SKorea races to save 22 hostages

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A top South Korean envoy is headed to Afghanistan, scrambling to save 22 of his country's citizens held captive by Taliban kidnappers after the militants killed one hostage.

However, a local police chief said that the negotiations with the captors were difficult because their demands were unclear.
"One says, let's exchange them for my relative, the others say let's release the women, and yet another wants a deal for money," said Khwaja Mohammad Sidiqi, a local police chief in Qarabagh. "They have got problems among themselves."
On Wednesday, authorities found the bullet-riddled body of 42-year-old Bae Hyung-kyu in Qarabagh district of Ghazni province, where the South Koreans were abducted July 19. Church officials said he was killed on his birthday.
Bae was found with 10 bullet holes in his head, chest and stomach, said Abdul Rahman, a police officer. Another Afghan police official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation, said militants told him the hostage was sick and couldn't walk and was therefore shot.
Bae's mother, 68-year-old Lee Chang-suk, broke into tears as she watched the televised government announcement of her son's death.
"I never thought it possible," she said from her hometown on the southern island of Jeju, according to Yonhap news agency.
The kidnappers "will be held accountable for taking the life of a Korean citizen," Baek Jong-chun, South Korea's chief presidential secretary for security affairs, said in a statement before departing for Afghanistan to consult with top Afghan officials on how to secure the release of the remaining captives.
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After conflicting reports Wednesday from Western and Afghan officials that possibly eight of the other hostages had been released, South Korean presidential spokesman Chun Ho-sun said the 22 were still believed held but were not suffering from health problems.
Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a purported Taliban spokesman, said all 22 hostages were fine but claimed that Afghan authorities were not allowing South Korean officials to negotiate directly with the militants.
"Kabul officials asked us to give them more time," Ahmadi said, speaking by phone from an undisclosed location. "The Taliban are not asking for money. We just want to exchange our prisoners for Korean hostages ... When they release the Taliban we will release the hostages."
Chun said South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun had spoken with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai, but did not disclose the contents of their discussion.
Ghazni police chief Ali Shah Ahmadzai said that the Afghan negotiators were speaking with the Taliban over the phone, in a hope of securing the hostages release.
"We will not use force against the militants to free the hostages," he said. "The best way in this case is dialogue."
Ahmadzai said he was hopeful about reaching "some sort of deal for the release of six up to eight people" later Thursday, without giving an explanation for his optimism.
Chun said that both governments were cooperating and that an Afghan official had told South Korea earlier Thursday that Kabul intended to negotiate with the Taliban. He said Seoul was aware of the Taliban's current demands but declined to specify them.
Seoul also repeated its call that no rescue mission be launched that could endanger the captives further.
"We oppose military operations and there won't be military operations that we do not consent to," Chun said.
Marajudin Pathan, the governor of Ghazni province, said militants have given a list of eight Taliban prisoners who they want released in exchange for eight Koreans.
An Afghan official involved in the negotiations earlier said a large sum of money would be paid to free eight of the hostages. The official also spoke on condition he not be identified, citing the matter's sensitivity. No other officials would confirm this account.
Foreign governments are suspected to have paid for the release of hostages in Afghanistan in the past, but have either kept it quiet or denied it outright. The Taliban at one point demanded that 23 jailed militants be freed in exchange for the Koreans.
The South Koreans, including 18 women, were kidnapped while on a bus trip through Ghazni province on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, Afghanistan's main thoroughfare.
South Korea has banned its citizens from traveling to Afghanistan in the wake of the kidnappings. Seoul also asked Kabul not to issue visas to South Koreans and to block their entry into the country.
Because of a recent spike in kidnappings of foreigners -- including an attempt against a Danish citizen Wednesday -- Afghan police announced that foreigners were no longer allowed to leave the Afghan capital without their permission.

Thai Supreme Court to hear corruption case against Thaksin

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Thailand's Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to hear a corruption case against ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra over alleged wrongdoing in a land deal, in the top court's first case against the exiled former premier.

Thaksin, who has lived overseas since his government was toppled in a military coup last September, is charged with corruption, conflict of interest and dereliction of duty for personal gain in the case, involving a multimillion-dollar plot of land in central Bangkok.
"The Supreme Court political crime section accepts the case, and sets the first hearing for August 14," Thongloh Chomngam, chief of the nine judges, read from a prepared statement.
Thaksin's wife Pojamarn is also named in the case, and the court ordered them both to appear in court for the first hearing.
Noppadol Pattama, the lawyer and de-facto spokesman for Thaksin and his family, reiterated previous statements that Thaksin will not return to face trial.
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"I fear that my client will not get a fair trial because the judicial system in Thailand has been interfered with by some powerful groups, and I also fear for his safety," Noppadol told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
Thaksin, prime minister from 2001-2006, was ousted by the military after demonstrations calling for him to step down because of alleged corruption and abuse of power. Another controversial business deal by his family, the $1.9 billion sale last year of telecommunications company Shin Corp. to a Singapore state investment company, contributed to public discontent

London on alert after explosives discovery

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Security across London has been increased after police on Friday discovered two cars filled with explosives.
Meanwhile, police increased patrols across London in a hunt for what they said is a man seen running from one of the cars on Friday.
British officials said hundreds of people could have been killed if the devices in the cars had been set off.
The first car was discovered parked near Piccadilly Circus; the second was found about an hour later, less than a kilometer away near Trafalgar Square.
Scotland Yard authorities said they believed the two incidents were connected.
On Friday, London police said the second discovered car -- containing fuel, gas canisters and nails -- was "clearly linked" to the first explosives-packed car found outside a nightclub near Piccadilly Circus, Metropolitan Police said.
A "considerable" amount of fuel and gas canisters, along with a "substantial quantity of nails," was found in the blue Mercedes 280E, said Peter Clarke, Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner, said about the second car.
He called the discovery of the second bomb "troubling," but urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious behavior to authorities.
The second vehicle was ticketed about 2:30 a.m. Friday (9:30 p.m. Thursday ET), Clarke said. It was near Trafalgar Square, roughly a half-mile from where the first vehicle -- also a Mercedes -- had been found about an hour earlier. (Watch how the second car was armed )
About 3:30 a.m., Clarke said, the Mercedes was taken to an impound lot in Hyde Park. Security sources earlier told CNN that workers who towed it thought the car smelled of gasoline, and became suspicious because of the reports that gasoline was among the explosive materials found in the first vehicle.
Clarke said the second device, like the first, was "potentially viable" but was rendered safe by police explosives officers.
"These vehicles are clearly linked," he said.
The first car, a silver Mercedes-Benz sedan, was discovered about 1:30 a.m. when an ambulance crew called to treat an ill person noticed what appeared to be smoke inside the car and notified authorities, London police said.
The car was parked in front of the Tiger Tiger club, and the discovery prompted the closing of several streets until the vehicle was hauled off nine hours later.
"In the car, they found significant quantities of petrol together with a number of gas cylinders," Clarke said. He could not immediately say how much fuel was there.
"I can tell you it was in several large containers," Clarke said. "There were also a large number of nails in the vehicle."
He said explosives officers manually disabled "a potential means of detonation for the gas and the fuel in the vehicle," which preserved crucial forensic evidence for investigators.
A cell phone was found as part of the device in the silver car, according to security sources with knowledge of the investigation, although it was not immediately known what role the cell phone may have played in the device. The sources said the device was apparently set up to be remotely detonated.
Metropolitan Police Counterterrorism Command officers are reviewing closed-circuit security camera video to see if they can determine who parked the car there, Clarke said.
London has a long history of bomb attacks and alerts during decades of violence mounted by Northern Irish guerrilla groups. Lone attackers also have previously targeted the city's gay and immigrant communities. (Timeline of attacks)
Friday's incident came days ahead of the second anniversary of July 7, 2005, when four Islamic extremist suicide bombers killed 52 people on London's transport system in the deadliest strike on the city since World War II.
Witness Daniel Weir said he was walking home from work when he noticed police had cordoned off the area around the nightclub and a nearby vehicle.
He snapped several photos, including one that showed a canister labeled "patio gas." (See the photos)
Clarke said it was too early to determine if the smoke the ambulance crew saw was an indication that the car bomb had been activated but failed to explode.
While Clarke would not speculate that Tiger Tiger was the target, he said "some features of what's happened resonate with previous plots."
"In one previous case we heard talk about nightclubs potentially becoming targets. ... We, of course, saw reference to vehicles being filled with gas or fuel in order to create an explosion," he said.
There had been no intelligence warning of an attack, he said.
"It is obvious that if the device had detonated there could have been significant injury or loss of life," Clarke said. "The vehicle was parked in one of the busiest parts of central London in the early hours of Friday morning when many, many people were leaving nightclubs and other places after the evening hours." (Watch police describe potential blast )
British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said, "We're currently facing the most serious and sustained threat to our security from international terrorism."
The bombs were found just two days after new Prime Minister Gordon Brown took office, and one day after he appointed members of his Cabinet. (Full story)
"For Gordon Brown, it is a rude awakening to the realities you take on as prime minister," CNN's European political editor Robin Oakley said. (Watch Oakley comment on 'rude awakening' for Brown )
Brown, whose predecessor, Tony Blair, stoked anger among Islamic militants with his support for the Iraq war, said Britain faces "a serious and continuous threat" and the public "need to be alert" at all times.
The incident also came days ahead of the second anniversary of July 7, 2005, when four Islamic extremist suicide bombers killed 52 people on London's transport system in the deadliest strike on the city since World War II.

Shuttle completes mission in California

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, California (AP) -- Atlantis and its seven astronauts returned to Earth safely Thursday, ending a two-week mission to deliver an addition to the international space station and bring home a crew member from the outpost.
Atlantis had to use its backup landing strip in California after rain and clouds over Florida ruled out Kennedy Space Center.
"We couldn't quite get comfortable with [Kennedy]," Mission Control told the Atlantis crew. "We are going to target Edwards."
The crew executed the landing on its first opportunity at Edwards at 3:49 p.m. ET.
Rain and clouds that scrubbed a planned Thursday landing in Florida continued Friday, and NASA waved off the first planned landing there, which would have been at 2:18 p.m. ET.
The landing site at Edwards had clear skies, and wind gusts there were not expected to pick up until late in the day.
"Our mind-set down here is we're going to land you somewhere safely today," Mission Control told the shuttle crew Friday morning.
Aboard Atlantis, the astronauts closed the shuttle's payload bay doors in preparation for landing. The doors are opened during flights so heat doesn't build up in the orbiter.
Atlantis commander Rick Sturckow said the crew would put on their orange spacesuits for landing.
"That sounds great, Houston," Sturckow said. "We're going to suit up then."
Among the crew returning to Earth was astronaut Sunita "Sunni" Williams, who spent 195 days on the space station, a women's endurance record.
The crew had three chances Friday to land at Edwards, the last at 6:59 p.m. ET. If the weather had spoiled all those opportunities, mission managers would have tried again Saturday, with another backup landing site in New Mexico in the lineup.
The preferred landing site is Kennedy, where it is easier and far cheaper to get Atlantis to its hangar to be prepared for its next mission in December.
Lands in California means it will cost $1.7 million and take up to 10 days to get it home to Florida aboard a jumbo jet.
Atlantis had enough power for its systems to orbit until Sunday, but managers didn't want to wait that long. The flight would have been extended to Sunday only if technical problems needed to be fixed.
During Atlantis' two chances to land Thursday, showers were within 34 miles of the landing strip at Kennedy Space Center, and clouds hung below an altitude of 8,000 feet, both violations of flight rules.
During the crew's 14-day mission to the international space station, the astronauts installed a new truss segment, unfurled a new pair of power-generating solar arrays and activated a rotating joint that allows the new solar arrays to track the sun.
Originally scheduled for 11 days, the mission was extended by two days to give astronauts time to repair a thermal blanket that had peeled away during the June 8 launch. Astronaut Danny Olivas stapled it back into place during a spacewalk. Another extra day in orbit was added after the weather in Florida prevented a landing Thursday.
The shuttle's visit to the space station was complicated by the crash of Russian computers that control orientation and oxygen production. (Watch how the cosmonauts fixed the computers )
Atlantis helped the station maintain its orientation for several days until the computers were revived. Cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov used a cable to bypass a circuit board.
The cosmonauts at the space station attempted to power the Russian computers Thursday without using the cable bypass, but it was unsuccessful.

Abbas outlaws Hamas militia forces

(CNN) -- The leadership rift between Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah deepened Sunday as President Mahmoud Abbas swore in a temporary cabinet for his emergency government in an attempt to regain control of the region.
Abbas also issued a decree stating that the Hamas militia and the Hamas executive force were outlawed, although an Abbas adviser said he was not outlawing the Islamic Hamas movement.
Soon after ministers were sworn in, Hamas said the government was "illegal" and outside the authority of Fatah movement leader Abbas.
The emergency cabinet replaces the Hamas-Fatah coalition Abbas dismantled after Hamas took control of Gaza by force this week. The new cabinet in the West Bank will be led by economist Salam Fayyad, who replaces Ismail Haniya as Palestinian prime minister
But Haniya's top adviser, Ahmed Youssef, told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer" that "there is nothing in the (Palestinian) constitution" that outlines an emergency government.
"There is a state of emergency but there is nothing called 'emergency government,'" Youssef said.
He said the move was "just a mistake" made by Abbas. Abbas declared a state of emergency as Hamas fighters seized control of Gaza last week.
According to Abbas and his Fatah allies, the president has the power to dissolve the government and form a temporary cabinet after calling for a state of emergency. The Palestinian Legislative Council must convene to vote on the cabinet after a 30-day period. While Hamas has gained control of Gaza, Fatah is trying to consolidate its power in the West Bank.
Fatah official Saeb Erakat denied that there were two Palestinian governments, but made it clear that the newly appointed cabinet's first priority would be to prevent the spread of the "chaos and lawlessness" in Gaza.
"We will not allow ... the catastrophe that's happened in Gaza to reach the West Bank, that's number one," Fatah official Saeb Erakat told CNN's "Late Edition."
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the formation of a new Palestinian government creates an "opportunity" for renewed peace moves, The Associated Press reported Sunday.
"We have a new opportunity in the last few days that we haven't had in a long time," Olmert told reporters shortly before taking off for New York. "A government that is not Hamas is a partner."
Hundreds flee
Humanitarian groups are concerned about the isolation of Gaza and its Hamas rulers.
The international community led by the United States cut off international funding to the Palestinian government after Hamas -- which does not recognize Israel's right to exist -- took power last year.
Israeli human rights groups are appealing for the Israeli government to reopen its border crossings with Gaza to allow food and medical relief supplies, one of the groups, called B'Tselem, announced Sunday.
In addition, B'Tselem said, "Hundreds of refugees are attempting to escape the violence and are trapped in Erez Crossing, caught between IDF soldiers and the military wing of Hamas which is preventing these refugees from returning to Gaza."
Karni Crossing, the main Israel-Gaza border crossing, has been closed for six days. According to B'Tselem, Erez crossing was closed on Saturday and Nahal Oz was closed on Sunday.
In addition, the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza has been closed since last weekend.
Talks are under way with Israeli officials about getting the borders open for humanitarian relief, the director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, John Ging, told CNN.
Fuel supplies cut
The sole supplier of gasoline for motorists in Gaza has announced it will no longer provide gasoline to stations there in the wake of the Hamas takeover.
The Israeli fuel company Dor Alon said that the company will continue to supply gasoline to Gaza's electricity power plant, a spokeswoman said.
The Dor Alon spokeswoman would not say what prompted Sunday's announcement, however, its supply agreement is with the Palestinian Authority which no longer is in control of Gaza.
The company had threatened to cut off gasoline supplies in the past over non-payment issues.
Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rift seen in Iraq insurgency -- some groups reject al Qaeda

BUHRUZ, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. forces have begun arming nationalist guerrillas and former Saddam Hussein loyalists -- and coordinating tactics -- in a marriage of convenience against al Qaeda radicals in one of Iraq's most violent provinces, senior U.S. commanders tell CNN.
This new alliance, a result of the deepening divisions among Iraqi insurgent factions, was on display earlier this week at a highway intersection in the town of Tahrir. There, a group of some 15 insurgents publicly chanted: "Death to al Qaeda."
"The al Qaeda organization has dominated and humiliated Sunnis, Shiites and jihadis. It has forced people from their homes. They can't get enough blood. They killed many honest scholars, preachers and loyal mujahedeen," one of the group's spokesmen read from a written manifesto.
It's a sharp turnaround from just two months ago when the same insurgent forces were focused on fighting U.S. troops and driving them out of Diyala province, about 40 miles north of Baghdad.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of Multi-National Division North, believes U.S. counterinsurgency efforts in Vietnam and Latin America offer precedents for the strategy he is now pushing in this region of Iraq. (Watch how insurgents are turning against al Qaeda )
"We've seen this in previous counterinsurgency operations, using local nationals, arming them and forming them into scouts," he told CNN. "That's the primary role we want to use them in. They know the territory. They know the enemy."
The changing strategy isn't just confined to Diyala, according to U.S. officials. Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, told CNN Thursday that tribal forces in Anbar, the restive Sunni province west of the Iraqi capital, have "decided to oppose al Qaeda and fight with the coalition forces against them."
"What's taken place in Anbar is almost breathtaking," he said. "In the last several months, tribes that turned a blind eye to what al Qaeda was doing in that province are now opposing al Qaeda very vigorously. And the level of violence in Anbar has plummeted, although there clearly is still work to be done." (Full story)
At the highway intersection in Tahrir, the insurgents said they had named their anti-al Qaeda alliance the United Jihad Council. They said the newly formed council was an umbrella organization of smaller insurgent units, including the 1920s Brigades, the Mujahedeen Army, Islamic Army and the Salaheddin Brigades.
CNN videotaped gunmen posting lookouts on rooftops throughout Tahrir and patting down civilians -- checking for potential al Qaeda infiltrators -- as they made their way to prayers at local mosques.
Locals say al Qaeda amputated fingers for smoking
Nationalist insurgents say al Qaeda excesses are behind their falling-out. Several sources said al Qaeda members burned a 7-year-old child alive and murdered women and other children in the towns and villages around the provincial capital of Baquba. They did not give names or dates to back up their claims.
"They [al Qaeda] ruled with tyranny. They really harmed our town, so we had to stop them, and they left, no return," said one young gunman, who claimed membership in the nationalist 1920s Brigades.
Other civilian and insurgent sources in the towns of Tahrir and neighboring Buhruz said al Qaeda had imposed strict regulations, including a ban on smoking -- punishable by the amputation of a finger or hand -- and a curfew on citizens walking in the streets after 4 p.m.
Some citizens said al Qaeda had even banned Friday prayers.
Based on anecdotal evidence, offered by civilians in Buhruz, al Qaeda was financing its military operations by forcing citizens to pay a "war tax," as well as by kidnapping for ransom, selling smuggled fuel on the black market, and even using forced labor to harvest oranges and dates from sprawling plantations throughout the region.
In Buhruz, Capt. Ben Richards is one of the U.S. field commanders cementing the U.S. military alliance with its former foes from the nationalist insurgent factions. He said the new strategy was highly pragmatic. (Watch a marriage of convenience )
"If we go in with the mindset that every one of these persons has tried to kill an American, I don't think that's true, though in many cases it may be. But if you think that, then you're setting yourself up for a mindset that is not productive for us or for the Iraqi people," Richards, commander of a troop of Stryker combat vehicles, told CNN.
Richards described assistance from the former insurgent factions and what he calls other "concerned local nationals" as "militarily crucial."
His key ally in the region is a man known as Abu Ali, who says he has never belonged to an insurgent force but was an officer in one of Saddam Hussein's feared military intelligence units.
To date, Abu Ali says he has received 39 weapons and about 1,000 rounds of ammunition from the U.S. military. The insurgent factions he represents, however, are known to have significant arsenals of their own weapons, including light machine guns, assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.
Publicly, Abu Ali is grateful for the assistance he and his followers have received from the U.S. military. He predicts he can help clear the entire province of al Qaeda militants within six months if the U.S. Army provides more ammunition and supports insurgent operations with air cover and help from tanks and armored personnel carriers.
But while the marriage of convenience may be successful for now, Abu Ali and his followers seem to have no intention of making a lasting commitment to the Americans.
"After we are done with al Qaeda," Abu Ali says, "we will ask the Americans to withdraw from Iraq. ... If they do not withdraw, there will be violations and the American army will be harmed."
He adds, "Especially after the help the U.S. Army has provided us, we would like them to go home as our friend, not enemy."
With the alliance only beginning to bear its first successes, few U.S. commanders seem to be looking toward the end of the affair. But there is a realization that it is a balancing act -- to prevent al Qaeda infiltration and to maintain the collaboration of nationalist insurgents.

ID cards of missing soldiers shown on insurgent Web site

(CNN) -- A Sunni insurgent group on Monday posted video of the military identification cards of two missing American soldiers in Iraq.
The video also carries an audio commentary in Arabic in which the speaker says, without providing any proof, "We decided to put an end to this matter and announce the death of the soldiers."
According to the commentary, the group made the move because the U.S. military did not heed its demand to end the search for the soldiers.
CNN cannot independently verify the video, which was intercepted by terrorism expert Laura Mansfield.
The video is from the Islamic State of Iraq, an insurgent group that includes al Qaeda in Iraq.
The video included a still image of the photo identifications of Spc. Alex R. Jimenez , 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Michigan. (Watch how soldiers' ID cards ended up on Web site )
Above the photos, written in Arabic, was the message, "Bush is the reason for the loss of your prisoners."
The images appear to be authentic U.S. military identification cards, a military official in Washington said.
Military officials recently had received information that video or images related to the missing soldiers might appear on the Internet and contacted their families to inform them, U.S. military sources said.
Jimenez and Fouty went missing along with Pfc. Joseph J. Anzack Jr., 20, of Torrance, California, following a May 12 ambush on a military observation post south of Baghdad. Four American soldiers and an Iraqi soldier were killed in the attack.
On May 23, Anzack's body was pulled from the Euphrates River in Babil province, south of Baghdad.
The 10-minute video also included footage of a masked man at a diagram board -- apparently the planning stage of the attack -- followed by nighttime video of an apparent attack, and video from Arabic-language TV network Al-Jazeera of soldiers searching fields.
Images of what appear to be the missing soldiers' personal effects -- including Visa and Mastercard credit cards, a cross, $50 U.S. bills and Iraqi currency -- are shown at the end of the video.
The video concludes with images apparently taken from the identification cards of the two soldiers.
Gordon Dibler, Fouty's stepfather, said a military official visited him Saturday and told him that video of some of Fouty's personal effects -- including his ID and credit cards -- might appear on the Internet.
Dibler described the news of the video as "a double-edged sword."
"I was frightened of course to await the news, but it gives me some hope," he said.
"We don't know if these people didn't just find these items lying around. I'm hopeful of their return, and I'll keep asking the nation to pray."
Jimenez's mother, Maria Duran, said that the Pentagon hadn't contacted her family.
The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for last month's ambush and called on the U.S. military to halt its search for the missing soldiers.
CNN's Maria Dugandzic, Ines Ferre, Octavia Nasr and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

Thai army: Suspected terror attacks kill 15

PATTANI, Thailand (AP) -- Suspected insurgents sprayed gunfire into a mosque, killing at least five worshippers, and a roadside bomb killed 10 paramilitary troops in near simultaneous attacks in southern Thailand, the army said.
The bomb exploded Thursday on a road in Bannang Sata district in Yala province as government-hired paramilitary rangers drove by, killing 10 of them, said Thai Army spokesman Col. Akara Thiprote.
Two rangers were slightly wounded and the truck was damaged, Akara said.
The rangers had earlier been negotiating with Muslim protesters in a nearby district, he said. The whole area has been under a military curfew since a deadly bombing at a mosque and a grenade attack on a tea shop that left 10 people dead and wounded more than 20 on March 14.
Almost immediately after the bombing, an unknown number of assailants opened fire on a group of Muslim villagers leaving a mosque after evening prayers in nearby Sabayoi district of Songkhla province, killing five villagers, Akara said.
It was not immediately clear why the worshippers were attacked but officials blamed Muslim rebels.
"The insurgents opened fire on the Muslim villagers and put the blame on the authorities," Akara said.
He did not explain why he suspected Muslims had attacked the mosque.
Thailand is overwhelmingly Buddhist, but Muslims are a majority in the deep south, where they have long complained of discrimination.
Buddhists living and working in southern Thailand have been the targets of Muslim insurgents. However, Muslims -- mostly working for the government -- have increasingly fallen victim to the violence in recent months.
Thai military authorities have blamed such attacks on Muslims bent on intensifying hatred against the government and to radicalize Muslims and push them into joining the insurgency.
Some Muslims believe the security forces, or even Buddhist vigilantes, might have a hand in the attacks.
Since a Muslim rebellion flared in the three southernmost provinces in early 2004, near-daily bombings, drive-by shootings and other attacks have killed more than 2,200 people.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Fraud verdict on ex-Thai PM party

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- A court Wednesday found two top members of the Thai Rak Thai Party of the ousted prime minister guilty of election law violations, a ruling that could lead to it being disbanded.
The Constitutional Tribunal ruled that former Defense Minister Thammarak Issaragura na Ayuthaya and former Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal had illegally paid several small parties last year to help seal the Thai Rak Thai Party's election victory by ensuring that minimum turnout rules were met.
Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had called that election to reaffirm his mandate to rule after months of street protests demanding his resignation for alleged corruption and abuse of power. The April election was annulled by the courts, leaving Thailand with a caretaker government and a political crisis that led to Thaksin's ouster by the military in September.
Earlier Wednesday, the court cleared Thailand's oldest political party of election law violations charges, a verdict that could help restore stability ahead of December's elections.
"There are no legal grounds to disband" the Democrat Party, a judge read, which brought cheers and chants of "Democrats Fight On" from crowds gathered at the party headquarters and watching the proceeding on television.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

U.S. tells Iran face to face: Stop supporting militias

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The United States told Iran on Monday its support for militias fighting in Iraq needs to cease, said Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq.
Crocker spoke at a news conference after a meeting with Iranian diplomats in Baghdad -- the first public and formal meeting between U.S. and Iranian representatives since the United States cut off diplomatic relations 27 years ago.
Crocker told reporters that in terms of policy for Iraq "there isn't much to argue about." But he said Iran needs to bring its actions in line with its "declaratory policy." (Watch what U.S., Iran had to say about each other )
"I laid out before the Iranians a number of our direct specific concerns about their behavior in Iraq," Crocker said. "Their support for militias that are fighting both the Iraqi security forces and coalition forces; the fact that a lot of the explosives and ammunition that are used by these groups are coming in from Iran; that such activities led by the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] Quds Force needed to cease and that we would be looking for results."
Iran has repeatedly denied U.S. accusations that it is fomenting violence in Iraq.
Crocker said the Iranians did not respond directly on Monday to the U.S. allegations.
"The Iranians did not go into any great detail," he said. "They made the assertion that the coalition presence was an occupation and that the effort to train and equip the Iraqi security forces had been inadequate to the challenges faced.
"We of course responded on both points, making clear that coalition forces are here at the Iraqi government's invitation and under [U.N.] Security Council authorities, and that we have put literally billions of dollars into training and equipping an increasingly capable set of Iraqi security forces." (Watch Crocker describe 'businesslike' talks )
Crocker said the Iranian delegation proposed a trilateral mechanism to coordinate on security matters in Iraq. He said officials in Washington would have to consider whether to pursue that idea.
The Iranian ambassador told The Associated Press after the session that another meeting of the three nations will be held in Iraq within a month.
Crocker did not confirm that there would be a second meeting.
"The Iraqi government said it would extend an invitation in the period ahead for another meeting," he said. "We'll obviously consider that invitation when we receive it."
Crocker characterized the talks as "businesslike."
"We both laid out our support for the government of [Iraqi] Prime Minister [Nuri al-] Maliki as he undertakes a number of very difficult challenges," he said.
Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Hassan Kazemi Qomi also told the AP that he said in the meeting that Tehran was prepared to train and equip the Iraqi army and police to create "a new military and security structure."
Iran has offered before to train Iraqi forces and provide them with equipment.
Crocker said the Iraqi representatives "led the discussions" and that overall, "the talks proceeded positively."
No topics outside of Iraq were discussed, he said.
No talk of detainees, Iran's nuclear ambitions
Among the contentious issues not discussed were Iranian-Americans being held by Tehran, and Iranians detained by the U.S. in Iraq.
Tehran recently charged Haleh Esfandiari, one of four Iranian-Americans detained in Tehran, with conducting activities against the Iranian government, a charge dismissed by Washington. (Watch Esfandiari's representative describe Iranian jail cell )
The State Department repeatedly has called for Esfandiari's release as well as for more information about three other Iranian-Americans who have been detained, imprisoned or had their passports revoked.
In addition, Robert Levinson, an American and retired FBI agent, has been missing since March 8, when he was last seen on Iran's Kish Island.
The U.S. military is holding seven "Iranian intelligence service personnel" in Iraq, spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell told CNN in an interview taped Friday.
Tehran has referred to five of the Iranians who were arrested in January as "diplomats" and is seeking their release.
Also left unmentioned at Monday's meeting was the international showdown between Iran and much of the West, led by the United States, over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
A report issued Wednesday by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog -- the International Atomic Energy Agency -- said Iran has not only ignored the call to halt its nuclear work but has also increased its activities.
That prompted U.S. and British diplomats at the United Nations to announce they would press ahead for new sanctions against Iran. The U.N. Security Council has so far imposed two rounds of limited sanctions on Iran.
Talks mark rare meeting
The Iraq Study Group late last year called on the Bush administration to initiate talks with Iran and Syria.
The United States broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in April 1980 in the midst of the seizure of the U.S. Embassy. Iranian students occupied the embassy from November 1979 until January 1981, when they released the remaining 52 hostages.
While Monday marks the first time U.S. and Iranian diplomats have met bilaterally, they have taken part in informal meetings with Iraq's neighbors in recent months.
Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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VIENNA, Austria (Reuters) -- Iran has not only ignored a U.N. Security Council deadline to stop uranium enrichment activity but expanded it, according to a confidential International Atomic Energy Agency report obtained by Reuters on Wednesday.
Iran's defiance of another 60-day deadline set by the Council when it imposed a second set of sanctions on March 24 will expose Tehran to tougher penalties over its nuclear work, which the West fears is a front for assembling atom bombs.
"Iran has not suspended its enrichment-related activities. Iran has continued with the operation of their pilot fuel enrichment plant and with construction of their (planned industrial underground) enrichment plant," the U.N. nuclear watchdog said in its report.
"It has started feeding cascades with UF6 (uranium gas). Iran has also continued with its heavy water-related projects."
But it said the amount of uranium gas fed into the cascade was far below the 80-90 percent suitable to detonate an atom bomb.
Concern about Iran's intentions remain high as it is still evading IAEA investigations into the murky origins and procurement activities of the atomic program and unexplained indications of military involvement, U.N. officials aid.
"Although no commercial amounts of enriched uranium are being produced yet, it is clear their program is advancing," one official said.
"Unless Iran addresses long-outstanding verification issues, and implements ... required transparency measures, the Agency will not be able to fully reconstruct the history of Iran's nuclear program and provide assurances about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran or about the exclusively peaceful nature of that program," the report said.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Gunbattles rage around Lebanon refugee camp

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- Smoke billowed Monday over a Palestinian refugee camp as Lebanese forces battled Islamic militants for a second day near the northern city of Tripoli. The clashes have left dozens dead and wounded.
The Lebanese Cabinet met Monday to discuss how it will respond; on Sunday, the Cabinet declared its "full support" for military efforts to end the fighting, said Mohamed Chatah, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
"I'm not in a position to tell you the exact manner in which security forces are going to root up these elements, but it's going to happen," Chatah said. "It's going to happen after the security forces themselves advise the government on what they need." (Watch smoke rise over the refugee camp as a fire rages below )
Lebanese security forces are targeting militants and are not randomly shooting into the refugee camp, Chatah said.
The fighting was sparked Sunday when Lebanese Internal Security Forces raided a building in a neighborhood north of Tripoli, army sources said.
Militants from Fatah al-Islam began shooting at the forces, who returned fire, triggering clashes in the vicinity of the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp.
Lebanese Internal Security Forces arrested four militants and found the bodies of 10 militants inside the building where they had barricaded themselves, an ISF spokesman said. Explosives were strapped to two bodies.
Security forces conducted the raid after Fatah al-Islam members tried to rob a bank Sunday and "take control of several security strongholds in the north, as if they were planning to carry out a major security operation," according to Ahmad Fatfat, a member of parliament and a minister in Siniora's Cabinet.
Nahr al-Bared is about nine miles (16 kilometers) north of Tripoli, Lebanon's second-largest city that is home to a large population of Sunni Muslims.
The overcrowded camp houses 31,023 registered refugees, according to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency. It is one of 12 Palestinian camps in Lebanon in which the United Nations operates. The agency estimates there are 350,000 refugees in the camps. (Facts on refugee camps)
The battle near the camp continued into Monday, killing 27 Lebanese soldiers and wounding 39 others. At least 15 militants have been killed in the clashes, security sources said.
Among the dead militants was Saddam al Hajj Dib, the sources said. Dib -- along with his brother, cousin and three other men -- was being tried in absentia in a Lebanese court for plotting to bomb two passenger trains in Germany in July. The bombs did not explode.
"Everybody in Tripoli is just scared," said Maya Halabi, a resident of Tripoli. "We never knew that there are terrorists in our town." (Watch civilians, soldiers scurry as the sound of gunfire fills the streets of Tripoli )
The fighting has left aid agencies hamstrung in their attempts to help the wounded and count the casualties. A U.N. Relief and Works Agency official in London said U.N. staffers are among the wounded.
"They have been unable to move around," said Richard Cook, adding that the agency is attempting to negotiate a cease-fire so food and medical supplies can be delivered to the camp.
The Lebanese Red Cross is "receiving a lot of calls" and is trying to help those in need, but the violence limits the agency's abilities to do so, said Director George Ketaneh.
Links to al Qaeda unclear
It is unclear if the militant group Fatah al-Islam is linked to al Qaeda.
Though Syria has claimed Fatah al-Islam is connected to the terror group, Lebanese Interior Minister Hasan al-Sabaa has described Fatah al-Islam as "part of the Syrian intelligence-security apparatus," according to Jane's Information Group, which provides analysis on international security matters.
In 2004, a Jordanian military court handed down in-absentia convictions for Shakir al-Absi -- now the leader of Fatah al-Islam -- and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the October 2002 murder of Laurence Foley, a U.S. Agency for International Development diplomat who was gunned down in front of his Amman home.
Al-Zarqawi, who later became leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed in a U.S. airstrike north of Baghdad last year.
In June, Al-Absi told Al-Arabiya TV that his group had no connection to al Qaeda or Syria, according to Jane's. Rather, he said, his group seeks to reform Palestinian refugee camps in accordance with Islamic law, or sharia.
Though al-Absi has been linked to al Qaeda, Lebanon's national police commander, Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, scoffed at the purported connection, saying Fatah al-Islam was a pawn of Damascus, The Associated Press reported.
"Perhaps there are some deluded people among them, but they are not al Qaeda. This is imitation al Qaeda, a 'Made in Syria' one," he told the AP.
Nayla Mouawad, Lebanese social affairs minister, said the militants have "Syrian allegiance and only take orders from Syria."
Syrian leaders deny fomenting violence in Lebanon.
Lebanon's government is led by anti-Syrian politicians, including the prime minister.
The tenuous security situation prompted Syria temporarily to close two of its five border crossings with Lebanon, an interior ministry spokesman told the state-run Syrian-Arab News Agency.
The crossings will remain closed "till the security situation becomes more secure in north Lebanon," the source said.
Fatal bombing in Beirut
Meanwhile, a bomb went off late Sunday in the Beirut neighborhood of Ashrafieh, killing one woman, Lebanese security forces said.
Several others were wounded in the blast, which went off beneath a car at the southern entrance to a shopping mall in the east Beirut Christian neighborhood, sources said.
Political sources close to Siniora's U.S.-supported government said the bomb was similar to other explosive devices that have gone off in Beirut's Christian neighborhoods since the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The U.N. Security Council is considering passing a resolution that would enforce the establishment of an international tribunal to try suspects in the Hariri assassination, an idea unpopular with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has links to Syria.
Conflicts in south Lebanon between Siniora's government and Hezbollah have prevented the creation of a tribunal. Siniora last week reiterated his call for the United Nations to create the international tribunal.
The political sources said the explosion was an attempt by Syria to sow seeds of instability ahead of the Security Council deliberations.
CNN's Saad Abedine, Caroline Faraj, Nada Husseini, Octavia Nasr and Brent Sadler contributed to this report.
Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

At least 14 dead in Gaza violence

GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Israel launched more airstrikes against Hamas targets in Gaza Friday -- one day after the Israeli military began targeting the militant group in retaliation for dozens of Qassam rockets fired from Gaza into Israel over the last several days, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Three Palestinian militants were killed and four injured Friday in an airstrike on a car in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City, Palestinian security sources said. The IDF confirmed the airstrike, saying it was targeting a car carrying Hamas militants and weaponry.
That brings to 14 the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli military airstrikes Thursday and Friday, according to Palestinian security and medical sources.(Watch as violence in Gaza intensifies )
Among them were five militants who died Friday morning south of Gaza City. A spokesman for the IDF said the Israeli Air Force had targeted a Hamas structure believed used for Hamas meetings and that possibly concealed a tunnel near the Karni crossing in northern Gaza.
The Israelis said they also targeted what they said was a Hamas rocket-launching site, immediately after an attack from northern Gaza into Israel.
The Israelis said Qassam rockets launched from Gaza hit a school and a synagogue in Sderot, near Israel's border with Gaza. Two other rockets hit a home and nearly hit a gas station, the military said. Officials said more than 90 rockets from Gaza have landed in Israel since Tuesday.
The cross-border attacks came as skirmishes between rival Palestinian militias within Gaza entered a sixth straight day.
Internal Palestinian violence between Hamas and Fatah flared again Friday when witnesses reported seeing the Fatah-affiliated Presidential Guard firing rockets at Islamic University -- considered a Hamas stronghold.
The Islamic militant group Hamas defeated Abbas' Fatah party in the January election.
Despite this, the factional fighting was quieter Friday than two days ago, according to CNN's Ben Wedeman.
Residents of the Jabiliya refugee camp marched in the streets to show their opposition to the sectarian fighting.
The airstrikes have angered Palestinian officials, who accused the Israelis of taking advantage of the internal violence between Hamas and Fatah factions, which continued despite numerous attempts at cease-fires.
CNN's Ben Wedeman and Ari Bell contributed to this report.

Israel launches retaliatory airstrikes, killing two

GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Israel retaliated Thursday against two days of Hamas rocket attacks by launching airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza, killing two people and leaving more than 30 wounded, Palestinian security sources and an Israeli security source said.
The first Israeli strike, on Hamas' executive force compound, killed one person and wounded 30, Palestinian medical sources said. A later Israeli airstrike targeted and hit a car in Gaza City, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said.
Palestinian security sources said one member of Hamas' Izzedine al Qassam brigades was killed in that attack and another was wounded.
The IDF also confirmed a third strike on a Hamas post in northern Gaza City, but Palestinian sources said the strike was in northern Gaza outside the city. No casualties were reported in that attack.
And Palestinian sources said that an Israeli airstrike on a second car killed one Hamas militant, but IDF officials said there was not an attack on another car.
The strike on Hamas' military wing headquarters came as violence ratcheted up between the warring Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah and between Palestinians and Israeli forces, claiming the lives of more than 40 Palestinians since Sunday.
The Israeli security source said Israeli forces have "more strategic targets" they can hit.
"We want to show the terrorists we know where they are," the source said.
Israeli airstrikes Wednesday on Hamas headquarters in the town of Rafah, near the border with Egypt, and other targets around Gaza killed at least six Palestinians, Palestinian officials reported.
Palestinian Information Minister Mustafa Barghouti said Thursday that Palestinians were "very angry" that the "Israelis (were) trying to take advantage of internal fighting."
"Israel has decided to escalate this and this could lead to disaster... we have no peace partner," he added.
Three Qassam rockets fell in the Israeli town of Sderot on Thursday morning -- one of which fell on a school and left one person lightly wounded, Israeli officials said.
Since Monday, as many as 80 rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel, an IDF spokeswoman said. More than two dozen rockets rained down Wednesday, injuring at least 17 people, Israeli authorities said.
A statement from the Israeli government said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni "decided to allow the IDF and the security establishment to carry out a series of actions in order to hit those who launch Qassam missiles and their commanders, to disrupt launch capabilities and to strike at terrorist infrastructures."
"The prime minister made it clear that Israel cannot continue to show restraint when its citizens are being attacked; therefore, a harsh and severe response was decided upon," the statement said.
The IDF told CNN there was normal military activity near the border with Gaza, and a limited Israeli force inside Gaza near the northern section of the border.
Israeli troops withdrew from Gaza in September of 2005, ending their 38-year occupation of the region.
A Hamas official from the Izzedine Al Qassam brigades said it's the right of the Palestinian people to defend themselves against Israeli crimes in any way they see fit.
But even as they defend themselves, Palestinians loyal to Fatah and those loyal to Hamas are fighting each other.
At least 19 Palestinians were killed Wednesday in the fourth day of heavy fighting between the two parties.
Palestinian security sources in Gaza said gunmen fired on guards protecting Prime Minister Ismael Haniya's residence. Haniya, of the ruling Islamic party Hamas, was home at the time of the shooting, the sources said, but there was no report of injuries.
The latest cease-fire between the two groups took effect at 8 p.m. (1 p.m. ET) Wednesday, but sporadic gunfire could be heard into the night as Hamas fighters clashed with gunmen from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction. It was the fourth attempt at implementing a truce in as many days.
Abbas canceled a planned trip to Gaza on Thursday because of the violence, his office said.
Elsewhere, Palestinian security sources confirmed one person was killed when clashes broke out during a funeral Thursday in Rafah.
In a sign of the heightening chaos, fighting in central Gaza City on Wednesday forced dozens of journalists to take cover in the studios of the television news network Ramattan, a 15-story building that came under fire from small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.
Fatah-affiliated security personnel on the building's roof were taking fire from Hamas-affiliated gunmen below, the journalists reported. Video from the building showed the journalists inside huddled together closely, wearing bulletproof vests and helmets as explosions could be heard outside.
The Palestinian government is struggling to quell the latest round of fighting, which has highlighted the weaknesses of the Hamas-Fatah unity government formed earlier this year. Abbas spoke to Hamas' exiled leader, Khaled Meshaal, on Wednesday and both pledged to do everything within their power to end the fighting between their rival movements, Barghouti said.
Hamas came to power in parliamentary elections in January 2006 after more than a decade of Fatah rule over the Palestinian Authority. But the United States and Israel consider Hamas a terrorist organization, and the European Union joined them in cutting off aid over the group's refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist explicitly.
CNN's Ben Wedeman, Nidal Rafa, Michal Zippori and Shira Medding contributed to this report.

Bangkok shaken by 6.1 earthquake

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 with its epicenter in western Laos was reported Wednesday afternoon by the U.S. Geological Survey, and its tremors were felt as far away as the Thai capital of Bangkok, several hundred kilometers to the south.
There were no initial reports of damage or casualties.
The quake occurred at 3:56 p.m. (0856 GMT) at a point 155 kilometers (97 miles) west-northwest of the Laotian city of Luang Prabang, said the USGS. The region is sparsely populated, with little urban development.
The quake caused high-rise buildings in Bangkok to sway, and many offices were evacuated, with their panicky occupants gathered in the street.
The quake was also felt in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, a popular tourist destination 268 kilometers (167 miles) southwest of the epicenter, but a spokesman for the Disaster Mitigation and Prevention Center there said there were no reports of damage.
A Lao Foreign Ministry spokesman, Yong Chanthalansy, said by telephone from the Laotian capital Vientiane that the earthquake lasted for about 10 seconds.
He said their were no initial reports of casualties from the remote area and that there had been no panic.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Deadly violence erupts in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- At least 33 people have been killed during massive clashes between pro-government supporters and opposition party members Saturday in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, police and intelligence sources said.
Many of those killed were supporters of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who had gathered as he arrived in the city earlier in the day, police said. An unknown number of other people have been wounded.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf removed Chaudhry from his post on March 9, accusing him of misusing his powers. The dismissal has sparked widespread demonstrations.
Chaudhry was slated to address a bar association meeting in Karachi, but because of the upheaval was not able to leave the Karachi airport. He was flying back to Islamabad.
Musharraf, meanwhile, held his own public rally in Islamabad as a show of his strength.
"My head is held up high," the president told a cheering crowd. "Love for the people is in my heart ... The strength of the people, of the Pakistani people, is with me, and I salute you all."
Lawyers supporting Chaudhry told CNN they had walked some 10 miles Saturday to welcome him as he arrived at Karachi airport, having vowed to greet him "at any cost".
All main city roads, including the road to the airport, had been blocked and sealed off with containers and trucks, police said, in what appeared to be a bid by government supporters to restrict movement and interrupt the rally.
A provincial high court ordered the provincial government to provide security for Chaudhry on his visit. According to police sources, more than 15,000 police officers will be deployed in Karachi along with paramilitary troops.
More than 800 political workers had been arrested, the sources said, adding that they were members of labor and student organizations who had planned to greet Chaudhry on his arrival. The police did not say why they had been arrested.
The atmosphere grew tense and uncertain after gunmen opened fire on political workers of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League, killing six of them, police in Karachi said.
Legal row
Pakistan's Supreme Court bar and many legal experts have said Musharraf does not have the constitutional power to remove the chief justice from the bench. So far, 14 superior and civil court judges and two deputy attorney generals have resigned over the matter.
Chaudhry was appointed to the court by Musharraf in 2005, but had recently started exercising independence from the government in a number of cases involving the disappearance of terror suspects and human rights activists.
The U.S. has tiptoed around the matter, partly because Musharraf is a key ally in its war on terrorism.
Musharraf's critics accused him of removing Chaudhry in an effort to intimidate the judiciary ahead of crucial elections and a vote in parliament to extend his rule later this year.
Media ban
On Wednesday Pakistan's Supreme Court banned the media from discussing the legal battle being waged by Chaudhry, saying coverage should not interfere with the process.
The court issued the ban because of what it claims is a "campaign of making the honorable judges of the Supreme Court/members of the Supreme Judicial Council controversial" in broadcast and print media.
Journalists' organizations launched a protest against the ban, with reporters saying they were merely covering the story and have done nothing illegal.
In a statement Wednesday, the Supreme Court said special passes would be issued for reporters and lawyers to attend Chaudhry's hearing on the presidential reference filed against him.
It added that media coverage, discussion and analysis that impeded legal procedures would be treated as contempt of court. Chaudhry's lawyers protested the decision and said they would challenge it in the Supreme Court.

U.S. general wants more troops for bloody Iraq province

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military commander in charge of northern Iraqi operations on Friday said more troops are needed to stem rising insurgent violence in Diyala province.
"I do not have enough soldiers right now in Diyala province to get that security situation moving," said Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, commander of the 25th Infantry Division.
Mixon's comments came as a political battle was being waged in Washington over whether funding for U.S. forces fighting in Iraq should be tied to a deadline for their withdrawal.
In Washington on Thursday, the U.S. House passed a bill that would tie war funding beyond July to a progress report. The bill faced an uncertain future in the Senate, however, and President Bush vowed to veto it. (Full story)
Vice President Dick Cheney visited Iraq earlier this week with a tough message for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that time is running out for a solution to the country's mounting security crisis.
A senior administration figure said Cheney told Iraqi officials that the situation had reached a critical point.
"We've got to get this work done. It's game time. ... Everybody's got to sit down, raise their game, redouble their efforts," the source said.
Mixon did not specify whether more U.S. or Iraqi forces were needed. He made his comments during a news briefing from Iraq via teleconference at the Pentagon.
"We have plans to put additional forces in that area. ... We have put additional forces in there over that last couple months, an additional Stryker battalion, but I'm going to need additional forces in Diyala province to get that situation to a more acceptable level."
He said he has been in touch with Gen. Raymond Odierno, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, about more troops in Diyala, even before the troop escalation that the administration calls a "surge" began in February. He said Odierno has been "providing them over time as they have become available."
About 3,500 U.S. soldiers, 10,000 Iraqi soldiers and several thousand police officers are stationed there. More than 3,000 additional police are needed, he said.
The level of violence has increased in Diyala, Mixon said, because the forces are increasing their offensive operations against the insurgents, many of whom have left Baghdad during the recent security crackdown, and because al Qaeda in Iraq has made Diyala a focus.
"It's where many of their high-level individuals have been killed or captured," he said. "They declared it their caliphate a year or two ago. So they have been in there for a while."
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the late al Qaeda in Iraq leader, was killed in a U.S. airstrike last year while he was hiding in the Diyala town of Hibhib.
The province borders Iran and is an effective hiding place for insurgents.
"And quite frankly, there are a lot of former regime elements in there, and the Sunni population in certain areas were providing them support," Mixon said. "So we stepped up our offensive operations, and it was at that point when I realized that I was going to need additional forces."
On April 23, two suicide car bombers struck a U.S. outpost in Diyala, killing nine American soldiers and wounding 20 others from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division.
Referring to the entire region he covers, which includes Nineveh, Salaheddin and Tameem provinces, Mixon said, "We are making progress," but added, "it is slow."
The "bureaucracy in Baghdad" needs to do a better job of helping and supporting soldiers, saying "ministries move too slow to provide help," even though the situation has improved.
He said the government needs to show the Iraqi people it can provide the proper security and services.
Mixon was asked about the U.S. troop escalation called "the surge," and said those issues were being debated in Washington, and that his mind wasn't on possible deadlines for withdrawal that are being debated in Congress.
However, he said, "we just can't think about pulling out of here just like that."
"We need a long-term commitment in some form or fashion to ensure security in the region," he said, adding that it "doesn't need to be in the number we have now."
Troops urged to fight fair
America's top military commander in Iraq has sent a letter to troops challenging them to "occupy the moral high ground" after a Pentagon survey showed some service members were reluctant to report the "illegal actions" of fellow personnel.
In the letter, dated Thursday, Gen. David Petraeus wrote he was "concerned" with the poll's findings.
"This fight depends on securing the population, which must understand that we -- not our enemies -- occupy the moral high ground," he said.
The survey of ethics, released last week, assessed the mental health and ethical attitudes of more than 1,300 soldiers and nearly 450 Marines last year. (Read the report)
Results showed that fewer than half of soldiers and Marines would report a team member for unethical behavior.
Survey results also showed that about 10 percent admitted mistreating noncombatants or damaging their property when it was not necessary.
Only about 47 percent of Army soldiers and 38 percent of Marines agreed that noncombatants should be treated with dignity and respect.
In the letter, Petraeus also underscored that torture to obtain information from the enemy was "wrong."
More than a third of soldiers and Marines reported that torture should be allowed to save the life of a comrade. "Beyond the basic fact that such actions are illegal, history shows that they also are frequently neither useful or necessary," Petraeus said.
Other developments
The U.S. military on Friday reported the deaths of two U.S. soldiers in Iraq on Thursday. One soldier was killed in a roadside bombing targeting a patrol in eastern Baghdad. Another soldier died from wounds sustained in an explosion in Diyala province, a military statement said. Thirty-four U.S. military personnel have been killed in May, bringing the total for the Iraq war to 3,385, including seven Defense Department civilians.
Coalition forces killed "four terrorists" and detained "nine suspected terrorists" in raids Thursday and Friday targeting car bomb networks in Iraq, the U.S. military said in a statement. One of those killed was a suspected car-bomb cell leader "allegedly tied to al Qaeda in Iraq senior leadership."

Blair: My political journey is over

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Tony Blair announces he will step down as Labour Party leader and British prime minister, defending his record during his decade in power, but adding "my apologies to you for the times I've fallen short."
Blair spoke at his parliamentary constituency in northeast England and said he would tender his resignation to Queen Elizabeth on June 27. He later returned to London.
"I've come back here to Sedgefield, to my constituency, where my political journey began and where it's fitting that it ends," Blair said.
"I've been prime minister of this country for just over 10 years ... I think that's long enough for me, but more especially, for the country."
At times, the PM appeared choked with emotion, thanking the nation for supporting him during his time in office and apologizing for his shortcomings -- but not his actions.
"I give my thanks to you, the British people, for the times that I've succeeded and my apologies to you for the times I've fallen short," Blair said.
After announcing his departure, Blair defended his record.
"I ask you to accept one thing," he said. "Hand on heart, I did what I thought was right. I may have been wrong -- that's your call.
"But believe one thing if nothing else. I did what I thought was right for our country and I came into office with high hopes for Britain's future and you know I leave it with even higher hopes for Britain's future."
Blair arrived to a cheering crowd of local activists. Earlier, in London, Labour's longest-serving PM told his Cabinet of his decision.
His departure is expected to trigger a leadership election in the ruling Labour Party that mean a new PM by the end of June. John Prescott, Blair's deputy prime minister since 1997, also resigned Thursday. (Watch how his announcement is one of the worst kept secrets in global politics )
Moving forward
Finance minister, Gordon Brown, is the favorite to succeed Blair. The 56-year-old Scot has been chancellor throughout Blair's tenure.
Blair will not be leaving power until after a leadership election within his party, his spokesman emphasized on Wednesday.
The selection process -- which includes a vote of Labour lawmakers, party members and members of affiliated trade unions -- is expected to take six to seven weeks, with confirmation by a party conference at the end of June. At that point, Blair will formally submit his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II.
Given Labour's majority in the House of Commons, a general election is not required.
Blair's legacy
Blair has seen his popularity plunge because of his steadfast support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and political scandal.
His widely anticipated departure announcement comes a week after Labour took heavy losses in local and national elections in England, Scotland and Wales.
Blair's decision comes as Protestant Unionist leader Ian Paisley and former arch-foe Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, a former IRA commander, were sworn in as Northern Ireland's power-sharing leaders. The landmark capped 10 years of Blair's drive for peace. (More on his legacy)
The charismatic 54-year-old has been at the helm of Labour since 1994 and led it to an unprecedented three straight election victories in 1997, 2001 and 2005.
CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour said Blair began his career as a young, dynamic leader with a lot more hair and fewer wrinkles, who "made it cool again to be British, not just noble."
Amanpour highlighted Blair's humanitarian interventions in Kosovo and Sierra Leone as well as his commitment to peace in Northern Ireland, saying his achievements were "quite amazing."
But his political fortunes have been weighed down by Iraq and an investigation into whether Labour campaign donors were rewarded with political honors. In December, he became the first serving prime minister questioned as part of a criminal inquiry relating to the investigation.
Amanpour said Blair was arguably one of the most successful prime ministers in British history but added that his Iraq policy "is something that will dog him for many years."
"Nobody, perhaps least of all Tony Blair, could forsee Iraq as such a disaster," Amanpour added.
But even at the end of his political career Blair continues to defend his decisions, just as he did at the 2005 Labour Party conference.
"I know there's a bit of us that would like me to do a Hugh Grant in Love Actually and tell America where to get off," he said. "But the difference between a good film and real life is that in real life there's the next day, the next year, the next lifetime to contemplate the ruinous consequences of easy applause."
Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Explosion in Baghdad while Cheney visits

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A mortar round landed in Baghdad's Green Zone while U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney was meeting with government officials, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said.
The U.S. Embassy press office in Baghdad, however, said an explosion was heard, but it could not verify whether it was inside or outside the zone.
There are no reports of any casualties.
Attacks on the heavily fortified area, the seat of U.S. and Iraqi government power in the country, are common.
The vice president had arrived unannounced in Baghdad early Wednesday to tell Iraq's government "it's game time," a senior Bush administration official said.
The senior administration official summarized Cheney's message: "We've got to pull together. We've got to get this work done. It's game time."
An important topic on Cheney's agenda is to persuade the Iraqi Parliament to forgo its planned two-month recess. The Bush administration is pushing for members to keep working on legislation, such as a measure on oil revenues.
"The reality is, with the major effort we're making, the major effort the Iraqi security forces and military are making themselves, for the Iraqi Parliament to take a two-month vacation in the middle of summer is impossible to understand," Ryan Crocker, the United States' new ambassador to Iraq, told reporters.
The trip to Baghdad -- Cheney's second -- comes as the Bush administration is trying to foster national unity among the fractious Iraqi leaders.
Shortly after landing, Cheney met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. He told reporters the two discussed political and economic issues and how to build an Iraq that is "self-governing and free of threats of the insurgency and al Qaeda."
Al-Maliki said they worked to chart the "best ways to support the efforts of the Iraqi government in order to succeed in this experiment."
Cheney also met with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, who briefed him on the effectiveness of the U.S. military buildup, The Associated Press reported.
The vice president also saw Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and government ministers, but no details were offered about that meeting.
Cheney also plans to visit with U.S. troops, a White House statement said.
Vice president to visit Sunni countries
The stopover kicks off a weeklong visit to the region, where Cheney will hold talks with leaders in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan -- all Sunni Arab countries.
The trip closely follows Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's participation in a two-day international conference on Iraq in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. It also comes a little over a week after Bush's decision to veto a $124 billion war spending bill that called for U.S. troops to leave Iraq by 2008.
Another political crisis likely discussed on Cheney's visit is the threat posed by the country's most powerful Sunni bloc to bolt from Parliament and erode the country's effort to establish a unity government.
Cheney is slated to meet with the bloc's leader Tariq al-Hashimi -- one of Iraq's two vice presidents.
Al-Maliki, a Shiite, met with al-Hashimi on Tuesday. The sitdown apparently eased the tension that would have prompted the Sunnis to split from the Council of Representatives, which could be a devastating blow to reconciliation.
The government is working to gain support and trust from Sunnis, who were in power during the Saddam Hussein regime. Many of the insurgents in the country -- which has a Shiite majority -- are Sunni militants and people who have supported Hussein's Baathist party.
Deadly bomb hits Kurdish ministry
At least 14 people were killed and 87 more were wounded early Wednesday when a suicide truck bomb exploded outside an Iraqi government ministry in Irbil, the capital of the northern Kurdish region, according to the Kurdish regional government.
Khalid Salih said the bomber exploded his truck outside the Iraqi Interior Ministry around 7:30 a.m. Bombings are relatively rare in the three-province Kurdish region..
Also, on a road between Kirkuk and Tikrit in northern Iraq, four Iraqi journalists were killed on Wednesday, police in Kirkuk said.
The official said gunmen in a car opened fire on the journalists' minibus about eight kilometers away from an Iraqi Army checkpoint. Their bodies were found in the vehicle.
The journalists weren't identified, but all four were men. One of them was the director of a local media organization, but officials did not say which one.
In eastern Baghdad, a civilian was killed and two Iraqi soldiers were wounded when a car bomb exploded near an army checkpoint on Palestine Street.
Coalition forces seized 18 "suspected terrorists during raids around Iraq Tuesday and Wednesday, the U.S. military said. The raids were staged southeast of Taji, north of Karma, in Mosul and near Baghdad and Ramadi.
The military also said it was investigating reports of civilian deaths during a confrontation on Tuesday between troops and insurgents in Iraq's Diyala province.
U.S. troops noticed insurgents setting up a roadside bomb near Mandali.
A helicopter strike killed two of the insurgents, but people later told the military that five civilians, including two children, were killed and three others were wounded.
Other developments
A Task Force Lightning soldier was killed and four were wounded by gunfire in Diyala Province on Tuesday, the U.S. military said. The U.S. death toll in the Iraq war stands at 3,373, with 29 killed so far in May. Seven civilian Defense Department contractors also have been killed.
In Iraq on Tuesday, a parked car exploded near a prominent Shiite mosque in a southern city, killing 16 civilians and wounding at least 64 others, authorities said. The strike, along with a suicide attack targeting police in Diyala province and a roadside bombing in Baghdad, killed 24 people across the country Tuesday.
Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Power sharing begins in N. Ireland

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- Northern Ireland's major Protestant and Catholic parties joined together Tuesday to form a power-sharing government, marking a "new era of politics" and an end to three decades of sectarian conflict in the province.
Protestant Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley was sworn in as the Northern Ireland assembly's first minister and key player Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein will take on the role of deputy first minister.
The two men bridged the sectarian divide and took oaths of office in front of a quiet assembly room with members foregoing applause out of respect for a recently deceased assembly member and colleague from Paisley's DUP, George Dawson.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern attended the swearing-in ceremony at Stormont, home to the Northern Ireland assembly, near Belfast. (Watch the long path Northern Ireland took to get to this point )
Paisley, 80, and McGuinness, 56, arrived within minutes of each other Tuesday morning and both set an optimistic tone.
"It is a special day because we're making a new beginning," Paisley said. "I believe we're starting on a road which will bring us back to peace and to prosperity."
Paisley's deputy McGuinness, said he was "increasingly confident" that the new government would work, saying it was a "good day."
"The happenings here today are surely going to represent a fundamental change of approach with parties moving forward together to build a better future for the people that we represent," he said.
In committing his party to the deal, Adams said there would be challenges ahead, but added the deal marked the start of "a new era of politics on this island."
He said the new government brought with it the potential for a new beginning after many years of violence.
"I think what today proves is that dialogue and perseverance and tenacity and persistence can bring about results," Adams said. "We are going to succeed."
A fresh start
"It's a day that many people thought would never come," said CNN's European Political Editor Robin Oakley, adding that the coming together of two politically opposite poles was like "the lion laying down with the lamb."
Decades of violence in the province have killed at least 3,600 people and injured 36,000.
Oakley said the steady normalization of life after ceasefires and the laying down of arms would be cemented by the power sharing agreement. He added that while disputes and disagreements would still happen, the peace agreement "restored a degree of normal politics."
"It is a development that makes such a difference to the lives of ordinary people here in Northern Ireland," Oakley said. "We can say this is that day that politics takes over from terrorism here in Northern Ireland," he added.
Dr. Brendan O'Duffy, a senior lecturer with Queen Mary University in London, told CNN there was still a threat of political gridlock and a lot of work to do looking forward. But goodwill between the players and the "delicate power sharing" would allow people to "clash constitutionally instead of violently," he said.
In another development last week, the Ulster Volunteer Force, the most powerful Protestant paramilitary group, said it would put its weapons "beyond reach" of further use against Catholics, bolstering the peace process, a Reuters report said. (Full story)
Blair's crowning jewel
With British Prime Minister Blair expected to depart Downing Street next month after 10 years in power, Oakley said the Northern Ireland peace deal would be the crowning jewel of a political legacy tarnished by Iraq and political scandals.
While Blair dedicated a large part of his time in office to the peace process in Northern Ireland, Oakley said the agreement had involved the efforts of many world leaders over the years including former British PM John Major and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
While the power-sharing government would attend to Northern Ireland's day-to-day affairs, Oakley said decisions on issues of policing would still be made from London.
The parties will share responsibility for the ministries with the DUP running the finance, economy, environment and culture portfolios and Sinn Fein taking on education, regional development and agriculture.
Reuters contributed to this report.

Residents return to tornado-flattened town

GREENSBURG, Kansas (CNN) -- Survivors returned Monday to a Kansas town that was flattened by a mile-wide tornado, some finding little remaining of their homes.
Traffic leading into Greensburg backed up as police checked drivers' identification. Residents were being allowed to inspect their property until 6 p.m. Monday.
Searchers were still probing rubble left in the wake of Friday's twister that killed nine people and was rated among the strongest by tornado experts, an EF-5 with 205-mph winds. (Watch treetops sheared off amid a flying American flag )
"Virtually the entire city has been destroyed, " said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting of the Kansas National Guard on Monday. "It's as bad as anything I've seen." The general said in some ways the damage is worse than Hurricane Katrina because the entire city lays in ruins. (Watch as town tries to cope after tornado )
"There's no place to go to stage to rebuild," said Bunting, a nearly 30-year veteran of the Guard. "We'll have to create that."
Forecasters predicted that more severe weather was possible Monday elsewhere across the central Plains. (Watch more dangerous flooding likely in Oklahoma City )
Searchers spent the weekend sifting through the debris and are still hoping to account for residents who fled as the storm approached.
"Some of this rubble is 20, 30 feet deep and that's always a challenge," Bunting said Monday. "That's where we've spent all our efforts, and we'll do it again today."
Greensburg City Administrator Steve Hewitt said it's "hard to tell" if anyone is trapped in the rubble, but "it's a possibility."
"The search and rescue continues and it will continue until ... we find everything and have everything organized," Hewitt told CNN's "American Morning."
"We need to make sure we've found everybody and everybody is safe and accounted for."
Hewitt said it's essential for the agricultural community to rebuild, in part because it's the county seat. (Interactive: Map of towns hit by tornadoes)
"That's going to be tough. It's a long road ahead of us," said Hewitt, who lost his home in the tornado.(Watch Hewitt tour devastation that includes his own home )
"We're going to bring people back. We gotta to get reorganized, we gotta build our government back up, we've got to," he said.
The Red Cross said about 90 percent of Greensburg, home to about 1,500, was destroyed or heavily damaged. The storm stripped trees of most of their branches and destroyed all the town's churches.
One resident, Faye Hargadine, 80, found herself trapped in her home immediately following the twister.
"I was trapped in this corner, and I was curled up. ... And then I saw a light out in the street and I stood up and began yelling, but the windows in my porch were broke out," Hargadine said. "And so the neighbor lady came with a light and she got another lady and they got me out of the house. They pulled me out the window."
Storm damage has cut water and electricity to Greensburg, said Dick Hainje of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who described the scene as catastrophic.
"We will do whatever it takes," said Hainje. "This town will come back."
Trailers and mobile homes for survivors are en route to the town, Hainje said.
Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius told CNN the use of so many National Guard troops and resources in Iraq is slowing Kansas' efforts to recover.
"States all over the country are not only missing personnel -- National Guard troops are about 40 percent of the troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan -- but we're missing the equipment," she said. "When the troops get deployed, the equipment goes with them. So here in Kansas about 50 percent of our trucks are gone. We need trucks. We are missing humvees, we're missing all kinds of equipment that could help us respond in this kind of emergency."
The governor said city and county trucks were destroyed in the region. "National Guard are our first responders. They don't have the equipment they need to come in, and it'll just make it that much slower."
The National Guard has said for years that it is short of equipment at home due to deployments to Iraq.
"Of course I agree with the governor," Bunting told CNN. "We have limited resources. So if we had another big storm right now we'd be hard-pressed to cover that."
Twister rated as EF-5
In addition to the devastation in Greensburg, parts of Oklahoma were reeling from twisters that hit Saturday night, killing one person.
The Oklahoma town of Sweetwater, about 225 miles south of Greensburg, was hit hard by a twister that severely damaged a high school and other buildings Saturday. (Watch a 360-degree look at the devastation that twisters left behind in Greensburg )
Larry Ruthi, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Dodge City, Kansas, told CNN on Sunday that the tornado that struck Greensburg on Friday night was an EF-5, the highest level in a classification system used by the National Weather Service, and had estimated winds of 205 mph (330 kph).
The damage path at its widest point was about 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers), and it tracked for 22 miles (35 kilometers). (Watch an aerial view of the devastation )
The tornado moved at an average speed of about 20 mph (32 kph) and took about 15 to 20 minutes to wipe out the town, he said. (Watch homes turned into piles of bricks and splintered wood )
Of the nine people killed in Kansas, eight died in Kiowa County, which includes Greensburg, and one in Stafford County to the northeast, officials said.
The victim in Stafford was a sheriff's deputy, the Kansas Highway Patrol said.
More than 50 people were injured, authorities said.