GAZA: Egypt informed the Palestinians in Gaza that it has closed down Rafah crossing point on its borders with the Gaza Strip on Thursday, a Palestinian crossings spokesman said. Adel Zo'rob, spokesman of crossings and terminals in the deposed government of Hamas that Egypt closed down Rafah border crossing "for delegations and patients without telling the reason." Since the beginning of the Israeli military assault in Gaza which started on Dec. 27 and ended on Jan. 18, Egypt has opened its borders for humanitarian aids, Arab and foreign delegations and wounded Palestinians. "Egypt told us the crossing has been closed on Thursday and no one is able to cross," said Zo'rob, adding, "all foreign and Arab delegations who entered Gaza should immediately leave." Egypt and other foreign countries had asked its citizens and the medical teams to leave the Gaza Strip before February 5 without showing the reason, but in fear of a resumption of an Israeli military assault on Gaza.
BEIRUT: Thousands of people converged Saturday on central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri.Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, men, women and children gathered under sunny skies in Martyr's Square where members of the parliamentary majority were to address the crowd. The rally comes as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also comes as the country prepares for legislative elections in June that will pit Western-backed political parties against a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.Hariri died in a massive car bombing on February 14, 2005 that also killed 22 others. The assassination was widely blamed on then Lebanese power-broker Syria, which has denied any involvement. The attack on the Beirut seafront was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since t...
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