Israeli Cabinet approves prisoner swap with Hizbullah

The Israeli Cabinet gave its green light Sunday for a prisoner exchange with Hizbullah, even though two soldiers captured by the resistance two years ago are assumed by Israeli officials to be dead.

Twenty-two of the 25 Cabinet members voted in favor of the deal under which the two soldiers – or their remains – are to be handed over in exchange for five Lebanese fighters and a yet undetermined number of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

The deal was approved even though Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his Cabinet the two soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, were dead.

"Our initial theory was that the soldiers were alive … Now we know with certainty there is no chance that is the case," said Olmert, who nonetheless urged his ministers to approve the deal.

"We have no illusions: There will be much sadness in Israel, much humiliation considering the celebrations that will be held on the other side," he said in reference to neighboring Lebanon.

The soldiers were captured on July 12, 2006, prompting the Jewish state to launch a devastating 34-day war on Lebanon.

"In exchange for the return of the soldiers, the state of Israel will release prisoners and detainees being held in its prison facilities, and will transfer bodies and information," the government said in the document approved by the cabinet. "Prisoner Samir Kontar and four illegal Lebanese fighters being held by Israel will be released to Lebanon," the document said.

Kontar, a member of the Palestine Liberation Front, is serving a life sentence after being sentenced in 1980 to 542 years in prison for killing two men and a 4-year-old girl in a 1979 attack in northern Israel.

Israel will also hand over the bodies"of dozens of infiltrators and terrorists, including eight members of Hizbullah," the document said.

Once the deal is carried out, Israel will release Palestinian prisoners. "The number and identities of the prisoners will be determined at the sole discretion of the state of Israel," it said.

Olmert said Hizbullah's goal from the very beginning had been to secure Kontar's release.

"Hizbullah's capture of two soldiers was aimed at forcing Israel to free Samir Kontar," Olmert said during the meeting.

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China washes hands of Darfur crisis, says international community must intervene

China said Thursday it had done all it could to help ease the bloodshed and suffering in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, which has put the spotlight on China's close ties to the country.

Beijing, under intense criticism for allegedly turning a blind eye to Sudan's repression of an insurgency in the region, said the international community as a whole needed to address the crisis.

"The Darfur issue is still confronted with many difficulties … it's imperative that the international community make concerted efforts," Assistant Foreign Minister Zhai Jun told an international symposium on the issue.

"We have done as much as we can do," Zhai said. "China remains committed to resolving the Darfur issue and has made unremitting efforts."

The Darfur conflict began in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated regime and state-backed militias, fighting for resources and power in one of the most remote and deprived places on earth.

China, the main buyer of Sudan's oil and a key investor in the economy, has repeatedly been accused of not doing enough to make Khartoum stop a brutal campaign in response that has contributed to as an estimated 300,000 dead.

Liu Guijin, Beijing's special envoy to Darfur, said activist groups had not given an accurate picture of China's role.

"The Western media and in particular the activities of some non-governmental organizations have caused China's role to be distorted in the eyes of the rebels," Liu told reporters. "Some prominent opposition groups have been influenced by this."

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Food crisis pushes weak states toward brink of collapse - report

Weak states already close to collapse at the end of 2006 moved closer to the brink last year, even before the latest explosion of food and fuel prices that are certain to feed instability in vulnerable countries, according to the latest edition of the annual "Failed States Index" released here Monday by Foreign Policy magazine.

The Index, a collaborative effort of Foreign Policy and the Fund for Peace (FFP), found that Somalia replaced Sudan as the world's most unstable country in 2007 after US-backed Ethiopian troops routed Islamist forces which had given the strife-torn East African nation its first semblance of stability in more than 15 years.

Sudan, which had topped the list for the previous two years, fell into second place,while Zimbabwe, where a government sponsored campaign of violence forced the opposition candidate Sunday to withdraw from presidential elections scheduled for later this week, moved up to third from the fourth rank it held in the 2006 Index.

Sudan's western neighbor, Chad, was ranked fourth for 2007, just above US-occupied Iraq, which last year held the second-ranked position amid indications that sectarian violence was moving the country into a full-scale civil war.

The Index's compilers credited the US "surge" – the addition of some 30,000 US troops and the adoption of a more aggressive counter-insurgency strategy – in part for Baghdad's improvement over the course of the year, although it underlined, as have US commanders and officials, the fragility of the country's advance.

"Progress in Iraq last year was negligible at best and deeply susceptible to reversal should the country suffer the kind of shock – a food shortage, a high-level assassination, an attack that unleashes ethnic hatreds – that has exposed so many states' deep vulnerabilities in recent months," according to the Index analysis published in Foreign Policy.

The Index, which is based on a dozen social, economic and political indicators, each of which is assigned a numerical score, also found major improvements in 2007 in stability for Cote d'Ivoire, which ranked eighth this year, Haiti (14) and Liberia (34),among other countries, compared to 2006.

At the same time, several key countries became substantially more insecure in 2007, according to the Index, which cited in particular Bangladesh (12), where a state of emergency has lasted nearly two years, Pakistan (9), where former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination closed out the year

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Gaza truce teeters after deadly Israeli attack in West Bank draws rocket fire

The truce between Hamas and Israel faced its most severe test yet on Tuesday after the Jewish state assassinated two members of Islamic Jihad in the Occupied West Bank and the group retaliated by launching a pair of rockets from the Gaza Strip.

One of the rockets struck the courtyard of a house in the town of Sderot, causing some damage, and another struck a field, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.He said the rockets were the first to be fired from Gaza since a truce between Israel and the strip's Hamas rulers went into effect on June 19.

A spokesman for Islamic Jihad confirmed that its fighters had carried out the attack.

"The rockets are a response to the crimes of the occupation in the West Bank," he said.

The group, which was responsible for many of the attacks launched from Gaza in the months leading up to the cease-fire, did not agree to the truce but had pledged not to violate it if Israel kept its word.

The attack, which caused no casualties, came hours after Israeli troops killed a senior Islamic Jihad fighter and another young man in the northern town of Nablus in the Occupied West Bank, which was not included in the truce. Overnight Tuesday a mortar round fired from northern Gaza hit Israel, also causing no damage.

"Any fire from the Gaza Strip is a gross violation of the understanding reached with Egypt," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev said, referring to the truce agreement.

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Sarkozy tells Israel to curb settlers, share Jerusalem

French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on Monday for a halt to Jewish settlement activity in the Occupied West Bank while also proclaiming his staunch support for Israel in an address to its Parliament.

"There can be no peace without stopping settlement," Sarkozy told MPs.

"There is a proposal backed by many members of your Knesset for the adoption of a law that would encourage settlers to leave the West Bank in exchange for compensation and relocation in Israel," he noted with approval.

Israeli authorities have announced the construction of hundreds of new homes for Jewish settlers in the Occupied West Bank in recent months, infuriating the Palestinians and drawing criticism from the international community which regards all settlements on occupied land as illegal.

Sarkozy also called for an easing of travel restrictions in the Occupied West Bank, where the army operates hundreds of road blocks which the World Bank says are a major obstacle to economic growth but which Israel insists are vital to its security.

He said the Palestinians also had to do more in order to achieve peace,saying: "There can be no peace if Palestinians themselves do not combat terrorism."

Sarkozy stressed that France was strongly committed to Israel's security. "France will always be by Israel's side when its security, its existence are threatened," he said, adding that France would consider it "unacceptable" for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.

"France is determined to pursue with its partners a policy ranging from ever-tighter sanctions to an opening should Tehran opt to respect its international obligations," the French president said.

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Vatican delegation beatifies Lebanese priest

Miraculous, perhaps,Tens of thousands of Lebanese gathered in Martyrs Square in Downtown Beirut on Sunday to witness the beatification of Yaaqoub Haddad, the late Capuchin priest who gained fame for his prolific work in founding an order of nuns, expanding the Capuchin school network and conceiving or establishing a number of religious and social institutions, some of which have gained iconic status in Lebanon.

Haddad, who died more than 50 years ago, took a step toward sainthood in the first beatification ever to take place outside the Vatican – and people flocked to the capital to observe the ceremony.

The service itself was presided over by a representative of Pope Benedict XVI, and the head of the Vatican's office for sainthood, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, in tandem with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir.

Attended by a litany of Eastern Christian prelates, other clerics, international envoys and local political figures, the event also included the Lebanese political troika of President Michel Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Thunderous applause greeted Sleiman as he arrived minutes before the Mass, and ovations were repeated many times during the ceremony, which bestowed one of the highest hon ors in the Christian tradition upon a Lebanese priest mere meters away from an Ottomanera mosque in the heart of the capital. Indeed, while respectful or appreciative clapping often arose, the loudest rounds of applause came after "the nation" or the "Lebanese cedars" were mentioned in one context or another.

A procession of the cross was held before Western Catholic – Latinized – renditions of Syriac and Arabic Christian chants held the massive gathering rapt.

As Cardinal Martins read out a message from the pope, "hoping that this beatification will lift Father Yaaqoub of Ghazir as a happy servant of the Lord," a white veil cloaking a portrait of the late priest was lifted, symbolizing recognition of Haddad's beatification.

"The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father," the Maronite patriarch said as he took the pulpit, evoking reverent silence through the assembled thousands. "The hope of so many Lebanese was realized today – that hope was the raising of Father Yaaqoub's portrait above the altar of the Catholic Church."

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Non-Governmental Organizations look to raise $2.5 million to keep helping families from Nahr al-Bared

A coalition of 16 local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that work with Nahr al-Bared refugees held a donor conference on Tuesday, hoping to raise some of the $2.5 million they estimate it will cost to expand their services and keep operating for another year.

The conference, titled Filling the Gaps, addressed the work done by these NGOs to help families that fled the camp after fighting erupted in May 2007 between the Lebanese Armed Forces and Fatah al-Islam militants, and the problems still facing some of the camp's 26,945 displaced residents.These NGOs have been critical in the provision of health, education, and emergency relief services to the community, distributing clothing and food to thousands of displaced residents.

The conference came ahead of a larger fund raiser for the reconstruction of Nahr al-Bared that will be held in Vienna,Austria, Monday – a gathering these NGOs were not invited to attend.The organizers read a draft statement of an appeal they plan to send to the conference, calling for the international donor community to support freedom of movement and association within the Nahr al-Bared community and to ensure the community is engaged in the reconstruction of the camp. A report given to attendees described the area adjacent to the camp as "under siege, with the Lebanese Army guarding all entry and exit points," and conveyed reports of "families unable to exit the camp at night even during medical emergencies."

Amneh Suleiman, director of the General Union of Palestinian Women, one of the 16 NGOs, opened the conference by describing the Nahr al-Bared community as having twice been"the victim of a crime committed against humanity," first when they were forced to leave their homes in Palestine in 1948, and second when they were forced out of their homes last summer. "Unless they receive help you will be the witnesses of the third Naqba," she told the audience, using the Arabic word for catastrophe.

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‘As good as it gets:' Special park allows Tehran women to let their hair down

Nasrin and Kimia cast aside their Islamic headscarves and quickly unbutton their coats as soon as they pass a gate watched by male guards – the entrance to Tehran's first women-only park.

The mother and daughter lay out their picnic on the lawn and lie in the hot spring sun as a group of other women jog past them in spaghetti-strapped vests and lycra shorts.

An unusual sight indeed in Iran, where women are obliged to cover their hair and body contours in public to obey the country's strict Islamic dress code.

But last month theTehran municipality opened the Mothers' Paradise park in the upmarket north of the city to create a male free zone every day of the week except Friday. Built on hills and filled with lush evergreens,it was deemed an ideal spot for any park. It is now surrounded by metal sheets up to 4 meters high to keep out prying eyes.

"It is a good place to take in fresh air and finally dress as you want," said Nasrin,39,who lives nearby and comes to the park almost every day. "In an Islamic country this is as good as it gets."

"Taking into account the religious beliefs in our society, we have to wisely use all our capacities to care for the well-being of women," Tehran's conservative mayor, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said last month while inaugurating the park.

The 20-hectare park offers aerobics classes in the open air (something of a craze for both sexes in Iran), a cycling track, a sports hall for team games and even archery courses.

Nahid Foadi, 50, has arrived with friends swinging badminton rackets and gym bags. "We need vitamin D [from exposure to sunlight] and all these years our health has been neglected," she said. "They have to build more such parks everywhere."

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Massive Baghdad blast kills at least 51, wounds 75

A car bomb at a bus stop in northern Baghdad killed at least 51 people and wounded 75 on Tuesday in one of the deadliest attacks in the capital in months, security officials told AFP.

The attack took place in the mainly Shiite Al-Hurriyah neighborhood at around 5:30 p.m., at the peak of the evening rush hour, the officials said.

Several nearby buildings and vehicles caught fire in the aftermath of the explosion that was so powerful it could be heard more than 5 kilometers away.

The casualties, many of them women and children, were taken to several city hospitals, officials said.

The car bombing came just hours after a bomb hidden on a motorcycle exploded at a checkpoint in another area of northern Baghdad, killing four fighters of a group battling Al-Qaeda militants.That attack took place at around 10 a.m.at a checkpoint run by the US-funded militia in the Al-Sulek district, security officials said. Four other members of the group were wounded, along with two civilians.

Al-Qaeda has repeatedly targeted such groups, whose members were once its allies but in late 2006 turned against the Islamist group after receiving funds from the US military.

In recent months, insurgent attacks such as car bombs and suicide strikes have dropped significantly in Baghdad amid improved security.

Tuesday's attack in Baghdad was the biggest since March 7, when 68 people were killed in twin bombings.

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Hamas leader leaves Cairo with no response to Israeli terms

The head of a Hamas delegation left Cairo on Monday without giving a final response to an Egyptian mediated cease-fire proposal as Palestinian President Mahmoud Ab bas voiced hope a truce could be reached in days.

Egypt's official Middle East News Agency (MENA) had said that the movement would give its final response to the truce proposal to Egyptian mediators, but later reported that the delegation's head had left Cairo.

Senior Hamas member Mussa Abu Marzuq "returned to Damascus on Monday after a three-day visit," it said.A security official on Egypt's Gazan border said less senior Gaza-based Hamas members in the delegation had not yet returned home.

The delegation met with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman,in charge of mediation efforts to break the cycle of violence in the impoverished territory, and heard what Israel had told Egypt about the truce last week, MENA reported.

In the Occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, Abbas' spokesman said he hoped Israel and Hamas, which kicked his forces out of Gaza a year ago, would reach a truce within days.

"Abbas today and yesterday had a series of telephone conversations with the Egyptian leadership to support Egypt's efforts for a truce," spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said.

"During the talks, he expressed hope a truce agreement would be reached in the next days," he added.

The head of the Hamas government in Gaza, deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya, said the negotiations were drawing to a close. "We hope there will be a happy outcome for the Palestinian people."

Violence in Gaza is clouding peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians that were revived in November but have made little progress.

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Bush, Sarkozy pressure Syria over Lebanon

The United States and France on Saturday jointly called on Syria to establish "friendly" diplomatic ties with Lebanon.

A joint statement following talks in Paris between President George W. Bush and President Nicolas Sarkozy called on the two countries to "quickly establish full diplomatic relations" based on "respect, equality, security and sovereignty."

Syria, the former power broker in Lebanon, withdrew its troops in 2005 in the aftermath of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, ending a military presence of nearly three decades.

The absence of formal diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria is seen by some Lebanese as a sign of Syrian designs on their country.

The United States and France also called for "supporting the international investigation and creation of a special tribunal" to try the perpetrators of Hariri's assassination.

Syrian President Bashar alAssad earlier this month said Damascus was ready to open an embassy in Lebanon once a unity government is formed and develops good relations with Syria.

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Sleiman adds independent judiciary to priorities

President Michel Sleiman stressed the need for an independent judiciary on Wednesday, saying that laying the foundations for such a reform would serve justice and preserve the rights of the Lebanese.

"There is no security without justice. It is the basis of constitutional institutions and is the sole guarantee for people to preserve and regain their rights," Sleiman told a delegation from the Higher Judicial Council, headed by Judge Antoine Kheir, that visited him at Baabda Palace on Wednesday.

He also underlined the need to preserve the unity of the judiciary and the "professionalism and integrity" of judges.

"It is necessary to create the ideal environment for a fair and just judiciary to flourish and perform its best," Sleiman said.

Meanwhile, political contacts intensified on Wednesday to expedite the formation of a national unity government, with both the ruling March 14 camp and the March 8 opposition stressing the need for a swift process.

On Wednesday evening, Speaker Nabih Berri held talks with the head of the Democratic Gathering, MP Walid Jumblatt, at the former's residence in Ain al-Tineh, while Mohammad Shattah, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, headed to the home of the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP MichelAoun, in Rabieh to discuss the next cabinet's make-up.

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Washington and Brussels warn Tehran again

US and European leaders warned Iran on Tuesday of new sanctions if Tehran refuses to halt a nuclear program the West suspects to be a covert atomic weapons drive.

"Iran with a nuclear weapon would be incredibly dangerous for world peace," US President George W. Bush said at a joint news conference after his final summit with EU leaders.

"Now's the time for all of us to work together to stop them."

The US president dismissed talk of divisions between hard line Washington and Europe, which plans a new package of diplomatic and economic incentives if Iran will verifiable halt uranium enrichment.

"We're on the same page," he declared.

He also expressed sympathy with Israeli threats of military action against the Islamic Republic if it refused to give in to Western demands.

"You'd be a little nervous too if a leader in your neighborhood announced that he'd like to destroy you," he said, a reference to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated predictions that the ruling Zionist regime in Israel was destined to disappear.

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UNIFIL's Italian contingent holds national day celebrations

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon's (UNIFIL) Italian troops celebrated their country's national day on Monday with a ceremony at UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura.

Among those on hand for the event were UNFIL's commander, Italian Major General Claudio Graziano, Rome's ambassador to Beirut, Gabriele Checchia, and a number of local dignitaries.

Following the UN, Lebanese and Italian anthems, a letter from the Italian president was read to the troops praising the accomplishments of Italy's de mocratic system of governance.

Checchia saluted the Lebanese Armed Forces' (LAF) work and cooperation with the peace keeping force, adding that the military's role was essential in preserving South Lebanon's stability. He also congratulated the LAF on the election of its former commander, Michel Sleiman, as Lebanese president by Parliament on May 25.

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Experts lament bias of Lebanese media

When the country found itself on the brink of civil war yet again last month , many residents turned to local media to follow the crisis.However,the strong political biases of most Lebanese media run the risk of twisting these outlets into one of the major threats facing the country's stability, a number of media academics said.

In a country as diverse as Lebanon, media bias can do much to fuel political and sectarian conflict, the academics said.

Simply put, nearly all Lebanese media institutions flog an obvious bias, they added.

From the oldest, most renowned newspapers to newly founded Web sites, the majority are committed to promoting a certain political agenda.

"Media outlets don't even claim to seek objectivity," said Ramez Maalouf, a professor at the Lebanese American University (LAU).

One reason behind this is the nonexistence of independent media, as nearly every media outlet is financially dependent on a political party or leader and therefore reflects the sponsor's opinions, the academics said.

In tense times, the media only exacerbates the situation by inflaming political and sectarian tensions, they added.

"In times of crisis, facts are exaggerated; people feel threatened and will react more emotionally and instinctively," said LAU professor Dina Dabbous-Sensenig.

When it comes to the language used in the media, most words and discourses are loaded with hostility and sarcasm, such as the openings of the closely watched evening news, the academics said.

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Visit by Sarkozy will send ‘message from French democracy to Lebanese democracy'

French President Nico las Sarkozy is due in Beirut on Saturday to meet his counterpart Michel Sleiman, a rare move intended to send out a "message of unity" to the country.

French opposition leaders will join Sarkozy on his five hour visit to Lebanon.

Sarkozy will be the first Western head of state to meet Sleiman since the former army chief was elected president on May 25 following a Qatari-brokered deal to end an 18-month political crisis.

Sarkozy arrived in Greece Friday along with Defense Minister Herve Morin. He will go on to Lebanon on Saturday, joined from Paris by Prime Minister Francois Fillon and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Kouchner arrived in Beirut late Friday evening.

Also he will be key opposition leaders: socialist Francois Hollande, centrist Francois Bayrou, communist Marie George Buffet and left-wing hard-lines Jean-Michel Baylet.

The ruling Union Pour un Mouvement Populaire chief and its leader in Parliament, Patrick Devedjian and Jean Francois Cope, will also be present, along with former Premier Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

French-Lebanese writer Amine Maalouf will also be part of the French delegation which will meet with leaders of 14 Lebanese political parties.

Sarkozy's office said he invited the opposition leaders to convey a "message of encouragement, of friendship and hope" as Lebanon emerges from months of sectarian strife.

"This is a message from French democracy to Lebanese democracy," an aide said.

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United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees: All Nahr al-Bared residents to return by 2011

Journalists were allowed deep into the Nahr alBared Palestinian refugee camp on Thursday to view reconstruction efforts being carried out by the UN Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and private contractors.

Escorted by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), journalists were shown parts of the former UNRWA compound, as construction vehicles cleared rubble and demolished the shattered remains of what used to be an UNRWA school.

The army has tightly controlled access to the Nahr alBared camp since May 2007, when clashes between the LAF and Fatah al-Islam militants escalated into a three-month battle that left the camp's infrastructure in shambles.

"People are very happy," said Hoda al-Turk, a public information officer and translator for UNRWA, when asked about the reaction from the Palestinian community.

Refugees from their own refugee camps, the Palestinian civilians who had to flee their homes in 2007 are crowded into other parts of Lebanon and are awaiting the reconstruction.

According to Turk, displaced residents of the camp were excited at the progress. "They needed proof that the camp will be reconstructed, and this is that proof," she said.

Turk stressed UNRWA's use of a "participatory approach" with the Palestinian community, who were able to have their voices heard during the planning process.

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Saudi king renews call for dialogue between Islam and other religions

Saudi King Abdullah reiterated Wednesday a call for dialogue between Islam and other religions during a gathering of Muslim scholars to discuss eventual inter-faith talks.

"You meet today to tell the world … that we are the voice of justice and moral human values and the voice of coexistence as well as just and reasonable dialogue," he told the opening session of the three-day International Islamic Conference in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

But the monarch pointed out that among the major challenges now facing Muslims is combating a growing extremism.

"The challenges facing the [Muslim] nation are difficult at this time, as its enemies – including those extremists among its own people – have joined forces in a flagrant aggressiveness to distort the … righteousness and tolerance of Islam," he said.

King Abdullah, whose ultraconservative kingdom endured years of struggle with the homegrown extremists of Al-Qaeda, added that his call for dialogue among religions is "to face up to the challenges of introversion and ignorance … so that the world understands the principles of the good message of Islam."

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Palestinians protest nearly year-long siege on Gaza Strip

Around 100 Palestinians gathered outside the UN refugee agency's headquarters in Gaza City Tuesday to protest a nearly one-year-old Israeli blockade of the Hamas ruled territory.

The protesters, including a number of women and children, held signs saying "No more blood" and "Lift the siege from us" as they called on Israel and Egypt to reopen border crossings into Gaza.

Israel has sealed the territory off from all but limited supplies of humanitarian aid since Hamas seized power nearly a year ago in what it says is a bid to pressure the Islamist movement to halt rocket and mortar attacks on southern Israel.

Bassim Naim, who heads the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, called for breaking the blockade and reopening the Rafah crossing to Egypt.

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Up to eight dead as massive bomb targets Danish Embassy in Pakistan

A suicide car bomb outside Denmark's embassy in Pakistan killed up to eight people and wounded 27 Monday in a possible new backlash over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, state media and officials said.

The massive blast damaged the mission in central Islamabad and nearly destroyed a nearby UN agency. Dozens of cars were also wrecked by the force of the explosion, which gouged a huge crater out of the road.

There was no claim of responsibility but officials said the attack was likely linked to the row over the Prophet cartoons, which Danish newspapers first published in 2005 and then reprinted in February.

Pakistani Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said the "dastardly" bombing "could be a reaction to blasphemous sketches published in Denmark" and pledged that the culprits would be caught.

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Jewish state announces new Jerusalem land-grab

Israel will build 884 more houses in Occupied East Jerusalem, the Housing Ministry said on Sunday, in a move that enraged the Palestinians who have demanded the area as the capital of their promised state.

"We will invite tenders for the construction of 121 housing units in Har Homa and 763 others in Pisgat Zeev," ministry spokesman Eran Sidis told AFP, referring to two illegal colonies in Arab East Jerusalem.

Israel occupied and annexed the eastern half of the city after the 1967 war in a move not recognized by the international community or the Palestinians, who have demanded it as their capital in recently revived peace talks.

Sidis said the timing of the announcement was aimed at coinciding with the 41st anniversary of the conquest of Arab East Jerusalem.

Occupied Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski told public radio the move was necessary to address the "urgent need for housing for the Jewish population."

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