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7 Palestinians die as Hamas, Fatah battle

By TIMES WIRES
Published January 28, 2007

At least seven more Palestinians were killed Saturday in Gaza City in continuing battles between fighters loyal to Fatah and Hamas. At least 14 Palestinians died Friday in daylong clashes and retaliatory attacks. The death toll has reached 25 since Thursday, with more than 65 people wounded, news agencies reported. Hamas, which leads the Palestinian Authority, said Friday that it was suspending new talks with the Fatah movement of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on the formation of a unity government because of the violence.

Israel may have violated arms pact

The Bush administration will inform Congress that Israel may have violated agreements with the United States when it fired U.S.-supplied cluster munitions into southern Lebanon during its fight with Hezbollah last summer, administration officials said. The finding, though preliminary, has prompted a debate within the administration over whether the United States should penalize Israel for its use of cluster munitions, which scatter tiny but deadly bomblets that explode over a wide area.

Lawmaker reports new nuclear work

Iran is currently installing 3,000 centrifuges, a top lawmaker said Saturday in an announcement underlining that the country will continue to develop its nuclear program despite U.N. sanctions. The lawmaker, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said the installation under way at an Iranian uranium enrichment plant "stabilizes Iran's capability in the field of nuclear technology," the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. A U.N. official said Friday that Iran was expected to begin installing the centrifuges next month.

Sunni majority will last, king predicts

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah said in an interview published Saturday that attempts to convert Muslim Sunnis to the Shiite branch of Islam will not succeed, and that Sunnis would always make up the majority of the world Muslims. Although Abdullah did not mention Iran by name, his comments - rare for the Sunni monarch - appeared aimed at easing Arab concerns over the Persian Shiite nation's growing influence in the Middle East.

Elsewhere

Russia: Andrei Lugovoi, the man reported by British media to be a suspect in the murder of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in London, on Saturday denied any role in the radiation poisoning of Litvinenko.

Guinea: Union leaders ended a deadly 17-day strike today after the president agreed to name a new prime minister with increased powers. The strike spiraled into street protests that left 59 people dead and brought the West African nation to an economic standstill.

[Last modified January 28, 2007, 00:31:04]