Israel to halt money for outposts

Jerusalem

Israel to halt money for outposts

Responding to a surge in violence by militant Jewish settlers, the Israeli government has announced after its Cabinet meeting Sunday that it will halt direct and indirect state funding of unauthorized settlement outposts in the West Bank.

There are about 100 unauthorized outposts in the West Bank, many of them makeshift extensions of established settlements. Under the U.S.-backed "road-map" peace plan, Israel is supposed to remove at least two dozen.

The Cabinet also approved steps to rein in violent settlers who have attacked Palestinians and clashed with soldiers in recent weeks. The measures include improved law enforcement and tougher punishment of offenders.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the violence "a threat to the rule of law" and said steps would be taken to prevent the West Bank from becoming "Israel's 'Wild West.' "

Hanoi, Vietnam

Flooding death toll rises to 83

The death toll from several days of flooding in Vietnam rose to 83 on Tuesday as authorities announced they had recovered 17 more bodies.

Showers resumed in northern and central Vietnam on Tuesday, and forecasters predicted several more days of rain but said it would be lighter than the downpours that soaked the region over the weekend.

The weekend rains in Hanoi were the worst in at least two decades. On Monday, the rains stopped for most of the day and water levels began to recede.

Vietnamese authorities were concerned about possible outbreaks of waterborne diseases, said Nguyen Huy Nga of the Health Ministry.

San'a, Yemen

Group: 60 bodies wash ashore

The bodies of 60 African migrants washed up on the shores of southern Yemen over three days, an international-aid group said Monday

Migrants from two different groups managed to survive the journey but told the group Medecins Sans Frontieres how their fellow passengers died and eventually washed up on the beach, said the aid group, also known as Doctors without Borders.

After a harrowing two-day trip from the port city of Bosasso in Somalia, smugglers forced one group into the sea as they were approaching the shore because they spotted some lights that made them suspicious.

The second group's boat capsized, killing at least 23 of the passengers.

Also

Ivory sales: Zimbabwe's sale of almost 4 tons of elephant ivory Monday raised $450,000 for conservation in a country whose economic crisis has left authorities battling to maintain vast reserves and protect elephants, rhinos and other game. The sale in Harare is part of a series of ivory auctions being held for the first time in a decade.

Bombings: Police say at least three bombs have exploded in restive southern Thailand, wounding 62 people. The bombs exploded in the southern province of Narathiwat, which has been gripped by a Muslim insurgency since 2004.

Trade pact: Chen Yunlin, the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Taiwan in six decades, began talks today with his Taiwanese counterpart on a sweeping trade pact that could help ease the threat of war between the rivals.

Seattle Times news services