Newscan

Lost tribe surfaces

A Brazilian Indian tribe thought to have been extinct since the turn of the 20th century has surfaced deep within the Amazon jungle. This is a major discovery that could set off a land rights battle, government officials say. Some 250 members of the long-lost Naua tribe, which once dominated Brazil's jungle state of Acre, came after tribal leaders emerged from hiding to protest the creation of a national park on their native lands.

"They said they should not have to leave their land, since they had always been there. They said they were Naua," Antonio Pereira Neto told Reuters recently from the headquarters of the National Indian Foundation (Funai) in Acre state.

Prince picks his school

Britain's Prince William will study at St Andrews, Scotland's oldest university, after taking a year off, his father's office said last week.

The 18-year-old prince, son of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, will start a four-year course for a degree in art history in the autumn of 2001.

"Prince William has been accepted to attend the university of his first choice, the University of St Andrews," St James's Palace said in a statement.

"Prince William has now left the country for the first stage of his gap year."

First stop is Belize in Central America, where Britain's future king is joining exercises with the Welsh Guards- in which his father is a colonel-until the end of August. After that he will spend a few weeks on what the palace called an "educational project."

Tall, handsome and regal, William will undoubtedly turn heads when he joins the 5,000 students at St Andrews, set in the medieval seaside town an hour north of Edinburgh that is already famous as the home of golf.

Stunning survival

An 83-year-old grandmother who survived for three days trapped alone in her wrecked car in a bug-infested swamp collected rainwater, sucked on dew-soaked socks and made sparing use of two candies to survive.

Hospital officials said Tillie Tooter of Pembroke Pines, whose fame as Florida's toughest granny was spreading quickly, was in serious but stable condition a day after rescuers cut open her car and lifted her to safety.

When she was finally freed after three agonizing days in an urban thicket in south Florida's summer heat, she asked her rescuers: "Could you please get my pocketbook for me?"

Tooter told authorities that a vehicle hit her car from behind, causing it to spin off the road. Police said the Toyota bore marks that backed up her story and were searching for the vehicle and driver, who apparently did not stop.

Compiled by

NIMI KURIAN

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