Israeli air strikes kill Gaza militants

GAZA: Israeli air strikes killed two Gaza militants, one a local commander of the Islamic Jihad group in the Gaza Strip, and wounded four others who fired rockets at Israel, despite a two-day-old truce, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

Hamas control can cause new Gaza war

As long as Hamas remains in control of the Gaza Strip, another war is only a question of time, said a senior Israeli army officer.He said the Palestinian Islamist group had re-armed so much since the Israeli offensive two years ago that it was now in a stronger position militarily. Earlier, Israeli defence officials said tanks fitted with a new missile defence system would be deployed near Gaza. The announcement came after Palestinian militants for the first time used a Kornet tank-piercing missile.

Hamas leader says group will never recognise Israel

GAZA: A large crowd of Palestinians cheered a Hamas leader’s pledge on Tuesday never to recognize Israel and celebrated the Islamist movement’s 23rd anniversary at a Gaza rally punctuated by sonic booms from Israeli jets.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, whose group runs the Gaza Strip, said the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) headed by Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas had made a “historic mistake” by recognising Israel.

“We said it five years ago and we say it now. we will never, we will never, we will never recognise Israel,” Haniyeh told the gathering which some organisers said was attended by around 250,000 people.

Haniyeh had raised speculation last month about a change in Hamas’s charter, which calls for Israel’s destruction, by suggesting the group could accept a referendum on any peace treaty giving the Palestinians a state on land Israel

Israel attack several targets in Gaza

Israeli jetfighters conducted number of air raids targeting different parts of the Gaza Strip.
In Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, jetfighters targeted a factory, due to the bombardment the main building of the factory was destroyed. No injuries were reported. The other raid targeted open areas in the city of Rafah, also southern Gaza. Local sources reported damage but no injuries.
On the other hand US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, has said the legitimate national aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians can both be met through the newly relaunched peace negotiations.

Saudi approves $385B 5-year development plan

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has approved a new $385 billion development plan, with more than 50 percent of it devoted to human resources.

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Saudi approves $385B 5-year development plan

Israeli PM: Turkey looked for a fight on ship

JERUSALEM: Israel’s prime minister defended the deadly commando raid on an international flotilla protesting the Gaza blockade before an internal inquiry commission Monday, suggesting that Turkey had sought the violent confrontation on the high seas.

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Israeli PM: Turkey looked for a fight on ship

Over 400 die in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa flooding

PESHAWAR: Massive flooding has wreaked havoc in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and killed over 400 people as monsoon rains continue to bloat rivers, submerge villages and trigger landslides, according to rescue and government officials.

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Over 400 die in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa flooding

Israeli airstrike kills senior Hamas commander

GAZA CITY: Hamas says a senior commander of its military wing has been killed in an Israeli air strike.

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Israeli airstrike kills senior Hamas commander

13 confirmed dead in China mine flood: state media

BEIJING: Authorities have confirmed the deaths of 13 workers trapped in a flooded coal mine in northwest China at the weekend — one of a spate of recent accidents to hit the sector, state media said Friday.

The last five bodies were pulled early Friday from the pit in the city of Jiuquan in Gansu province, official news agency reported, citing a spokesman for the rescue operation.

China”s vast coal mining industry is notoriously accident-prone due to lax regulation, corruption and inefficiency as mines rush to meet soaring demand.

China relies on coal-generated power for about 70 percent of its electricity needs.

A total of 2,631 miners were killed in China last year, according to official figures, but independent labour groups say the actual figure could be much higher as many accidents are covered up to avoid costly mine shutdowns.

Aid ships from Lebanon won”t reach Gaza: Israel

UNITED NATIONS: Israel warned the United Nations on Thursday that two ships preparing to sail from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip to bring aid to the blockaded territory would not be allowed to reach their destination.

“The stated intention of these vessels is to violate the existing naval blockade of Gaza,” Israel”s U.N. Ambassador Gabriela Shalev said in a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Nigerian Ambassador Joy Ogwu, the current president of the Security Council.

Israel recently eased its blockade of the Gaza Strip in response to intense international criticism of a May 31 Israeli commando raid on a flotilla of aid ships. Nine pro-Palestinian Turkish protesters died in the confrontation.

Israel is allowing more food and other aid into Gaza via land crossings but continues to maintain the naval blockade.

Gaza has been controlled by the militant Palestinian group Hamas since 2007.

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