■ Iraq
Bruce Willis rocks Iraq
Probably the first-ever rock concert held in Telafar, about 60km from the Syrian border, was brought to US soldiers at the desert airfield by movie star Bruce Willis. Hundreds of soldiers sent cheers and whistles into the night air as Willis and his band belted out rock and roll and the blues. Willis and his band -- the Accelerator -- stood atop two flatbed trailer trucks. "If you catch him, just give me four seconds with Saddam Hussein," Willis told the soldiers. He promised US$1 million to the man who captures Hussein.
■ United states
Bush wants help for Czechs
US President George W. Bush asked Congress on Thursday to provide a US$550 million loan to the Czech Republic to help Washington's Iraq-war ally upgrade its air defenses. The 12-year military loan will enable the Czech Republic to buy 14 used F-16 fighter aircraft. It could also provide the NATO member with US training, weapons and logistic support, according to White House documents sent to Congress for review. The Bush administration is offering similar military and economic assistance to other key allies, including Turkey and Pakistan. Both are under pressure from Washington to send troops to Iraq. The Czech Republic broke with France, Germany and Russia by supporting the US in Iraq.
■ Israel
Hopes for peace dashed
A majority of Israelis expect that the three-year-old cycle of violence with the Palestinians will continue and many believe it might even intensify, a poll published yesterday revealed. According to a survey carried by the top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily, 67 percent of Israelis predict that "the intifada will continue," while only 25 percent think it will fizzle out. No less than 24 percent believe the cycle of violence which has left nearly 3,500 people dead over three years will escalate further. With the peace process in tatters and a deep economic crisis, a majority of Israelis are generally pessimistic about the future. According to 73 percent of Israelis, the state of Israel "does not guarantee a future to the younger generation."
■ United states
Palestinian scholar, 67, dies
Edward Said -- scholar, literary critic and the most eloquent supporter of the Palestinian cause -- died in New York yesterday after a long battle against leukemia. He was 67. Born in 1935 in Jerusalem, then part of British-ruled Palestine, he spent almost all his adult life in the US, where he became professor of comparative literature at Columbia University. He wrote passionately about the Palestinian question but also on a huge variety of other subjects. His most famous book, Orientalism, published in 1978, exposed the ideological biases behind western perceptions of "the Orient" and changed the direction of academic study of the Middle East.
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