PA OKs Israeli pullback plan
GAZA, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- The Palestinian Authority Wednesday approved an Israeli plan that offered phased withdrawal from the occupied territories in exchange for a crackdown on militants. That as the son of a prominent Hamas militant was among at least four people killed in Israeli operations in the region. The proposal by Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer would see initial pullbacks from the Gaza Strip and if successful, further withdrawals from West Bank areas. Israel tanks and troops currently occupy large parts of the West Bank because of a wave of Palestinian attacks that killed more than 30 Israelis. Thirty tanks and armored pulled out from the Beit Lahya village in the northern Gaza Strip early Wednesday after moving in at midnight Tuesday to look for militants.
Accused rapist summarily shot in West Bank
GAZA, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- A Palestinian youth accused of raping his grandmother and six other Palestinian women was executed Wednesday by a Palestinian security officer in Ramallah who apparently took the law into his own hands, according to eyewitness accounts. Witnesses described a Palestinian gunman holding a pistol and dragging the accused man to a yard near Al Muqatta area, a compound where Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has his office. The gunman, reportedly a security officer, then aimed the pistol at man's head and fired off three shots. The man, who has not yet been identified, was arrested two days ago by Palestinian authorities, for raping his grandmother and six other women over the past three months. Sources close to the situation said the man had confessed to the accusation.
Saudis blame Jews for hostile views
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- The Saudi media Wednesday blamed Jews and Israeli sympathizers for a widely reported article in the U.S. press that said Pentagon advisers considered the kingdom to be an enemy of the United States. The article, published in the Washington Post Tuesday and picked up by other media outlets, cited a briefing given last month to the Pentagon's top advisory body, the Defense Policy Board. In it, Saudi Arabia was described as an enemy of the United States. The briefing was reported to have recommended that U.S. officials give the kingdom an ultimatum to stop backing Islamist terrorism or face seizure of its oil fields and its financial assets invested in the United States. The mass circulation Okaz said the description of Saudi Arabia as an enemy to the United States "did not come as a surprise to us because all it's (the Pentagon's) members are either Jews or allies of the Zionist lobby."
Yemeni shepherds find gold coins
SANAA, Yemen, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Two Yemeni shepherds accidentally discovered an ancient gold treasure, believed to be the biggest and oldest in the poverty-stricken country, the media reported Wednesday. The shepherds, who sought shelter from heavy rain in a mountain cave found a crack in the rock containing 175 pounds of ancient gold coins. Reporting the find, the Oct. 14 newspaper said the authorities took possession of the treasure and are to send archeologists to search for other possible treasures in the region of the village of Misbar, Hadida province, where the gold was found.
Spirit offering free 9-11 flights
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Spirit Airlines is giving away all the seats on its 90 flights Sept. 11 to mark the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Spirit's decision contrasts with that of other carriers, which are canceling flights because of low bookings. Ned Homfeld, chairman and founder of the low-fare carrier, said Spirit's decision is a way to celebrate "American life and freedoms and the exercise of those freedoms."
Body parts program suspended
GALVESTON, Texas, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- The University of Texas Medical Branch has suspended its Willed Body Program because fears body parts infected with viruses like hepatitis and HIV. UTMB notified 60 research facilities across the nation body parts shipped between November 2000 and May 2002 may not have been tested for the viruses. The school had been accepting an average of 300 will bodies a year, using about half and sending the rest to other education and research programs. The revelation followed the firing of the individual responsible for keeping track of the bodies and tests.
Convicted felon nominated state auditor
ST. LOUIS, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- A man who served a prison term for fraud and larceny in Minnesota has won the Republican nomination for state auditor in an upset that left his party-backed opponent stunned. Missouri voters Tuesday nominated Al Hanson, 72, as the GOP candidate, giving him 66 percent of the vote to 34 percent for St. Louis lawyer Jay Kanzler. Hanson will face incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill, 48, who won nomination without opposition.
Stocks lose momentum
NEW YORK, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Stocks struggled to stay in positive territory but lost momentum Wednesday following the wild run-up in the previous session as investors and strategists debated whether the market has reached bottom. Traders were taking into consideration speculation the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates another quarter point at its next regular meeting Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 5.89 points at 8,268.20 in early afternoon trading, while the Nasdaq was down 8.50 points at 1,251.05.
