World in brief

Israel kills 2 members of Islamic Jihad

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - An Israeli missile strike killed a leader of Islamic Jihad and another member of the violent group Tuesday, the sixth day of an Israeli military offensive aimed at ending Palestinian rocket fire on Israeli towns.

A second strike killed two militants in the Jebaliya refugee camp and wounded eight other people, including six civilians.

In Washington, Secretary of State Colin Powell said he hoped the Israeli campaign in northern Gaza would end soon.

The United States later vetoed an Arab-backed resolution at the United Nations that demanded an immediate end to the military operations and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

U.S. Ambassador John Danforth said the resolution put the blame on Israel "and absolves terrorists in the Middle East - people who shoot rockets into civilian areas, people who are responsible for killing children."

Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat said that he will step down from office after he has ruled an independent Palestinian state.

Arafat compared himself to South Africa's Nelson Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and stepped down five years later to become an elder statesman.

GHAZNI, Afghanistan - Afghan President Hamid Karzai made his second successful campaign stop outside the safety of the capital on Tuesday, telling 10,000 people that historic elections this weekend will deliver them from a quarter-century of war.

Security was tight, with U.S. bodyguards and hundreds of Afghan security forces on hand.

"Brothers and sisters of Afghanistan, I ask you to vote for me freely, with no pressure," Karzai said.

TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said Tuesday he will press his country's case in Washington this week for reducing what he called the "the excessive burden on Okinawa" of U.S. troops. But he will urge the Americans to leave adequate forces in Japan.

The United States is seeking to redefine the role of its troops in Japan, about 47,000, to make American forces around the world more geared to small conflicts.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The Saudi government has ordered the closure of a large charity that Washington accuses of helping finance terrorist activities, a Saudi official said Tuesday.

The Riyadh-based Al-Haramain foundation has until Oct. 15 to dissolve its operations.

World and national headlines

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 Contact the Times | Privacy Policy Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright