Today's Story Line:

Deadly clashes between Christians and Muslims continue in various parts of Indonesia. Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri is scheduled to visit Ambon today. Locals will undoubtedly bring to her attention an alleged massacre of women and children that has gone largely unreported - a Monitor exclusive.

The on-again, off-again coup in Ecuador was carried out by an unusual alliance of indigenous peasants and mid-level military officers.

Daily revelations about illegal funds are undermining Germany's ruling party's integrity and public support.

David Clark Scott World editor

REPORTERS ON THE JOB

* NO BOAT TO BURU: A fundamental tenet of journalism is to get both sides of the story. The Monitor's Cameron Barr spoke to Indonesian Christians who said they were survivors of a massacre on the island of Buru. But attempts to get to the island failed. Cameron wanted to verify evidence of the crime. He tried fishing boats. But Christians dominate the industry, and they refused to go to Buru. He couldn't get to Muslim boat owners because of a lack of contacts in the Muslim side of divided Ambon. The best prospect: a Christian-owned ship with a Muslim crew. Cameron made the pitch - without revealing the purpose - to the owner. He called Cameron the next morning and declined to sail, saying the waves were bad.

FOLLOW-UP ON A MONITOR STORY

*FIGHTING AGE RAISED: After six years of wrangling, a global agreement was reached on raising the age for soldiers from 15 to 18 years. The landmark accord allows government armies to recruit volunteers, with parental consent, as young as 16 years of age, but not send them into combat zones. This provision was a compromise sought by Britain and the United States, which take 16- and 17-year-old volunteers. As reported in the Monitor on Oct. 20, about 300,000 people under 18 are now involved in wars.

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