PALESTINE : HAMAS TO STOP THE FIGHT?Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Youssef was successful in diplomatic mission meant to stop Hamas fighters from firing missiles against Israeli settlements close to the Gaza Strip.
"Factions, including Hamas, have agreed to stop rocket attacks," was the comment he released to the press.
On the other side Mushir al-Masri,a Hamas spokesman, was quoted,
[the agreement]"does not mean we will give up our right to defend ourselves by all possible means".
al-Jazeera
Il Romanaccio at 7:19 PM
ISRAEL : THE END OF THE TRUCE?Another attack was carried out by Hamas against a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip before dawn on Friday. the Palestinian resistance movement lost one of his fighter.
According to the Israeli military, three armed men penetrated the fortified complex, took over a house and opened fire both with light and anti-tank weapons.
Palestinian sources said that one of the fighters was killed and another wounded by the Israeli Defense Forces. While the third man has apparently run away, there are no reports of any Israeli casualty.
A Hamas spokesman, Mushir al-Masri, was quoted,
"Amid continued Zionist crimes, we find ourselves with no choice but to defend our people by all means available."
He received a straight answer from David Baker, a Sharon official,
"The Palestinian Authority allows these terrorists [Hamas fighters] to roam freely and strike at Israeli civilians within their communities ... Israel is ready to take appropriate steps to defend its citizens."
Al-Jazera reports,
"Since the signing of the Sharm al-Shaikh ceasefire agreement on 8 February, 23 Palestinians have been shot by Israeli soldiers - 11 of them children. No Israelis have been killed in the same period."
Is the truce seriously menaced? Will it last? and how long?
al-JazeeraHaaretz-DailyAlso in Blogger News Network
Il Romanaccio at 12:52 PM
PALESTINE : QASSAM MISSILES AGAINST ISRAELI SETTLEMENTSThe uncertain truce between Palestine and Israel was once again menaced on Thursday when Hamas fighters launched three Qassam rockets as well as seven mortar shells against Israeli settlements. Fortunately the rockets landed on an open ground without harming anyone.
Hamas has recently lost a fighter, because of this 31 mortar shells were fired toward Israel on Wednesday. In response another Palestinian fighter died when Jerusalem decided to use flying drones to bomb the mortar squads along the border with the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile three members of the Palestinian security forces were wounded during clashes on Wednesday.
"There is no doubt that Hamas participated in the incident in collaboration with activists from the Abu al-Rish Brigades in Khan Yunis," said a Palestinian Interior Ministry spokesman.
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Il Romanaccio at 3:01 PM
PALESTINE : TO VOTE AGAINA Palestinian court has declared as no valid some of the results of the election in Rafa, in the Gaza Strip, due to irregularities in voter registration lists. As a result a new poll will be prepared.
Hamas declared that they respect the decision of the court, but Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman said "The attempt to hurt Hamas, distort its image and ... accuse it of corruption is a very grave issue."
al-Jazeera
Il Romanaccio at 1:39 PM
IRAQ : TWO IRAQI POLICEMEN KILLED BY A CAR BOMBAccording to Ali Yusuf, a police captain, a car bomb has killed two Iraqi policemen near the Baiji oil refinery, on the road close to Siniya on Wednesday at about 3am (2300 GMT). The bomb was aiming at a US-Iraqi convoy. Other two Iraqis civillians were apparently killed by mortar attacks.
al-Jazeera
Il Romanaccio at 1:32 PM
IRAQ : IRANIAN AMBASSADOR IN IRAQIranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi has landed in Iraq on Tuesday, announcing that the his government is not going to interfere with the new Iraqi cabinet.
"Iraqis are in charge of their own affairs ... . Any interference would be an insult to the Iraqi people," he said.
"Iran is absolutely ready to cooperate with Iraq in all fields,
the economy as well as all other issues of common interest," he added.
Iraqi Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zerbari, declared himself optimiistic about the new politic course,
"I have no doubt this visit will open up significant new
horizons for cooperation between the two countries," he told the press.
al-Jazeera
Il Romanaccio at 8:05 PM
UZBEK : HOW MANY DEADS?There are contrasting elements about the real death toll of the Andijan massacre.
Prosecutor-General Rashid Kadyrov's has lowered by far the previosuly estimated number of 500 victims. He also added that, "Only terrorists were liquidated by government forces."
On the other side, Nigara Khidoyatova, the chief of the Free Peasants Party, said that about 540 people were killed in Andijan and 203 people in Pakhtabad.
al-Jazeera
Il Romanaccio at 7:58 PM
IRAQ : FIFTEEN BODIES OF EXECUTED MEN FOUNDThe corpses of fifteen men were found on Monday northeast of the capital.
Four Iraqi National Guards were also killed and four others wounded in Baquba.
Raja Nawaf, Iraq's Anbar province provincial governor kidnapped a week ago, was freed by a major US troops operation close to the Syrian border.
al-Jazeera
Il Romanaccio at 8:11 PM
KUWAIT : WOMEN ARE ALLOWED TO VOTEIn complimenting with all the women of his country, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah wanted to underline this historical event,
"I congratulate the women of Kuwait for having achieved their political rights,"
said the Prime Minister.
al-Jazeera
Il Romanaccio at 8:05 PM
IRAQ : RICE IN IRAQUS Secretary of State Coondoleeza Rice is in Iraq to talk with the local leaders and the American army.
"I've been looking forward for some time to an opportunity to get to Iraq," she told the press also adding, "The insurgency is very violent, but you defeat insurgencies not just militarily - in fact not especially militarily - you defeat them by having a political alternative that is strong."
al-Jazeera
Il Romanaccio at 5:12 PM
IRAQ : 34 MASSACRED BODIES FOUNDAccording to medical sources, the death bodies of at least 34 men were found killed by several bullets in their heads and with their throats cut. Thirteen of them were in Baghdad's Sadr City and mostly in their 20s. Other eleven corpses were found by the Iraqi police in the town of Iskandariyah.
"Police found 11 bodies in an agricultural zone close to Iskandariyah. All are of middle-aged men," -AFP, said a police official.
al-Jazeera
Il Romanaccio at 5:00 PM
