Beirut/Jerusalem, August 5
Israel today launched its heaviest bombardment of the nearly month-long conflict in southern Lebanon, carrying out 250 air raids and firing 4,000 shells, and its naval commandos attacked targets near the port city of Tyre to prevent rocket launches by the Hezbollah.

The seven-hour bombardment began at dawn and Lebanese officials said it targeted 15 villages located about five km from the border.

Fourteen persons were injured in the raids and the region around the Aitaroun village alone was hit by some 2,000 shells, they said.

The villages fall within the region where over 8,000 Israeli troops are engaged in an offensive to create a “Hezbollah-free” zone that would be patrolled by a planned multi-national force.

In Tyre, the Israeli commandos landed from the sea and attacked an apartment building, sparking a gun battle that lasted several hours. The Israeli military said the raid was aimed against a Hezbollah unit that had been firing long-range rockets.

Today’s fighting left at least eight Lebanese and an Isreali soldier dead. Eight Israeli soldiers were wounded.

Meanwhile, the US said it was close to an agreement with France on a UN ceasefire resolution that could be ready by next week. US Assistant Secretary of State David Welch has met Lebanese officials in Beirut since yesterday for talks aimed at ending the hostilities.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan also spoke on telephone with US President George W Bush and French President Jacques Chirac to speed up the world body’s efforts to help forge a ceasefire in Lebanon.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, “We are moving, I think pretty effectively now with the French and with others in the UN towards a cessation of hostilities.” — PTI, AFP

Washington, August 5
The US government has imposed sanctions on two Indian and five other companies from Russia, North Korea and Cuba for allegedly supplying banned equipment and technology to Iran.

These include two chemical manufacturers from India — Balaji Amines Ltd and Prachi Poly Products Ltd. But the announcement in the US Federal Register Friday, which lists all government actions, did not specify what items were involved.

Imposed for allegedly violating a law aimed at preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction to Tehran, the sanctions put a ban on US government procurement and stopped American firms from working with affected companies.

Also sanctioned were Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi and Rosoboronexport, a state-controlled arms exporter, Korean Mining and Industrial Development Corporation and Korea Pugang Trading Corporation, both North Korean, and Cuba’s Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.

The sanctions, however, apply only to the 
specific entities and their successors, sub-units or subsidiaries and not to their respective countries or governments.

Though listed Friday, the sanctions under the Iran Non-Proliferation Act 2000 became 
effective July 28, a day after the US House of Representatives approved the India-US nuclear deal by an overwhelming 359-68 vote. The Senate has yet to approve the nuclear pact.

The Washington Post reported last week that the Bush administration had taken a “secret 
decision” to impose sanctions on the two Indian firms before the House vote, but chose not to inform either the US Congress or New Delhi to avoid criticism during the debate on the floor. — IANS

Houston, August 5
In a major victory for Sikhs in the US, a San Francisco court has held that the community has the right to build a gurdwara in their neighbourhood.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed a Sikh congregation to construct a place of worship on land allotted for agriculture in Sutter county.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit law firm renowned for protecting the free expression of religious traditions, had filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the community.

"This resounding victory for the Sikh group has nationwide implications for a wide range of cases dealing with religious land interests and it will echo especially loudly in California," firm spokesman Jared N Leland said.

Neighbours had complained over the congregation's first bid to locate its gurdwara in a residential part of California's Yuba City, so it acquired land in a rural, agriculturally zoned area in 2002.

The brief filed by the Becket Fund in the Guru Nanak Sikh Society vs the County of Sutter case stated that the Sutter County's Board of Commissioners' refusal to issue a building permit to the Sikhs violated the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalised Persons Act of 2000. — PTI 

Kuala Lumpur, August 5
Four Indian nationals in Malayasia were allegedly assaulted by their employer’s son after they complained to the Labour Department over non-payment of wages for five months, news reports said today.

The Indians, all hailing from Tamil Nadu and working in a restaurant in Lebuh Chulia in Penang, were attacked with an iron pipe and suffered injuries on their faces, arms and legs, state-run Bernama news agency said.

The four workers and three others sought help at the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) office. They later lodged a police report. — PTI