O Arjuna, whenever there is decline of righteousness, and unrighteousness is in the ascendant, then I Myself forth;

May 12, 2004

"O Arjuna, whenever there is decline of righteousness, and unrighteousness is in the ascendant, then I Myself forth"; "For the protection of the virtuous, for the destruction of evil-doers, and for establishing Dharma (righteousness) on a firm footing, I am born from age to age." Sri Krishna: Chapter IV, verse 7 and 8

Israeli body hunt sparks clashes

Israel has vowed to stay in Gaza City until the remains are recovered

New clashes have broken out in Gaza City as Israel tries to recover the remains of six troops killed by a bomb.

One Palestinian said to have been killed and others hurt after Israeli helicopters fired several missiles.

Shortly afterwards loud blasts were heard, and witnesses said Palestinian militants had detonated a bomb next to an Israeli armoured column.

Israeli troops have been raiding houses to search for the remains of the soldiers killed on Tuesday.

At least eight Palestinians have been killed and 130 hurt in the incursion.

APC 'full of explosives'

The Palestinian Authority has called on militant groups and any residents of Gaza who are holding the remains of the soldiers to return them "in conformity with human rights and the Muslim religion".

Militants are said to have fired anti-tanks weapons

The troops' armoured personnel carrier was blown to pieces, scattering debris and body parts over a wide area, when it ran over an improvised bomb in the road.

The vehicle was loaded with explosives intended to destroy workshops suspected of producing rockets.

There was a furious Israeli reaction after militants were seen displaying pieces of the dead. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3706165.stm

Video 'shows US man beheaded'

The victim said he was an American from Philadelphia

An Islamic militant website has shown a video apparently showing the beheading of an American in Iraq.

The video showed five men in headscarves and ski masks cutting off the man's head with a knife.

Moments earlier the victim, bound and dressed in an orange jumpsuit, said he was an American from Philadelphia.

The group, thought to be linked to al-Qaeda, said it was carrying out the killing in retaliation for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers.

The poor-quality tape - shown on the Muntada al-Ansar site - began with the victim sitting on the floor with five masked men behind him.

It was titled "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi shown slaughtering an American".

The CIA is said to be checking to see whether Zarqawi - a senior al-Qaeda operative accused of masterminding multiple bomb attacks against US forces in Iraq - was actually in the video.

Washington vowed to find the killers.

"It shows the true nature of the enemies of freedom," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

"They have no regard for the lives of innocent men, women and children. We will pursue those who are responsible and bring them to justice."

However, the victim's father said the US authorities were indirectly to blame for his death for failing to get him safely out of the country.

'Devilish scorn'

The victim identified himself as Nick Berg, a US civilian contractor. His body was found near a highway overpass in Baghdad on Saturday.

Details of Nick's death added to the pain of his grieving family

"My father's name is Michael, my mother's name is Suzanne," the man said on the video. "I have a brother and sister, David and Sarah. I live in... Philadelphia."

One of the masked men read out a statement, saying they had offered to exchange the man for inmates of Abu Ghraib prison but the coalition authorities refused.

"How can a free Muslim sleep well as he sees Islam slaughtered and its dignity bleeding, and the pictures of shame and the news of the devilish scorn of the people of Islam - men and women - in the prison of Abu Ghraib?" he said.

"You will not receive anything from us but coffins after coffins... slaughtered in this way."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3705409.stm

Police deploy across Nigerian city

Police have had to control unrest in Kano periodically in recent years

Nigeria's police say they have restored order in the northern city of Kano after violence by young Muslims seeking to avenge a massacre last week.

Police spokesman Baba Mohammed told the BBC that security had been bolstered and crowds were being dispersed.

An overnight curfew was imposed after the violence. Witnesses counted at least seven bodies on the streets.

Muslim leaders, who held a peaceful rally before the riots, have joined Nigeria's leader in urging calm.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in ethnic, religious and political violence in the country since the end of military rule in 1999.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3705989.stm

Sudan 'starving Darfur refugees'

Two reports have accused the Sudanese government and Arab militia of massive abuses in western Darfur region.

The United Nations says Darfur refugees are systematically being starved. Human Rights Watch says black Africans are deliberately being driven off the land. ...

A report released by the New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused the Sudanese government of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

The Janjaweed militia is accused of holding a town hostage

It says the tactics involved include mass rape, summary execution and the systematic burning of villages and crops.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministry in Chad has summoned Sudan's ambassador to protest against cross-border incursions by militia from Darfur.

The Chadian government has urged Sudan to assert control over the militia, following the latest clash on Wednesday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3692005.stm