to agree on an agenda for future talks. They were also marred by protests by thousands of activists.

And this news from Seattle: A deal was struck Saturday night to release all the protesters still in jail after the tumultuous WTO conference last week, as long as those arrested agreed to return to court to face charges. The agreement, negotiated with city attorneys, called for as many as 300 protesters to be released on their own recognizance. They are not yet all out.

This news from Geneva: Saboteurs disrupted the electricity supply to the World Trade Organization headquarters this weekend, cutting power for 45 minutes, according to a spokesperson for the WTO. A previously unknown group, the Green Rennet, claimed responsibility in a statement that was received by the Swiss ATS news agency. The group criticized the work of the trade organization, saying it had no consideration for people. A statement by the police said two or three people broke into an electrical center next door to the main building and caused a short circuit. The building was blacked out for 45 minutes. For several hours after power had been restored, some computers were out, this again according to the spokesperson.

This news from Havana: The young Cuban boy rescued off the coast of Florida on Thanksgiving turned 6 today, but his birthday is overshadowed by an ongoing custody battle between the Miami relatives caring for Elián González and his father in Cuba. Cuban President Fidel Castro yesterday gave the United States 72 hours to return the child. He warned that the Cuban people are losing patience. The boy’s mother was killed along with at least nine others when their overloaded power boat sank. Elián’s father says the boy’s stepfather organized the smuggling operation without his knowledge.

Two advocacy groups accused the National Institute of Mental Health of misspending millions on what they say has been vague behavioral research. A study being released today says the government’s premier mental health agency spends little more than a third of its budget for research into severe mental illness. The agency spends more on aid studies than schizophrenia. Today’s report is being issued by groups that back research and treatment for severe forms of mental illness. They estimate that a third of all homeless people have serious mental problems but get no treatment.

AT&T is ready to lease access to its cables to rivals who want to provide their customers with high-speed internet access. That’s according to The Washington Post. The paper quotes sources who say AT&T will first announce a deal with MindSpring Enterprises today. AT&T has been criticized by consumer groups and municipalities since it bought more than half the nation’s cable lines. The Post quotes sources who say the communications giant will formally agree to eventually allow rival firms to access its cables for the right price.

A U.N. court today convicted a former Rwandan militia leader of genocide and crimes against humanity and sentenced him to life in prison. Georges Rutaganda was vice president of the Interahamwe militia, which, together with the army and security forces, led the 1994 mass murder of Rwanda’s minority Tutsis. Rutaganda is the sixth Rwandan to be convicted of genocide by the Tanzania-based tribunal and the fourth to be sentenced to life in prison, the maximum penalty allowed under court rules. Rutaganda was convicted on three of eight counts of genocide and crimes against humanity and violations of the Geneva Conventions. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

This news from South Africa: The Dalai Lama has called on the help of two prominent South Africans to help mediate a 40-year-old dispute between Tibet and China. In South Africa for the Parliament of World Religions, the Dalai Lama has asked former President Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu for their assistance. Chinese troops have occupied Tibet since 1950 and forced the Dalai Lama and others into exile. Tibet wants independence. South Africa’s new President Thabo Mbeki has not granted a private meeting with the Dalai Lama. Critics charge it’s a result of pressure from China.

This news from Jerusalem: Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres revealed rare details about the Iran-Contra affair yesterday, saying that he and two other former Israeli premiers unanimously agreed on participating in the deal. Appearing on a talk show on Israel TV, Peres also expressed shock that then-President Reagan withheld information from top U.S. officials about the controversial deal to sell arms to Iran in the mid-'80s. The weapons, including anti-tank missiles, were sent to Iran in exchange for Iran's agreement to work for the release of U.S. hostages held in Lebanon by pro-Iranian Shiite Muslims. At the time, both Israel and the U.S. publicly condemned arms sales to Iran.