A summary of news from around the region.
Trial of Israeli commander begins
JERUSALEM - The trial of an Israeli commander accused of emptying his weapon into a Palestinian schoolgirl to ensure she was dead opened on December 9 in a military court, a military source said. The officer, who has not been named, is charged with two counts of illegal use of a weapon, two counts of inappropriate behavior and exceeding his authority and one count of obstruction of justice.
Saudi teens lashed over graffiti
RIYADH - The Saudi authorities lashed two Saudi teenagers for writing graffiti in the streets in support of Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Security sources said on December 9 that two teenagers, ages 15 and 16, were arrested for writing graffiti in Namas in southern Saudi Arabia. They said the city's residents were surprised by the writings on the walls and alerted the authorities.
Abbas not bothered by Barghouti
BEIRUT - PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas said on December 8 that he was opposed to moves to pressure the jailed intifada leader Marwan Barghouti to drop his challenge in the January 9 Palestinian elections. "No candidacy bothers us," the Palestine Liberation Organization chairman told reporters after talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karameh. "Whoever registers to run as a candidate, whether it be Marwan Barghouti or anyone else, has the right."
Yemen seeks death for USS COLE attackers
SANAA - Yemen's public prosecutor on December 8 demanded the death sentence for two Islamist militants convicted over the October 2000 bombing of the US navy destroyer USS Cole that killed 17 US sailors. Chief suspect Abdel Rahim Al Nashiri, who is currently in US custody, and Jamal Mohammed Al Bedawi, 30, were both given the death penalty. Another four defendants were given jail sentences ranging from five to 10 years.
Parliament speaker pulls out
RAMALLAH - The acting speaker of parliament, Hassan Khreisheh, announced on December 8 that he was withdrawing from the January 9 elections for president of the Palestinian Authority, blaming his pullout on Israeli-imposed restrictions on him campaigning in the Gaza Strip. But members of parliament said that the Palestinian mini constitution forbids an acting speaker to run for election at the same time.
Arms found near Sudan border
KAMPALA - The Ugandan army said on December 6 that it had discovered a cache of arms near its border with Sudan, which were meant for rebels based in the Democratic Republic of Congo. "Apart from the rifles, the operation yielded seven land mines, seven grenades, a pistol, 19 magazines of bullets, seven empty magazines and 14 bullets," army spokesman Major Shaban Bantariza told AFP.
Eritrea denies helping rebels
ASMARA - Eritrea on December 6 denied links with rebels in Sudan's western Darfur region and strongly rejected the accusations made at the weekend by the semi-governmental Sudanese Media Center (SMC). "There are almost daily accusations against us but Eritrea has nothing to do with the Darfur rebels," foreign minister Ali Said's chief of staff Ahferom Berhane said. The SMC alleged that planes had transported weapons and ammunition donated by Eritrea to the Darfur rebels.
No money to withdraw from Iraq KIEV - Ukraine's defense minister said on December 6 that his country lacked the funds to withdraw its troops from Iraq despite a decision to do so by the country's parliament. Defense minister Alexander Kuzmuk said the withdrawal of Ukraine's 1,600 troops stationed in southern Iraq would cost $11 million. He stressed that parliament's vote three days earlier was nonbinding and that a final decision had to be made by the coalition forces themselves.
Kuwait orders corruption probe
KUWAIT CITY - Kuwait's parliament on December 6 ordered an investigation into allegations from two MPs that the emirate's deputy premier has squandered hundreds of millions of dollars of public funds. The charges were made during an eight-hour session in which Mohammed Daifallah Sharar was grilled. He has served in the cabinet for the last eight years. Sharar categorically denied the charges and challenged the MPs to prove their allegations.
Bombs explode in Istanbul
ISTANBUL - Two bombs exploded almost simultaneously in Istanbul on December 7, causing material damage but no casualties, the Anatolia news agency reported. The first explosion targeted a branch of the British-based bank HSBC, in Fatih district on the city's European side, blowing out some of the bank's windows. A second bomb, placed under a car parked in Bakirkoy, also in the city's European quarter, exploded shortly after.
US army arrests 10 Palestinians
BAGHDAD - US soldiers arrested 10 Palestinians during a search of the headquarters of the Palestinian Red Crescent and a sports club in Baghdad, a Palestinian diplomat said on December 7. A military statement said "several suspected senior level transnational terrorists, including key leaders, operatives and financiers" were captured in the operation on December 6. "This operation put a serious dent in the transnational terrorism in Baghdad," it added.
Orthodox Jews to get own credit card
JERUSALEM - Bank Leumi plans to offer a credit card for Orthodox Jews that does not work on the Sabbath. The new card will only be honored in businesses that are observant of the Jewish Sabbath, Ha'aretz reported on December 2. According to Meir Porush, a leading figure behind the project, more than 100,000 people have signed commitments not to shop at businesses that do not observe the Sabbath.
Former Shin Beth chief joins Labor
TEL AVIV - Former head of Israel's Shin Beth security service Ami Ayalon announced on December 6 that he was joining Israel's Labor party. Along with Palestinian academic Sari Nusseibeh, Ayalon is the chief architect of a plan known as "The People's Voice" which has gathered some 400,000 signatures from both Israelis and Palestinians. The plan rules out the right of Palestinian refugees to return to Israel but calls for a comprehensive Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories.
Poll: Abbas is a winner
RAMALLAH, WEST BANK - A poll published on December 6 projects Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Mahmoud Abbas the winner in the January 9 elections for president of the Palestinian Authority. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Public Opinion said Abbas would earn 39.8 percent of the vote, compared with 21.9 percent for jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti.
Lions kill Iran zoo caretaker
TEHRAN - Two lions mauled to death a stand-in caretaker at a zoo in the northern Iranian town of Amol before escaping from their cage and being shot, a fire department official said on December 4. "Their regular keeper was not around [that] night and a deaf guard had gone into the cage to feed the lions, who jumped on the poor man and ripped him up," Alireza Kamali said.
Iranian sailors drown in Gulf
TEHRAN - Ten Iranian sailors have drowned in the Gulf after their wooden cargo boat was caught in a storm, the state news agency IRNA reported on December 6. The boat was reportedly on its way from Dubai to the Iranian port of Khoramshahr, near the border with Iraq. One sailor was reported to have been rescued after 30 hours floating in the Gulf waters.
Khatami gets turbulent reception
TEHRAN - Iran's embattled reformist President Mohammad Khatami received a mixed reception from university students on December 6, winning some cheers but also a tirade of jeers for his record in office. In a difficult appearance to mark national students day, the beleaguered president even complained to students - once the main supporters of the reform movement - of being "humiliated and destroyed".
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