East Timor tries to regroup
East Timorese lawmakers met in Parliament Monday 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.
Violence erupted again in parts of the capital, Dili, and foreign troops fired tear gas to break up clashes between rock-throwing gangs on Monday.
Parliament convened for the first time since fighting surged last month in Dili, although lawmakers said some colleagues did not attend because they feared for their safety or lacked transport. Fifty legislators turned up, enough for a quorum in the 88-seat house.
SERUT, Indonesia
Rice distributed as lava flows
Indonesia sent truckloads of rice to earthquake victims Monday while nearby Mount Merapi spewed streams of lava, raising fears of a major eruption threatening thousands of people 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 on May 27, killing at least 5,857 people.
Aid agencies stepped up supplies of food, clean water and latrines, but warned unsanitary conditions could lead to a wave of diarrhea and skin diseases, as well as infections.
“The government will ensure everybody gets food,” Vice President Yusuf Kalla said, seeing off the trucks. He promised the government would provide each survivor with 22 pounds of rice monthly until houses are rebuilt.
The international relief effort has picked up pace in recent days, but aid has yet to reach some remote areas. The United Nations has appealed for $103 million for recovery efforts over the next six months.
REYKJAVIK, Iceland
Prime minister of Iceland resigns
Iceland’s prime minister announced Monday he was stepping down in the wake of his party’s poor performance in recent local elections.
Halldor Asgrimsson told reporters that Foreign Minister Geir Haarde would take over as premier.
Asgrimsson’s Progressive Party, one of the partners in Iceland’s coalition government, won only one seat in Reykjavik’s municipal elections on May 27.
“I take personal responsibility that the party lost in the elections,” Asgrimsson said.
ATHENS, Greece
Daring escape spurs suspensions
The governor of Greece’s largest prison and three guards were suspended Monday after two convicts escaped on a helicopter hijacked by a wanted bank robber, officials said.
Justice Minister Anastassis Papaligouras accused officials at the maximum security Korydallos prison, west of Athens, of “lack of professionalism” leading to Sunday’s incident.
Police have launched a search for Nikos Palaiokostas, 46, who – with an unidentified accomplice – allegedly forced the pilot of a chartered private helicopter to fly to the prison, where they threw smoke flares into the yard as they landed, causing confusion.
They then took Palaiokostas’ brother Vassilis, 40, and Albanian Alket Rizai, 32, aboard and flew away.
After landing at a nearby cemetery, the fugitives took off on motorcycles, leaving the pilot behind unharmed, police said.
Vassilis Palaiokostas was serving a 25-year sentence for the kidnapping of a Greek businessman. Rizai was serving a life sentence for manslaughter.