Carter meets with Hamas officials

Former President Jimmy Carter is meeting with a Hamas delegation from Gaza, part of a series of talks with the Islamic militant group that has drawn sharp criticism from U.S. and Israeli officials.

An Associated Press reporter saw the Hamas delegation going into the meeting Thursday at a Cairo hotel and a Hamas coordinator in Egypt said they were meeting with Carter. The coordinator spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The meeting was held under heavy security shortly after Carter met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Hamas officials said Wednesday that Carter's meetings with its leaders will boost the group's legitimacy despite criticism by Israel and the U.S. government of the former president's personal peace mission.

Click here for more GPB reports about former President Carter.

(The Associated Press)

Georgia State prof dies in Egypt

A professor at Georgia State University has died during a visit to Egypt. Asa Hilliard died Sunday -- two days before classes were to begin at the university in downtown Atlanta. He was reportedly in Egypt leading students on a tour. A Georgia State spokesperson says officials have been told Hilliard died of malaria. He was 73.