Rival Militias Agree to Sign Peace Deal

Rival militias who have been battling in the Solomon Islands for two years agreed to sign a peace deal today, Australia’s Foreign Ministry said. About 70 people have been killed in the fighting over access to land and jobs in the former British colony, 1,000 miles northeast of Australia. “It looks like they’ve got an agreement,” said Matt Francis, spokesman for the Australian Foreign Affairs Department. He gave no details of the deal, but the militias have been seeking peace monitors from Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific countries to ensure an end to the fighting.