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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Olmert denounces killing of hikers


Olmert
 (The Spokesman-Review)
The Spokesman-Review

Furious over the killing of two Israelis hiking in the West Bank, Israel’s prime minister said Sunday that no peace will come until Palestinians crack down on militants, a declaration that clouds a coming visit by President Bush.

To clear the way for Bush to push for progress, the two sides had just agreed to paper over another spat: Israel’s plan to build 307 new apartments in a Jewish neighborhood in east Jerusalem, the section claimed by the Palestinians.

But that was before the shooting of two off-duty Israeli soldiers Friday by Palestinian attackers, in a valley near the West Bank city of Hebron. There were two claims of responsibility: one from Hamas and Islamic Jihad; the other from Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, which has ties to Abbas’ Fatah movement.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denounced the hikers’ shooting deaths.

“As long as the Palestinian Authority doesn’t take the necessary steps and act with the necessary vigor against terror organizations, Israel won’t be able to carry out any change that would expose it to any jeopardy or endanger Israel’s security,” he said.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico

Detainee dies from cancer

An Afghan detainee and alleged member of the Taliban died in custody Sunday at Guantanamo Bay of colorectal cancer, the U.S. military said.

The detainee, identified as Abdul Razzak, 68, had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments since October after being diagnosed following symptoms of abdominal pain in September, the military’s Southern Command said in a statement from its Miami headquarters.

Razzak, who was accused of being a Taliban driver and commander of a Taliban cell in Afghanistan, was pronounced dead by a physician Sunday morning.

A representative from the International Committee of the Red Cross witnessed the care provided to Razzak before and at the time of death, according to the military. Calls made to a Red Cross spokesman in Washington went unanswered Sunday.

PERTH, Australia

Three found dead after wildfire

Three people died in two trucks when they apparently were caught in a huge wildfire in western Australia’s Outback hours after authorities reopened the highway running through the affected area, police said today.

Police found the bodies of two adults and a child overnight in the burned wrecks on a highway in a national park 280 miles east of the Western Australia state capital Perth, state police spokesman Inspector George Putland said.

The trucks had been trying to travel 120 miles west from the town of Coolgardie to Southern Cross along the Great Eastern Highway – the main route from Perth to the state’s gold fields.

The highway was closed several times over the weekend because of a fire that started burning out of control on Friday, but police had temporarily reopened the road Sunday evening, Putland said.

SAO PAULO, Brazil

Jellyfish swarm Brazil waters

Swarms of jellyfish stung nearly 300 swimmers looking to cool off from a heat wave in a southeastern beach city, Brazilian media reported Sunday.

At least 15 people were treated in Praia Grande for severe stings, doctor Adriano Bechara told the Tribuna newspaper, though their lives were not in danger.

Fire Capt. Atila Gregorio Ribeiro Pereira said the jellyfish were Portuguese man-of-war, which have long tentacles but are not too dangerous unless the victim has an allergic reaction, according to the Folha online news service.