World Briefs

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela on Monday established formal diplomatic ties with Palestinian officials, who are opening a diplomatic mission in the South American country.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki thanked President Hugo Chavez's government for its support during the recent Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which prompted the Venezuelan leader to break off relations with Israel.

Venezuelan-Palestinian relations have warmed as tensions have grown between Chavez's government and Israel.

Venezuela expelled Israeli diplomats on Jan. 6 to protest the Gaza offensive, and Israel later responded by kicking out Venezuelan envoys. Chavez has labeled Israeli leaders "genocidal."

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Growing pressure from poaching and human encroachment in Zimbabwe has driven hundreds of elephants to migrate from the country and at least one leopard to stalk an upmarket Harare suburb, conservationists said Monday.

The independent Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force appealed in its latest monthly bulletin for more action — and money — to preserve the troubled nation's wildlife.

WARSAW, Poland – The note, written in pencil then rolled up and inserted in a bottle, contains the names of seven young people who probably thought they were doomed to die in the notorious Auschwitz death camp.

A construction crew renovating a cellar near the Auschwitz site discovered the bottle hidden in a concrete wall, officials said Monday.

QUITO, Ecuador – President Rafael Correa has won re-election but may have little time to savor the decisive victory. The leftist economist must now determine how to maintain his ample social spending programs in a deepening economic crisis.

Correa won 51.2 percent of the vote in an eight-candidate field, according to official results on Monday with 70 percent of ballots tallied, making him the first Ecuadorean president elected in 30 years without a runoff.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank – Muslim calligrapher Yasser Abu Saymeh has dedicated the past two months to Christian art, writing the Gospel of Luke in ornate Arabic script to be presented to Pope Benedict XVI when the Roman Catholic leader visits the Holy Land next month.

Abu Saymeh never read a New Testament text before he was picked for the prestigious assignment by Bethlehem's Christian mayor.

Publicidad