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Hezbollah-Israel war continues for a third day The fighting continues as Israel launches a fresh wave of attacks on Lebanese targets Friday, striking Beirut's International airport, the road from Lebanon to Damascus and a power plant. Since Wednesday, Hezbollah have fired over 300 rockets into towns in northern Israel. Investigation into Mumbai train bombings begins Investigations have begun into the bombings on Mumbai's commuter trains that killed 200 people.

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Talks begin in Juba, Sudan between delegations from the Lord's Resistance Army and the Ugandan Government with a view to ending the conflict centred in Acholiland. The leader of the Ugandan delegation, Internal Affairs Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda had stated that obtaining a quick ceasefire is his priority. Indian authorities announce that they are looking for a third man in relation to the 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings. So far, the three suspects in the case are Sayyad Zabiuddin, Zulfeqqar Fayyaz and a man named Rahil. The trial of seven former Bosnian Serb officers for alleged involvement in the Srebrenica massacre begins at The Hague war crimes tribunal. Five of the seven standing trial face genocide charges, as well as crimes against humanity. The trial is the largest yet staged at The Hague. Jaroslaw Kaczylski is sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of Poland by the President, Lech Kaczylski, his twin brother. US President George W. Bush refuses to press Israel to halt its military operations in Lebanon, as he's "not going to make military decisions for Israel". Israel is asked to limit "collateral damage to human lives". Middle East crisis keeps oil near peak - There are fears the dispute will push oil prices up even further. An Israeli Navy missile boat is attacked 16 km off the shores of Beirut, reportedly by an Irani drone packed with explosives. 4 Israeli crewmembers are missing.

Hezbollah-Israel war continues for a third day
The fighting continues as Israel launches a fresh wave of attacks on Lebanese targets Friday, striking Beirut's International airport, the road from Lebanon to Damascus and a power plant. Since Wednesday, Hezbollah have fired over 300 rockets into towns in northern Israel according to Israeli website YnetNews.

Lebanon said on Friday that Israel had launched "a widespread barbaric aggression" with the intrention of hurting Lebanon. The country urged the United Nations community to stop the military offensive.

The Israeli attacks included the southern suburb of Beirut where Israel says Hezbollah has a stronghold. Most roads and bridges leading to the southern suburb of Beirut have been shelled, isolating the suburb from the rest of the country.

The home and headquarters of Hezbollah's spiritual leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah was hit by Israeli missiles, but Nasrallah and his nearest were unhurt in the attack. Nasrallah said in a televised address after the attack that Hezbollah is ready for an "open war" with Israel. This comes after Ehud Olmert said Lebanon had committed an "act of war" when Hezbollah attacked Israel.

"You wanted an open war and we are ready for an open war", Nasrallah said in the broadcast. "You have chosen an all-out war with a nation which ... has the capability, the experience and the courage." He continued saying that Lebanon would either surrender or "have faith in Allah and victory".

The Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora described the conflict as a "controlled war" and called it an opportunity to adress the Israel-Palestine conflict.

"The targets chosen are connected either directly or indirectly with terrorism," Israeli Air Force General Ido Nehushtan, said. Israel says Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, is also a target. "Nasrallah has issued his own sentence." said Ronnie Bar-On, the Israeli interior minister.

Five civilians were killed and at least 50 have been wounded in Lebanon on Friday after Israeli attacks. According to Lebanon, 63 people have been killed and 167 wounded in the country since the raids commenced on Wednesday.

The Israeli military and Israel's ambassador to the UN said that the rockets fired into Haifa on Thursday by Hezbollah were manufactured in Iran. Lebanese PM Siniora said that it was puzzling for Hezbollah to perform the attacks unsupported.

States worldwide have called for the release of the prisoners and for Israel to exercise restraint, while Lebanon has urged the UN Security Council, which held an emergency meeting on Friday, to pass a ceasefire resolution.

Lebanon's UN envoy, Nouhad Mahmoud, claimed that Israel's attacks on Lebanon "will not resolve the problem, but will further complicate it. The Security Council meets today in the shadow of a widespread barbaric aggression waged by Israel to this very moment against my nation," he said. "What Israel is undertaking is an act of aggression and devastation aimed at bringing Lebanon to its knees and subverting it by any means."

Israel's chief of staff, Dan Halutz, said Friday that all three soldiers were alive and in a "reasonable" state of health.

Lebanon

Israeli planes targeted a headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut and destroyed the building. Hezbollah's spiritual leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and his family are said to be safe.

The tarmac on Beirut International Airport was patched up after being hit several times by the Israeli air force on Thursday. Five airplanes belonging to Middle East Airlines then took off from the airport heading to Cyprus.

In addition, a private plane owned by former Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati took off with the former PM onboard. Assurances were given by Fuad Siniora, the Lebanese prime minister, that they would not be attacked. It was reported that the United States had helped broker a no-attack deal. However, the runways were hit again on Friday some time after the airplanes had taken off. A parking lot near the terminal building was also hit.

Other targets hit in Lebanon included a fuel tank at the power plant in Jiyyeh. Power shortages have been reported. The Hezbollah radio station al-Nour was targeted by an Israeli strike, but continued broadcasting. Also, a road between Haboush and Iqlion el Tufah was hit.

A total of 18 targets claimed by Israel to be Hezbollah sites have been hit by air and sea launched missiles. The Israeli military said they attacked Hezbollah outposts in south Lebanon, a facility for weapons-storage and three gas stations south of Sidon.

Five explosions were reported in Beirut late Friday.

Up to 17 000 Lebanese civilians have been escaping the country bound for Syria through the Masnaa crossing. Even though the main road between Beirut and Damascus have been repeatedly targeted by Israel in the last 24 hours, that didn't hinder people as they arrived on foot and by car. "We have become refugees", a woman said on her way crossing the border. The two countries have eased border crossing procedures and deployed extra staff.

An Israeli navy ship was severely damaged after being hit by an explosives-packed UAV launched by Hezbollah. The ship was 16 km from the Lebanese coast when it was hit. This is a new, previously unused tactic by the militant group. They have however tested such drones twice in recent years. Four Israeli sailors were reportedly being searched for after the attack.

The strike on the ship was seemingly timed with Hezbollah leader Nasrallah's broadcast. In it he said: "The surprises that I have promised you will start now. Now in the middle of the sea, facing Beirut, the Israeli warship ... look at it burning".

A second ship was hit by a rocket past midnight. Reports say it was a civilian merchant ship, but it's nationality was not immediately identified.

Israel

In related news, Hezbollah fired several rockets in five separate attacks into northern Israel, Friday. Packs of Katyusha rockets hit Nahariya, Safed, Hatzor, Pqui'in, Kiryat Shmona, Karmiel, Matat and Yesod Hamaalah. Two civilians in the nothern israeli town of Miron were killed and casualties were reported all over the Galil.

Later on Friday, more rockets were fired into northern Israel.

Background

This was the third day of violence after July 11 when Hezbollah attacked Israeli army patrols and captured two Israeli soldiers in a mission Hezbollah called "Truthful Promise". Israel confirmed the soldiers were kidnapped. On July 12 Israel set up a blockade of Lebanon and attacked Beirut International Airport and other areas in Lebanon, while Hezbollah fired rockets at towns in northern Israel.

Israel is continuing its offensive in the Gaza strip against Hamas after a soldier named Gilad Shalit was kidnapped in a raid, June 2006.

Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina relegated from Italy's Serie A
Italian soccer giants Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina have all been relegated from Serie A today as the result of the massive Italian football match-fixing scandal, while AC Milan have avoided relegation.

The news came after revelations that Juventus general manager, Luciano Moggi, had telephone conversations with several important figures in Italian football, including Marcello Lippi, the head coach of the Italian national team, during the 2004-05 season which revealed illegal match-fixing, gambling and falsifying financial accounts. The teams were accused of rigging matches by selecting referees, while players, including Italy's World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, have also been charged of illegally gambling on matches.

Punishments

The results were published at around 20:00 local time on July 14, 2006 and shown live on Italian television. The FIGC (Italian Football Federation) had originally called for all four clubs involved, AC Milan, Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina to be thrown out of Serie A, with Juventus demoted two divisions into Serie C1.

Juventus suffered the biggest punishment. They were demoted into Italy's second division, Serie B and will start the 2006-07 season with a thirty-point deduction. They were also stripped of their league titles, or "Scudettos", they had won in 2004-05 and 2005-06. President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli stated: "This verdict is unheard of. We could have expected relegation to the second division but to be also handed a 30-point deduction is almost like relegation to the third division."

Fiorentina have also been relegated to Serie B, and will have twelve-point deduction. Lazio will join Juventus and Fiorentina in Serie B next season and will have a seven-point deduction.

AC Milan have avoided relegation but will start next season with minus fifteen points. They have also had 44 points deducted from their total in the 2005-06 season to put them out of the Champions League and UEFA Cup qualification places.

Several officials, but no players, from each club has also been suspended from football, including now ex-general manager Luciano Moggi and ex-chief executive Antonio Giraudo, both of Juventus, who have been banned for five years. The other three clubs have also had board members suspended for between one and four years.

All four sides have been barred from playing in European competitions next season and will have up to three days to appeal.

Consequences

The results of the match-fixing trial could have huge consequences on football in the whole of Europe, let alone Italy. Thirteen of Italy's squad which had won the World Cup less than a week before play their club football for one of the accused teams and the rulings could spark a massive sell-out. 12 Juventus players went to the World Cup, including five for Italy. AC Milan also had thirteen players at the World Cup.

The suspensions mean that a total rehaul of Italy's European qualifiers has been made. Internazionale and Roma will qualify for the Champions League Group Stages, with Palermo and Chievo going into the Third Qualifying Round. Livorno, Empoli and Parma will all qualify for the UEFA Cup first round.

The original relegated trio of Messina, Lecce and Treviso have all been reprieved and will play in Serie A next season as another consequence of the scandal.

Wikipedia Current Events
Hezbollah renews rocket fire against numerous Israeli towns. About 90 Katyusha rockets hit the cities of Safed and Nahariya, killing a 4 year old child and his grandmother in Meron village and wounding many other civilians. Israel destroys Hezbollah headquarters and home of its head Hassan Nasrallah in southern Beirut, following repeated early warnings to local civilians. Other facilities in the area were struck earlier on Friday. Nasrallah vows to fight "open war" on Israel, striking towns "beyond Haifa". Israeli fighters attack the Beirut-Damascus Highway, closing the country's main artery and further isolating Lebanon from the outside world. Some 220,000 Israeli civilians spend the night in bomb shelters, after two civilians were killed in rocket attacks. 14 Israelis, including 4 children, remain hospitalized following yesterday's rocket attacks. Since Wednesday morning, Hezbollah militants fired at least 300 Katyusha rockets and 500 mortar shells against Israeli towns, killing 4 civilians and wounding more than 150. 63 Lebanese have been killed, and more than 159 have been injured. About 1500 of Palestinian people cross the Gaza-Egypt border after Palestinian militants attack Egyptian policemen stationed at Rafah border terminal, blowing a hole in the wall near it. Israeli ground forces pull out of the central Gaza Strip, after several days of fighting in which about 30 Hamas militants were killed. Israeli forces remain in Gaza airport near Rafah, to thwart the delivery of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit into Egypt. One Palestinian civilian is killed when his truck drives towards Israeli forces. Hamas militants launch 5 qassam rockets at the Israeli town of Sderot, causing local electrical malfunctions.

Today in History
1410 - The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeated the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of Grunwald.

1685 - James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, was executed for his role in the Monmouth Rebellion.

1799 - French soldiers uncovered the Rosetta Stone in the Egyptian port city of Rashid.

1806 - The Pike expedition, led by Zebulon Pike to explore the Louisiana Territory, began near St. Louis, Missouri.

1955 - Eighteen Nobel laureates signed the Mainau Declaration against nuclear weapons.

1974 - Archbishop Makarios, President of Cyprus, was overthrown in a coup d'etat.

July 15 is 400th birthday of Dutch painter Rembrandt

Quote of the Day

"Patriotism is voluntary. It is a feeling of loyalty and allegiance that is the result of knowledge and belief. A patriot shows their patriotism through their actions, by their choice... No law will make a citizen a patriot."
~ Jesse Ventura

Word of the Day

lignify; v

To become wood.

(botany): To develop woody tissue as a result of secondary growth.

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