Around the world
AX SLAYING: An Arab man with an ax killed a female Israeli soldier in Afula on Wednesday, raising fears of reprisals in the northern city where a suicide bomber killed eight Israelis in April. Israel sent 150 soldiers to reinforce police who escorted Arabs home as angry Jewish residents gathered in knots on the streets. Police also went to factories and advised Arab laborers that they go home.PEACE: After three days of peace talks between the Philippine government and Muslim rebels, negotiators said Wednesday that a comprehensive solution to the bloody two-decade conflict is near. Presidential peace adviser Manuel Yan said talks with the Moro National Liberation Front have made headway in solving the thorny issue of granting Muslims greater autonomy on the main southern island of Mindanao. "The formal talks with the MNLF have been gaining breakthroughs," Yan said.
FISH STORY: A set of false teeth lost in the North Sea have been returned to their Dutch owner after being found in the belly of a cod. Dutch newspapers said Wednesday that 60-year-old Cor Stoop lost his teeth overboard when he was seasick on a pleasure trip three months ago. The dentures were discovered in a cod caught by an Amsterdam angler over the weekend. Stoop heard about the find in a broadcast and went to the radio station to try the teeth on. They were a perfect fit.
Across the nation
FAST DELIVERY: Corrine Green had heard all the horror stories about how tough it is to give birth. But they didn't come true for her. Green's husband, Chris, dropped her off at a Quincy, Mass., hospital Monday for what they thought was a routine visit for indigestion. By the time he returned after filling up the car with gas and looking for a parking spot, he was the father of an 8-pound, 6-ounce girl. The delivery took just seven minutes.
SCAM: The sweet-talking scam artist says she needs a lift, but it's the men she picks up who are being taken for a ride. Mineola, N.Y., police say at least 60 men have fallen for "the sexy bandit," a woman dressed like a nurse who tells them she needs a ride because she's caring for an elderly woman and her car broke down. Once in the car, she fondles the men - while artfully picking their pockets. The woman has stolen an average of $500 from the pockets of each unsuspecting motorist since 1988.