Japan fisherman killed by Russia BBC News
A Japanese fisherman has been shot dead by a Russian patrol boat near a chain of disputed islands, the first fatality in 50 years, media reports said. Japan's foreign ministry demanded the release of three other fishermen who were detained by the Russian boat. Russia expressed regret but said the boat had entered its territory and said such breaches should not happen again. Both sides claim the four islands, which Russia calls the southern Kurils and Japan the Northern Territories. The dispute has stopped the two nations signing a peace treaty to end WWII. The islands were seized by the Soviet Union at the end of the war in 1945. Russia has said it will hand over some of the islands to Japan, but Tokyo insists all four should be returned.

Rare shooting
The Russian patrol boat opened fire on the Japanese vessel after it was found in Russian waters and refused to stop, according to Russian media. The Russian coast guard insisted that the vessel defied several orders to stop and made dangerous manoeuvres, according to the Itar-Tass news agency. The boat and its three remaining crew have now been taken to one of the disputed islands. The BBC's Chris Hogg, in Tokyo, says fishing disputes are common in the area, and Russian border patrols often try to capture Japanese fishermen. But the last time a Japanese citizen was shot dead by a Soviet vessel was nearly 50 years ago.

Somalia's Islamists deny advance BBC News
The Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) has denied reports that it has captured a port on Somalia's central coastline. Eyewitnesses in Hobyo town said earlier that heavily armed UIC militiamen moved in at dawn without any fighting. But Islamist leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys told the BBC that neither he nor his fighters had entered the town. The Islamists have taken control of most of central and southern Somalia since seizing the capital in June after defeating an alliance of warlords. Attempts to get the transitional government and Islamic courts to go to Sudan for peace talks have so far failed.

'Welcome'
The town of Hobyo is close to the autonomous Puntland region, whose administration is hostile to the Islamic courts. It has warned its population against supporting the Islamist advance. The BBC's Somalia service editor, Yusuf Garaad Omar, says the town does not have an existing Islamic court, but it is likely that the UIC has supporters in the town. According to reports on the Somali Shabeelle website, the Islamist militia travelled on armed pick-ups into Hobyo at dawn. "We did not capture it but we reached the people of Hobyo to bring them our message of peace," an Islamic officer who wanted to remain anonymous told AFP news agency. "First, the Islamist army technicals surrounded the town, then they sent an envoy to negotiate, before their entry was accepted," local leader Hussein Jimale told Reuters news agency. But these reports were denied by Mr Aweys on the phone to the BBC Somali service.

Defections
At the weekend the UIC took control of Harardhere and Eldher ports - both of which have been used as a base for piracy. The internationally recognised interim government controls only the central town of Baidoa, but is supported by Ethiopia, which says it will intervene if Baidoa is attacked. The Islamists also claimed some 100 government fighters defected on Wednesday to Burhakba from Baidoa with seven armed pick-up trucks. Interim President Abdullahi Yusuf is from Puntland and is a long-time ally of Ethiopia. His prime minister, Ali Mohammed Ghedi, has said the government will now participate in peace talks, after earlier being reluctant to enter dialogue with the UIC, a stance that led to mass resignations from his government. But the UIC refuse to go to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, for talks unless all Ethiopian troops leave Somali soil - though Ethiopia denies any of its troops are in Somalia. A visiting Kenyan delegation recently urged the UIC to avoid any escalation of hostilities in Somalia and take part in talks. Somalia has had no effective central government since the ousting of dictator Siad Barre in 1991.

Crisis
Meanwhile, a United Nations agency has warned that a severe humanitarian crisis could erupt this year in Somalia, where insecurity could compound crop failures and livestock deaths during drought - with the central and southern areas worst hit. The UN's Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU) said some 1.8m Somalis remain dependent on assistance but warned that the number could double if fears of widespread conflict are realised. It said supplies of aid and imported food stuffs were compromised by violence and could be reduced to a trickle by large-scale fighting.

Russian patrol boat fires on Japan boat, one dead:

A Japanese fisherman died after a Russian border patrol boat fired on a fishing boat, apparently the first fatality in 50 years in a dispute over northern waters, Japan Coast Guard officials said on Wednesday.
http://tinyurl.com/fs6ku


The price of crude can only rise while supplies dwindle worldwide :

Crude oil has reached a point where the skeptics of yore have become the proselytes of tomorrow, readying the world when crude tops $100 per barrel. That day is not far away though few saw it coming.
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/htm...00608160018.asp


Is Saudi supply pushing its limit? :

Some energy analysts now warn that the fabled oil bounty no longer may be reliable — a development that, if true, would have sobering implications for the world economy.
http://tinyurl.com/gf8k8

Mexico poll protests turn violent :

Mexican riot police fired tear gas and used clubs to break up a protest by supporters of left-wing presidential challenger Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4793271.stm


Mexican Electoral Fraud Wins Round One :

The fraud uncovered so far showed the preliminary vote totals were manipulated to allow PAN candidate Felipe Calderon to be the winner.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14574.htm


Cuban Exiles Wage War of Terror:

Anti-Castro terrorists based in Florida have carried out thousands of attacks against civilians, often with the full knowledge and support of the U.S. government.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14583.htm


New Castro video broadcast:

An alert but tired-looking Mr Castro, who was in his bed at a hospital in Havana, with his younger brother, Raul, and the visiting Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez. Windows Media.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14571.htm


U.S. competes with Cuba, Venezuela for influence in Latin America:

Cuba and Venezuela, officials say, make up a perilous "axis" out to subvert democracies in Latin America, threaten U.S. interests in the hemisphere and provoke mischief in the United Nations and elsewhere.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14570.htm


Venezuela's Chavez to Travel to China to Sign Energy Agreements :

Chavez will sign agreements for 18 oil tankers worth $1.3 billion, as well as 24 oil-drilling rigs, Energy and Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said at a press conference today in Caracas.
http://tinyurl.com/kau7x


Terror suspects were inexperienced - Pakistan:

Top Pakistani intelligence agents said today the alleged terror suspects arrested last week over an alleged plot to blow up a number of planes crossing the Atlantic did not have had the experience to carry out the attack.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14587.htm


Contempt for democracy :

Most Britons, Muslim and non-Muslim, can see the link between Blair's policies and terrorism
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1844577,00.html

Lebanese army crosses key river BBC News
Lebanese troops have crossed the strategically important Litani river, moving into some areas of southern Lebanon for the first time in decades. France has confirmed it is ready to head an expanded international force working alongside the Lebanese army. But France and other UN contributors want their roles clearly defined, including any disarming of Hezbollah. Israel, meanwhile, says it has passed control of half of its positions in the south to the current UN force there. Dozens of Lebanese army trucks, armoured personnel carriers and jeeps crossed the Litani using temporary bridges set up to bypass bridges damaged by Israeli shelling. The vanguard crossed at 0600 local time (0300 GMT), to be greeted by residents cheering and waving. About 2,000 Lebanese troops are in the initial deployment, which will rise to the 15,000-strong force approved on Wednesday by the Lebanese cabinet, which includes two Hezbollah members.

Disarmament dilemma
Senior Hezbollah and other Lebanese figures have made it clear there is no question of the army disarming Hezbollah fighters. Italy's foreign minister also said Italian troops, preparing to join the international force, were not expecting to be involved in disarming the group. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has said that no weapons will be allowed outside the authority of the Lebanese state. But the BBC's Jon Leyne says there seems to be a tacit agreement for the fighters to hide their weapons and go underground. The disarmament question is sure to be high on the agenda of a UN troop contributors' meeting to be held in New York later on Thursday.

Handover
As the Israeli pullout continues, an Israeli military spokeswoman said the town of Marjayoun and its surrounding area were now in the hands of troops from Unifil, the 2,000-strong existing UN force. The spokeswoman said the handover would continue gradually but it was too early to say how soon Israeli troops would be able to pull out of Lebanon entirely. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said: "If it takes time until the international forces are organised, it takes time until Israel withdraws. This is the equation." French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has confirmed that France is ready to lead an expanded UN force in Lebanon but only with a clear mandate and sufficient resources. France's Le Monde newspaper said on Thursday that Ms Alliot-Marie was planning to send only a small, symbolic French force and that UN officials were trying to persuade her to send a far greater contingent. The expanded UN force's commander, Gen Alain Pellegrini, said he expected the first elements to start arriving early next week. "This Unifil will be very different from the previous one. The old Unifil is dead," he told AFP news agency.

Hard road home
Israeli aircraft have been dropping leaflets warning refugees to stay away from southern Lebanon. Despite these warnings, there has been a steady stream of displaced people heading home. The UN says around a quarter of a million have already returned but hundreds of thousands are still believed to be on the move. They face a tough journey with traffic jams and the threat of unexploded bombs, the BBC's Greg Morsbach reports. The UN found 200 cluster bombs near a hospital, in the village of Tebnin. Many of those who managed to escape days of heavy bombardment are now faced with rebuilding their villages and Hezbollah is offering assistance, our correspondent notes. In another sign of a return to normality, a commercial flight from Amman in Jordan arrived at Beirut airport on Thursday - the first since Israel bombed the runway on 13 July.

'Bomb error' kills Afghan police BBC News
At least 10 Afghan policemen have been killed by a bomb dropped from a US-led coalition aircraft in south-east Afghanistan, officials say. The US military said it was aware of the reports and that the matter was under investigation but it could not give any more details at present. Deputy chief of border police Gen Abdul Rahman said the incident happened in Tarwa in Paktika province on Thursday. US and Nato forces are fighting the Taleban, mainly in the south and east. The incident came on a day when gunmen kidnapped at least 15 people, including a doctor and nurses, in the southern province of Kandahar.

'Friendly fire'
Gen Rahman said the coalition aircraft mistakenly dropped a bomb on a two-vehicle border police patrol. The bodies of the dead had been brought back to Paktika's capital, Sharan, he said. A second Afghan official said two people were also injured in the incident. US military spokesman, Col Tom Collins, said an investigation had been launched. The US-led coalition has suffered a number of so-called "friendly fire" incidents since its forces ousted the Taleban regime in late 2001. In 2002, four Canadian soldiers were killed by a US bomb dropped when the men were taking part in a live-fire training exercise near Kandahar. Former American football player turned soldier Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire in 2004 when his patrol was hit by gunfire in Khost province. In October last year, US-led coalition troops killed four Afghan policemen after mistaking them for militants in Helmand province. Meanwhile, on Wednesday the coalition offered $90,000 (£48,000) in "family assistance, reconstruction and development projects" for a village in Kandahar province in which 16 civilians died in a battle between coalition forces and Taleban fighters.

Indonesia cuts Bali prison terms BBC News
At least 12 militants jailed in Indonesia over the 2002 Bali bombings have had their sentences reduced to mark independence day. It is an Indonesian tradition to reduce jail terms on public holidays, but the move sparked anger in Australia, where many Bali victims came from. But at least one Australian has benefited from the sentence reductions. Convicted drug-smuggler Schapelle Corby had her 20-year jail term cut by two months. Another drug smuggler, Renee Lawrence - one of the so-called Bali nine - is also likely to have a small sentence reduction.

'Good behaviour'
The 12 men convicted over the Bali attacks had their sentences cut by up to four months each. "They are entitled to remissions because they have behaved well," Bali's Kerobokan prison chief Ilham Djaya told Reuters news agency. The reductions mean that one man, Puryanto, has now been released. More than 30 people have been jailed for the 2002 Bali blasts, which have been blamed on the South East Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah. Those benefiting from Thursday's sentence reductions are thought to have played relatively minor roles in the bombings - such as sheltering the main suspects or helping to finance the attacks. Several people convicted of playing a more serious role in the attacks are serving life sentences, while three militants - Amrozi, Ali Gufron and Imam Samudra - are due to face the death penalty later this month.

'Painful'
There was anger in Australia, which lost 88 of its citizens in the attacks. David Stewart, whose son Anthony died in the bombing, spoke out at the reductions. "I want people to know that this is ridiculous, these short sentences," he said. A spokesman for Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said many people would find the news upsetting. "It is difficult for most Australians to comprehend that such prisoners have received reduced sentences," he said. "This is particularly painful for victims and their families."But granting remissions was a long-standing practice in Indonesia, he said. Under the Indonesian system, all prisoners are eligible for remission on independence day, so long as they have served at least six months of a sentence and they are not sentenced to either life in prison or death.

Manila pledges probe into deaths BBC News, Manila
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo says she plans to form a commission to probe political killings in the country. Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Mrs Arroyo was mulling a list of appointees to investigate killings of journalists and activists. The announcement comes amid international criticism of her administration's human rights record. On Wednesday, two more left-wing activists were killed in separate shootings by unidentified gunmen.

Warning
This week, Amnesty International released a report warning that the killings of activists in the Philippines could lead to spiralling violence. The report said the left-wing ideology of the victims and a climate of impunity showed the attacks were not an unconnected series of criminal murders but a politically-motivated pattern of killings. The government has intensified its campaign against the communist rebel group the New People's Army. Mrs Arroyo - who accuses the rebels of being involved in a coup plot in February - has ordered the military to crush the group within two years. Nearly 1,000 left-wing activists, community workers, lawyers and journalists have either gone missing or been murdered since Mrs Arroyo came to power in 2001, but she has denied police or military involvement in the killings. Earlier this month, Mrs Arroyo gave state prosecutors and police a 10-week deadline to solve the murders after she was criticised for failing to stop the attacks. But despite the government's promises and cash rewards, only a handful of the killings have been solved by police.
By Sarah Toms

'Cannibals' confess in Mozambique BBC News, Maputo
A husband and wife in Mozambique face multiple charges after confessing to exhuming corpses to eat the flesh and powdered bones, say police. They were arrested in the western village of Vanduzi last weekend in possession of human organs. In a confession, the couple said that eating human flesh strengthened their power to heal people, police say. Gorongosa district police say they are still investigating the case in an area where belief in witchcraft is strong. Gorongosa district police commander, Jose Cumbe, said that it was the first case of self-confessed cannibalism he had uncovered since he began working in Gorongosa two years ago. The husband, 50-year-old Neva Mafunga said he had been eating human flesh for more than 20 years, the police say. His 34-year-old wife, Nhanvura Faera, said she began eating human flesh on the orders of her husband.
By Jose Tembe

UN probes child prostitute ring BBC News
The United Nations is investigating allegations that some of its peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have used child prostitutes. It said there were reports that a child prostitution ring was operating in the east, close to a large concentration of UN troops and government soldiers. A UN probe last year found that peacekeepers in DR Congo had sexually abused girls as young as 13. Afterwards it banned its troops from having sex with locals. The investigation revealed that UN peacekeepers had used food and money to pay girls to have sex with them. There are some 17,000 peacekeepers serving with the UN mission in DR Congo (Monuc). It is the world's largest peacekeeping contingent charged with overseeing last month's elections, the results of which are due by this weekend. In the latest allegations from South Kivu province, the girls involved are reported to have said that most of their clients were government troops and civilians, but that they also included peacekeepers. "Monuc takes these allegations very seriously and has expressed extreme shock at the testimonies of the victims of this illegal activity," it said in a statement.

Hunt for Ethiopia flood survivors BBC News
Search and rescue teams are scouring flood waters in southern Ethiopia as bad weather continues to hamper a round-the-clock hunt for survivors. The number of deaths has risen to 364 after the Omo river and tributaries burst their banks - with fears the toll countrywide could now top 800. Local Ethiopian officials are appealing for assistance saying they cannot cope with the scale of the flooding. A southern relief official told the BBC that at least 6,000 were at risk. Disaster co-ordinator in the Omo region, Deftalgne Tessema, told the BBC's Network Africa programme that despite help from the federal government and the UN, so far just 14 motorboats were trying to evacuate people from islands cut off by the swollen waters. "The boats very small. We are trying our best," he said

Hunt
"The search and rescue teams have spent the night on the waters looking for survivors and bodies," Omo police chief Tegaye Mununhe told AFP news agency. "The search will continue day and night. We are now dispatching more boats with food, medicine, tents and health workers to evaluate the situation in places we have managed to reach," he said. Insp Daniel Gezahenge told AP news agency that the situation in the south was "getting out of control". There are fears of a deadly cholera outbreak. "We are preparing ourselves for up to 1,000 dead bodies from this flood alone. We need additional helicopters and boats for rescuing," he said. "There are dead bodies and animals in the water making the likelihood for a disease outbreak very high," Insp Daniel said. Flooding often hits low-lying parts of Ethiopia between June and September, when heavy showers fall on dry regions. But correspondents say the situation is much worse this year.

Disaster zone
In the far north, thousands of people in Tigray province are battling floods along the Tekezie river. In the eastern city of Dire Dawa, local and international agencies are still providing food and help to thousands of people and to communities further north along the Awash river. The national rescue services including the army and international agencies are said to be overstretched. The authorities in Dire Dawa have declared the area a disaster zone. There are 256 confirmed deaths from last week's flooding, but some 250 people are still missing and 10,000 were displaced. The UN's World Food Programme is distributing relief supplies there. Over the past two years flooding has afflicted several areas of eastern and southern Ethiopia, killing hundreds and displacing hundreds of thousands. Weather forecasters say heavier than usual rains are expected in the coming weeks across much of Ethiopia.

Lebanese army crosses key river BBC News
Lebanese troops have crossed the strategically important Litani river, moving into some areas of southern Lebanon for the first time in decades. The troops were warmly welcomed in southern villages, many of which were badly damaged in more than a month of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. France is to send 200 extra troops to bolster the UN force in the south. Israel says it has passed control of half of its positions there to the UN, which is set to enforce the ceasefire. Israel, Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have all pledged to uphold a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution requiring the withdrawal from southern Lebanon of Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. n expanded international force is to work alongside the Lebanese army in the south. But despite France's initial commitment, Paris is still debating whether to send significant numbers of troops, and, along with other likely UN contributors, wants its role in the region clearly defined. Lebanese officials have indicated they will not disarm Hezbollah, and the issue is likely to be high on the agenda at a UN meeting later on Thursday that will discuss the composition of the international force. Israel's foreign minister Tzipi Livni said on Thursday that the speed of its full withdrawal from Lebanon would depend on how quickly UN peacekeepers were deployed to the region.

'New start'
The Lebanese army headed south early on Thursday, dozens of vehicles crossing the Litani river using temporary bridges set up to bypass bridges damaged by Israeli shelling. The 2,000-strong initial Lebanese deployment is due to rise to 15,000, as agreed by the country's cabinet - which includes two Hezbollah ministers. People in the town of Marjayoun, scene of heavy fighting, waved Lebanese flags, threw rice and held an official ceremony to welcome the troops. "Today is a new beginning for us in south Lebanon. We'll need some time to feel safe but it's a great start," George Najm, 23, told the Associated Press news agency. Lebanese Brig Gen Charles Sheikhani hailed the deployment: "Since 1968 the army has not come here. This is our first time since then," he told AP. Palestinian guerrillas, an Israeli occupation and Hezbollah fighters have by turns dominated southern Lebanon in the past four decades.

Disarmament doubts
But there were few signs that the new reality in the south would lead to the disarmament of Hezbollah. UN Security Council resolution 1701 does not compel the group to disarm, deferring the question to a second stage of negotiations. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has said that the Lebanese army would have full authority the entire country, adding that there should be "no other apparent weapons except their weapons... no weapons outside the authority of the Lebanese state". The country's information minister said he foresaw no "confrontation" with the group, while Emile Lahoud, Lebanon's president, has praised Hezbollah and said it should not be disarmed. Italy's foreign minister also said Italian troops, preparing to join the international force, were not expecting to be involved in disarming the group. Israel government spokesman Mark Regev said the UN resolution called for the creation of a "Hezbollah-free zone" south of the Litani. But the BBC's Jon Leyne says there seems to be a tacit agreement for the fighters to hide their weapons and go underground.

Flights resume
As diplomatic manoeuvres continued at the UN and the military equation shifted on the ground, other parts of Lebanon began to emerge from the conflict. The first commercial flights in more than a month landed at Beirut's international, which was disabled early in the conflict. Two passenger flights from the Jordanian capital, Amman, landed at the airport, as well as a British aid flight. In the south, Israeli aircraft have been dropping leaflets warning refugees to stay away. Despite these warnings, there has been a steady stream of displaced people heading home. Officials from the World Food Programme said trucks carrying aid packages were heading into the worst-hit regions, such as Tyre, Sidon and the town of Bint Jbeil, near the Israeli border. Thousands of Lebanese returning home are finding their homes destroyed by bombing, as well as the threat of unexploded bombs.

Alert ahead of Congo poll result BBC News
Peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo are on high alert in case of unrest ahead of Sunday's scheduled provisional election results. Angola has confirmed sending extra troops to its border with DR Congo, but called it a routine security procedure. Partial results show President Joseph Kabila just below the 50% he needs to avoid a run-off with his nearest rival. Three TV stations have been suspended for 24 hours after broadcasting images that could incite violence. One is a state channel and another is owned by Mr Kabila's closest challenger - his vice president the former rebel, Jean-Pierre Bemba. According to the electoral commission site, with the votes of some 13m of the 25m registered voters votes counted, Joseph Kabila has 48.4% and Mr Bemba 16.2%. Diplomats say with so much at stake the mood is tense - fearing potential problems in the capital and Mbuji Mayi in particular. Many of the presidential candidates have complained of "massive irregularities" in the vote count. France's Foreign Ministry called on all Congolese political parties "to show responsibility and not to fan the flames of tension". Deputy spokesman Denis Simonneau also praised the presence of the 1,000-strong European Union and 17,000 United Nations troops in the DR Congo as "critical to allow the electoral process a peaceful conclusion". The 30 July polls are meant to put an end to a transition process established after five years of war that ended in 2003 and were the first democratic poll in 40 years.

Ivorian opposition meeting rebels BBC News
Leaders of rebel forces and the main opposition parties in Ivory Coast are meeting to try to agree on their response to possible election delays. New Forces leader Guillaume Soro, ex-PM Alassane Ouattara and ex-President Henri Konan Bedie are due to attend. On Monday, opposition parties rejected a plan by President Laurent Gbagbo to stay on if October's polls are delayed. The disarming of rebels and militias has still to begin and there are rows over the registering of voters. Last October, President Gbagbo had his mandate extended by a year by the United Nations as elections failed to take place. Some 10,000 French and UN peacekeepers monitor a buffer zone between the rebels who control the north and the government-held south. Smaller opposition parties are also expected to be represented at the talks in the eastern central town of Daoukro.

Indonesia cuts Bali prison terms BBC News
At least 12 militants jailed in Indonesia over the 2002 Bali bombings have had their sentences reduced to mark independence day. The reductions, of up to four months, were in sentences ranging from five to 16 years. The move sparked anger in Australia, where 88 of the 202 victims of the nightclub bombings came from. The reduction also benefited Australian drug-smuggler Schapelle Corby, who got a two-month cut in her 20-year term. Another Australian drug-smuggler, Renee Lawrence is also likely to have a small sentence reduction.

'Good behaviour'
The reductions in sentences for the 12 Bali bombers mean that one man, Puryanto, has now been released. "They are entitled to remissions because they have behaved well," Bali's Kerobokan prison chief Ilham Djaya told Reuters news agency. More than 30 people have been jailed for the 2002 Bali blasts, which have been blamed on the South-East Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah. Those benefiting from Thursday's sentence reductions are thought to have played relatively minor roles in the bombings - such as sheltering the main suspects or helping to finance the attacks. Several people convicted of playing a more serious role in the attacks are serving life sentences, while three militants - Amrozi, Ali Gufron and Imam Samudra - are due to face the death penalty later this month.

'Painful'
There was anger in Australia at the announcement. David Stewart, whose son Anthony died in the bombing, spoke out at the reductions. "I want people to know that this is ridiculous, these short sentences," he said. A spokesman for Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said many people would find the news upsetting. "It is difficult for most Australians to comprehend that such prisoners have received reduced sentences," he said. "This is particularly painful for victims and their families." But granting remissions was a long-standing practice in Indonesia, he said. Under the Indonesian system, all prisoners are eligible for remission on independence day, so long as they have served at least six months of a sentence and they are not sentenced to either life in prison or death.

Japanese PM to visit Central Asia BBC News
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is set to visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan at the end of August, the foreign ministry has announced. Mr Koizumi, who steps down at the end of September, will discuss security and energy issues. He is due to meet Uzbek President Islam Karimov, spurned internationally since a bloody crackdown in May 2005. Uzbek officials say 187 people died when troops shot a dangerous group of Islamic extremists in Andijan. But witnesses say soldiers fired on anti-government demonstrators and put the death toll much higher.

Energy ties
Mr Koizumi will leave for Kazakhstan, where he will meet President Nursultan Nazarbayev, on 28 August and then go to on to Uzbekistan. A foreign ministry spokesman said regional security issues and economic ties would be on the agenda. Energy ties are also likely to be discussed, with resource-poor Japan looking to ensure a stable supply of oil and gas. Japan may also be keen to build its influence in Central Asia to counteract China's increasing involvement there. Beijing has been boosting ties with the region through the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation - a China and Russia-dominated Central Asian security grouping. China is also a competitor for Central Asian energy resources. In December 2005, Kazakh oil began to flow into China through a new 1,000km-long (620-mile) oil pipeline. Mr Koizumi may face criticism for meeting the Uzbek president. European Union sanctions are still in place over Uzbekistan's refusal to allow an independent investigation into Andijan. But a recent visit by US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher earlier this month - the first visit by a senior US official since September 2005 - may indicate Western re-engagement with the Uzbek government. "Obviously the human rights issue will be touched on, as will democratisation," said a Japanese foreign ministry official, but he did not confirm whether the Andijan issue would be raised.

UN agrees Med oil spill plan BBC News
UN officials have drawn up an action plan to tackle a huge oil spill along the Lebanese and Syrian coastline.Experts estimate that the initial clear-up will cost 50m euros, with more funds required next year. The plan calls for immediate aerial surveys to assess the extent of the damage and a workforce of 300 people to tackle the worst-affected sites. The measures were agreed at a meeting in Greece attended by Lebanon, Syria, Greece, Turkey and the EU. The executive director of the environment programme at the United Nations, Achim Steiner, said it was a sad fact that the environment was a victim of the conflict. "Now the bombs have stopped and the guns have been silenced we have a chance to rapidly assess the true magnitude of the problem and finally mobilise the support for an oil clean-up and a restoration of the coastline," he said in a statement. "The experts are on standby and today the international community have agreed on an action plan. "I sincerely hope we have secured the financial backing to swiftly and comprehensively deliver on this promise to the Lebanese people, on this request to the UN for assistance from the Lebanese authorities."

Concerted effort
Up to 15,000 tonnes of oil poured into the Mediterranean Sea last month after Israeli forces bombed a power station.Marine experts were unable to visit the worst affected areas while the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continued, but Monday's ceasefire allowed them to begin on-the-ground assessments. Local environmental and conservation groups said that some of the oil had settled on the sea floor, threatening areas where tuna spawn. They also voiced concern that slicks on beaches would prevent young green turtles, an endangered species, from reaching the sea after they had hatched. The meeting in Piraeus, which was hosted by the Greek Maritime Minister Manolis Kefaloyannis, agreed on measures to tackle pollution affecting shorelines in Lebanon and Syria. Priorities include:

• Recovery of floating oil in ports, harbours and the most heavily polluted sites
• Testing of oil samples to see if they contain persistent organic pollutants, which are a potential risk to human health
• Protection of sensitive areas such as nesting sites for birds and turtles, World Heritage Sites and tourist locations

The talks were co-chaired by UN Environment Programme (Unep) executive director Achim Steiner and Efthimios Mitropoulos, secretary general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Mr Mitropoulos said the action plan set the stage for wide-ranging assistance needed by the Lebanese and Syrian authorities. "I sincerely hope that the damage to the environment is contained to the current level and that other Mediterranean Sea countries do not suffer as a result of the oil spill, also that we can all learn a lot from this tragic incident and take these lessons forward so we are better prepared in the future," he said. Computer models suggest that about 20% of the oil has probably evaporated, with almost 80% now on the coastline, and around 0.25%, or some 40 tonnes, remaining at sea. However, satellite images suggest that far larger amounts may remain afloat, with the potential to spread much further a field.

Secret police row grips Romania BBC News
Romania is in the grip of a political storm over the files of the Securitate, the former communist secret police. President Traian Basescu went on national TV on Wednesday to deny claims that he had worked for the Securitate. He also defended his decision to have the files opened, saying a failure to do so could jeopardise Romania's bid to join the European Union in 2007. A special commission is reviewing the Securitate files. Some politicians have been named as former collaborators. "I did not sign an agreement with the Securitate," Mr Basescu said, insisting that he had only written routine "travel reports" for his superiors when he worked as a ship's captain under communism. The communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena was overthrown in a bloody revolt in 1989, during which the couple were shot dead. Mr Basescu said it was vital for Romania to learn to what extent the Securitate had managed to survive and how much power it had now to influence political and economic decisions. He said "it would have been impossible to accept the idea of Romania joining the European Union with the Securitate archives untouched".

Plea for openness
Mr Basescu vowed to publish the file on himself. "Give me this file and I will make it public straight away," he said. Former President Emil Constantinescu and another politician, Dan Voiculescu, have accused Mr Basescu of having worked for the Securitate while he was a ship's captain. Six years ago Romania set up by law a special commission, the Council for Studying Securitate Archives (CNSAS), to review the millions of secret police documents. But it was only recently that the council started examining the past connections of prominent public figures. Last week Mona Musca, a member of parliament and former minister of culture, confessed publicly that she had collaborated with the Securitate since the 1970s. The media have not been spared the political scandal. A media organisation, the Civic Media Association, has called on journalists to declare publicly whether they had worked for the Securitate. And the Romanian newspaper Adevarul reports that many sports men and women were recruited by the Securitate. Former tennis star Ilie Nastase told Adevarul that "probably very many people co-operated". "All those who travelled abroad must be investigated. I know a category of such Securitate officers did exist, but I have no evidence," he said.

Political blackmail
On Basescu's orders, more than 1.3 million files have been handed over to the CNSAS since the beginning of the year. Previous administrations had kept them secret, saying their declassification would endanger national security. According to opinion polls, an overwhelming majority of Romanians support the opening of the archives. Romanian analysts say information from the dossiers has been used for political blackmail during the 17 years since the Ceausescu family's fall from power. "I believe we must see the system, because we are only just beginning to raise the curtain covering it," Mr Basescu said, urging Romanians not to get "distracted by games connected to people and party interests".

Israel launches Lebanon inquiry BBC News
Israel has set up a commission to investigate how the military campaign in Lebanon was conducted.The move was announced by the Defence Minister, Amir Peretz. The commission, to be headed by retired Israeli army chief Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, has been asked to produce an interim report within three weeks. Opposition politicians have called for an independent commission, not one appointed by Mr Peretz, into the army's handling of the conflict. The announcement follows days of strong criticism in Israel of Mr Peretz and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert about the way the conflict was pursued, and demands for an official inquiry. The chorus of disapproval has come from opposition politicians, the media and the public.

'Aims not met'
Several newspapers have published opinion polls suggesting that two-thirds of the Israeli public want a commission set up to examine why the Israeli military failed to defeat Hezbollah's guerrilla fighters. More than half those questioned thought that Mr Peretz should have resigned and that the military campaign should have continued. Throughout the military campaign against Lebanon that the twin aims of the war were the return of the captured Israeli soldiers, and the removal of Hezbollah's influence from southern Lebanon. Critics of Mr Olmert and Mr Peretz have said that neither of these aims has been achieved. Silvan Shalom, a senior member of the opposition Likud party and a former foreign minister, told the BBC that he believed the inquiry would be a waste of time. "I think that this inquiry committee is an internal one and it can't investigate or ask questions of the minister of defence himself because he appointed them," he said. "It should be an external inquiry commission that would investigate the performance and the preparations of the Israeli Defence Force for the war in Lebanon."

Indian PM stands by nuclear deal BBC News, Delhi
India will not accept any United States pressure to cap its atomic weapons programme, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has told parliament.Mr Singh was addressing concerns during a heated debate on a controversial nuclear energy deal with the US. Some in India fear Washington is trying to change the terms of the agreement which was signed last year. The deal gives India access to civilian nuclear technology in return for having its civilian nuclear sites inspected.

Energy needs
In a heated, often emotional, debate in the upper house of parliament that lasted several hours, Mr Singh strongly defended the nuclear agreement that he signed with President George W Bush last year.He said India would not accept any move by Washington that would impede its atomic weapons programme, nor would it allow any international scrutiny of its military facilities. But Mr Singh also argued that the deal was in India's interests. He said mass poverty could only be removed by a fast expanding economy, which in turn needed energy. And with the growing price of oil, nuclear energy was a cost effective way to bridge the gap between growing demand and supply. But Mr Singh faces opposition from both the left and the right. While the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party says the US Congress is trying to make changes that will cap India's nuclear weapons programme, the government's Communist allies fear it will mean that in exchange, Delhi will be forced to support controversial US foreign policies such as those on Iraq and Iran. The US House of Representatives has already passed the bill, which now has to be approved by the Senate next month.
By Sanjoy Majumder

Sri Lanka troops 'kill 75 rebels' BBC News
Sri Lankan troops have killed at least 75 Tamil Tiger rebels in an overnight offensive in northern Jaffna peninsula, the army says. Military spokesman Brig Atula Jayawardhane told the BBC the offensive took place near Killali lagoon. Fighting has been going on in the area for the past week. Officials say more than 100 soldiers have been killed. There has been no comment from the rebels and there are no figures available for any civilian casualties. In a separate incident, right-wing Buddhist monks clashed with anti-war protesters in the capital, Colombo. No one was injured.

Air raid controversy
Sri Lanka's undeclared war is being conducted on three fronts, with air raids, artillery strikes and mortar attacks. About 100,000 people have now been affected by three weeks of hostilities. The Jaffna peninsula, which is cut off from the rest of the country, has become the centre of the clashes. The latest fighting came after the rebels said 61 schoolgirls died on Monday when the air force bombed an alleged former orphanage. The government says it was a Tamil Tiger training camp. International truce monitors and United Nations officials visited the site in Mullaitivu district and said they had seen no sign of rebel activity there. They could not confirm the casualty figures, saying only that they had seen the bodies of 19 young people at a nearby hospital. Reports from Jaffna say there is a shortage of food and drinking water in the area. Aid agencies are trying to evacuate those who want to leave and get assistance to those who need it.

Life sentences for family killers BBC News
Two men found guilty of murdering three members of a family in a revenge shooting in north-west London have been jailed for life at the Old Bailey. Sisters Connie and Lorna Morrison and their stepfather Noel Patterson were shot dead in their flat last August. The jurors heard Rohan Chung, 30, and Michael Letts, 36, had taken revenge for being double crossed in a drugs deal with the women's brother, Morgan. Chung and Letts will serve a minimum of 40 years and 20 years respectively. Handing Chung three life sentences, Judge Gerald Gordon recommended that he should be deported after serving his sentence for the "truly appalling crimes".

Foot soldier
He told Chung, of South Norwood, south London: "In all probability you were not one of the killing actual gunmen but were the organiser. "The message must go out that this sort of wanton use of guns to kill will result in sentences so long that there will be little if any liberty at the end." The judge described Letts, of Stoke Newington, north London, as a "foot soldier" who may not have realised what was planned. After the verdict it emerged that Chung had been removed from the UK several times, including being deported to Jamaica in 2000 after being convicted of gun crime. He had also entered the UK on previous occasions using stolen Jamaican passports. Prosecutors said Letts had entered the UK on a student visa in 2002 and had leave to remain until next year. While refusing to comment on individual cases, a Home Office spokesman said it planned to "further strengthen our borders, backed by biometrics and tougher checks abroad, so that only those with permission can travel to the UK". The trial heard Morgan Morrison had been acting as a drugs mule for Chung, who had set up a business importing drugs from Jamaica to the UK. But when he disappeared after landing back in England, Chung flew into a rage and said Mr Morrison and his family would be killed for crossing him. Prosecutor Nicholas Hilliard said: "It looked as if Mr Morrison was going to rip Chung off and keep the drugs for himself." Letts had been on the same flight back to the UK as Mr Morrison and had confirmed his arrival back in the UK, the court heard. The court was told Connie, 27, Lorna, 34, and Mr Patterson, 62, had not been a threat to anybody. But all three were shot in the head in the flat on the Stonebridge estate in August 2005, in what the prosecution described as a "terrible crime". Lorna's eight-month-old son was found covered in blood and crawling around near the bodies 14 hours later. The remaining members of the family are still in hiding. Speaking after the trial, Det Insp Steve Horsley said: "These shootings have plunged gun crime to new depths of depravity.

'Evil men'
"I have never before come across a case where family members have been killed in revenge." Evelyn Williams, Connie and Lorna's mother who was working on the night of the murders, said in a statement she was extremely pleased with the verdict. "Noel, Lorna and Connie were wonderful and completely innocent people, murdered in cold blood," she said. "Lorna's eight-month-old baby was abandoned at the scene and will never know his mother. "Nothing can bring them back now, but it is a comfort to know these evil men will not be able to hurt any other innocent people."

Good news triggers oil price fall BBC News
Oil prices have fallen to their lowest level in nearly two months as the continuing ceasefire in Lebanon and healthy US stockpiles calmed markets. Traders said BP's decision to continue oil production from parts of its Prudhoe Bay field in Alaska had also triggered the price movement. Brent crude was trading down $1.06 at $71.77 a barrel while US light, sweet crude slid $1.69 to $70.20. Despite the drop, prices are still 14% higher for the year as a whole.

Strong inventories
A series of positive developments in recent days have boosted sentiment, which had previously been hit by the conflict in Lebanon, kidnappings of foreign oil workers in Nigeria and BP's problems. The troubles had sent Brent prices to a record high above $78 a barrel. On Wednesday, the US energy department reported higher-than-expected oil inventories of 331 million barrels. Stockpiles fell by 1.6 million barrels in the week ending 11 August but the reduction was less than expected given the closure of part of Prudhoe Bay, the largest oil field in the US, due to pipe corrosion. Inventories remain at almost their highest level since 1999. "Some of the factors and disruptions that helped drive us to very high levels have been resolved now," said Eoin O'Callaghan, an energy analyst at BNP Paribas. Potential problems remain just under the surface, however, with ongoing violence in the oil-rich Niger Delta and Iran's discussions with the United Nations over its nuclear ambitions reaching a delicate stage. Iran, Opec's second largest oil producer, has said it will respond by 22 August to a package of incentives designed to persuade it to stop enriching uranium.

GE Fleet Services Launches Web-Based European Fleet Management Solution Monitordaily.com
GE Commercial Finance, Fleet Services (UK) has launched a new service that enables fleet managers to review key aspects of fleet performance online, including areas such as vehicle inventory and cost information or termination forecast. GE's "iManage" integrates information from 11 different countries in eight languages. In as little as two minutes, customers can now access management reports either consolidated across Europe or by country that GE says previously would have taken weeks to compile, the company said. iManage also provides the means to drill down into the detail of information presented in the dashboard, allowing managers to identify specific problems and take the appropriate actions. The time frame of the dashboard information can be changed to cover the last one, two or three years, and the user can set target costs and inventory numbers with upper and lower control limits to enable him or her to see if their fleet is operating efficiently. Different access priorities can be defined within the application for different types of user, so fleet managers, HR managers, purchasing managers and financial managers can all see information that meets the needs of their particular department. iManage can be accessed through any web browser with a user name and password security check. It was developed with the help of GE's Customer Advisory Board. GE Commercial Finance Fleet Services leases or operates more than 1.2 million vehicles worldwide with 250,000 cars located in continental Europe and the UK, where it has a fleet of 54,000 vehicles.

UN plea for European peacekeepers BBC News
The UN has urged European countries to come forward to contribute more troops for the peacekeeping force in Lebanon.Deputy Secretary General Mark Malloch Brown thanked Asian nations for their firm commitment but added the force had to be "multinational" in character. The call came after Israel said it might be "inconceivable" to accept nations that denied its right to exist, such as Malaysia and Indonesia. A 15,000-strong UN force is planned to police the truce in southern Lebanon. Under the terms of the UN ceasefire resolution which ended the month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the expanded UN force should work alongside about 15,000 Lebanese troops to keep the peace.

'Prudent' force
Mr Malloch Brown said the commitment of troops by Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Nepal among others was "enormously helpful and a major contribution".But he added: "We want this force that we deploy to have a kind of multinational, multilateral character so that it enjoys the confidence of both sides." Mr Malloch Brown also tried to spell out the terms of the deployment after a number of countries called for clearer guidance on the exact nature of the mission. France, which had agreed to lead the force if its mandate concerns were addressed, said it would send only 200 extra troops immediately, far fewer than expected. French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie had said: "You can't send in men telling them: Look what's going on but you don't have the right to defend yourself or to shoot." Mr Malloch Brown said the new force would not be "offensive". "It's not going to go in there and attempt large-scale disarmament. Rather it is going to police the political agreement which triggers disarmament called for under the resolution," he said.Use of force would be "prudent" and only exercised if combatants forcefully resisted a demand to disarm, Mr Malloch Brown said. A 3,500-strong vanguard is planned to be in place in the next 10 days. European powers have so far been reluctant to sign up but Italy on Friday confirmed it was approving sending troops to Lebanon. Defence Minister Arturo Parisi said Italy could even "assume the responsibility of leading the operation". Germany has offered a maritime task force. The UK and the US say they will provide logistical support. US President George W Bush said on Friday he hoped France would send more troops, saying it had been sending out "different signals". Mr Malloch Brown's call came after Israeli UN envoy Dan Gillerman said it would be "difficult if not inconceivable" to accept nations that did not recognise its right to exist. Mr Gillerman said Israel would be "very happy" to accept troops from Muslim countries they have friendly relations with. "But to expect countries who don't even recognise Israel to guard Israel's safety I think would be a bit naive," he said. Malaysia said Israel should have no say in the make-up of the force.

Refugees return
After dark on Friday there were reports of heavy Israeli overflights in the Bekaa Valley, in eastern Lebanon. Lebanese media reported pilotless drones and fighters patrolling the skies, but there was no immediate confirmation of any offensive strikes. Earlier, Lebanese troops reached the southern border with Israel - a vehicle carrying a Lebanese flag made a symbolic pass a few metres from the border at Kfar Kila.Israel says it has now withdrawn from two-thirds of its positions in southern Lebanon, including the port city of Tyre and villages of Qana, Hadatha and Beit Yahoun. As Israel withdraws, Lebanon is slowly returning to normal. The UN says 400,000 people have returned to homes in the south and in the heavily bombed southern suburbs of Beirut. Hezbollah members in the suburbs have been handing out $12,000 (£6,300) to people who lost their homes in the bombings, some residents said. Residents who earlier signed for aid were handed stacks of bills from suitcases. Hezbollah has not said where the money came from but has pledged to help Lebanon's reconstruction. One recipient of $12,000, Ayman Jaber, told Reuters: "People already had faith in Hezbollah, this will strengthen their faith." But at his presidential retreat in Camp David, Mr Bush again condemned Hezbollah of "force of instability". "Sometimes it takes people awhile to come to the sober realisation of what forces create stability and what don't," he said.

Terror police find 'martyr tapes' BBC News
Police investigating an alleged plot to bring down airliners have found several martyrdom videos in the course of their searches, the BBC has learned. Unofficial police sources said the recordings - discovered on laptop computers - appear to have been made by some of the suspects being questioned. Scotland Yard has refused to comment on what officers are finding. Police are continuing to search woodland at High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire and 14 addresses. The Metropolitan Police, which is leading the inquiry, has said it has already completed searches of 36 business and residential sites. A total of 20 vehicles have also been searched.

'Routine' help
Meanwhile, it has emerged that every police force in the UK is now involved in the investigation. The 43 forces in England and Wales, eight in Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland have sent, or are sending, officers to assist. Hundreds are said to be involved with further officers on patrol at airports. A spokeswoman for the Association of Chief Police Officers said: "It's routine in a big investigation that ACPO coordinates mutual aid for forces. "All forces across the UK are providing officers to help with the operation by the Metropolitan Police." The alert began on 10 August after raids in London, High Wycombe and Birmingham. A district judge has granted anti-terror officers an extra seven days to question 21 of the 23 people being held, and an extra five days to question two. Under the 2006 Terrorism Act the maximum period someone suspected of terrorist activity can be held without charge is 28 days, subject to regular court approval. It is believed up to 17 people are being held in Pakistan over the alleged plot - with two British nationals of Pakistani descent among them. Scotland Yard officers have also flown to Pakistan to liaise with the authorities there over the questioning of Rashid Rauf, the only man who has so far been named by Pakistani authorities.

South Africa Aids policy attacked BBC News
The United Nations special envoy for Aids in Africa has closed a major conference on the disease with a sharp critique of South Africa's government. Speaking at the end of the week-long gathering in Toronto, Canada, Stephen Lewis said South Africa promoted a "lunatic fringe" attitude to HIV/Aids. Mr Lewis described the government as "obtuse, dilatory and negligent about rolling out treatment". A South African delegate reportedly hit back over Mr Lewis' comments. Health ministry official Sibani Mngadi told the AFP news agency that Mr Lewis had a "vendetta" against South Africa. Earlier another keynote speaker said South Africa's health minister should resign because she had minimised the role of anti-retroviral drugs. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has strongly defended her approach to fighting HIV and Aids, saying that building up the immune system is of critical importance. She said this week she wanted to give citizens choices, including traditional treatments like garlic, lemons and beetroots, instead of championing anti-retroviral drugs. South Africa's governing ANC party has said the government approach to the disease was "responsible and integrated".

Harsh words
The International Aids Conference began in Toronto earlier this week with high hopes. Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates made the opening remarks, and spoke optimistically of the potential of male circumcision and microbicides to reduce levels of HIV infection. Hours before Mr Lewis spoke on Friday, 44 activists from South Africa's main Aids lobby group were arrested while protesting against Ms Tshabalala-Msimang's policies. The lobby group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), had said it would announce plans on Friday "to make sure the health minister is sacked tomorrow". Mr Lewis, who says he is "persona non grata" in South Africa as a result of falling out with the health minister, criticised the arrest of the group's members. "It really is distressing when the coercive apparatus of the state is brought against the most principled members of society," he said.

'Pavlovian betrayal'
The BBC's Peter Greste, in Johannesburg, says Aids activists in South Africa will applaud Mr Lewis' comments. He pulled few punches in a speech that drew loud cheers from the Toronto audience. South Africa's Aids policy is "more worthy of a lunatic fringe than of a concerned and compassionate state," he said. He derided the government's policies as "wrong, immoral [and] indefensible". Up to 800 people a day die of Aids in South Africa, Mr Lewis said. "The government has a lot to atone for. I'm of the opinion that they can never achieve redemption." Mr Lewis also reserved some scorn for the G8 group of leading industrialised nations, who he said were undermining their own promises made at Gleneagles in 2005 to fight Aids, TB and malaria in Africa. Funds were running dangerously low, Mr Lewis said, accusing the G8 of a "Pavlovian betrayal" of poorer southern nations.

Plane diverted after bomb scare BBC News
A plane flying from London to Egypt has been diverted to the Italian airport of Brindisi because of a bomb scare. The 767 plane, operated by charter airline Excel, was flying from Gatwick to Hurghada, Egypt. Excel said that flight XLA5984 was diverted after a note saying there was a bomb on board was found. The plane was escorted by an Italian fighter jet and landed safely in Brindisi, to be met by emergency services and anti-terrorist officers. "The note was written on the back of a sick bag, which stated 'there's a bomb on this aircraft' and was passed among passengers before being handed to a member of cabin crew," said Excel. "The captain was advised and, as a precautionary measure, made the decision to divert into Brindisi."

Re-boarding
The pilot had landed at the Italian airport after contacting air traffic control in Zagreb, Croatia. The plane - with 269 passengers and nine crew - is currently being searched, but officials stood down the emergency. Excel said the passengers are in the terminal building and are expected to re-board the aircraft shortly to continue their journey. Richard Howson, a London lawyer on the flight, said the pilot announced over the tannoy there may be a bomb on board but that it was probably a hoax. "He handled it pretty well as he suggested it was most probably not a real scare," said Mr Howson. "I think that helped people stay calm." He said after leaving the plane, passengers were checked with metal detectors before being allowed into the airport terminal, where they were now being given pizza and bottled water. Matthew Masters, another passenger on the plane, said the pilot had made the announcement about two hours into the flight. Speaking to BBC News 24 from the terminal, Mr Masters said the reaction among passengers was "silence, a bit of uneasiness, just a bit of shock". The pilot then told passengers that they would be landing within 15 minutes. Mr Masters said there were fire engines around the plane. "Me and my girlfriend are very anxious. At least we're off the plane but we don't really feel like getting back on it."

'Crying children'
Fellow passenger Silvestro Auriemma said he translated between plane crew and Italian authorities. He was sitting near where the note - which said "there is a bomb on board" - was found. Generally he said it was calm on the plane, but "there were some children crying, and people were shaken up". "At that altitude, to hear that there's a bomb on board - it's not good," Mr Auriemma told News 24. Excel Airways is a UK charter passenger airline and provides mainly short-haul services to European and Middle Eastern leisure destinations. It operates out of London Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow, and the company is based in Crawley, West Sussex.

Aid plea after Sri Lanka clashes BBC News
Aid workers need urgent access to parts of northern and eastern Sri Lanka that have been cut off by recent fighting, the UN's refugee agency has said. Thousands of people are suffering from food and water shortages because of road blocks and fierce clashes. Sri Lankan officials opened access into the Tamil Tiger rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi for two hours on Friday. It was the first time since fighting erupted in the north a week ago that access to the area had been re-opened. The government allowed people and relief supplies to go in, but no-one was allowed to leave, the BBC's Dumeetha Luthra reports. North of Kilinochchi, the Jaffna peninsula remains cut off, she added. Intense fighting has been going on in northern Sri Lanka for the past week. The Sri Lankan authorities say at least 100 soldiers have died in the fighting. It is unclear how many rebels have died.

'Alarming' shortages
The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva said the key access road to the northern Jaffna peninsula through a rebel-held district was closed. "We call on the Sri Lankan government and the rebel Tamil Tigers to urgently allow access for humanitarian aid workers so vital supplies can reach those in need," said UNHCR spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis. Food and water supplies had fallen to "alarmingly low levels" in many areas, the agency said. The Sri Lankan government's most senior representatives in government-held parts of Jaffna and Kilinochchi have told officials in the capital, Colombo, that there are severe food shortages. They have requested that at least 5,000 tons of essential food items be sent to each area immediately. Sivanathan Kishore, an MP of the Tamil National Alliance party, confirmed the reports of shortages. "Normally, 75 to 80 lorries go through this area. Now, because of the closure of the road, the food situation will definitely worsen in Vavuniya" in northern Sri Lanka, Mr Kishore told the BBC. The government in Colombo has said it is sending 80 tons of aid to the Jaffna peninsula. The aid will leave Colombo by boat on Saturday and take 55 hours to reach Jaffna, government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told the Associated Press news agency.

Isolated civilians
Sri Lanka's undeclared war is being conducted on three fronts, with air raids, artillery strikes and mortar attacks. About 100,000 people have now been affected by three weeks of hostilities. The Jaffna peninsula has become the centre of the clashes. Some 500,000 civilians in the area are living under a government-imposed 22-hour curfew. Meanwhile, the Tamil Tigers on Friday gave the names of 51 schoolchildren they claim were killed in an air force bombing of an orphanage in rebel-held territory. The rebels said 51 out of 55 people killed in Monday's air raid were children. They had earlier said that 61 schoolgirls died in the bombing. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy. The government has said it targeted a Tamil Tiger training camp in the attack and has denied killing any children.

'Early transfer' in JonBenet case BBC News
Thailand hopes to deport a suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey murder to the US as early as this weekend, officials say. John Mark Karr, 41, says he was with the child beauty queen when she died, but insists her death was an accident. The six-year-old was beaten and strangled in her Colorado home 10 years ago. The US district attorney investigating the case has warned against speculation about the possible guilt of Mr Karr. "John Mark Karr is presumed innocent," Mary Lacy said, adding that the public must not "jump to conclusions". Officials at one school in Thailand have said Mr Karr was asked to leave after a two-week trial because his discipline methods were too tough. "John Karr came to us with a good resume and with credentials, but then we allowed him a trial with students - we found he was too strict," said an official at the Bangkok Christian College. Just before his arrest, Mr Karr had started work in another Bangkok international school. Thai authorities have called for tougher background checks for employees at international schools, the AFP news agency reported on Friday. Reviews of qualifications and stricter enforcement of visa regulations were among the tougher screening measures that would be introduced, said Jakrapob Penkair, deputy secretary to the prime minister. "Currently most of the teachers in international schools are illegally working on tourist visas," he said. "So to prevent such incidents in the future, we must take pro-active measures."

Wife's denial
Mr Karr was arrested at an apartment in Bangkok. Paraded briefly before reporters on Thursday, Mr Karr, when asked if he killed JonBenet, said: "No, I did not. It was an accident." Mr Karr's ex-wife has since insisted he was with her during the period that the murder happened. JonBenet's family have fought for years to clear their names of persistent accusations of involvement in the death of their daughter. Her mother, Patsy - who died of cancer this year - had called police on 26 December 1996 to say JonBenet was missing and that there was a ransom note demanding $118,000. After an initial police search of the home, officers asked her father, John Ramsey, to look again and he found JonBenet's body in the basement.

Annan pleads for Lebanon troops BBC News
UN chief Kofi Annan has made a strong plea to member states to provide troops for a peacekeeping force in Lebanon. A week after a UN ceasefire resolution was passed, Mr Annan said the situation on the ground was still "fragile". He urged Israel immediately to lift its air and sea blockade on Lebanon so aid could be delivered quickly. The ceasefire has largely held, but Lebanese military sources said Israel staged a raid in the Bekaa Valley on Saturday. Israel has not commented. Reports on Hezbollah's TV station say Israeli commandos were flown into the area, some 100km (60 miles) north of the Israeli border, but were repulsed by Hezbollah fighters. Israeli missile strikes in the area were also reported. If the reports are confirmed, they will constitute the first major incident between the two sides since the UN-brokered ceasefire came into effect on Monday.

European call
As efforts continue to build a UN peace force, senior officials have urged Europe to pledge more troops. Israel has said it may be "inconceivable" to accept nations that denied its right to exist, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, as part of the planned 15,000-strong force for south Lebanon. While thanking Asian nations for their firm commitment, UN Deputy Secretary General Mark Malloch Brown said the force had to be "multilateral" in character. Two senior UN envoys, Vijay Nambiar and Terje Roed-Larsen, have arrived in Beirut for talks on how the UN-brokered truce is being implemented. When the UN Security Council agreed the ceasefire resolution last week, Mr Annan promised to report back on progress within seven days. His update is cautiously positive, the BBC's Mike Sergeant reports from UN headquarters in New York. Mr Annan says only a handful of violations of the ceasefire have been observed and he praises what he describes as "the constructive efforts" of both the Lebanese and Israeli armies in upholding their obligations. But he warns that the overall situation remains "fragile" and he strongly appeals to member-states to provide emergency reinforcements for the UN peacekeeping operation. The UN has been struggling to persuade Europeans to provide the bulk of an initial deployment of 3,500 troops to go in by 2 September, our correspondent says. France has agreed to lead the force but its immediate pledge of only 200 extra troops is far smaller than expected. French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has stressed that the troops must have clear rules of engagement. Mr Malloch Brown said the expanded UN force in Lebanon would not be "offensive", nor would it be asked to "attempt large-scale disarmament". "Rather it is going to police the political agreement which triggers disarmament called for under the resolution," he said.

Refugees return
Lebanese troops have reached the southern border with Israel - a vehicle carrying a Lebanese flag made a symbolic pass a few metres from the border at Kfar Kila. The UN says 400,000 people have returned to homes in the south and in the heavily bombed southern suburbs of Beirut. Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has praised what he called the victory of Hezbollah against Israel in a televised address to the nation. He said he saluted Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah "who willed this victory to be a victory for all Lebanese and all the Arab peoples". At his presidential retreat in Camp David, President George W Bush again condemned Hezbollah as a "force of instability". "Sometimes it takes people awhile to come to the sober realisation of what forces create stability and what don't," he said.

Italy rescues immigrants at sea BBC News
Italy has mounted a rescue mission after a boat thought to be carrying as many as 100 illegal immigrants sank off the coast of the island of Lampedusa. An Italian navy ship spotted the vessel before it began to list, and was able to rescue around 70 people. Coast guard vessels and helicopters later joined the operation, but the bodies of at least seven people have so far been recovered. Lampedusa, one of Italy's southernmost islands, is a magnet for migrants. Many Africans attempt the journey, often on overcrowded and unsafe boats. The boat which sank is said to have been about 10m (33ft) long. The Italian interior ministry said 178 boats with a total of 10,414 people on board arrived on Lampedusa between 1 January 1 and 31 July 31 this year, compared with 6,901 illegal immigrants during the same period in 2005, according to news agency AFP. Up to 17 illegal immigrants, believed to be from Africa, were reported missing off the coast of Malta after their boat sank on 26 July.

UN warns of growing Darfur crisis BBC News
The United Nations has said it is "extraordinarily concerned" about the situation in Sudan's Darfur region. Discussions have been taking place at the UN in New York about sending a major peacekeeping force there. UN Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown said "something very ugly was brewing" and the humanitarian and security situation was deteriorating. Britain and the US have introduced a UN draft resolution authorising deployment of at least 17,000 UN peacekeepers. With the attention of the world focused on the situation in Lebanon, UN officials are anxious not to lose sight of the on-going violence in Darfur, the BBC's Mike Sergeant reports from the UN in New York. Sudan's government and the pro-government Arab militias are accused of war crimes against the region's black African population, although the UN has stopped short of calling it genocide. More than 2m Sudanese have fled their homes and tens of thousands have been killed in the three-year conflict.

Reservations
The new troops would reinforce an African Union presence already there. "We are extremely worried about the deterioration in the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur and the absence of a clear political path to the deployment of the UN force," Mr Malloch Brown said. US state department spokesman Tom Casey said the Sudanese government had both a need and an obligation to accept a UN force. The British officials who drew up the resolution say they hope it can be adopted by the Security Council within a month, to enable troops to be deployed in January. But there are big problems, our correspondent says. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has said he does not want UN troops in Sudan. Russia and China have some reservations and there is the question of who would supply troops, with UN peacekeeping operations looking increasingly stretched, our correspondent in New York notes.

Israelis detain Hamas deputy PM BBC News
Israeli forces have seized Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser al-Shaer in a raid on his home in the West Bank town of Ramallah.He was held when troops burst into the house early on Saturday, his wife said. The Israeli military confirmed the detention of Mr Shaer, who is a senior member of the governing Hamas movement, which does not recognise Israel. Israel has detained about 30 MPs and a third of the cabinet since the capture of an Israeli soldier in June. Mr Shaer's wife added that he had been in hiding since Israel began its crackdown in late June. He was rarely home during that period, she said. An unnamed Israeli army spokesman quoted by AFP news agency said the detention was "part of our fight against the radical Hamas movement".

'Sorry, madame'
According to the detained man's wife, "several" jeeps circled the house before dawn after which troops came to the door. An officer told her after checking their identity documents: "Sorry madame, but your husband has to come with us". "He let him first say goodbye to our four children," she told Reuters news agency. Israel's crackdown has largely focused on the Gaza Strip, Hamas's stronghold, but politicians from the Islamist movement have also been detained in the West Bank. Its position is that Hamas is a terrorist organisation and its leaders are therefore "targets for arrest".

France urges clear mandate for UN force Reuters.uk
French President Jacques Chirac has spoken with leaders from several countries to stress the need for a clearer mandate for an enlarged United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, his office said on Saturday. The diplomatic offensive, partly to explain Paris's decision to send only 200 additional troops to bolster the existing U.N. force (UNIFIL) to help cement a ceasefire, came on the same day that about 50 French peacekeepers arrived in south Lebanon, with more due to leave France on Sunday. Chirac spoke by telephone on Saturday with Italy's Romano Prodi, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, as well as Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan. The president "insisted on the vital need for balance in the composition of the force, which should reflect the commitment of the whole international community and in particular of European countries", Chirac's office said in a statement. Chirac also spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday on the same subject, "underlining the need to make clear very rapidly the missions, the rules of engagement, the chain of command and the reinforced UNIFIL's means", his office said. The United Nations and the United States had hoped France would form the backbone of the expanded U.N. force and have been disappointed by the number of extra troops that France has been willing to commit so far. Chirac has left open the possibility that Paris will send more troops to UNIFIL, which is eventually expected to be a 15,000-strong force capable of policing the peace between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas that followed a month-long war.
French to Bolster Lebanon Peacekeepers Washington Post
As Lebanon mourns, troops move in Newsday
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Judge Finds NSA Program Unconstitutional Washington Post
A federal judge decision's to strike down President Bush's warrantless surveillance program was the first ruling over its legality, but surely not the last. US District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit ruled Thursday that the program violated the rights to free speech and privacy, as well as the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution. The administration said it would appeal to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. "We're going to do everything we can do in the courts to allow this program to continue," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said at a news conference in Washington. Taylor was the first judge to rule on the legality of the National Security Agency's program, which the White House says is a key tool for fighting terrorism that has already stopped attacks. "Plaintiffs have prevailed, and the public interest is clear, in this matter. It is the upholding of our Constitution," Taylor wrote in her 43-page opinion. White House press secretary Tony Snow said the Bush administration "couldn't disagree more with this ruling." He said the program carefully targets communications of suspected terrorists and "has helped stop terrorist attacks and saved American lives." Taylor ordered an immediate halt to the program, but the government said it would ask for a stay of that order pending appeal. The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the suit, said it would oppose a stay but agreed to delay enforcement of the injunction until Taylor hears arguments Sept. 7. The ACLU filed the lawsuit in January on behalf of journalists, scholars and lawyers who say the program has made it difficult for them to do their jobs. They believe many of their overseas contacts are likely targets of the program, which monitors international phone calls and e-mails to or from the U.S. involving people the government suspects have terrorist links. The ACLU says the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which set up a secret court to grant warrants for such surveillance, gave the government enough tools to monitor suspected terrorists. The government argued the NSA program is well within the president's authority but said proving that would require revealing state secrets. The ACLU said the state-secrets argument was irrelevant because the Bush administration already had publicly revealed enough information about the program for Taylor to rule. The administration has decried leaks that led to a New York Times report about the existence of the program last year. Taylor, a Carter appointee, said the government appeared to argue that the program is beyond judicial scrutiny. "It was never the intent of the framers to give the president such unfettered control, particularly where his actions blatantly disregard the parameters clearly enumerated in the Bill of Rights," she wrote. "The three separate branches of government were developed as a check and balance for one another." ACLU executive director Anthony Romero called Taylor's opinion "another nail in the coffin in the Bush administration's legal strategy in the war on terror." While siding with the ACLU on the surveillance issue, Taylor dismissed a separate claim by the group over NSA data-mining of phone records. She said not enough had been publicly revealed about that program to support the claim and further litigation would jeopardize state secrets.
By SARAH KARUSH. DETROIT
Judge voids NSA eavesdropping The Register-Guard
Bush rejects wiretap ruling Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription)
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Israeli commando raid alarms UN BBC News
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has expressed deep concern over Saturday's Israeli commando raid deep inside Lebanon, calling it a truce violation.Lebanon has said it may halt its army deployment in the south - a key element of the ceasefire plan. The Bekaa Valley early on Saturday left one Israeli dead. Hezbollah denies reports it lost three militants. Israel said it was trying to disrupt weapons supplies from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah, and insisted the truce held.Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is reported to have defended the raid during a telephone conversation with Mr Annan. He is facing growing criticism in Israel for not having achieved one of his key objectives at the beginning of the conflict - the disarmament of Hezbollah, the BBC's Bethany Bell reports from Jerusalem. Meanwhile, an Israeli commission of inquiry into the way the military campaign in Lebanon was handled begins its work on Sunday.

'Fragile calm'
The raid centred on the village of Bodai, west of the city of Baalbek, some 100km (60 miles) north of the Israeli border. It is the most serious incident since the UN-brokered truce came into effect on Monday. "The secretary general is deeply concerned about a violation by the Israeli side of the cessation of hostilities," a spokesman for Mr Annan said on the UN website. Such violations "endanger the fragile calm", the statement said. It also called on "all parties to respect strictly the arms embargo".

Threat to ceasefire
Lebanon's Prime Minister, Fouad Siniora, called the raid a "naked violation" of the six-day-old UN truce. His Defence Minister, Elias al-Murr, said that if the UN failed to give "clear answers" in response to the raid he "might be forced to ask the cabinet early next week to halt the army deployment in the south". The BBC's Nick Childs in Beirut correspondent says the UN's main concern is that the incident both highlights the urgent need for UN reinforcements and will put off potential troop contributors, because it projects an image of insecurity. Fifty French military engineers arrived in the Lebanese port of Naqoura on Saturday, the first soldiers to bolster the UN peacekeeping force. They are among 200 extra troops promised by France, as the UN struggles to build its expanded force. The UN wants 3,500 troops on the ground by the end of August, to be increased later to 15,000. It says it is disappointed with the French contribution and wants other European nations to offer more help too. Lebanon will be the focus of emergency talks between Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on Sunday. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallim will not attend, Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV reported.

Heavy fighting
Blood and bandages at the scene of the Israeli raid were evidence of the haste with which the Israelis had to treat their wounded, the BBC's Jon Leyne reports. Local people said the Israelis came down from the hills in two jeeps and drove across a cornfield. The troops then battled Hezbollah forces for more than two hours before being flown out by helicopter while fighter jets provided cover, the villagers said. There is speculation locally that the Israelis may have been trying to capture a senior Hezbollah figure who lives in the village. One Israeli officer was killed and two other officers were wounded in what unnamed Israeli military sources quoted by Haaretz newspaper said was a fierce battle: "We had great luck that the operation didn't result in 10 fatalities from the force." Lebanese sources earlier told Reuters agency that three militants had died in the incident but Hezbollah has denied the reports.

'Specific information'
Israel insisted it had not breached the ceasefire. "We had specific information of arms transfers taking place and we acted to prevent that violation, so that violation is not from the Israeli side - we were responding to a violation of the resolution by Hezbollah," said Israeli spokesman Mark Regev. Israel has said it will continue to carry out such actions until an expanded international military force is in place to prevent Hezbollah's rearmament. The UN resolution which stopped the conflict said Israel should end all offensive military action and Hezbollah should end all attacks. It also called for a halt to all unauthorised arms deliveries to Lebanon.

Dozens of Taleban fighters killed BBC News
Dozens of Taleban fighters have been killed in clashes with police and Nato-led forces in south Afghanistan, local officials have said. At least 70 Taleban militants were killed after attacking a bazaar in Panjwayi district, southern Kandahar, late on Saturday, local police said. However the death toll has not been independently confirmed. The fighting comes a day after four Nato troops and an Afghan soldier were killed in clashes in two areas. Afghanistan is going through a bloody period of violence, the worst since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Much of the fighting has been concentrated in the south.

Mounting violence
In the latest incident, Nato aircraft were called in to attack Taleban fighters in support of police, Afghan army troops and Nato soldiers. The bodies of the dead Taleban are reported to have been found in three locations, scattered through orchards alongside their weapons. "So far, we've recovered the bodies of 72 Taliban," district governor Neyaz Mohammad Sarhadi was quoted by news agency AP. A report quoting a purported Taleban spokesman said just 12 militants were killed and 8 hurt in the clashes. Four Afghan policemen are also said to have been killed in the fighting. But the Nato spokesman in Kabul described the operation as a significant success. He added that Nato forces fighting alongside Afghan soldiers and police had inflicted a great deal of damage on the insurgents. The International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), under the umbrella of Nato, has taken over responsibility for security in the southern provinces. But they have faced considerable resistance as they push out into district towns that were previously Taleban strongholds, the BBC's Roland Buerk in Kabul reports. The latest violence came as the country celebrated 87 years of independence from Britain, which never fully colonised the nation but controlled its foreign affairs for years until 1919.

South Korean flood aid for North BBC News
South Korea has pledged 100,000 tons of rice and construction material to flood-ravaged North Korea.The pledge comes on top of a 20bn won (US$20m) donation that the South's government and civic groups have promised to their communist neighbour. "It is a separate case from annual aid to the North," Vice Minister of Unification Shin Eon-sang said during a news conference. North Korea was hit by torrential rains and high winds last month. Pyongyang had originally declined an offer of aid from the Red Cross in South Korea, but asked for help to recover from mid-July's storms.

'Hundreds dead'
The agreement came after meetings on Saturday at a hotel in a tourist resort on North Korea's east coast. "We are grateful the South Korean government has decided to help us, although it is also having difficulties due to flood damage in the south," a North Korean delegate was quoted as saying by South Korean news agency Yonhap. A South Korean aid group reported the storms left 58,000 people dead or missing, the AP news agency reported. The North has admitted hundreds died, but has not given specific numbers, AP said. Sunday's promise of aid comes amid mounting tensions on the Korean peninsula over the communist North's missile programme and fears the secretive state may be preparing for an underground nuclear bomb test. Recent missile tests prompted the United Nations Security Council to condemn the North and ban UN member states from supplying missile technology. US television network ABC said there were signs of a possible upcoming nuclear test, but on Friday South Korea said there was clear evidence of an impending test, AP said. The BBC's Kevin Kim, in Soeul, says the rice shipment agreed this weekend is only 20% of what North Korea had requested in earlier talks, but officials in Seoul hope it could help improve increasingly soured relations.

Chavez opponent rallies followers BBC News
The main opposition candidate in Venezuela, Manuel Rosales, has registered his candidacy for December's presidential election. He led thousands of his supporters on a march through Caracas to the headquarters of the electoral council to formalise his candidacy. Mr Rosales is the governor of the oil-rich Zulia state in west Venezuela. The Venezuelan opposition has proclaimed him its sole candidate to stand against President Hugo Chavez. For many in Venezuela, Mr Rosales represents their only realistic hope of seeing President Hugo Chavez removed from office anytime soon.

Promise of change
Addressing thousands of his supporters outside the National Electoral Council in Caracas, the 54-year-old state governor dared them to imagine another kind of Venezuela. It was possible to bring about change, he said, if people came out and fought for a modern society. He said he represented neither US imperialism nor support for "the bearded one", a reference to President Chavez's close ally, Fidel Castro of Cuba. The opposition in Venezuela, so often fractured and discordant, is making a concerted effort to unite. Earlier this month, the other main opposition candidates stepped aside to allow Mr Rosales to be crowned their "sole candidate". There are still a number of independent candidates in the race.

Challenges ahead
But opponents of President Chavez see in Mr Rosales something they have lacked for some time: a clear leader around whom they can mobilise their efforts. Nevertheless, he faces a difficult campaign. Opinion polls suggest that President Chavez has an unassailable lead. It is also unclear whether Mr Rosales can transfer his local popularity in the state of Zulia, where he has been governor for over 10 years, to the national stage. And many say his policies - which include using the country's oil-wealth to set up a debit card system of state benefits for the poor - are reminiscent of the populist style of President Chavez, precisely the kind of politics that many are trying to get away from.
By Will Grant

Protests at Nepal fuel price hike BBC News, Kathmandu
Shops are closed and vehicles are off the roads in Nepal's capital Kathmandu, as angry protests against steep fuel price rises continue for a second day.Price hikes of up to 35% were announced on Friday but the government minister concerned has hinted that there may now be some reductions. These are crippling price rises hitting one of Asia's poorest countries. The basic retail cost of petrol has gone up by 25% at once, and by much more in some rural areas. The price of paraffin, the commonest cooking fuel, has risen by a similar amount and that of diesel by 11%.

Barricades
Protestors, most of them young and some shouting support for the Maoist rebels, have been out in the streets and the city is now littered with burning tyres and road barricades. Early on Sunday, which is usually a normal working day, all shops appear to be closed and the few cars which ventured out early on soon vanished from the streets. On Saturday, protestors blocked all routes into and out of the city and attacked or burnt dozens of vehicles and buildings including petrol stations. The government says price rises are necessary because of the debts the state oil corporation owes to its Indian counterpart but the minister for supplies has also accused the petroleum dealers' association of making the hikes too steep. He says some marginal reductions will soon be announced.
By Charles Haviland

US names spy operations 'manager' for Cuba, Venezuela: ;

The United States has named a special "manager" for its intelligence operations against Cuba and Venezuela, in effect putting the two Latin American nations on a par with "axis of evil" states confronted on multiple levels by the administration of President George W Bush.
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1048118&CatID=9


Chavez: Venezuela Captured 4 U.S Spies :

President Hugo Chavez said Friday that Venezuela has caught four people spying for the U.S. government and has turned them over to the Americans.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/stor...6025171,00.html


Tape revives Mexican conspiracy theory:

Recording backs losing presidential candidate's claim of plot against him
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/4127685.html


Bolivia's nationalisation plans in trouble :

The government remains eager to make sure the country's poor benefit from the nation's natural resources. But the government has also admitted setbacks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4801233.stm


Death fall link to 'CIA kidnap' :

Rome Prosecutors suspect that the apparent suicide of Italia Telecom’s head of security is linked to his helping police to investigate whether members of the Italian secret service colluded with CIA agents in the abduction in Milan of a man accused of terrorism.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2282531,00.html


Two Strange Deaths in European Wiretapping Scandal:

European investigators are tracking the mysterious deaths of two security experts who had uncovered extensive spyware in their telecommunications firms
http://www.alternet.org/story/40485


In case you missed it:

Wiretapping Found at French, German, UK EU Offices :

The countries targeted were France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Spain and Austria, the officials said.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0319-09.htm


Fact or fiction?: '

Zawahiri kin behind UK terror plot':

A son-in-law of Al-Qaeda number two Ayman Al-Zawahiri is believed to be the mastermind of the terrorist plot to blow up US-bound flights from UK, according to Pakistani intelligence sources.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/2006/Aug/19/...01302420000.htm

Scores die in Egypt train crash BBC News
More than 50 people have been killed and at least 138 injured in Egypt after two trains packed with commuters collided in the morning rush-hour.A railway official said one train ploughed into the other which had stopped just outside the station in Qalyoub, 20 km (12 miles) from Cairo. Carriages were derailed and overturned, and one train was set ablaze. It is Egypt's deadliest rail accident since 2002 when a fire broke out on a train, killing more than 370 people. Casualty figures from Monday's collision varied widely, with some reports speaking of up to 80 dead. The health minister, Hatem al-Gabali, told Egyptian television 51 people had died and 138 people had been injured.

Desperate warning
The trains were both travelling from the Nile Delta south towards Cairo, crowded with many passengers on their usual commute to work in the capital. An investigation into what happened is now under way but reports suggest one of the trains failed to heed a stop signal outside Qalyoub train station.The train rammed into the back of the other which had stopped on the line, causing carriages to overturn and catch fire. One witness told Reuters news agency how bystanders had tried to warn the driver of the stationary train that another train was bearing down on him. "We kept saying 'Driver, driver, a train is coming' so the (train) driver moved... and while he was moving, the two trains impacted." The trains were travelling from the towns of Mansurah, 130km (80 miles) away and Benha, 50km (30 miles) from the capital and were on the same line. "I was in the train from Benha which had stopped for five minutes. Suddenly we felt something like an earthquake, we jumped out the windows and we saw fire at the back of the train," one passenger told the AFP news agency.

Blood donations
The collision, which happened at about 0745 (0445 GMT), woke local residents and brought people rushing to the tracks to help."A loud crash woke me from sleep. One of the trains had derailed and people were scattered on the floor. I called the authorities and they told me I was crazy," Osama Abdul Haleem told Reuters. More than 20 ambulances went to the scene, while hundreds of anxious people converged on Qalyoub seeking news of relatives. Security forces formed a cordon to keep the crowds at bay while officials used loudhailers to appeal for blood donations. Egypt has a poor record of train safety with several fatal accidents each year. The transport minister, who took office a few months ago, has previously said that the Egypt's railways need massive investment in rolling stock and signalling equipment, the BBC's Heba Saleh reports from Cairo. The worst crash by far happened in 2002 when a fire on a train travelling south from Cairo left 373 people dead. Officials said a gas stove being used by a passenger on board the packed train started the fire.

Pakistan anger over cricket chaos BBC News
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has reportedly entered the debate over the controversial final cricket Test match with England. He called captain Inzamam-ul-Haq to back the team after Pakistan was deemed to have forfeited the match in London on Sunday, Pakistani media reported. Pakistan refused to resume play after the team was accused by umpires of tampering with the ball. The accusation has provoked widespread anger in Pakistan. Mr Musharraf is also reported to have said Australian umpire Darrell Hair had insulted Pakistan. It was the first time in 129 years, and 1,814 matches, that a Test had been conceded by forfeit. Many of the cricket-loving country's morning newspapers led with the story on their front-page. In a newspaper article, the former Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan said the team was right to criticise the umpiring decision, but said if he had been the captain "my prime objective would have been to squash England and win a handsome victory". Mr Hair, a veteran umpire who is known for his no-nonsense style, has long been unpopular with South Asian fans, correspondents say.

Protests
In 1995 he accused Sri Lankan bowler Muttiah Muralitharan of using an illegal bowling action. And last November, the 53-year-old umpire upset Pakistan by ruling that Inzamam-ul-Haq had been run out by a throw from England bowler Stephen Harmison back to the wicket-keeper during the Faisalabad Test, even though the batsman appeared to be taking evasive action. Before The Oval Test, Pakistan had objected to him standing in the series finale. The match descended into chaos halfway through the fourth day, as the game was heading towards an exciting conclusion. Mr Hair and fellow umpire Billy Doctrove ruled that Pakistan had tampered with the ball - one of the most serious transgressions in cricket as it can give the bowling side an advantage. Five penalty runs were awarded to England. The Pakistani side refused to come out of their dressing room after tea in protest at the umpires' ruling. When they later made a U-turn and came back out, the umpires refused to return to the field of play. Officials spent several hours trying to find a resolution but the match was eventually awarded to England. Cricket's governing body, the ICC, is expected to make a further statement about the match on Monday.

DR Congo outcome forces run-off BBC News
A second round of voting will be needed in the Democratic Republic of Congo's landmark presidential poll after none of the candidates won 50% of the vote. Incumbent President Joseph Kabila took a 45% share, while his nearest rival Jean-Pierre Bemba won 20%. The pair are now set to face each other in a run-off on 29 October. Prior to the announcement, at least five people were killed in Kinshasa, when security forces loyal to Mr Kabila and Mr Bemba exchanged gunfire. The 30 July election was the first democratic poll to be held in the country since it gained independence in 1960. After the results were declared, Mr Kabila appeared on state TV, saying he had won a "great victory". "To all of you who have chosen me, I say thank you. Thanks for having placed me in first position for these elections," he said. Turn-out was about 70% of the 25m registered voters. The chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), Rev Appolinaire Malu-Malu, announced the results on state TV hours later than expected. According to BBC Africa correspondent Peter Greste, the delay was the result of the gun battle that broke out between the security forces and bodyguards protecting the vice-president and former rebel commander Mr Bemba. One Japanese citizen was among those killed, while at least five more people died in an accident caused by people trying to flee the scene, reports the BBC's Said Penda in Kinshasa. The security forces and the 17,000 UN peacekeepers in DR Congo are on alert in case of further unrest.

Tension eased?
However, some observers believe the second round could help stave off violence that may have greeted an outright win by Mr Kabila, particularly in the capital, Kinshasa, where Mr Bemba is hugely popular. "Tension would have been very high without a second round," a Western diplomat told AFP. Correspondents say the clashes in Kinshasa serve as a reminder of the fragile nature of DR Congo's peace following five years of conflict. Mr Bemba and other former rebel leaders retain their own personal security forces. Some of the 30 candidates eliminated in the first round had alleged widespread fraud even before the results were announced. On Sunday, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged all "candidates to abide by the electoral law in the resolution of any disputes related to the electoral process," and urged them to "accept and respect the final results of the elections, in a spirit of peace and reconciliation." The results show a regional division in DR Congo, a country two-thirds the size of western Europe. Mr Bemba won most votes in the west of the country, while Mr Kabila gained most support in the Swahili-speaking east. The first round of voting, involving 25 million voters, was the most expensive poll the UN had ever run, and a second round is also expected to be a costly and difficult exercise. Three TV stations have been suspended for 24 hours after broadcasting images that could incite violence. One is a state channel and another is owned by Mr Bemba. The polls are meant to put an end to a transition process established after five years of war that ended in 2003.

Ten dead in Moscow market blast BBC News
An explosion has killed 10 people - including at least two children - at a Moscow market, Russian officials say.At least 16 other people were injured in the blast at 1030 (0630 GMT) at the eastern Cherkizovsky market. It brought down a two-storey building. There are conflicting reports about the cause of the explosion. According to Moscow's First Deputy Mayor Vladimir Resin, a "makeshift explosive device" blew up. Earlier police blamed a faulty gas cylinder. Latest reports from Moscow police say a bomb had been hidden in a bag and left in a cafe. According to some witnesses, there were two explosions at the market.Gas cylinders are widely used at Moscow's markets for heating and cooking. "As far as I know, there was one explosion, but the way I see it, it was not an accident but a premeditated act," Mr Resin told Russia's Itar-Tass news agency. Rival criminal gangs in Moscow occasionally plant small bombs at markets. The Cherkizovsky market is used mostly by traders from China and the Far East or from former Soviet republics in Central Asia, Reuters news agency reports. It has numerous stalls offering a wide range of goods, including leather coats, electrical products and fast food. Chechen rebels or their supporters have also exploded bombs or taken hostages in Moscow, killing dozens of people, but the last such attack was more than a year ago.

Serbia blamed at war crimes trial BBC News
The UN chief prosecutor in The Hague has condemned Serbia's failure to hand over Gen Ratko Mladic as seven other Bosnian Serbs face the judges again."Mladic should be on trial for this case," Carla del Ponte said, presenting the prosecution case against the seven on trial for the Srebrenica massacre. It is the biggest joint trial yet over the 1995 massacre of Bosnian Muslims. About 8,000 men and boys sheltering in a UN-designated safe area were killed by Bosnian Serb troops.The seven Bosnian Serb army officials on trial are charged with genocide and war crimes. The accused men all deny the charges against them. As the trial resumed on Monday, Ms del Ponte said it was "inexcusable" that Serbia had not arrested Gen Mladic, accused of masterminding the massacre.

Srebrenica horror
Gen Mladic and the former Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic are the most wanted fugitives in connection with the Balkan wars of the 1990s.The men on trial include Ljubisa Beara, the former security chief of the Bosnian Serb army. "It is difficult, if not impossible to comprehend the horror inflicted on the inhabitants of the Srebrenica enclave," Ms del Ponte said. The trial is being seen as a significant step in judging the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II. The prosecution insisted on a joint trial to save time and to avoid witnesses giving repeated testimony. Last week, a forensic team finished exhuming the remains of more than 1,000 victims from the massacre, found in a single grave near the village of Kamenica in eastern Bosnia. Gen Mladic's deputy, Gen Radislav Krstic, is serving a 35-year prison term for his role in the massacre. Col Vidoje Blagojevic is appealing against his 18-year sentence for complicity in genocide.

Serbia blamed at war crimes trial BBC News
The UN chief prosecutor in The Hague has condemned Serbia's failure to hand over Gen Ratko Mladic as seven other Bosnian Serbs face the judges again."Mladic should be on trial for this case," Carla del Ponte said, presenting the prosecution case against the seven on trial for the Srebrenica massacre. It is the biggest joint trial yet over the 1995 massacre of Bosnian Muslims. About 8,000 men and boys sheltering in a UN-designated safe area were killed by Bosnian Serb troops.The seven Bosnian Serb army officials on trial are charged with genocide and war crimes. The accused men all deny the charges against them. As the trial resumed on Monday, Ms del Ponte said it was "inexcusable" that Serbia had not arrested Gen Mladic, accused of masterminding the massacre.

Srebrenica horror
Gen Mladic and the former Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic are the most wanted fugitives in connection with the Balkan wars of the 1990s.The men on trial include Ljubisa Beara, the former security chief of the Bosnian Serb army. "It is difficult, if not impossible to comprehend the horror inflicted on the inhabitants of the Srebrenica enclave," Ms del Ponte said. The trial is being seen as a significant step in judging the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II. The prosecution insisted on a joint trial to save time and to avoid witnesses giving repeated testimony. Last week, a forensic team finished exhuming the remains of more than 1,000 victims from the massacre, found in a single grave near the village of Kamenica in eastern Bosnia. Gen Mladic's deputy, Gen Radislav Krstic, is serving a 35-year prison term for his role in the massacre. Col Vidoje Blagojevic is appealing against his 18-year sentence for complicity in genocide.

Bali bombing executions postponed BBC News
The execution of three key militants behind the 2002 Bali bombings has been postponed. Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra were due to face a firing squad on Tuesday. The delay is due to the three men authorising their lawyers to file a last appeal, a spokesman for the attorney general told reporters. Defence lawyer Achmad Michdan also said the execution would not take place on Tuesday, telling the BBC: "We're definitely going to appeal." The 12 October 2002 nightclub bombings, in Bali's Kuta tourist district, killed 202 people, 88 of whom were Australian. More than 30 people have been jailed for the attacks, which have been blamed on the South-East Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah.

Appeal
Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra have been found guilty of major roles - and all three have already confessed to their involvement. But I Wayan Pasek Suarta, a spokesman for the attorney general, told the Associated Press on Monday: "We have to respect the rights of the convicts because they have informed us that they want to file a final appeal... so the execution cannot be carried out." The convicts' lawyers said last month that any appeal would argue that the men had been found guilty on the basis of retroactive legislation. "The criminal code stipulates that if there is any change in the law, then the law applied should be beneficial to the defendant," defence lawyer Muhammad Mahendradata told the Associated Press in July. Amrozi, dubbed the "smiling bomber" for his lack of remorse, has been found guilty of helping plan and carry out the attacks. Mukhlas (also known as Ali Gufron) is seen as the mastermind behind the attacks, while Imam Samudra has been described by police as the "field commander".

Lebanon sounds ceasefire warning BBC News
Lebanon's defence minister says anyone firing rockets at Israel from the south will be considered a traitor and be firmly dealt with by the army.Elias Murr's remarks are being seen as a warning to militias, but he also expressed confidence Hezbollah was committed to the UN-brokered truce. Mr Murr was speaking a day after an Israeli raid raised new concerns about the stability of the truce. But he did not repeat a warning about halting army deployments to the south. Meanwhile, Israel's military chief, Dan Halutz, has said that the conflict ended in an Israeli victory.

'Totally committed'
Mr Murr told a Beirut news conference that any ceasefire violation that would give Israel the justification to strike Lebanon would be "treated harshly"."It will be considered as direct collaboration with the Israeli enemy," Mr Murr said, adding that those responsible "will be tried and referred to a military tribunal". But he said Hezbollah was "totally committed" to the ceasefire, which came into effect on Monday to end a month of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants. Mr Murr's remarks seemed to carry two messages, says the BBC's Nick Childs in Beirut. Firstly, that the government was really concerned about the fragility of the ceasefire and secondly that the Lebanese authorities were fulfilling their truce obligations a day after the Israeli commando raid deep inside Lebanon. However, Mr Murr did not repeat an earlier Lebanese warning that it might halt the deployment of its army in the south in response to the Israeli raid.

Israeli 'victory'
Meanwhile, an Israeli panel of inquiry into the way the military campaign in Lebanon was handled has held its first meeting. Defence Minister Amir Peretz said Israel had to examine its failures.However on Sunday, military chief of staff Dan Halutz reportedly gave a positive assessment of the operations as he addressed a cabinet meeting. "Tallying up the points, it is definitely a victory, perhaps not a knockout, but in terms of achievements, it is [a victory]," Mr Halutz was quoted as saying by participants in the meeting. Arab League foreign ministers met in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the Lebanon conflict. Several promised funds to help Lebanon with reconstruction and some called for an urgent Arab League summit which Saudi Arabia has offered to host. The ministers also called on the UN Security Council to convene a meeting next month to consider an Arab initiative for a Middle East peace agreement based on a previous Arab proposal four years ago that was rejected by Israel. Syria was not represented at the meeting. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad angered some Arab governments last week when he criticised them for being too inadequate to defeat Israel in battle.

'Criminal act'
In Lebanon itself, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said the bloodshed and destruction caused by Israel during the month-long conflict amounted to a crime against humanity."This is a criminal act which reflects Israel's hatred to destroy Lebanon and its unity," he said during a visit to Beirut's heavily bombed southern suburbs. Also on Sunday, a contingent of 150 French soldiers sailed from the French port of Toulon, to join the 50 French soldiers who arrived in Lebanon a day earlier. The new contingent is to be deployed "close to the Israeli border," their commander, Colonel Christophe Issac, told AFP news agency. The UN force and the deployment of Lebanese government troops to the south of the country, where Hezbollah have been active, is one of the conditions of the ceasefire. The UN wants 3,500 troops on the ground by the end of August, to be increased later to 15,000. It says it is disappointed with the French contribution and wants other European nations to offer more help too. On Sunday France called for a European Union meeting next week to determine how member countries planned to support the UN force. "We ask that European solidarity is expressed as soon as possible about Lebanon," French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said. Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan expressed deep concern over Saturday's Israeli raid in the Bekaa Valley, calling it a ceasefire violation. Israel said it was trying to disrupt weapons supplies from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah, and insisted the truce held. The raid left one Israeli dead. Hezbollah denies reports it lost three militants.