Fake Bomb Snarls Rome Trains

REUTERS, Aug. 14 — The wire service reported discovering a fake bomb at an underground train stop in Rome's central railway station Aug. 14.

“The fake bomb, found at 9.15 a.m., was made with electrical wires, an electrical transformer and plasticine. Experts used an extremely powerful water spray to diffuse the suspect package,” a police spokesman was quoted telling Reuters.

The phony bomb, in Termini station, closed Rome's subway for 30 minutes. A bomb had damaged Venice court house a week earlier, and Italy was the target of rioters during the recent G-8 summit in Genoa.

South Korean Minister Meets Vatican Counterpart

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, Aug. 9 — South Korean Foreign Minister Han Seung-Soo began a 10-day tour of the Middle East and the Vatican, the wire service reported.

Han planned to meet with political leaders and officials in Iran and Egypt, and with the Vatican's foreign minister, to revive failed hopes for peace between North and South Korea.

Over Half of Ukrainians Positive About Pope

SOCIS INSTITUTE, Aug. 2 — Just over half of Ukrainians polled by the Socis Institute said that they felt “positive” about Pope John Paul II's June visit, despite condemnations from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Fifty-one percent judged the visit to be positive, while only 14% thought it had been negative. One third of Ukrainians said the papal visit “will reinforce the international prestige” of Ukraine or “will contribute to an improvement in interdenominational relations.”

Six percent thought the visit would cause Orthodox-Catholic relations to deteriorate, and 7% said the visit was part of a “plan of global expansion of Catholicism.”