Israeli: Abbas should not quit

Shimon Peres spoke to a crowd of thousands at the square where Rabin was shot by a Jewish extremist who opposed his peace policies on Nov. 4, 1995. Peres recalled that along with Rabin, he and Abbas were among signatories to the 1993 Oslo peace accord, and he appealed to Abbas by name not to quit.

Abbas announced Thursday that he would not run for another term in an election scheduled for January, citing deadlocked efforts to revive peace talks. In a video message screened at yesterday's rally, President Obama paid tribute to Rabin and pledged to keep trying to get the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

"To all who seek peace I say tonight, you will always have a partner in the United States of America and in my administration," Obama said. "That's why we've been working aggressively for our clear goal, two states living side by side in peace and security." - AP

Tropical storm nearing Cancun

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Ida's winds strengthened to near 70 m.p.h., just short of a Category 1 hurricane. A tentative forecast track predicted Ida could brush the U.S. Gulf Coast this week as a tropical storm. As rain began pelting Cancun, the beaches were empty but tourists walked the streets under umbrellas or improvised ponchos.

Tropical-storm warnings were issued for the Mexican coastline from Punta Allen, south of Tulum, to San Felipe at the top of the Yucatan Peninsula, an area that includes Cancun. The warnings were also in effect for western Cuba and Grand Cayman Island. A hurricane watch was in effect from Tulum to Cabo Catoche. - AP

Iran releases three journalists

One of the reporters, Farhad Pouladi, is an Iranian who works for Agence France-Presse. The other two are foreign reporters, but the IRNA news agency report did not identify them.

Police detained 109 people during the rallies last week, IRNA said. Sixty-two were handed over to judicial authorities for trial on charges of disturbing public order and the rest were released after questioning, according to the news report. - AP

Elsewhere:

Saudi Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabeeah said yesterday the kingdom would not bar anyone considered at high risk for swine flu from performing the hajj pilgrimage this year, though he urged pilgrims' home countries to take precautions. The hajj, which begins Nov. 25, has become a concern for world health officials because the density of pilgrims has raised fears of a massive spread of the H1N1 virus.