"Within the past 24 hours, two people have been recovered alive from the debris of destroyed buildings, a 21-year-old man who was dug up by an Israeli rescue team and an 84-year-old woman who was rescued by locals. But the authorities say there had been no new signs of life in the past three days, prompting them to call off the official search operation. Some people will continue to hunt for relatives and friends until all hope is gone. They think it's too early for the expert search teams to stop work."
The American Vice President has announced that the US authorities will appeal against a court ruling dismissing charges against five security guards from the Blackwater company, accused of killing Iraqi civilians. The case was quashed because the judge ruled that testimony had been wrongly used by the prosecution. Speaking in Baghdad, Joe Biden said his government wasn't prepared to see Blackwater go unpunished.
"The United States is determined to turn into whole accountable anyone who commits crimes against the Iraqi people. While we fully respect the independence and integrity of the US judicial system, we were disappointed by the judge's decision to dismiss the indictment, which was based on the way in which some evidence had been acquired."
The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has distanced himself from comments by a member of his cabinet, who said a new war with Lebanon was almost inevitable. Mr. Netanyahu said Israel did not seek confrontation with Lebanon or any of its neighbors. Earlier Yossi Peled, the Minister and reserved Army General has said a repeat of the 2006 conflict was only a matter of time.