JERUSALEM

Palestinian attack precedes Obama visit

A Palestinian attacker turned a construction vehicle into a weapon in downtown Jerusalem just hours before Barack Obama's visit Tuesday, ramming a bus, overturning a car and injuring five people before he was shot dead.

It was the second attack of its kind in less than a month. On July 2, a Palestinian smashed cars and a bus with his heavy construction vehicle in another part of Jerusalem, killing three people and wounding dozens.

CUBA

Driver knew target, prosecutor says

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE — A former driver for Osama bin Laden knew the target of the fourth hijacked plane on Sept. 11, a prosecutor said Tuesday as he sought to undercut defense arguments that the Guantanamo prisoner was a low-level employee of the terrorist leader.

Salim Hamdan, the first prisoner to face a U.S. war-crimes trial since World War II, heard bin Laden say the plane was heading for "the dome," an apparent reference to the U.S. Capitol, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Stone.

The plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field as passengers overcame the hijackers.

SOUTH AFRICA

Europe pressures Zimbabwe president

JOHANNESBURG — Europe turned up pressure on Zimbabwe's president to share power with the opposition, toughening sanctions Tuesday against Robert Mugabe just as his ruling party was to begin talks with its chief rival mediated by South Africa.

Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai met face-to-face Monday for the first time in 10 years and agreed to formal talks about power sharing after three months of state-sponsored electoral violence. The negotiations were expected to start either late Tuesday or Wednesday at an undisclosed location around the South African capital Johannesburg.

Analysts said growing international pressure coupled with Zimbabwe's economic meltdown left Mugabe little choice but to sign the agreement with the opposition. The central bank issued a 100 billion-dollar note this week in the face of the world's worst inflation — which officials estimate at 2.2 million percent annually but independent finance houses say is closer to 12.5 million percent.

— From wire reports