Marble slab marks Vatican shooting

A simple marble slab was placed Saturday in St. Peter’s Square on the spot where the late Pope John Paul II was shot in an assassination attempt 25 years ago.

The stone, quickly covered with flowers from the faithful, has been placed to help people “remember from now on that dramatic event,” John Paul’s successor, Pope Benedict XVI, announced in a message read to thousands during a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Set flat into the square replacing cobblestones, the white stone bears the date in Roman numerals of May 13, 1981, when a Turkish gunman gravely wounded John Paul.

“Twenty-five years ago, our beloved Pope John Paul II shed his blood,” said Rome Cardinal Camillo Ruini, who celebrated the Mass at St. Peter’s. “May he be soon beatified,” the cardinal added, drawing applause.

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Rebels threaten to resume war

Tamil rebels on Saturday threatened to resume war if they are denied access to the sea and claimed naval forces killed eight Tamil civilians in an attack in northern Sri Lanka.

The prospect of renewed warfare by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was the latest in escalating tensions that threaten to destroy a 2002 cease-fire agreement with the government.

“We move with complete freedom in these waters to transport our cadres and to distribute material needs to our movement,” Col. Soosai, who heads the Sea Tigers, the rebels’ naval wing, was quoted as saying the pro-rebel TamilNet Web site.

“We will not hesitate to wage war with anyone who attempts to prevent us from exercising our freedom,” said Soosai, who like many rebels use only one name.

The warning came just days after rebel suicide boats rammed and sank a navy patrol craft. Thursday’s attack and subsequent fighting killed dozens. The government said about 50 insurgents were killed and 17 sailors were dead or missing.

Bagneres-de-Bigorre, France

Farmers protest bear repopulation

About 5,000 French farmers rang cowbells and set off firecrackers Saturday in the Pyrenees Mountains Saturday as they protested a plan to repopulate the bears in their region.

Environmental officials already have released two female Slovene bears, Palouma and Franska, in the area, and three more releases are planned. Farmers, in particular those who raise sheep, fear bear attacks on their livestock.

Many at the demonstration in the town of Bagneres-de-Bigorre wore T-shirts that read “No to the bears!” Some wore traditional berets popular in the southwestern Basque region. About 100 demonstrators came from across the border in Spain.

Harare, Zimbabwe

Inflation rate tops 1,000 percent

Zimbabwe’s annual inflation rate topped 1,000 percent for the first time, underlining the economic collapse of a country crippled by shortages.

Moffat Nyoni, director of the Government’s Central Statistical Office, said that inflation for the 12 months prior to April 2006 was 1,042.9 percent, according to a state radio report Saturday.

A package of the cheapest candy costs 57,000 Zimbabwe dollars and a loaf of bread 100,000 Zimbabwe dollars. But the maximum denomination note is 50,000 Zimbabwe dollars, forcing shoppers to carry bags full of money for basic daily purchases.