ZAGREB (AP) - Schools, stores and factories across Croatia came to a standstill yesterday as millions observed the funeral of Pope John Paul II, a beloved fellow Slav who visited the country three times. Church bells across the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country knelled the start of the funeral.

HELSINKI (AFP) - European enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn rejected yesterday any connection between the new EU constitution and Turkey’s possible accession, an issue that has surfaced in the referendum campaign in France. Speaking at a press conference in Helsinki, Rehn said he knew about the debate in France linking the two issues “but there is no correlation between them,” the Finnish commissioner said, adding that the prospect of Turkey joining the EU does not depend on the result of the French referendum May 29.

Albania’s most wanted man fought off special police and eluded capture for years only to blow himself up while fishing with dynamite, police and newspapers said on Friday. Dubbed the “Last Cowboy” in northern Albania because of his gunfights with the law, Riza Malaj, 34, failed to accurately gauge the length of the fuse as he tried to blow up trout. (Reuters)

A cow went wild while on sale at a cattle market in central Serbia, killing one person and injuring eight, police said Thursday. The incident happened early Thursday in the town of Ub, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Belgrade. The cow broke loose from its owner and rushed through the market packed with people, killing 75-year-old Bogoljub Miskovic. Police shot and killed the cow after failing to restrain it. (AP)