Lebanese violence spreads to mountains outside capital

By Diego Norona (AP)

Documents that Colombia says it recovered from a slain guerrilla leader give the clearest indication yet that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sought to arm and finance insurgents across the border.

The documents _ more than a dozen internal rebel messages _ detail several years of close cooperation between top officials in Venezuela\'s government and military and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, including the construction of rebel training facilities on Venezuelan soil.

They also suggest Venezuela was preparing to loan the rebels at least US$250 million...

By Vahid Salemi (AP)

At this huge oil field in southwest Iran, one building stands out among the pumps and maze of pipelines: On its roof in giant letters, big enough for satellites or pilots to see, are the words: \"We can do it.\"

The slogan, made famous by Iran\'s revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, highlights the country\'s new drive to tap its oil riches on its own _ without Western investment or technological know-how _ as Iran faces a threat of tighter U.N. sanctions and American financial pressure over its nuclear ambitions.

The Azadegan field in southwestern Iran showcases...

By Mahmoud Tawil (AP)

Heavy fighting broke out Sunday between supporters of Lebanon\'s Western-backed government and opposition followers in the central mountains overlooking the capital, security officials said.

The violence came after overnight clashes in northern Lebanon left one woman dead, bringing the toll across the country for the past five days to 38 _ the worst sectarian violence since Lebanon\'s 1975-1990 civil war.

Sunday\'s fighting between pro-government supporters of Druse leader Walid Jumblatt and Shiite gunmen started in Aytat around 2 p.m., involving exchanges of rocket and...

By LEFTERIS PITARAKIS (AP)

Hezbollah gunmen melted off the streets of Beirut Saturday, heeding an army call to pull the fighters out after the Shiite militants demonstrated their military might in a power struggle with the U.S.-backed government.

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, in his first public statement since sectarian clashes erupted on Wednesday, said Lebanon can no longer tolerate Hezbollah having weapons. He called on the army to restore law and order and remove gunmen from the streets.

Despite his tough talk, Saniora made a key concession to the Hezbollah-led opposition that would effectively...

By LEFTERIS PITARAKIS (AP)

Hezbollah gunmen were melting away from the streets of Beirut late Saturday, heeding an army call to clear out fighters after the Shiite militants demonstrated their military might in a power struggle with the U.S.-backed government.

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, in his first public statement since sectarian clashes erupted on Wednesday, said Lebanon can no longer tolerate Hezbollah having weapons. He called on the army to restore law and order and remove gunmen from the streets.

Despite his tough talk, Saniora made a key concession to the Hezbollah-led opposition that would...

By STR (AP)

The Lebanese army command ordered its troops Saturday to establish security, calling on all parties to withdraw their gunmen from the streets while offering the opposition Hezbollah a compromise.

Shiite Hezbollah gunmen seized most of the capital\'s Muslim sector Friday in the worst sectarian strife since a 15-year civil war ended nearly two decades ago. On Saturday, gunmen stood on the corners of Sunni-dominated neighborhoods though in fewer numbers than the day before.

An army statement said that the airport security chief, whose firing precipitated the latest crisis, will...

By STR (AP)

Lebanon\'s army command is ordering troops to establish security in the capital and is calling on all parties to withdraw their gunmen from the streets.

The army statement also says an airport security chief fired by the government for alleged ties to Hezbollah will be kept on.

The chief\'s removal and the government\'s decision to declare Hezbollah\'s communications network illegal sparked days of the worst sectarian clashes in the country since the civil war ended in 1990.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP\'s earlier story is...

By STR (AP)

A Shiite Muslim shop owner opened fire on a funeral procession Saturday, killing two people and wounding six others in a Sunni neighborhood, police and witnesses said.

The attack came a day after Shiite Hezbollah gunmen seized most of the capital\'s Muslim sector in the worst sectarian strife since a 15-year civil war ended nearly two decades ago.

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said Hezbollah had carried out \"armed coup\" against Lebanese democracy, and called on the army to restore law and order and remove gunmen from the streets.

A total of 25 people have been killed...

By APICHART WEERAWONG (AP)

China faces mounting appeals to prod cyclone-ravaged Myanmar to allow access to foreign aid workers but is giving no sign it will use its influence over its ally, insisting instead that the world respect the military junta\'s sovereignty.

The disaster is a reminder of China\'s close ties with dictatorships such as Zimbabwe, Sudan and Myanmar _ also called Burma _ at a time when Beijing wants to use the Summer Olympics to polish its global image.

Human Rights Watch appealed Saturday to China to help persuade Myanmar _ or force it, if necessary _ to drop restrictions on...

By Steven Senne (AP)

The U.S. military is reinforcing the sides of its topline mine-resistant vehicles to shore up what could be weak points as troops see a spike in armor-piercing roadside bombings across Iraq, The Associated Press has learned.

The surge in attacks is putting the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs) to the test, and so far they are largely passing. Statistics reviewed by the AP show that while bombings involving the deadly penetrating explosives have jumped by about 40 percent in the past three months, deaths in such bombings have dropped by as much as 17...

By Nasser Nasser (AP)

Unchallenged by Lebanon\'s army, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah routed Sunnis loyal to the U.S.-allied government and seized control of large swaths of Beirut\'s Muslim sector Friday in a telling demonstration of its military prowess.

The Shiite fighters\' success in three days of street fighting dramatically strengthened the hand of the Hezbollah-led opposition in the bitter political struggle with pro-Western factions over who will guide the country.

But Hezbollah leaders signaled they weren\'t looking for a bloody showdown by pulling back their fighters late in the day. The...

By Alice Keeney (AP)

The U.S. military is reinforcing the sides of its topline mine-resistant vehicles to shore up what could be weak points as troops see a spike in armor-piercing roadside bombings across Iraq, The Associated Press has learned.

The surge in attacks is putting the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs) to the test, and so far they are largely passing. Statistics reviewed by the AP show that while bombings involving the deadly penetrating explosives have jumped by about 40 percent in the past three months, deaths in such bombings have dropped by as much as 17...

By Hussein Malla (AP)

Shiite opposition gunmen seized control of several Beirut neighborhoods from Sunni foes loyal to the U.S.-backed government on Friday as sectarian clashes reminiscent of Lebanon\'s bloody 15-year civil war raged in the capital.

At least 11 people have been killed and more than 20 wounded in three days of street battles and gunfights, security officials said.

The satellite television station affiliated with the top Sunni lawmaker\'s party was forced off the air Friday in a sign that pro-government forces were collapsing as the Iranian-backed Hezbollah opposition gained...

By Hussein Malla (AP)

Sectarian fighting tore through the streets of Beirut on Thursday as Shiite Hezbollah supporters and the Lebanese government\'s Sunni backers battled with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades after Hezbollah\'s leader vowed to fight any attempt to disarm his men.

Security officials said four people were killed and eight wounded.

Sunni leader Saad Hariri called on Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah to work with him to end the conflict between their factions and \"pull fighters off the street ... to save Lebanon from hell.\"

The eruption of long-simmering tensions...

By Mohammed Zaatari (AP)

Running gunbattles raged in parts of Beirut on Thursday after the leader of Hezbollah accused Lebanon\'s Western-backed government of declaring war on his Shiite militant group. At least four people were killed and eight wounded in the capital.

In a grim reminder of Lebanon\'s devastating 1975-90 civil war, factions threw up roadblocks and checkpoints dividing Beirut into sectarian enclaves on the second day of clashes between Sunni Muslims loyal to the government and Shiite supporters of Hezbollah.

A top Sunni leader went on television urging Hezbollah to pull its fighters...

By Hussein Malla (AP)

Witnesses and security officials say Shiite supporters of Hezbollah and Sunni backers of Lebanon\'s U.S.-allied government are clashing with automatic rifles and grenades.

The latest clashes follow a defiant speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in which he said the militant organizations would respond with force to any attacks.

It is the second day of clashes that have turned some Beirut neighborhoods into battlegrounds. The sectarian confrontation have also spilled over to other parts of the country.

The clashes are taking place on Corniche Mazraa, a major...

By KARIM KADIM (AP)

A rocket hit a downtown Baghdad park Thursday, killing two people as American and Iraqi forces battled Shiite militants believed responsible for many such attacks.

The U.S. military said that 17 militants had been killed since Wednesday in clashes around Baghdad.

The rocket, which also wounded six people, was the second in three days to land in downtown parks apparently after failing to reach the U.S.-protected Green Zone, which includes the U.S. Embassy and key Iraqi government offices.

A rocket hit and destroyed some playground equipment in another park...

By Mahmoud Tawil (AP)

Shiite Muslim supporters of the militant Hezbollah and Sunnis allied with Lebanon\'s U.S.-backed government clashed for a second day Thursday as sectarian violence in Beirut spilled over to other parts of the country.

The clashes appeared to be a test of wills by the political rivals who have been locked in a 17-month power struggle for control of the government. But there was a risk the violence could degenerate into a wider and deadlier sectarian conflict.

The political crisis exploded into violence Wednesday when supporters of the Hezbollah-led opposition blocked roads in...

By KARIM KADIM (AP)

Entire sections of Baghdad\'s embattled Sadr City district have been left nearly abandoned by civilians fleeing a U.S.-led showdown with Shiite militias and seeking aid after facing shortages of food and medicine, humanitarian groups said Wednesday.

The reports by the agencies, including the U.N. children\'s fund, add to the individual accounts by civilians pouring out of the Sadr City area as clashes intensify.

U.S. forces have increased air power and armored patrols in the attempt to cripple Shiite militia influence in Sadr City, a slum of 2.5 million people that serves as...

By LEFTERIS PITARAKIS (AP)

A Jewish astronaut greets Israel from space. Revelers try to set a record for the most people singing a national anthem. To celebrate turning 60, Israel is staging fireworks, air force flyovers and a birthday bash for anyone born on the day the Jewish state was founded.

Israel is marking its 60th Independence Day, which began at sundown Wednesday, with a great sense of pride but also uncertainty about its future and doubts about prospects for peace with the Palestinians. Six decades after rising from the ashes of the Holocaust, the Jewish state is still plagued by threats from...

By Hussein Malla (AP)

Protesters from the Hezbollah-led opposition clashed with supporters of Lebanon\'s U.S.-backed government Wednesday as a strike by the Shiite militant group paralyzed large parts of Beirut.

Explosions and gunfire rang out across Lebanon\'s capital. The cause of the explosions was not immediately known and there was no word on casualties.

The violence deepened tensions in a country already mired in a 17-month-old political crisis pitting the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah against the government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. The troubles have left the country without a...

By Hussein Malla (AP)

Protesters from the Hezbollah-led opposition clashed with supporters of Lebanon\'s U.S.-backed government Wednesday as a strike by the Shiite militant group paralyzed large parts of the capital Beirut.

The violence deepened tensions in a country already mired in a 17-month-old political crisis pitting the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah against the government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. The troubles have left the country without a president since November.

The strike was called by labor unions after they rejected a last-minute pay raise offer by the government as...

By Mikhail Metzel (AP)

Russian and U.S. officials signed a key agreement on civilian nuclear power Tuesday that could give Washington access to Russian technology and potentially hand Moscow lucrative deals on storing spent fuel.

The deal, signed on the eve of Dmitry Medvedev\'s inauguration as president, signals a reversal in policy for the U.S. administration on cooperating with Russia on nuclear issues. Cooperation had cooled in recent years, mainly due to disagreements over how to handle Iran\'s perceived nuclear threat.

\"The U.S. and Russia were once nuclear rivals,\" U.S. Ambassador William...