Palestinian toddler shot dead in Israeli Gaza raid
Stuff.co.nz, May 2, 2003 
GAZA: Two-year-old Amir toddled over to the window of his house during an Israeli army raid in Gaza City yesterday, his curiosity apparently piqued by the noise outside. By the time his father could reach him, the Palestinian boy was dead. A bullet had pierced his skull. "I could not help him," Ahmed Ayyad said, choking back tears at the local morgue, where his son's tiny body drew a steady stream of people offering their condolences.

The road map has been released, and Bush and Sharon may be betting on Abu Mazen - to lose 
Haaretz, May 1, 2003
The 'road map' has been unfurled at last, its destination an independent Palestinian state by 2005, following a phased approach of reforms and concessions. So why are so many Israeli government hawks walking around with smiles on their faces?

Barghouti's deputy convicted of 14 counts of murder  
Haaretz, May 1, 2003
The Tel Aviv District court on Thursday convicted Tanzim activist Nasr Awis on 14 counts of murder, conspiracy, and other charges involving the deaths of scores of Israelis.

The fence starts to look like a frontier
Haaretz, May 1, 2003
Military sources continually stress that the separation fence is not an international border, but the security activity along the fence has all the characteristics of a frontier. This includes patrols, surveillance and military camps built along the fence to serve the troops engaged in security operations.

Colin Powell Urges Mideast Peace Talks
The Guardian, May 1, 2003
MADRID (AP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday urged Israel and the Palestinian Authority to begin talks on the U.S.-backed formula for peace in the Middle East, saying ``a lot of work has to take place'' before President Bush's goals can be met.

PNA Cabinet: Israel is not Earnest in Creating the Right Atmospheres for Reviving the Peace Process
International Press Center, May 1, 2003
RAMALLAH, Palestine, April 1, 2003, IPC--The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) newly appointed cabinet headed by PM Mahmoud Abass (Abu Mazen) held its first meeting today afternoon in Ramallah.

General strike to end
Globes, May 1, 2003
After an official Histadrut announcement, services will resume; union members will work-to-rule. -- The general strike is set to end, after President Moshe Katsav summoned Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu and Histadrut chairman MK Amir Perez to a meeting at 6 pm today, to ask them to resume negotiations.

Histadrut, Treasury to renew negotiations on emergency economic plan
Haaretz, May 1, 2003
The Histadrut and Treasury will renew negotiations on Friday over the emergency economic plan at the request of President Moshe Katsav as a result of a meeting Thursday evening initiated by Katsav with Histadrut chief Amir Peretz and Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Jewish Leaders Back 'Road Map'
Washington Post, April 30, 2003
Bush Plan Called Opportunity for Israel to Live in Peace -- Splitting with the dominant organizations in the American Jewish community, 14 major Jewish philanthropists voiced strong support yesterday for the Bush administration's plan to resuscitate Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

British peace activist arrested
The Mercury News, May 1, 2003
THE Israeli army arrested a British peace activist overnight in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, Palestinian security sources and her organisation said. The media coordinator for the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) said Romany Smith was acting as a human shield by spending the night in one of the Palestinian houses threatened with demolition along the border with Egypt. [ISM reports she has since been released.]

Occupation forces arrest Al-Aqsa writers brigade activists in Yata
Palestinian Information Cemter, May 1, 2003
Al-Khalil- Israeli occupation forces arrested two Palestinian movement activists after surrounding one of the houses in Yata. Local sources stated that Israeli occupation forces, backed by Apache planes, surrounded the house that the wanted activists were staying and ordered them to make clear their surrender, but the Palestinians refused.

Breaking News: Gaza Raid Included Arrests
International Press Center, May 1, 2003 
18: 00—Israeli invading forces during their bloody onslaught, in which they murdered 13 civilians and injured tens of others in Shija’ia neighborhood, they also arrested three civilians Dr. Fadil Abu Hein and two of his brothers and led them to undisclosed destination, WAFA reported.

Mubarak: Arafat can't be ignored
Al-Bawaba, May 1, 2003
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in remarks published on Thursday that sidelining Palestinian President Yasser Arafat could threaten a new U.S.-led initiative to bring peace to the Middle East.

Annan 'Deeply Disturbed' by Israeli Raid in Gaza
Palestine Chronicle, May 1, 2003
"Israel's action 'violated international humanitarian law and contradicted the international community's latest efforts to solve the Middle East conflict' .." -- UNITED NATIONS - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan voiced deep concern over Israel's military incursions today in Gaza, stressing that they violated international humanitarian law and contradicted the international community's latest efforts to solve the Middle East conflict.

Jobless Palestinians Mark Labor Day At Israeli Fence
Islam Online, May 1, 2003
GAZA CITY , May 1 (IslamOnline.net) – As the world marks Labor Day on Thursday, May 1, jobless Palestinian workers, suffering under the yoke of unemployment and poverty, stand at the fence, due to the crippling Israeli blockade.

Israeli forces kill at least 15 Palestinians in Gaza Strip, West Bank
Al-Bawaba, May 1, 2003
Israeli tanks backed by helicopters moved into Gaza city early on Thursday, killing 13 Palestinians, including a two-year-old baby, in a gunfight, witnesses said.

To Kill Hamas Activist, Israel Massacres 12 Palestinians
Islam Online, May 1, 2003
GAZA CITY, May 1 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – In order to kill a "targeted" Hamas activist, the Israeli occupation forces stormed Thursday, May 1, a densely populated Gaza City area, cordoned off a four-storey building and massacres other 12 Palestinians, including a two-year-old toddler and two teenagers.

Gaza gun battle 'kills 12'
BBC, May 1, 2003 
At least 15 people are reported to have been wounded -- Twelve Palestinians, including three Hamas militants and three children, have been killed in Gaza City during a big incursion by Israeli troops, Palestinian doctors say. A leading Hamas member, Yusef Abu Hein - the main target of the raid - and two of his brothers were reported to be among those killed.

Thirteen Palestinian Civilians Massacred, and Many Others Injured in a New Israeli Aggression in Gaza
International Press Center, May 1, 2003
GAZA, Palestine, May 1, 2003, IPC --- Israeli occupation forces in an overnight military aggression in the Shija'ia neighborhood of Gaza city, committed a new massacre killing at least nine Palestinian civilians including two children and injured several others.

New Palestinian government embarrassed by Gaza Atrocity
Palestinian Information Cemter, May 1, 2003
Ramallah - The bloody Israeli incursion into eastern Gaza Thursday, in which at least nine Palestinian civilians, including two small children were killed, has apparently embarrassed the new Palestinian government of Mahmoud Abbas.

Report: Tel Aviv would-be bomber - member of British group supporting bin Laden
Al-Bawaba, May 1, 2003
Israeli security forces were still searching Thursday for a British Muslim man who managed to flee when his explosive device did not detonate in Tuesday night's attack in Tel Aviv.

Israeli bombing manhunt seeks British student
The Times, May 1, 2003 
Israeli security services were engaged in a manhunt today for a British citizen who they claimed planned to blow himself up with a suicide bomber in Tel Aviv yesterday. An Israeli official said that police were investigating possible links with al-Qaeda and Hezbollah.

Public asked to help find British would-be bomber  
Haaretz, May 1, 2003
Police in London on Thursday questioned the two brothers of the Briton who carried out the suicide bombing late Tuesday night at a Tel Aviv beachfront pub, Israel Radio reported. The man was identified in his British passport as 21-year-old Asif Mohammed Hanif.

The British connection: causes that lead Islamists to take drastic measures
The Guardian, May 1, 2003
If the Israeli authorities are right that the two suicide bombers, one of whom escaped, carried British passports, it will be the first time individuals based in the UK have been implicated in the militant Palestinian struggle.

Step by step to Palestine, and a lasting peace
The Times, May 1, 2003
THE Middle East “road map” promises to go further than any previous Israeli-Palestinian peace effort because it demands solutions to such issues as Palestinian refugees, the drawing of borders and how to share Jerusalem. 

EU redirects aid in effort to stimulate economy
The Guardian, May 1, 2003
The European Union is to refocus the way it dispenses millions of euros of aid to the Palestinians to help prevent economic collapse and support reform efforts.

France Welcomes the New Palestinian Government and Calls for Peace Conference Concerning Middle East
International Press Center, May 1, 2003
PARIS, France, April 1, 2003, IPC --- Dominique De Villepian, the French foreign minister, in a press conference held yesterday, declared that France is ready to convene an international peace conference after implementing the first step of the Road Map.

Text of the quartet "road map"
Al-Awda, May 1, 2003
{Note: the words "Human Rights" and "International Law" do not appear anywhere in this "road map"}
Text of the 'road map'

Both sides out of step on long road to peace
The Guardian, May 1, 2003
Even before the Israelis and Palestinians take their first strides along the road to peace mapped out under American guidance the two sides are at odds over whether they are locked in step or playing follow the leader.

How the deal would work
The Guardian, May 1, 2003
The road map to peace, designed by representatives from the EU, the UN, Russia and the US, is divided into three phases. The process is meant to be finished by 2005-06, but the beginning of each phase is conditional on the completion of the previous phase.

Mid-East considers peace plan
BBC, May 1, 2003
Israel and the Palestinians are considering their responses to the long-delayed presentation of the so-called "roadmap" to peace in the Middle East. Copies of the plan were delivered on Wednesday to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas - also known as Abu Mazen - whose appointment was a key step towards its launch.

Canada to keep key role with Palestinians
Globe and Mail, May 1, 2003
OTTAWA -- Canada welcomed the new peace initiative for the Middle East yesterday and pledged to continue its key role with Palestinians. Canada is contributing to many of the reforms already under way, including training municipal, judicial and election officials, said Marie-Christine Lilkoff, a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

BBC rapped over 'one-sided' film of Bethlehem tragedy
The Guardian, April 30, 2003
The BBC's governors have criticised the corporation for failing to warn viewers that a Correspondent film about the siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem showed events almost exclusively through the eyes of the Israeli military.

US removes Israel from IP watch list
Globes, May 1, 2003 
The Office of the US Trade Representative yesterday announced the removal of Israel from its priority watch list for violations of intellectual property rights. Significant developments in Israeli legislation and enforcement on the issue led to Israel’s removal from the list.

Powell: Terror attacks, Israeli response can't disrupt road map  
Haaretz, May 1, 2003
MADRID - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Thursday the "road map" for peace in the Middle East should not be disrupted by suicide bombings and retaliatory attacks by Israeli forces.

Road map given to Sharon, Abu Mazen 
Haaretz, May 1, 2003
The long-anticipated, internationally backed, "performance-based and goal-driven road map" to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was formally presented to the sides yesterday.

Road map draws fire from right, but wins international praise
Haaretz, May 1, 2003
The issuance of the road map, the international plan for getting Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table, with a two-state solution at the end of the process, drew fire from the Israeli right and Arab fundamentalists, and praise from the international community and Israeli left.

Powell will tour Israel and region to sell US road-map
The Independent, May 1, 2003
The United States is embarking on a diplomatic offensive to support the "road-map" for a Middle East peace settlement by 2005. The plan, drawn up by America, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, was given yesterday to Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, and Mahmoud Abbas.

No politics, please
Haaretz, May 1, 2003
A controversial award-winning artist, accusations of censorship, and a resignation. And the Tel Aviv Museum says it wants to keep politics out of art. -- What did members of the Gottesdiener Prize committee at the Tel Aviv Museum expect last year when they awarded the prestigious prize to artist Ahlam Shibli?

Strike continues as economic plan passes first Knesset reading
Haaretz, May 1, 2003
The public sector strike, called by the Histadrut labor federation to protest the government's economic plan, is due to enter its second day today after the Knesset last night passed the plan in a first reading.

Senior UN Relief Officials Return to Iraq After Six-week Absence
Palestine Chronicle, May 1, 2003
UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq led a team of senior UN officials across the border from Jordan into Iraq today to re-establish a permanent presence of international personnel in Baghdad for relief operations for the first time since being withdrawn on the eve of hostilities in March.

Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories 24- 30 April  2003
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Israeli Occupying Force Continue to Commit Violations of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories: 11 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including a woman and child were killed by Israeli forces / 4 of the victims were killed in two extra-judicial assassinations in Bethlehem and Khan Yunis / On International Labor Day, a settler killed a Palestinian worker in Jenin / Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas, accompanied by indiscriminate shelling / Large areas of Palestinian agricultural land is razed in the Gaza Strip / Indiscriminate shelling of Palestinian residential areas continues / The Israeli retaliatory campaign continues against families of wanted Palestinians and those who allegedly carried out armed attacks against Israeli targets, resulting the destruction of 2 houses / More houses and civilian facilities were destroyed / More Palestinians were arrested / Israeli forces continued to use Palestinian civilians as human shields in military operations / Sieges continued on Palestinian communities and a number of Palestinians were arrested at Israeli military checkpoints

Al-Sane’: Deep-Rooted in our Land Despite the Israeli Practices”
International Press Center, May 1, 2003
“Successive Israeli Governments Treated Arabs in Negev the same the American done to the Red Indians Hundreds Years Ago.” Tommy Labeid, Israeli leader of Shenio movement spelled out such remark in the aftermath of the Israeli election campaign.

video
"The intensity of the fighting hampered the efforts of medical teams to reach the scene"
BBC, May 1, 2003

Other Middle East News

Garner: Americans Should Beat Chests with Pride 
CommonDreams, April 30, 2003    
We ought to be beating our chests every day. We ought to look in a mirror and get proud and stick out our chests and suck in our bellies and say: 'Damn, we're Americans!'  -- BAGHDAD - The retired general overseeing Iraq's postwar reconstruction said on Wednesday that his fellow Americans should beat their chests with pride at having toppled Saddam Hussein without destroying the country's assets.

Seven US troops hurt in Fallujah grenade attack
The Times, May 1, 2003 
Seven US soldiers were wounded when two men threw grenades over the wall of their compound in Fallujah, in central Iraq, last night, a US officer said.

US compound attacked in Fallujah, seven soldiers wounded
Al-Bawaba, May 1, 2003
Attackers lobbed two grenades over a wall and into a compound of U.S. troops in Fallujah on Thursday, wounding seven soldiers just hours after they had opened fire on anti-American protesters, a U.S. intelligence officer reported.

Falluja Vows “Martyr Operations” Against U.S. Troops
Islam Online, May 1, 2003
BAGHDAD, May 1 (IslamOnline.net) – The latest grenade attack on U.S. soldiers in the town of Falluja, 50km south of Baghdad, serves as a strong message for the U.S. occupation troops that their presence would not be tolerated, especially following their killing of 18 anti-occupation Iraq protesters over the past two days.

6 Iraqis Dead In Gas Station Fire, Witnesses Accuse U.S.
Islam Online, May 1, 2003
BAGHDAD, May 1 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - At least six Iraqis were killed Thursday, May 1, in a fire at a gas station in central Baghdad, which some witnesses said was ignited by American firing.

Two Killed In New Iraq Demo Shooting
The Mirror, May 1, 2003
IT started when a young boy hurled a sandal at a US jeep - it ended with two Iraqis dead and 16 seriously injured. I watched in horror as American troops opened fire on a crowd of 1,000 unarmed people here yesterday. Many, including children, were cut down by a 20-second burst of automatic gunfire during a demonstration against the killing of 13 protesters at the Al-Kaahd school on Monday.

Iraq: Death of Civilian Demonstrators Must Be Investigated 
CommonDreams/Amnesty International, April 30, 2003   
WASHINGTON - April 30 - The town of Fallujah, west of Baghdad has today witnessed another incident which resulted in the death of 3 civilians and the wounding of a further 8. This latest shooting occurred whilst townspeople were demonstrating about the shooting of Iraqi civilians by US troops on Monday night.

Iraqis left baffled as Don drops in for a chat
The Guardian, May 1, 2003
After more than two decades of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqis are used to bizarre television and radio broadcasts. But not even that prepared them for yesterday's broadcast by the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, to the Iraqi nation.

U.S. Turns Blind Eye To “Proselytizing” In Iraq
Islam Online, May 1, 2003
International Bible Society sent 10,000 Arabic booklets entitled “Christ has brought peace!” for Iraqis -- WASHINGTON, May 1 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The White House, which fears the rise of an Islamic regime after the downfall of ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, announced last week, it wound not interfere with “proselytizing” in Iraq, a leading U.S. magazine reported Thursday, May 1.

Mob fury as US soldiers shoot two protesters dead
The Times, May 1, 2003 
AMERICAN soldiers opened fire on protesters in Fallujah yesterday for the second time in less than three days, killing two and wounding a dozen more.

The war is over (except for Iraq)
The Independent, May 1, 2003
President George Bush will declare tonight the war in Iraq is all but over. But his speech, far out at sea – aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, which is heading back from the Gulf – will not convince many Iraqis.

Army Seizes Massive Files On Iraq's Secret Prisoners
Washington Post, April 30, 2003
BAGHDAD, April 29 -- Backed by tanks, U.S. troops have seized millions of Iraqi intelligence files from a citizens group involved in a daunting search for those who disappeared into the secret prisons of fallen president Saddam Hussein. U.S. Army officers said the operation was meant to protect the files from former government officials who might have an interest in destroying evidence.

Iraq to split into five zones: report
News.com.au, April 30, 2003
THE US plans to divide Iraq into five administrative zones, one of which could be managed by Poland, the daily Rzeczpospolita said quoting a NATO source.

Dane to run southern Iraq
BBC, May 1, 2003 
A veteran Danish diplomat has been appointed post-war head of one of Iraq's four administrative regions, the key southern province of Basra. Ole Woehler Olsen has worked in several Arabic countries in more than 30 years with the Danish foreign service. Mr Moeller made the appointment jointly with his UK counterpart, Jack Straw, because British troops currently control the region.

AI concern over photos of naked Iraqi PoWs
Dawn, May 1, 2003
LONDON: Amnesty International has expressed its concern at the disturbing article and images portrayed in the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet which show American soldiers escorting naked Iraqi men through a park in Baghdad. The pictures reveal that someone had written the words "Ali Baba, thief" in Arabic on the prisoners' chests.

Hoon says 6,500 UK troops will pull out
The Times, May 1, 2003
DECLARING the end of “decisive combat operations” in Iraq, Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, yesterday announced the withdrawal of 6,500 British troops. He indicated that Britain’s commitment in the region could last longer than previously expected, but admitted that some regiments returning home would have to return to Iraq after a few weeks of rest and recreation.

Plans to set up UK military base near Basra - Jane's
Islamic Republic News Agency, April 30, 2003
London, Apr. 29, IRNA -- Like the US military, the UK is also planning to construct its own major base in Iraq near Basra to support its troop presence in the country, according to Jane's Defence Weekly. Plans were being developed to turn Basra International Airport into a major logistics and helicopter base, the magazine quoted senior UK officers saying.

Iraqi Refinery Restarts; Looting Persists
The Guardian, May 1, 2003
DOHA, Qatar (AP) - Engineers have restarted a key oil refinery in southern Iraq, quashing fears of an impending domestic gasoline shortage, but looting remains an obstacle to turning Iraq's trickle of oil into a reconstruction cash cow.

US funds to help recover Iraqi antiquities
Arabic News, May 1, 2003
The US Department Of State said yesterday that the US has allotted a sum of 2 million dollars to help in protecting and renovating the Iraqi archaeological sites and museums which were destroyed and looted following the American occupation of Iraq.

Powell begins talks in Madrid
BBC, May 1, 2003
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has begun talks in Spain ahead of a Middle East diplomatic tour which will take him to Syria and Lebanon. He is meeting Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio in the capital Madrid, and later in the day will have talks with Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar.

Annan seeks 'unity' over Iraq
BBC, May 1, 2003
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has urged members of the security council to set aside past differences and focus on helping Iraqis run their country. In a speech to the council, Mr Annan said that over the coming weeks, members would have to reach important decisions regarding UN sanctions, the oil-for-food programme and weapons inspections.

Spy Experts Urge Investigating CIA's "Monstrous Fiasco"
Islam Online, May 1, 2003
WASHINGTON, May 1 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Some intelligence experts urged President George W. Bush Thursday, May 1, to inquire into the failure of the CIA and other spy agencies uncover weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Bush, the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) said in a statement, "has been backed into the untenable position of assuming the former role of Saddam Hussein in refusing to cooperate with UN inspectors," according to Agence France Presse (AFP).

Powell leaves for the Middle East, tells Syria to review policies
Al-Bawaba, May 1, 2003
US Secretary of State Colin Powell heads to the Middle East region within the framework of reviving peace efforts. He is visiting Spain on Thursday, before making his way to Syria and Lebanon. Powell is to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday.

Peace-keeping summit excludes anti-war countries
The Independent, May 1, 2003
Britain began assembling an international security force for Iraq yesterday, increasing the deep split in Europe over the US-led war and ruling out any early peace-keeping role for Nato.

US Treasury Department: Iraq's financial reconstruction a priority
MENA Report, May 1, 2003
A US Treasury Department task force is working to address financial and economic aspects of Iraq's reconstruction, including restoring operations of the Finance Ministry, the Central Bank, commercial banks and the stock market, Treasury Secretary John Snow stated.

Chalabi, Barzani and Talabani meet to discuss future of Iraqi government
Al-Bawaba, May 1, 2003
Three top opposition leaders are together in Baghdad to discuss how they will work together to rebuild Iraq.

Chalabi says Saddam agents work at Al-Jazeera
Al-Bawaba, May 1, 2003
Iraqi intelligence agents of Saddam Hussein's regime infiltrated the Qatar-based news station Al-Jazeera television, the head of a major Iraqi opposition group claimed Tuesday.

Bid to rescue schoolchildren after quake kills 90
The Guardian, May 1, 2003
Death toll could reach 150 · 1,000 hurt as tremor rocks Turkey · Inquiry into safety of school building -- A strong earthquake shook south-eastern Turkey today, killing nearly 100 people and injuring 1,000 others. Rescuers dug frantically in the rubble of a school dormitory, hunting for dozens of children believed trapped.

Rumsfeld Blinks: Pentagon Reverses Policy at Eleventh Hour, Averts "Public-Relations Nightmare"
CommonDreams/TomPaine.com, April 30, 2003      
WASHINGTON - April 30 - Averting what one veterans' advocate called a "public-relations nightmare," the Pentagon reversed itself yesterday by announcing that it has now decided to perform medical exams on troops returning from the Iraq war, as required by law.

Supreme Court Allows Limited Detention Before Deportation of Convicted Aliens
Tampa Bay Online, April 29, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - The government may jail legal immigrants who have committed serious crimes to ensure they do not flee or commit new crimes while the United States moves to deport them, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

Emerging Iraqi nationalism, a challenge to U.S.?
Salaam, May 1, 2003
DAMASCUS APRIL 30. Faced with the prospects of a long-drawn U.S. occupation, a new phase of Iraqi nationalism, driven by a new set of political forces that the Anglo-American war has unleashed, may be about to take shape.

New Saudi cabinet gets economic face-lift
Al-Bawaba, May 1, 2003
Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd restructured the cabinet Wednesday, making significant changes to governmental bodies in charge of economy and information, reported SPA.

New Cabinet Unveiled
Arab News, May 1, 2003
Raid Qusti, Riyadh Bureau Chief  RIYADH, 1 May 2003 — In only the third major government reshuffle in 30 years, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd yesterday announced a new Cabinet, making structural changes in several ministerial portfolios.

Mass. Firm Wins Contract for Iraq's Health System
Washington Post, May 1, 2003
The U.S. Agency for International Development announced yesterday that it awarded a contract worth up to $43.8 million to strengthen Iraq's public health system to Abt Associates Inc., a large Massachusetts-based research and consulting firm.

Suitcase Explosion Kills One in Jordan
The Guardian, May 1, 2003
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - A bag exploded near the luggage screening area at Jordan's international airport Thursday evening, killing a security guard, authorities said. Police arrested the suspected owner of the bag, a Japanese journalist who told authorities he had no knowledge that he an explosive device in his possession, said officials involved in the investigation.

Some Iraqi Schools Preparing to Reopen
The Guardian, May 1, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Like all the buildings in the Baath Party enclave, the secondary schools were looted. But when U.S. soldiers helped restock one Thursday, they found facilities better than most of them had seen as students.

Gilgamesh tomb believed found
BBC, May 1, 2003 
Archaeologists in Iraq believe they may have found the lost tomb of King Gilgamesh - the subject of the oldest "book" in history. The Epic Of Gilgamesh - written by a Middle Eastern scholar 2,500 years before the birth of Christ - commemorated the life of the ruler of the city of Uruk, from which Iraq gets its name.

But we don't want to be unilateralists, Mr Bush
Asia Times, May 1, 2003
"..strong majorities reject either a more unilateralist or military-oriented role for the United States in the future and continue to see the United Nations as the best mechanism for dealing with international crises." -- WASHINGTON - If the unilateralist hawks in the administration of President George W Bush were hoping that the easier than expected military victory in Iraq would bring the US public closer to their views, they are likely to be very disappointed by the latest polling.