Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Sporadic gunfire erupted outside Ethiopia's capital Saturday as security forces kept a fragile calm, following a week of political violence in which at least 44 people were killed and thousands arrested.
A media watchdog urged the government to end a crackdown that has prompted most independent journalists to stop reporting on the violence and forced others into hiding to avoid arrest.
Rome
The world this week
Today: President Bush to meet Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brasília; Egyptian proposal for a crossing to let Palestinians come and go between Egypt and Gaza expected to be approved by the full Israeli cabinet.
Monday: World Health Organization holds four-day conference in Geneva on spread of deadly strain of bird flu.
Tuesday: Liberian presidential runoff election between ex-international soccer star George Weah and former Finance Minister Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf; parliamentary elections pitting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's governing National Democratic Party against two key opposition groups.
Wednesday: Latest round of six-nation talks on scrapping North Korea's nuclear-arms program.
Sources: Reuters, The Associated Press
Stretch of ancient wall collapses
A stretch of wall in Rome's ancient forum has collapsed, raising fears that much of the popular tourist site is potentially dangerous for visitors.
About 15 feet of wall fell early Friday onto a walkway that leads to the famed Arch of Titus and the Colosseum.
Officials said if the wall had collapsed during the forum's opening hours, it would have endangered throngs of tourists. Another section of wall collapsed nearby in 2003.
Jerusalem
Boy shot by troops dies of his injures
A 12-year-old Palestinian boy who was shot by Israeli troops while holding a toy gun last week died of his wounds Saturday, relatives and medical officials said.
Israeli forces mistook the boy for an armed militant during an exchange of fire on Thursday in the West Bank town of Jenin and later discovered he was carrying a toy M-16 rifle, military officials said. The boy, Ahmed Ismail Khatib, was taken to an Israeli hospital with wounds to his head and stomach.
Dr. Tzvi Ben-Yishai, a spokesman for Rambam Hospital, said the boy's parents decided to donate his organs "to bring hearts closer and bring peace closer."
The shooting occurred on the first day of Eid el-Fitr, a major Muslim holiday, and Palestinian children frequently buy toy guns and receive gifts to celebrate.
Compiled from Reuters and The Associated Press
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