PERU CASH: Authorities arrested two Peruvians on Monday as they tried to enter the country from Ecuador carrying some $150,000 in cash, and a top official linked them to groups that may be funded by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s government.
KIDNAPPED AUSTRIANS: The Islamist militant group that kidnapped two Austrians last month in Tunisia is extending the deadline for the meeting of its demands by a week, according to a statement posted online Monday.
ALBANIAN FALLOUT: Albanian Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu resigned Monday, two days after a series of explosions at a weapons depot near the capital killed at least 16 people and injured nearly 300 others.
DIANA’S BUTLER: Princess Diana’s butler, Paul Burrell, told of taking a bloodstained ring from her body after the Paris car crash that killed her in 1997, the butler’s former bodyguard said Monday. Burrell denied the claim by Michael Faux.
MIDEAST SUITS: The Israeli Foreign Ministry has cleared the way for its citizens to sue the Palestinian Authority over suicide bomb attacks, ruling that the Palestinian government does not represent a state that could avoid such suits.
JOINT SESSION: The leaders of Israel and Germany presided at a joint session of their Cabinets on Monday, agreeing on a host of projects in a display of intensified friendship that will include a speech to the Israeli parliament by the German chancellor.
PAPAL VISIT: Pope Benedict XVI will be greeted by President Bush at Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington, D.C., next month, an unusual welcome at the start of the pontiff’s weeklong trip to the U.S., the Vatican said Monday.
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QUOTABLE
‘There’s no reason people can’t enjoy themselves and be part of the celebrations without going over the top.’
– Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, calling on St. Patrick’s Day revelers to drink moderately “and not to get behind the wheel after doing it.”
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Page compiled from Tribune news services
