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In new video, Ayman al-Zawahiri warns that Israel will "pay the price" for attacking muslims, calls for holy war Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's second in command has released a new videotape calling for a holy war agianst the "Zionists and crusaders" and says that "the war with Israel does not depend on ceasefires." Hamas denies that release of Israeli soldier is "imminent" Hamas has denied claims made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, 19, captured on June 25, will be released.

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Israel accused, "ignored" UN bomb warnings The Irish foreign ministry said Israel ignored six separate warnings from a key UN liaising officer that the bombardment was endangering the lives of UN staff in South Lebanon befor a fatal strike with a âprecision-guided weaponâ killed 4 UN observers.

Wikipedia Current Events
A heat wave in California causes at least 90 deaths. Somalia's interim government unravels as at least 20 government members resign, most being parliament members, accusing the country's virtually powerless government of failing to bring peace. The three main militia groups in the troubled DRC Congo eastern province of Ituri have agreed to lay down arms and begin integrating into the Congolese army. More than 80 people dead and missing in China as a result of Typhoon Kaemi. In Rome, the President of the Venice Biennale Davide Croff and the Director of the 63rd Venice Film Festival Marco Muller have presented the line-up of the festival, which runs August 30 - September 9. 2006 Kodori crisis: the rebel renegade Emzar Kvitsiani escapes as one civilian gets killed in the fighting. The government investigation of the assault that partially paralyzed Fu Xiancai, a Chinese activist protesting the displacement caused by the Three Gorges Dam, concludes that he hit himself in the back of the neck, breaking three vertebrae. The team for 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis announces that he failed a drug test during the race, with high levels of testosterone. Al-Qaeda's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, openly supports Hezbollah attacks on Israel, Calling for Jihad until Islam reigns from "Spain to Iraq". Israel says diplomats' decision not to call for a halt to its Lebanon offensive at a Middle East summit has given it the green light to continue. The Israeli military has been taken by surprise by the ferocity of Hezbollah's resistance and may rethink its strategy. The Israeli Cabinet decides not to expand the Lebanese offensive. Lebanese Health Minister Mohammad Khalifeh claims that up to 600 civilians may have been killed in the Israeli bombardment.

Ayman al-Zawahiri warns: Israel will "pay the price" for attacking muslims
Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's second in command, has released a new videotape calling for a holy war against the "Zionists and crusaders" and saying that "the war with Israel does not depend on ceasefires."

"Oh Muslims everywhere, I call on you to fight and become martyrs in the war against the Zionists and the crusaders. The war with Israel does not depend on ceasefires... It is a jihad for God's sake and will last until religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq. My fellow Muslims, it is obvious that Arab and Islamic governments are not only impotent but also complicit...and you are alone on the battlefield. Rely on God and fight your enemies...make yourselves martyrs," said Zawahiri.

Zawahiri also said that the entire planet is an "open battlefield," and that "we [al-Qaeda] will attack everywhere." He claimed that the rockets Israel is using to take out Hezbollah are supplied by the "countries of the crusader coalition. Since they are attacking us everywhere, we will attack everywhere," he said. "We cannot just watch these shells as they burn our brothers in Gaza and Lebanon and stand by idly, humiliated," Zawahiri added.

In the video, an image of the burning World Trade Center towers could be seen in the background and the images of two other militants, Mohammed Atta and Mohammed Atef, were also present.

Zawahiri also makes reference to the three Israeli soldiers that were kidnapped saying, "The 10,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israel's prisons do not move anything while three Israeli prisoners have shaken the world."

This is the tenth message Zawahiri has made since the begining of 2006.

Tube train evacuated after a landslide in west London
Six hundred Tube passengers had to be moved to safety in west London tonight after a landslide close to a station on the London Underground.

Commuters on board an eastbound Piccadilly Line train at Boston Manor Station were evacuated after around four tonnes of debris landed on the tracks. The train collided with the rubble, but London Underground said the train stayed on the tracks. There are no reports of any injuries. Due to inspections of damage caused, the Piccadilly Line has been suspended between Northfields and Heathrow. London Underground said all of the train's passengers were led off onto the platform at Boston Manor within 15 minutes.

A spokeswoman said: "London Underground is currently assessing the impact of an embankment landslip between Boston Manor and Northfields. Initial indications are that three to four tonnes of debris has ended up on the track. An eastbound Piccadilly Line train came into contact with the debris at Boston Manor station."

A replacement bus service is operating between Northfields and Heathrow. Tube tickets can also be used on Heathrow Connect rail services from Ealing Broadway.

Staff at London Underground are trying to clear the debris overnight in the hope of resuming service on the line on Friday morning.

Man shot in New Zealand gun shop
A man wielding a machete entered a Penrose, Auckland gun shop, Small Arms International, this morning at about 10.00 a.m. The man was shot in the stomach by a pistol, he is now in a stable condition after being taken to hospital for surgery.

Allegedly the shooter was the store manager, who is the son of the owner of the gun shop. The owner, Ray Carvell, said that his son "feared for his life. [My] son was clearly terrified and acted in self defence."

New Zealand Police are speaking to four witnesses.

Simon Scott, Detective Senior Sargeant, said "police have yet to decide if there is any criminal liability."

DHS funds research targeting anonymity and blogs
The United States Department of Homeland Security has announced the awarding of a $3 million grant to Rutgers University to lead a consortium researching advanced information analysis and computational technologies to protect the United States.

Under the agreement, Rutgers will also coordinate a team of four university-based centers at the University of Southern California, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Pittsburgh. Plans call for a total of $10.2 million in funding over three years for Rutgers and these institutions to advance efforts aimed at identifying common patterns from numerous sources of information.

According to Fred Roberts, director of Rutgers' Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS), the efforts will "develop real-time streaming algorithms to find patterns and relationships in communications, such as among writers who may be hiding their identities, and to rate information sources for their reliability and trustworthiness." The computer applications developed by the program will focus on analyzing data from public sources, including news stories, open-source web logs, and other accessible information, to quickly identify emerging indicators of possible terrorist activity.

Hamas denies that release of Israeli soldier is "imminent"
Hamas has denied claims made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, 19, captured on June 25, will be released.

"Nothing has changed in the case of the Israeli soldier. The file remains in the hands of the resistance factions and not in the hands of any politician even if that politician is Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas]. We heard this news from the press and our stance remains as it was: The case is in the hands of resistance fighters," said spokesman for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida.

Ubaida also said that handing over the soldier doesn't come "free. No politician dares to demand handing the soldier over without a return."

Abbas was quoted as saying earlier in a press conference, held in Rome, by an Italian translator that talks were leading to an "imminent solution" that would allow for the release of the soldier. "With regards to the issue of the abducted Israeli soldier, I have reiterated that there are ongoing efforts that lead us to believe in an imminent solution. I hope that the soldier is in good health and can soon return to his family," said Abbas, according to the officail Italian translator.

However; the Associated press quoted Abbas as saying that "intense negotiations" were taking place.

Saddam Hussein to learn his fate in October
The trial of Saddam Hussein has been adjourned until 16 October, which is when the Iraq Special Tribunal is expected to pronounce its judgment.

Hussein and seven co-defendants are on trial charged with crimes against humanity after Hussein allegedly ordered his military forces to kill 148 people from the village of Dujail following an attempted assassination of the former Iraqi leader in 1982.

Prosecutors at the trial want the death penalty for Hussein and two co-defendants. At a hearing yesterday, Hussein said that if he was found guilty and condemned to die, he would prefer to be shot rather than hanged. He also claimed that he had been taken to court against his will.

The former dictator did not appear in court for the final session of his trial today, but he is due to stand trial on 21 August to judge his part in the infamous Anfal campaign, where groups of Iraqi Kurds were murdered in the 1980s.

As Husseinâs defense team has been boycotting the trial demanding better security after three of their numbers were murdered, the court has selected replacement lawyers. Iraqâs former Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan, today refused to allow the appointed representative to stand for him. âI do not know who this lawyer is or his name,â he said. The other defendant was Awad Hamad al-Bandar, the former chief judge of the court.

Like he did yesterday, Judge Raouf Abdel Rahman again slated Husseinâs defense lawyers for avoiding the court. âTheyâre sitting abroad now generating fame by issuing political statements on television stations as if this case is a political one. This behavior will harm you, the defendants. This is a criminal case, not a political one,â Mr Rahman warned. Most of Husseinâs legal team is based in Amman, the capital of Jordan.

His trial started in Baghdad on 19 October 2005.

Landis wins, then fails drug tests
Floyd Landis , who won the 2006 Tour de France, has tested positive for high levels of testosterone, the Phonak team said on their website. Landis' "A" sample, taken after Stage 17 was positive, and his place on the Phonak team will be based on the lab results of the "B" sample.

This statement by the Phonak team came after yesterday's statement from the UCI that an unidentified cyclist had failed a drug test during the tour. Landis has been suspended by the Phonak team, and if he fails the second set of tests, he will be fired.

Under regulations set by the World Anti-Doping agency, a ratio of testosterone to epotestosterone greater than 4:1 is considered a positive result and subject to an investigation. Until recently the cutoff was at 6:1. The natural ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone is generally about 1:1.

Obrador declares himself President, plans protests
Mexican presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who lost the vote count to his rival Felipe Calderon by 0.57%, declared victory in the elections and vowed that he and his supporters will continue protesting. "I am already president," he said in a television interview "I won the presidential election. I am president of Mexico by the will of the majority of Mexicans."

Protests in favour of Obrador have grown increasingly confrontational. This week, protestors marched in front of the Mexican stock exchange, blockading the entrance. Obrador is expected to announce a campaign of civil disobedience at a rally in central Mexico City on Sunday. He and his supporters are pressuring Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal to issue a recount of every vote cast in the election.

Obrador belives that President Vicente Fox and President Elect Felipe Calderon are responsible for what he believes to be election fraud.

Calderon has rejected Obrador's call for a recount, saying that the election was fair.

Current Israel Hezbollah conflict being compared with "Operation Grapes of Wrath"
On Sunday, Dr. Azmi Bishara, leader of the Balad Arab nationalist political party in Israel and member of the Israeli Knesset (Israeli Parliament) compared the current military actions by Israel unfavorably with similar previous conflicts in Lebanon.

In an article for the Arab Times Bishara said; "The only difference between today and the earlier bombardments â the 'Day of Reckoning' and .'Grapes of Wrath' between 1993 and 1996 â is that Syrian forces are no longer present in Lebanon."

American Spencer Witt, who is filing daily reports from Lebanon, compared the difficulty average citizens are having today with those experienced during past operations; "Etienne was a freshman in high school during Operation Grapes of Wrath â 16 days of Israeli strikes that resulted in the destruction of Lebanese power plants and left much of the country in the dark. And now this." Witt said.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said that the killing of 8 Israeli soldiers and the abduction of another two soldiers by Hezbollah militants on July 12 was an act of war; "The murderous attack this morning was not a terror attack but an act of war," Olmert said. Lebanon has Hezbollah members in its parliament and "must bear full responsibility. Israel's response will be restrained but very, very, very painful." Olmert said on July 12, 2006.

Olmert told Israeli legislators today that; âWe want a two-kilometer (1.2-mile) space from the border in which it will not be possible to fire rockets toward soldiers and civilians' houses and in which there will not be contact with military border patrols."

Israeli soldiers previously patrolled a "security zone" during Israel's 18-year occupation of south Lebanon. Olmert said today; "We do not have any intention of returning to the security zone but want to create an area where there will be no Hezbollah." and he repeated Israel's call for an international force (being referred to as "muscular" or "robust") to be put on the Israel-Lebanon border.

"We need international intervention forces that have military capabilities and ability to respond and enforce, and not forces similar to UNIFIL." he said, referring to U.N. peacekeepers. "I don't know when there will be a cease-fire. This is difficult, but we will stand up to this. ... We want to end the violent operation as quickly as possible but we won't end it before we believe we can achieve results that justify the price we have paid."

Dr. Bishara lambasted every aspect of Israel's position in this current conflict; "Any comparison between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmertâs and Hezbollah chief Nasrallahâs political rhetoric must conclude that the latter is the more rational. His speeches are more consistent with the facts and rely less than Olmertâs on religious expressions and allusions...Israeli politicians have no cultural or moral edge over resistance leaders. The latter are far less attached to Iran than the former are to the US...The people who unleashed the brutal war against Lebanon are neither intelligent nor courageous. Quite the opposite; they are mediocrities, cowards and opportunists, but they happen to have military superiority. And they possess the keys to the machinery of a state, a real state, one that is secure in its identity, that has clear national security goals and channels of national mobilization, as opposed to a long deferred project for statehood and a states built on the fragmentation of national identity."

Regarding the current conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told an Israeli parliament committee Wednesday that Israel would not reoccupy any part of southern Lebanon.

However, speaking on Israeli army radio, Justice Minister Haim Ramon - a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert - said "everyone understands that a victory for Hezbollah is a victory for world terror". He said that in order to prevent casualties amongst Israeli soldiers battling Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, villages should be flattened by the Israeli air force before ground troops move in.

"All those now in south Lebanon are terrorists who are related in some way to Hezbollah," Mr Ramon said.

Mr Ramon's call for the use of greater firepower came as the Israeli cabinet was set to decide whether to broaden its military offensive.

Miner dies after being struck with hose in Central Western NSW
A 39 year-old man working at a coal mine at Lidsdale, near Lithgow in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia was found dead on Wednesday. It is believed he was struck by a ruptured hydraulic hose.

The man was discovered by a colleague at around 4:30PM and was around 8 kilometres underground from the mine's entrance. According to police, the man was collecting oil samples when the accident occurred.

Police and the NSW Department of Primary Industries are conducting an investigation into the incident and will prepare a report for the coroner.

Today in History
1794 - Reign of Terror leader Maximilien Robespierre was guillotined.

1914 - Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, starting World War I.

1976 - The Tangshan earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 magnitude flattened Tangshan, China, killing 242,769 and injuring 164,851.

1990 - Alberto Fujimori became President of Peru and the first person of East Asian descent to become executive head of state of a non-Asian nation.

1996 - The remains of the prehistoric Kennewick Man were discovered.

July 28 is Independence Day in Peru (1821)

Quote of the Day

"We are social creatures to the inmost centre of our being. The notion that one can begin anything at all from scratch, free from the past, or unindebted to others, could not conceivably be more wrong."
~ Karl Popper

Word of the Day

mellifluous; adj

Flowing like honey.

Sweet and smooth; generally used of a person's voice, tone, or writing style.

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