W O R L D

40 villagers die in Israeli air raid

Beirut/Jerusalem, August 7 More than 40 villagers were killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon, Lebanese Prime Minister said today as Tel Aviv vowed to intensify its offensive a day after suffering the heaviest casualty in cross-border rocket attacks by Hezbollah. Rescue workers search through the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli air strike on a village in Lebanon on Monday.  — AFP photo

UN resolution against Lebanon: Iran
Teheran, August 7
Iran today dismissed a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to fighting between Hizbollah guerrillas and Israel as a “political operation against Lebanon.”

Letter scare at Palestinian PMO
Ramallah(West Bank), August 7
Seven persons in the Palestinian Prime Minister’s office in the West Bank fell ill today after opening a letter containing an unknown substance, government and hospital officials said.

US soldiers took turns to rape Iraqi girl
Baghdad, August 7
A US military court heard graphic testimony today on how US soldiers took turns to hold down and rape a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and murdered her and her family. At the hearing into whether four US soldiers should be court-martialled, a special agent described what took place in Mahmudiya, based on an interview he conducted with Specialist James Barker, one of the accused.

‘Peace Mom’ resumes protest against Bush
Washington, August 7
Cindy Sheehan, nicknamed “the Peace Mom”, has resumed her protest against the Iraq war, in front of President Bush’s Crawford ranch where he is vacationing a year after her first such protest.

Talks on verge of collapse: Nepal Maoists
Kathmandu, August 7
A senior Communist rebel leader warned today that peace talks with Nepal’s government were on the verge of collapse which could prompt a fresh revolution by the insurgents.

40 villagers die in Israeli air raid

Beirut/Jerusalem, August 7
More than 40 villagers were killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon, Lebanese Prime Minister said today as Tel Aviv vowed to intensify its offensive a day after suffering the heaviest casualty in cross-border rocket attacks by Hezbollah.

In a tearful appeal, Prime Minister Fuad Siniora asked for an immediate end to the violence that began almost four weeks ago, while announcing that Israeli raids had killed over 40 persons in a “deliberate massacre” in the southern village of Hula.

But ceasefire talks were bogged down in the United Nations and fighting continued unabated, with Britain and France saying that they were working hard on passing a resolution in the Security Council on a way out to resolve the crisis.

Mr Siniora requested Arab foreign ministers attending a crisis meting in Beirut to help seek an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and fought back tears while pleading that Lebanon should not be allowed to become an “arena for conflicts whatever the justification”.

Earlier, Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and Lebanon’s southern and eastern regions, killing at least 15 persons. Five civilians were also killed in two successive Israeli air raids on three buildings in the southern port city of Tyre.

Today also Hezbollah claimed to have killed four Israeli soldiers in heavy ground fighting in Houla. But the Israeli army said only three were moderately wounded. One Israeli soldier was killed and four were wounded in Bint Jbail, where five Hezbollah gunmen were killed, it said.

Meanwhile, an Israeli air strike hit the last crossing over Lebanon’s Litani river today, cutting off the main artery for aid to the southern port of Tyre and nearby hard-hit areas, a humanitarian group said.

Mr Christopher Stokes, director of operations for Medecins San Frontieres (MSF), said the bombing of a makeshift bridge had blocked a convoy of food, medical aid and fuel to Tyre. — PTI, Reuters

UN resolution against Lebanon: Iran

Teheran, August 7
Iran today dismissed a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to fighting between Hizbollah guerrillas and Israel as a “political operation against Lebanon.”

The draft, sponsored by permanent council members France and the US is “one-sided and another operation against Lebanon,” Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said at a conference.

He was speaking as Arab foreign ministers arrived in Beirut to discuss amendments to the resolution proposed by Lebanon designed to secure the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from its territory once hostilities end.

Addressing a seminar on “Global and regional outcomes of the Zionist regime’s aggression,” Mottaki also criticised the French-US text for depicting Lebanon as the initiator of the crisis.

Referring to Israel, he said: “As long as this regime exists with world powers’ support ... the region and the world will not see peace.”

More than 1,000 Lebanese civilians have been killed since July 12 when Israel launched its offensive against Lebanon following the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hizbollah.— AFP

Letter scare at Palestinian PMO

Ramallah(West Bank), August 7
Seven persons in the Palestinian Prime Minister’s office in the West Bank fell ill today after opening a letter containing an unknown substance, government and hospital officials said.

The envelope, postmarked Tel Aviv, was addressed to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a leader of the militant Hamas movement based in the Gaza Strip, Deputy Prime Minister Naser al-Shaer told a news conference.

Several people lost consciousness after the envelope, containing tissue paper, was opened, he said.

“The Prime Minister has formed a committee to investigate and medical labs are checking the substance,” Mr Shaer said. Hospital officials said seven persons were admitted for treatment.

“They said they inhaled gas after opening an envelope,” said a doctor, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to journalists. “They have breathing difficulties and eye and nose irritation,” he added. — Reuters

US soldiers took turns to rape Iraqi girl

Baghdad, August 7
A US military court heard graphic testimony today on how US soldiers took turns to hold down and rape a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and murdered her and her family. At the hearing into whether four US soldiers should be court-martialled, a special agent described what took place in Mahmudiya, based on an interview he conducted with Specialist James Barker, one of the accused.

The case, the fifth involving serious crimes being investigated by the US military in Iraq, has outraged Iraqis and led Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to call for a review of foreign troops' immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law.

Special Agent Benjamin Bierce recalled how Barker described to him how he went into the living room of a house and held the hands of the teenage girl while Sergeant Paul Cortez either raped her or attempted to rape her.

Barker then switched positions with Cortez and attempted to rape the girl but said he was not sure if he had done so, Bierce told the hearing.

He also said he was told shots were heard from the bedroom and shortly afterwards Private Steven Green emerged from the room, put down his AK-47 assault rifle, then raped the girl while Cortez held her down.

Bierce said Barker told him that Green then picked up the weapon and shot her once, paused, and then shot her several more times.

If court-martialled and found guilty, the four could face the death penalty. —Reuters

‘Peace Mom’ resumes protest against Bush

Washington, August 7
Cindy Sheehan, nicknamed “the Peace Mom”, has resumed her protest against the Iraq war, in front of President Bush’s Crawford ranch where he is vacationing a year after her first such protest.

Last year, thousands flocked to join her, reinvigorating the nation’s peace movement. Yesterday, under the scorching sun in Texas, Ms Sheehan joined by more than 50 demonstrators, again marched a mile and a half toward Bush’s ranch, stopping at a roadblock. As Secret Service agents stood silently, Ms Sheehan held up her California driver’s licence and said she wanted to meet the President.

She told the officers that she now lived in Crawford since she had recently bought land there to set up her protest shop.

Ms Sheehan, originally from Berkeley, California, simply said in her protest speech, ‘’My name is Cindy and Bush killed my son.’’

The group then chanted, ‘’This is what democracy looks like! This is what democracy sounds like!’’and a few people sang ‘’This Land Is Your Land’’, while standing near the roadblock before returning to the protest site.

White House spokesman Tony Snow made it clear that neither Mr Bush nor his staff planned to meet Ms Sheehan. According to him, she had not raised any issue that could be brought up for discussion at the level of a personal meeting with Mr Bush.

Earlier yesterday, about 50 protesters attended an inter-faith service on Sunday on five acres that Gold Star Families for Peace recently bought with insurance money Ms Sheehan received after her oldest son, Casey, died in Iraq in 2004. — UNI

Talks on verge of collapse: Nepal Maoists

Kathmandu, August 7
A senior Communist rebel leader warned today that peace talks with Nepal’s government were on the verge of collapse which could prompt a fresh revolution by the insurgents.

“The peace talks have stalled at a very crucial and sensitive point, because there has been repeated violation of agreements by the government,” said Baburam Bhattarai, who is Maoist rebels’ second in command.

The peace process that began earlier this year between the government and rebels, aimed at bringing a permanent end to a decade-old conflict, has stalled in recent weeks. — AP