Johnny Hart, whose award-winning B.C. comic strip appeared in more than 1,300 newspapers worldwide, has died. He was 76. Hart died on Saturday while working at his home in New York State. "He had a stroke," his wife, Bobby, said on Sunday. "He died at his storyboard." B.C., populated by prehistoric cavemen and dinosaurs, was launched in 1958 and eventually appeared in more than 1,300 newspapers with an audience of 100 million, according to Creators Syndicate Inc, which distributes it.
■ Germany
Egg tree record broken
A zoo broke the record on Sunday for the world's largest Easter egg tree, decorating an oak with more than 75,000 eggs, organizers said. The painted eggs donated by some 200 people, as well as by nurseries and schools, were hung on an American Red Oak tree before more than 3,000 spectators at the zoo in Rostock in the northeast. The 76,600 eggs are to remain in place until June 1, which had been "Children's Day" in the former East Germany.
■ United Kingdom
Arnie to meet Conservatives
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to attend this year's Conservative Party conference, it was announced yesterday. The former Hollywood action star will deliver a speech on climate change at the opposition party's annual meeting in Blackpool. Under his leadership, California became the first US state to impose a mandatory ceiling on environmentally harmful "greenhouse gas" emissions. "Governor Schwarzenegger led a dramatic revival of his party's fortunes in California and as governor he has shown tremendous leadership -- above all in pioneering measures to protect the environment, reaching out to political opponents in doing so," Tory party leader David Cameron said.
■ France
Le Pen defends self-help tip
Far-right presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen on Sunday defended his recommendation that young people should be encouraged to masturbate rather than be provided with condoms. Le Pen first made the suggestion at a forum organized by the glossy magazine Elle on Thursday. "When they asked me whether I agreed with the distribution of condoms to young secondary school children, I said listen ... they could always use the `manu militari' method," he said on TV5 television. "It's much less dangerous than using condoms."
■ Turkey
Nine killed in clashes
Eight soldiers and a village guard were killed in clashes and in two separate land mine explosions in Bingol Province, reports and officials said on Sunday. The troops were killed in the past two days, in one of the heaviest tolls suffered by Turkish troops in the fight against the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in recent months. Three of the soldiers were killed on Sunday during a clash with the rebels, local officials said. Two other soldiers and a government-paid village guard died on Saturday in another clash with the rebels in Sirnak Province, some 400km southeast of Bingol, the governor's office said. Two separate land mine explosions on roads in the nearby Bitlis Province, meanwhile, killed two soldiers on Saturday and one other soldier on Sunday, the Anatolia news agency said.
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