One day after Israel ended a three-week occupation of much of Ramallah, radical Palestinians re-established their supremacy: shooting three alleged informers in the middle of town in broad daylight as an approving crowd looked on.

At least three masked men pulled the alleged Palestinian informers for Israel from a car in the downtown Clock Square yesterday. Cars stopped and blared their horns in apparent encouragement as the gunmen pumped round after round from automatic rifles at the three men on the ground.

Dozens of people watched as the wounded men writhed on the ground in pain, and some tried to block approaching ambulances. The three were eventually taken to hospital, where one died.

Witnesses said the militiamen accused the men of helping Israel locate Marwan Barghouti, a popular local leader in Yasser Arafat's Fatah organization, whom Israeli forces seized last week in a Ramallah hideout. Yesterday a military judge ordered Barghouti, who is accused of masterminding attacks on Israelis, held for 25 days.

Counties and cities in California may prohibit gun shows on their fairgrounds and other public properties, despite state laws that allow such events, the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday.

The decision was expected to set off an avalanche of new such ordinances across the state. In briefs submitted to the court, at least 20 cities and counties had urged the justices to allow such bans.

Yesterday's 6-1 ruling upheld bans passed in 1999 in Los Angeles and Alameda counties amid concerns that gun shows promoted violence and tarred the area's public image.

"Alameda County has the authority to prohibit the operation of gun shows held on its property," Justice Carlos R. Moreno wrote.

The gun industry argued that local governments are powerless to regulate the industry because the legislature has authorized gun shows on public property, and the state laws supersede the local ones.

California's high court had never before ruled on whether statewide regulation of gun sales leaves room for more restrictive local measures.

A state appeals court overturned San Francisco's 1982 ban on handgun possession, saying cities and counties cannot write such laws. But in 1998, another appeals court upheld West Hollywood's ban on cheap handguns known as "Saturday Night Specials," which were legal in other parts of the state.

Firefighters worked yesterday to complete a line around a 2,650-acre wildfire in southern Arizona's Coronado National Forest, officials said.

The Merritt Fire 80 miles southeast of Tucson was 75 percent contained yesterday. Officials hoped for full containment by this evening or Wednesday, forest spokeswoman Joan Vasey said.

Arizona Highway 83 could reopen by Wednesday afternoon, she said.

Firefighters on the ground finished digging the last section of a fire line and worked to widen and strengthen it, Vasey said.

In all, 437 firefighters fought the blaze, including six hotshot crews and seven hand crews on the ground. Ten engine crews were on standby in case homes or buildings became threatened. Six air tankers, one attack plane and three helicopters also were used.

Despite warming temperatures, reduced winds aided firefighters. "That's been a big help," Vasey said.

Slack winds also helped tankers in dropping retardant Sunday.