MIDDLE EAST

LEBANESE LEADERS APPOINT NEW CABINET

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Lebanese leaders appointed a new government yesterday, ending a seven-week stalemate and pushing the country toward crucial parliamentary elections. The breakthrough came as the number of Syrian troops in Lebanon dwindled to 1,000 – lowest in 29 years.

Lebanon plunged into political crisis February 14 when the former anti-Syrian Prime Minster Rafik Hariri was assassinated, ushering in almost two months without a firm government and increased calls by the opposition and America for Syria to withdraw all its forces before new elections could be held in the country.

Lebanon’s opposition has accused the then Syrian-backed Lebanese government and Syria of involvement in the bombing that killed Hariri and 20 others – charges both countries denied. But America said it also wanted Syria to end the presence of its intelligence services in Lebanon to allow for elections without any pressure from Damascus.

– Associated Press

SHARON APPEARS COOL TO DELAY OF GAZA PULLOUT

JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Sharon will decide by week’s end whether to delay Israel’s planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, officials said yesterday, after a stormy meeting of government ministers ended without a decision.

The debate drew new attention to the many snags in preparations for the pullout, which is set to begin in late July. Critics warned that any delay would raise doubts about the government’s resolve to carry out the operation.

For months, Mr. Sharon has steadfastly rejected any attempts to halt or delay his plan. But in a sudden turnabout Monday, he said he was “favorably disposed” toward a delay of three weeks to allow uprooted settlers to observe a midsummer Jewish mourning period. After yesterday’s meeting, however, Mr. Sharon appeared to distance himself from the proposal.

– Associated Press

CENTRAL EUROPE

REMEMBER POLISH RESISTANCE, LEADER OF WARSAW UPRISING SAYS

A leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising warned the world yesterday not to forget Polish Jews’ historic resistance to their Nazi conquerors on the 62nd anniversary of the fight. Jewish community leaders and state officials laid wreaths at a monument in Warsaw honoring the hundreds of young Jews who took up arms on April 19, 1943, in the first major act of civilian resistance against the Nazis.

– Associated Press

PERSIAN GULF

SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS A DOZEN OUTSIDE ARMY RECRUITMENT CENTER

A suicide car bomb outside an Iraqi army recruitment center and other attacks yesterday killed a dozen Iraqis and wounded more than 50, police said. Elsewhere in the capital, parliament briefly adjourned after a legislator belonging to a radical Shiite group claimed he had been roughed up at an American checkpoint. The blast occurred in the Azamiyah section of the capital about 18 yards from the front gate of the recruitment center, killing at least six Iraqis, including two soldiers, and wounding 44, said police Colonel Hussein Mutlaq.

– Associated Press

WESTERN EUROPE

BERLUSCONI WILL PUT HIS GOVERNMENT TO VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

Premier Silvio Berlusconi, fighting to survive the worst political crisis of his four-year tenure, will put his government to a vote of confidence this week, officials said yesterday. He has been clinging to power since his center-right coalition suffered a crushing defeat in this month’s regional elections. Even his allies have called for his resignation. The vote is scheduled for tomorrow, parliament officials said. If Mr. Berlusconi loses, the government must resign.

– Associated Press

EAST ASIA

EARTHQUAKE HITS SOUTHERN JAPAN

TOKYO – A strong earthquake struck southern Japan today, injuring at least 21 people, shattering windows, and knocking down houses already damaged by a powerful tremor that hit the same area last month. There was no threat of tsunami. The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8, hit at 6:11 a.m. and was centered in the ocean just west of the city of Fukuoka on Kyushu island, the Central Meteorological Agency reported.

– Associated Press