WORLD BRIEFS

MIDDLE EAST: Firing eases in Gaza truce

An Egyptian-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip took hold Monday, as airstrikes and rocket salvos triggered by a deadly attack by gunmen in southern Israel tapered off after five days of fighting. Israel's relations with Cairo were strained last week after three Egyptian security officers were killed as Israeli forces pursued the gunmen responsible for the attack on Thursday. After expressing regret for the deaths, Israel scaled back its attacks in Gaza and halted them Monday as militants announced a suspension of their rocket strikes.

RUSSIA: North Korean leader arrives

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's armored train reportedly arrived Tuesday in an eastern Siberian city for a summit with President Dmitry Medvedev as Russian military officers flew to Pyongyang for military talks. Kim is expected to meet Medvedev near Ulan-Ude for talks that could focus on a natural gas pipeline deal. It is Kim's first visit to his country's Cold War ally in nine years. North Korea is also pushing to restart nuclear disarmament talks in exchange for aid, after more than a year of tension during which it shelled a South Korean border island and allegedly torpedoed a South Korean warship. Russian military officials, meanwhile, arrived in the North Korean capital Monday for a five-day visit, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported from Pyongyang.

INDIA: Crowds back protest fast

Thousands of people gathered Monday in New Delhi to support anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare on the seventh day of his hunger strike. After protests swelled, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he's ready for talks. Hazare is demanding the government push through parliament and into law his proposals for the creation of a powerful anti-graft agency by the end of August. He says he'll continue his fast until Singh, who has sent a draft bill to lawmakers that excludes oversight of his office, judges and many bureaucrats, agrees to do so.