Travolta donates B-707 plane to Aussie museum

SYDNEY • Hollywood star John Travolta has donated his "beloved" Boeing 707 plane to an Australian aviation museum and is aiming to be part of the crew to deliver the vintage aircraft.

Made for Qantas Airways in 1964, the jet was acquired by the Saturday Night Fever heartthrob and qualified pilot when Australia's national carrier retired it more than 30 years later.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Would-be presidential candidate on trial

CAIRO • An Egyptian human rights lawyer and would-be presidential candidate went on trial yesterday in a case where a guilty verdict would deprive him of the right to stand for election due next summer.

A judge in a Cairo court adjourned the trial of Khaled Ali, who is charged with offending public decency, to July 3.

Ali, 45, who was detained last week, faces a charge relating to a photograph in which he appears to make an obscene hand gesture on the steps of a Cairo court house. Ali denies the authenticity of the photo.

REUTERS

EU moves to reform vehicle-approval system

BRUSSELS • The European Union moved yesterday to crack down on emissions cheating after the Volkswagen "Dieselgate" scandal by giving the EU executive more powers to monitor testing and fine automakers.

The European Council of 28 member states overcame the initial objections of Germany and agreed on the broad lines to reform the system for approving vehicles in Europe. The draft now goes for negotiations with the Commission, the EU executive's arm, and the European Parliament, where the auto industry holds a strong influence.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE