Minarets

TRIPOLI, Libya - A Libyan court convicted on Tuesday two Swiss businessmen of violating residency and labor laws and sentenced them to 16 months in jail with a $1,500 fine, a Libyan official said.

GENEVA - The Swiss referendum approving a ban on construction of minarets puts the country on "a collision course with its international human rights obligations," a UN official warned Tuesday.

GENEVA - The United Nations called Switzerland's ban on new minarets "clearly discriminatory" and deeply divisive, and the Swiss foreign minister acknowledged Tuesday the government was very concerned about how the vote would affect the country's image.