West Bank: Peace talks begin
In their first meeting on Palestinian soil, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday he hopes to launch negotiations soon on establishing a Palestinian state. Olmert became the first Israeli leader to visit a Palestinian town after seven years of bloody fighting.
Ethiopia: Lucy fossil to tour U.S.
After 3.2 million years in East Africa, one of the world’s most famous set of fossils was quietly flown out of Ethiopia overnight for a U.S. tour that some experts say is a dangerous gamble with an irreplaceable relic. Although the fossil known as Lucy had been expected to leave the Ethiopian Natural History Museum this month, some in the nation’s capital were surprised the departure took place under cover of darkness with no fanfare Sunday. The Smithsonian Institution has objected to the six-year tour because museum experts do not believe the fragile remains should travel.
India: Food flown to flood victims
Starving flood victims fought each other for scarce food supplies Monday as the Indian air force stepped up airlifts of provisions to some 2 million stranded people. Water receded across northern India and Bangladesh after three days without significant rainfall, but the death toll from the recent flooding still surged past 360.
Croatia: Fire threatens large city
Residents joined hundreds of firefighters Monday to beat back a wildfire that threatened to consume the medieval city of Dubrovnik, a popular tourist destination famed for its churches, monasteries and palaces. Residents helped firefighters by carrying hoses and buckets of water to douse the flames that surrounded the historic southern coastal city. The effort helped avert a disaster for Dubrovnik – known as the “pearl of the Adriatic” – during the height of the summer holiday season.
From Herald news services
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