Jackson offered Dead Sea cure

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel has invited the pop superstar Michael Jackson to try the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth, as a cure for his rare skin disease.

The Tourism Commissioner, Raphael Farber, issued the open invitation yesterday after Jackson said he was suffering from a disorder that destroyed the pigment of his skin. Thousands of people are treated each year for ailments ranging from psoriasis to allergies and asthma with the unique waters and climate of the Dead Sea, which, at 386m (1,300ft) below sea level, contains concentrations of beneficial minerals.