Lion kills man who climbed into enclosure

A man shouting that God would keep him safe was mauled to death by a lion in a Kiev, Ukraine, zoo after he crept into the animal's enclosure, a zoo official said Monday.

"The man shouted, 'God will save me, if he exists,' lowered himself by a rope into the enclosure, took his shoes off and went up to the lions," the official said. "A lioness went straight for him, knocked him down and severed his carotid artery."

The attack happened Sunday when the zoo had many visitors.

Abbas says he'll call referendum on Israel

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday he will call a referendum on a political plan that would implicitly recognize Israel even though the governing Hamas party firmly opposes such a vote.

Abbas failed in last-ditch talks to persuade the Islamic militant group to accept the principle of a Palestinian state alongside Israel in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem — land Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

The idea implies recognition of Israel, and the moderate Abbas has endorsed the plan as a way out of crippling financial sanctions imposed on the Hamas-led government over its refusal to recognize Israel and renounce violence.

Volcano activity grows as quake victims get aid

Indonesia sent 200 truckloads of rice to earthquake victims Monday while nearby Mount Merapi spewed lava streams, raising fears of a major eruption threatening thousands living on the slopes of the volcano.

The volcano has been erupting for months, but activity has increased since the 6.3-magnitude quake struck central Java island May 27, killing at least 5,857 people.

Aid agencies stepped up supplies of food, clean water and latrines but warned that unsanitary conditions could lead to diarrhea and skin diseases, as well as infections.

Bomber attacks ex-wife's nuptials

A suicide bomber attacked his former wife's wedding in northeast China, killing at least eight other people and injuring five, the government said today.

Lu Wenfeng showed up with the bomb at the ceremony Saturday in Jixian county, Heilongjiang province, and set it off, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Xinhua did not say if Lu's ex-wife or new husband were among the victims.

Also

Timor talks: East Timorese legislators met Monday in Parliament to discuss the country's turmoil, and a top Cabinet minister met with rebel soldiers for reconciliation talks, as the fragile government showed signs of reviving.

Iran package: European Union foreign-policy chief Javier Solana brought a Western package of incentives and penalties to Iran on Monday in an effort to coax the government to stop uranium enrichment and defuse an international crisis.

Serbian state: Serbian legislators proclaimed their Balkan republic a sovereign state Monday after tiny Montenegro decided to split from a union and dissolve the remnants of what was once Yugoslavia.

Compiled from The Associated Press and Reuters