Widow of murdered reporter gives birth

The widow of murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl has given birth to a healthy baby boy in Paris, a spokeswoman for the family has said.

Adam Pearl was born on Tuesday. The baby and Mariane Pearl ‘‘are doing fine’’, said Ashley McCown, a Boston-based spokeswoman yesterday.

Mariane Pearl lives in Paris and is willing to go to London or Pakistan to testify in the murder trial of her husband, as long as doctors approve her travel.

A statement on the Daniel Pearl Foundation Web site said: ‘‘For us, Adam’s birth rekindles the joy, love, and humanity that Danny radiated wherever he went. The name Adam symbolizes the birth of humankind and the connectedness of civilizations.’’

McCown refused to give any further information, but said the family would release a statement later. Mariane, also a journalist, is 38 years old.

Daniel Pearl, the Journal’s South Asia bureau chief, disappeared four months ago in the port city of Karachi while researching a story on Pakistani militants.

A video-tape confirming Pearl’s death was delivered to US officials in Karachi on February 21. British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, from Wanstead, east London is one of four Islamic militants currently on trial in Pakistan accused of kidnapping, murder and terrorism offences.

Pearl’s death brought forth an outpouring of grief in the journalistic and political communities. Friends and colleagues spoke of his warmth, drive and intelligence, and The Journal ran two pages of commemorative letters.

‘‘We are grateful for the support and love we have received from thousands of people throughout the world,’’ the foundation statement said, ‘‘and are hopeful that Adam’s generation will see the emergence of an era in which tolerance and understanding reign.

Daniel Pearl took an assignment in February 1998 in Paris, where he met Mariane, who was working there as a freelance journalist. She lived and worked with Pearl in Pakistan.