Israelis killed as occupation of West Bank continues

Following a weekend of intense international pressure to end their occupations in the West Bank, Israeli forces pulled out of Tulkarm and Qalqilya early yesterday. However, hours after 13 Isreali soldiers were killed in the Jenin refugee camp, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that the offensive against Palestinian terrorists would go on, according to The New York Times. President George W. Bush has issued statements condemning Israel's occupation of West Bank cities and demanded an end to such offensives. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush was still looking for results to his demand that Israel withdraw without delay from Palestinian areas, according to The Times. Israel's responsibilities are to withdraw from Palestinian areas and "do so now," Fleischer said. "Arab responsibilities are to exercise statesmanship, condemn terrorism, stop funding terrorists and to stop what he said was news media incitement of hatred against Jews," he added. Secretary of State Colin Powell is making his way to the Middle East to attempt to broker steps towards a cease fire, but acknowledges that "both sides have difficult decisions to make," according to The Times.

London, England

Millions worldwide say goodbye to Queen Mother

One million Britons and over 200 million people world-wide watched as the recently deceased Queen Mother was brought to her final resting place in Windsor late yesterday afternoon. Earlier in the day, the Archbishop of Canterbury led a ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Over 2,100 mourners, world dignitaries and VIPs, including President George W. Bush, attended the service, according to CNN.com. Dr. George Carney eulogized the Queen Mother, "Queen, Queen Mother, Queen Mum-deeply loved and greatly missed," he said to the grieved audience. After the ceremony, the royal family participated in an official procession along with the Queen Mother's casket from Westminster to Windsor. The princes, Charles, William and Harry were among those in the procession. Once the casket arrived in Windsor, the royal family participated in a private funeral service held at St. George's Chapel. After the service the Queen Mother was laid to rest beside her deceased husband, King George VI, who died in 1952. In commemoration of the Queen's life, the bell at Westminster Abbey was rung once a minute, for the 101 minutes before the Queen was laid to rest.

Washington, D.C.

Study links death, rape, and injury to college alcohol use

Fourteen hundred college students die, 1,370 others suffer injury, and 192 others are raped by their dates or sexually assaulted each day, according to a report released yesterday by a task force of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The report, "A Call to Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges," said the number of students who do not drink alcohol at all had risen, to 19 percent from 15 percent, and that most students drink either moderately or not at all. However, the share of students who binge drink is rising to the point where the 42 percent of college students who do binge drink account for 70 percent of all alcohol consumed by students, the report said. "Drinking has moved back from Saturday night to Friday night to Thursday night," said Mark S. Goldman, director of the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Research Institute at the University of South Florida, according to CNN.com. He added that students overdo drinking most during their first months at college, suggesting that with time, many learn how to limit their drinking.