Flags at half mast to honour Palmyra ISIS victim

(ANSA) - Rome, August 20 - Italy's museums and "places of culture" will fly their flags at half mast to honour Khaled al-Asaad, the veteran Palmyra archeologist beheaded by Islamic State (ISIS) militants, Culture Minister Dario Franceshini said in a tweet Thursday. Franceschini has urged the international community to respond to what he called a "horrible act". He said a declaration at the ongoing Milan Expo signed by 89 countries "is a first step, now more commitment is needed from the international community to defend culture and its people in crisis areas".