News in Brief

Austrian authorities say five neo-Nazi teenagers vandalized a memorial for Nazi victims in the southern town of Villach. A local police representative said the teenagers - all males aged between 17 and 19 - are members of a neo-Nazi group and their names have been passed onto the regional public prosecutor's office. The memorial, which lists the names of people from the area killed by the Nazis, has been repeatedly damaged since its 1999 unveiling. ORF broadcasting reported Friday that while investigating, police found flyers with neo-Nazi content, as well as swastikas and SS symbols in a local building. (AP )

Thousands of mourners watched yesterday as rescue workers lit white candles for each of the 21 people crushed to death last week at the Love Parade music festival. Around 500 people attended the ceremony at Salvator Church in the western city of Duisburg - the scene of the tragedy - and many more watched on screens in the city's football stadium and a dozen other churches. Several TV stations aired the service live, and flags across the country flew at half-mast. The 21 people who died were aged 18 to 38, and included foreigners from Spain, Australia, Italy, Bosnia, China and Holland. Another 500 were injured, with about 25 still hospitalized. (AP )

Flooding in Pakistan has killed more than 800 people in a week, a government official said as rescuers struggled to reach marooned victims. The flooding caused by record-breaking rainfall caused massive destruction in the past week, especially in the northwest province of Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa, in what officials described as the worst deluge since 1929. The United Nations estimated some one million people nationwide were affected by the disaster. The information minister for the province said reports indicated more than 800 people had died due to the flooding. Many remain missing. An army spokesman said, "The level of devastation is so widespread, so large. It is quite possible that in many areas there is damage and deaths which may not have been reported."(News Agencies )

An Israeli man was killed late Friday while taking part in a paragliding competition in Peru, local media reported yesterday. Doron Lugassi, 39, crashed into the ground at high speed after his paraglider was caught by a heavy gust of wind. Lugassi, who had resided in Peru in recent years, suffered severe injuries and later died at an area hospital. An Australian competitor was also badly hurt as fliers struggled to cope with the harsh weather conditions. A year ago, a 23-year-old Israel woman, Galit Sasson, died after she slipped and fell into a ravine near Cuzco, Peru a popular tourist site. (Haaretz Staff )