World
For the second straight day, units of Turkey's Army fired on Kurdish rebel camps on the border with – if not inside – Iraq, reports said. The shelling may have been in retaliation for an attack on an Army post that killed at least eight soldiers. The leader of the Kurdish autonomous region of northern Iraq, Massoud Barzani, confirmed Sunday's shelling but said Turkish forces had not crossed the border. Iraq has warned against such an invasion, but Turkey's foreign minister told a news conference Monday, "We have every right to take measures against terrorist activities directed against us from northern Iraq."
Fighting between Army troops and Islamist militants spread to a second refugee camp in Lebanon Sunday night, and reports said the former had absorbed most of the casualties. Critics have warned that the Army's pounding of the militants since May 20 has angered Palestinians in Lebanon's other camps, setting the stage for the violence to escalate. The government has demanded that the militants surrender, but their leader said that "is not only impossible, it is unthinkable."
Two Muslim suspects being held in Trinidad in the alleged plot to blow up fuel lines at Kennedy International Airport will fight extradition to the US, their lawyer said Monday. A court in Port-of-Spain, the capital, arraigned both on conspiracy charges and scheduled an Aug 2 hearing to consider an extradition request for trial in the US.
Students protesting the shutdown of Venezuela's most popular TV station "have been injected with hate," visiting Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said in support of fellow leftist leader Hugo Chávez. Ortega accused the US of fomenting the protests, another of which filled the streets of Caracas Sunday. Chávez has threatened to force other broadcasters off the air also. At the opening of an Organization of American States conference Sunday night, Chávez was rebuked – although not by name – for embarking on the path of "weakening democratic rule" by "silencing" his opponents.
Opening day of the war-crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor turned chaotic, with the defendant boycotting it and his court-appointed attorney walking out in protest. Lawyer Karim Khan said Taylor had fired him and plans to represent himself. But he was ordered to present opening arguments for Taylor nonetheless. Taylor complained that he could not expect a fair trial.
Violent protests by poor tribesmen in India ended Monday after their leader and government officials agreed to a deal that could give them civil service jobs and admission to universities. But the settlement did not come until after the violence spread to the capital, New Delhi, where hundreds of demonstrators blocked roads, disrupted rail service, and threw rocks at police. At least 25 people have died in a week of violence that began in the northwestern state of Rajastan.
Train service to volatile southern Thailand was suspended again Monday after suspected Muslim separatists caused a derailment that injured 16 people. Authorities found bolts securing five sets of tracks had been removed. Service also was halted in April when militants fired on a train, wounding crewmen. Despite growing violence in the region and the military's failure to stop it, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont insists he is committed to a peaceful resolution.
At least 21 people died when a helicopter shuttling sports officials crashed on landing at the airport in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown. All except the pilot were from Togo and had attended a soccer game between their respective national teams. Togo's players were awaiting the next shuttle to the airport, which cannot be reached by road.
