Artillery shelling against the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon resumed on Friday, as fighting broke out between the army and Fatah al-Islam fighters. As tanks surrounded the camp, artillery struck the north and north-west entrances of the camp, gearing-up for a potential ground offensive to draw the 13-day standoff to a close. At least 12 people have been killed within the camp, along with two Lebanese soldiers. [AlJazeera, June 1]

Turkish authorities have announed the seizure of weapons hidden on a Syria-bound train from Iran after Kurdish PKK guerillas derailed it with a bomb near the town of Genc in Bingol province. News reports said the weapons included 300 rockets and a rocket launch pad. Turkish authorities suspect Iran is using Turkey as a transit route to send arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon via Syria.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin, in a recent visit to Mogadishu, refused to give a date for Ethiopian troops to withdraw from Somalia, saying Somalia's transition government and civil society leaders had asked Ethiopia not to abandon the Somali people. (Shabeelle Media Network, May 29) Now reports are mounting that Somali troops are actually headed for Ethiopia. The pro-Islamist Somali website Somaaljecel reports that Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, his Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, and Ethiopian Foreign Minister Mesfin agreed in talks at Mogadishu "that it is the interim Somali government's turn to help the Ethiopian government, which is planning to go into war with Eritrea soon." (Somaaljecel, May 26)

Mexico's National Tourism Development Fund (Fonatur) has announced a new mega-complex to be built in the conflicted southern state of Chiapas. Centering around the Classic Maya ruins of Palenque, the complex will include an 8,000-room hotel, theme park and golf course. It will cover 58,490 hectares in the municipalities of Palenque, Catazajá, Chilón, Ocosingo, Salto del Agua and Tumbalá. Slated for completion in 2012, authorites say it will require the relocation of several local communities. (La Jornada, May 27) Meanwhile, the Federal Agency of Investigation (AFI) and Chiapas state police carried out raids of several houses and ranches in Palenque May 28. The raids came following an ambush of a patrol from the Chiapas State Agency of Investigation (AEI) just one block from Palenque's town plaza. The presumed sicarios (hired assassins) opened fire on the agents with AR-15 rifles from two cars, leaving one dead and two wounded. (APRO, May 29)

Mexico's National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) turned in its final report on last year's unrest in Oaxaca May 24, blaming both authorities and protesters for "excesses," and urging the government to investigate its finding that federal police tortured detainees. The independent governmental commission also blamed the government for not intervening to stop the crisis before it escalated to bloodshed. CNDH president José Luis Soberanes said the administration of then-President Vicente Fox had "unjustifiably delayed, for more than a month and a half, in complying with its constitutional duty to help restore order and peace in Oaxaca."

Bolivia's lower house Chamber of Deputies has approved a measure calling for incorporation of indigenous languages into the educational system. Warning that "every langauge represents a unique vision of the world," UNESCO recently found that 35 indigenous languages in Bolivia are in danger of extinction. The measure, Supreme Decree 25894, recognizes as official languages the indigenous tongues of Aymará, Baure, Besiro, Canichama, Cavineño, Cayubaba. Chácobo, Chimán, Ese Ejja, Guaraní, Guarasuwe, Guarayu, Itonoma, Leco, Machineri, Mojeño, Trinitario, Mojeño Ignaciano, More Mostén, Movida, Pacawara, Quechua, Reyesano, Sirionó, Tacana, Tapiete, Toromona, Uru Chipaya, Weenhayek, Yaminawa, Auki and Yuracaré. (La Epoca, Bolivia, via Quechua Network, May 29)

Libya announced May 29 it will sign a $900-million exploration deal with BP, marking a return by the UK oil giant to the North African country after a 33-year absence. The announcement came ahead of a visit to Tripoli by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is starting a tour of Africa before he leaves office next month. "BP will be announcing that they're going back into Libya," a spokesperson for Blair said, confirming that the outgoing premier was due to hold talks with Libyan leader Moammar Qadaffi.

The Philippine government and the country's largest Islamic rebel group are moving closer to a deal on defining Muslim ancestral, leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have announced. "It's almost in the bag," said Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesman. "The two sides are prepared to resume negotiations right after the dust of the elections settles. We're close to an agreement on the territory issue." The nearly 40-year-old conflict has killed more than 120,000 people and displaced 2 million in the southern island of Mindanao.