World Digest: Lebanon, Israel Trade Rocket Fire

MIDDLE EAST

Lebanon, Israel Trade Rocket Fire

Two rockets were fired into northern Israel from southern Lebanon on Friday, and Israel responded minutes later, launching 14 missiles and scrambling fighter jets across the border, Lebanese and Israeli news media reported.

No casualties were reported on either side of the border, a frequent flash point between Israel and Lebanese or Palestinian militant groups. It was the first such exchange of fire since February.

Israeli police said the two rockets landed in northern Galilee, one just outside the town of Nahariya. The Israeli military said it fired back at the source of the rockets in the village of Qlaileh, near the Lebanese port city of Tyre.

In 2006, a month-long war that broke out after Hezbollah seized Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid left more than 1,000 dead, mostly Lebanese civilians.

-- Los Angeles Times

GUATEMALA

Seven Arrested Over Lawyer's Death

Authorities in Guatemala arrested seven suspects Friday, including five police officers, in the killing of a prominent lawyer who accused President Álvaro Colom of involvement in his death in a posthumously released video.

The arrests were announced by a special investigation group known as the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, which was invited by the government to probe the May 10 killing of Rodrigo Rosenberg.

In a video that surfaced after the killing, Rosenberg is seen looking into the camera and saying, "If you are watching this message, it is because I was assassinated by President Álvaro Colom." The recording touched off a scandal and prompted calls for Colom's resignation.

-- Associated Press

U.S. Envoy Rebuffed by Darfur Spokesman for Displaced: The U.S. special envoy to Sudan, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. J. Scott Gration, is not welcome in Darfur's camps for displaced people because he has downplayed the scope of the crisis there, a representative from the camps said. Gration, who is visiting Sudan, has suggested that displaced civilians should prepare to return home and that the United States should ease its sanctions on Sudan.

Abu Ghraib Inmates Riot: Inmates at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison rioted for a second day to demand better conditions, authorities said. Four prisoners were injured before the situation was brought under control. Also Friday, insurgents attacked a checkpoint west of the northern city of Kirkuk, killing five soldiers, an Iraqi military spokesman said.

Slovenia, Croatia Strike Deal in Border Dispute: Slovenia and Croatia agreed that their 18-year-old Adriatic border dispute will no longer stall Croatia's negotiations to join the European Union. Croatia has agreed not to claim disputed areas during the talks, leaving the issue to be addressed later.

-- From News Services