Tuesday May 13, 2008
Israel sets soldier's release as condition for Gaza truce
Israel appears to have raised the ante on Egypt's package for a ceasefire between Gaza and the Jewish state yesterday, sending home top Egyptian mediator Omar Suleiman with a new demand to pass on to Hamas: the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit. Meanwhile, violence between Gaza militants and Israel continued and a Qassam rocket killed an Israeli woman. From Print Edition, 13/05/08
Hezbollah demands Lebanon's PM resign
The Hezbollah-led opposition warned yesterday that Lebanon would continue to be racked by violence if Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's Western-backed government didn't agree to its demands and resign. Meanwhile, the Arab League sought to mediate the escalating crisis and a U.S. warship deployed toward the region, as heavy fighting continued for a sixth day. From Print Edition, 13/05/08
Shia bloc, al-Sadr group reach ceasefire deal
Iraq's main Shia political bloc and supporters of firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr signed a fragile ceasefire in Baghdad's Sadr City yesterday. The U.S. military has alleged that most Shia extremists fighting Iraqi and U.S. forces in the slum have splintered from Mr. al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, and that the cleric's level of influence on those rogue groups is unclear. From Print Edition, 13/05/08
U.S. urges Zimbabwe to allow election monitors
The United States pressed Zimbabwe yesterday to allow in large numbers of Western election monitors for a free and fair presidential runoff and said government attacks on the opposition must stop. From Print Edition, 13/05/08
Opposition leader arrested in Sudan's hunt for rebels
Sudan yesterday arrested Islamist opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi as it hunted Darfur rebels who again threatened to attack Khartoum and as sporadic gunfire reverberated around the capital.Two days after an unprecedented Darfur rebel attack on Khartoum, witnesses reported gunfire around the U.S. embassy and said the military was heavily deployed in the twin city of Omdurman. From Print Edition, 13/05/08
