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Countries have held preliminary talks for the supply of over 100 KA 226-T helicopters

Israel braced itself yesterday for more bomb attacks after heightened warnings militant Islamic groups were planning to unleash suicide bombers into Israeli cities.

Unknown group claims killing of Israeli guard

Amid the hatred of weeks of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, Zoher Hamdan and Amir Zohar worked to bring Arab and Jew together. Now Hamdan, a Palestinian, is in mourning for his Jewish friend Zohar, shot dead in the West Bank while fulfilling his duty as a reserve major in the Israeli army.

Oil prices lost ground yesterday after gains this week led by supply worries at two major producers - Nigeria and Iraq.

Washington stepped in to pick up the pieces of a Middle East peace that has been shattered by the worst violence in years as Israelis marked the death anniversary on Saturday of peacemaker Yitzhak Rabin.

Egypt's recall of its ambassador to Tel Aviv has dealt a stinging blow to Israel's ambition to gain acceptance in the Middle East, where anger at nearly two months of Israeli-Palestinian violence is running high.

US troops repelled simultaneous attacks yesterday afternoon in the northern city of Samarra, killing 46 Iraqis, wounding at least 18 and capturing eight, the US military said.

A human rights group yesterday urged the government to prevent rape and torture of people arrested and held on suspicion of ties to Tamil Tiger rebels.

Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, said that while the country will return to civilian rule he was considering keeping a role in politics and may become president.

Bangladesh repatriated two injured Indian soldiers and the body of another who was among 16 soldiers killed during fighting over a disputed frontier area last wek.

Marcelle Wahba, public affairs officer in Cairo since 1999, has been named ambassador to the UAE by President George W. Bush. Theodore Kattouf, who has held the post since 1998, has been named ambassador to Syria.