Small plane crash in Mexico kills 3 Americans

TIJUANA, Mexico -- Three medical volunteers were killed in a small plane crash near the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said Saturday. The Beach Bonanza B36 aircraft left Brownfield, Calif., shortly after noon on Friday and was attempting to land less than an hour later at a military airport near Ensenada, south of the Mexican border city of Tijuana, when it hit a factory wall, said Jaime Nieto, director of civil protection for Ensenada. Dentist Merlin James Larson, 76, of Palm Desert, Calif.; nurse Brianne Nicole Shelton, 25, of San Marcos, Calif.; and pilot Robert McEneany, 57, of Las Vegas were killed, according to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

Skydiver completes 640 jumps in 24 hours

GREENSBURG, Ind. -- Jay Stokes celebrated his 50th birthday by jumping out of an airplane -- 640 times. The veteran skydiver did it to break his own world record of 534 jumps in a 24-hour period. "I feel a little bit tired, but I think I'll be OK," the exhausted former Army Green Beret said Saturday morning at Greensburg Municipal Airport. The pace worked out to one jump every two minutes and 15 seconds. Dozens of volunteers helped by packing his 23 chutes and flying three planes at the airport midway between Indianapolis and Cincinnati. As soon as Stokes touched down after a jump from 2,100 feet, he pulled off one parachute and put on another while running to the next waiting plane.

Progress reported on Iran-EU nuclear talks

VIENNA, Austria -- Senior negotiators for Iran and the European Union reported progress Saturday at talks meant to find common ground for resolving Tehran's defiance of a U.N. demand that the Islamic republic freeze uranium enrichment or risk sanctions. In an encouraging sign, the two sides agreed to hold further discussions today.

Israeli leader says he will meet Palestinian chief

JERUSALEM -- Two rival sides could try diplomacy. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Saturday he would meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and work closely with him to advance peace efforts. Olmert, who spoke after meeting with visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair, said a meeting with Abbas was not conditional on the release of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier being held captive by militants with links to the ruling Hamas party. But Olmert said no progress would be made in the peace process until the soldier is released.

-- From wire reports