Jerusalem

Israel’s Cabinet approves release of militants

Israel’s Cabinet voted Sunday to release jailed Islamic militants, partially satisfying a Palestinian demand in peace talks and strengthening Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s hand ahead of a meeting with President Bush.

A senior Israeli official traveling with Sharon said that about 540 prisoners would be released within a week — including 210 from the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups, about the same number from Fatah, headed by Yasser Arafat and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.

Ministers voted 14-9 to authorize the release, reversing government resistance to freeing members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The Cabinet voted hours before Sharon left for Washington for talks Tuesday with Bush, who is pushing both Palestinians and Israel for quicker progress on the “road map” peace plan.

Denver

Parents of Columbine killers will testify for lawsuit

Lawyers for families of five students killed in the Columbine High School massacre will take depositions this week from the parents of teen gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold for a wrongful-death lawsuit, attorneys said.

Klebold and Harris killed 12 students, a teacher and themselves April 20, 1999.

The parents of Danny Rohrbough, Kelly Fleming, Kyle Velasquez, Matthew Kechter and Lauren Townsend are suing Tom and Sue Klebold and Wayne and Kathy Harris in federal court, alleging the two families knew or should have known their children were planning an attack.

Some of the pipe bombs used in the attack were made at the Harris home.

Parents of other victims have settled lawsuits against the two families, and lawsuits against Jefferson County and law enforcement agencies have been dismissed.

New York City

Cultural groups seek place at ground zero center

More than 75 cultural institutions, ranging from established city museums to newcomers like the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, want to be part of the arts center being planned for the new World Trade Center site.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. invited responses from groups around the world to see what types of institutions were interested, LMDC spokeswoman Joanna Rose said.

Several well-known cultural groups in the city have expressed interest, including the New-York Historical Society, founded in 1804 when the name of the city was sometimes hyphenated.

The historical society began collecting artifacts from the World Trade Center just days after the Sept. 11 attack, spokesman Travis Stewart said. Six weeks later, it opened one of the first exhibits dedicated to the people who died there and the rescue workers.