MIDDLE EAST

‘NOBODY IS ABOVE THE LAW,’ HAMAS WARNS AFTER RIVAL GROUPS CLASH

Hamas faced its toughest internal challenge yesterday since being swept unexpectedly to power in the Palestinian territories when rival militant groups in Gaza took part in a series of clashes that left four dead and dozens wounded. Said Siam, the newly appointed Hamas interior minister, appealed for calm and warned his government would clamp down heavily on armed groups who used their weapons against each other rather than in the struggle against Israel. “We will ensure that nobody is above the law and demand an end to the instability and armed chaos,” Mr. Siam said. But his appeal came after non-Hamas groups flatly rejected an earlier demand by the Islamist group for all armed factions in Gaza to stop parading publicly with their weapons.

– The Daily Telegraph

PERSIAN GULF

IRAN CLAIMS NEW TORPEDO CAN CATCH ANY WARSHIP

Iran announced yesterday that it has carried out successful test-firings of the world’s fastest torpedo, capable of outrunning any warship. The message was intended as a signal to western military planners considering attacks to deal with Iran’s nascent nuclear capability. While military plans remain secret, it is believed that Washington, London, and Tel Aviv have begun drawing up options ranging from surgical air strikes to helicopter-borne commando raids. A new torpedo of the speed and capability described by Ali Fadavi, a rear admiral of the Revolutionary Guards, would not be used to combat western warships involved in an attack on Iran but to punish western military action by crippling the world’s oil supply. “This device evades sonar technology under the water and even if the enemy’s sonar system could detect its movement, no warship could escape from it because of its high velocity,” Admiral Fadavi said.

– The Daily Telegraph

NORTH AMERICA

ONE DIES IN BLAST IN TORONTO COFFEE SHOP

TORONTO – An apparent explosion at a popular coffee shop killed one man yesterday in Toronto’s downtown shopping district. The explosion occurred at a Tim Hortons coffee shop, and police said another store in the chain was locked down later in the day when a suspicious package was found there, police said. Toronto police Chief Bill Blair described the incident as a fire in the washroom – not a bombing – and said police were not looking for any suspects. He refused to speculate on a cause “until we determine precisely what happened in that cubicle and what caused those flames that took that man’s life.” Witnesses reported hearing a loud bang; police said no one else was involved and there were no other injuries.

– Associated Press