Britain re-establishing contact with Hezbollah

LONDON (AP) - Britain is re-establishing contact with the militant group Hezbollah following the formation of a unity government in Lebanon, the British government said Thursday.

The Foreign Office said that it has established contact with the group's political wing but still has no contact with its military wing.

Britain ceased contact with members of Hezbollah in 2005 and listed the military wing as a proscribed terrorist organization last year.

The Foreign Office said that it had reconsidered its position following positive developments in Lebanon.

"Our objective with Hezbollah remains to encourage them to move away from violence and play a constructive, democratic and peaceful role in Lebanese politics, in line with a range of UN Security Council Resolutions," the ministry said.

The ministry said Britain's ambassador attended a meeting in January in Beirut alongside a Hezbollah lawmaker, and that the government was seeking to build relations with other legislators attached to the group.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a brutal 34-day war in the region in 2006. More than 1,200 people in Lebanon _ most of them civilians _ and 159 in Israel died in the conflict.

Hezbollah has a large rocket arsenal but is not believed to have used it against Israel since the 2006 war. It has denied involvement in recent rocket attacks on Israel.

After showing its military strength against Israel in 2006 and then again in May 2008 against its Lebanese rivals _ when it took control of large parts of Beirut by force _ Hezbollah became a partner in Lebanon's government with veto power over decisions.

Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said Hezbollah has always been a terror group.

"This organization represents serious danger to any reasonable or peaceful political arrangement in the region and those who want to promote peace and compromise would be well advised to keep themselves at a safe distance from these dishonorable people," he said.

This news is originally from http://ktar.com

AP reporting one person unaccounted for in Bozeman explosion

One person is unaccounted for after a natural gas explosion rocked downtown Bozeman this morning, according to an Associated Press report.

Assistant City Manager Chuck Winn says initially 11 people were unaccounted for after the fire that destroyed Boodles restaurant, the Rocking R Bar, Montana Trails Gallery, the American Legion building and Lilly Lu's children's store, according to the story reported by the Associated Press. Winn reportedly said police had been able to find ten of them.

A two-block radius surrounding the area has been evacuated and a fire continues to burn.

Thursday's gas explosion is the largest explosion in Bozeman in 24 years, according to Assistant City Manager Chuck Winn who spoke at a press conference at 10 a.m.

So far there are no reports of any casualties, Winn said, calling the explosion "a very serious incident."

Authorities said they believe the explosion originated at Boodles in the 200 block of Main Street at 8:15 a.m.

Crews continue to work on battling the fire which is still burning in the city's downtown and are also working on preventing the fire from spreading to the east.

Authorities are asking people to stay out of two-block radius around the incident and are predicting that the downtown area will be shut down for several days.

Meanwhile, the National Guard is ready to mobilize to help out if needed.

One eye witness said she was eating at Main Street Overeasy when she heard the explosion. It sounded like a cannon firing, she said. Diners heard the explosion, felt the building shake, then the electricity went out.

Another witness reported seeing debris falling from the sky in the area as late at 10:20 a.m.

Another press conference is being held at 2:00 p.m.

---

The city is holding a press conference at 10 a.m. on a Thursday morning explosion that rocked downtown Bozeman, destroying a Main Street eatery and prompting the evacuation of the area.

Reports indicate the explosion happened just around 8:00 a.m. Thursday in the 200 block of Main Street in the city's downtown.

Boodles, a downtown bar and restaurant was destroyed. Police have issued a mandatory evacuation of the two blocks surrounding the eatery.

Crews are working to extinguish the fire at the restaurant where smoke is rapidly rising and power has been reportedly cut in a portion of Mendenhall.

Ken Olson, the owner of the Pickle Barrel, a Main Street restaurant in the area, said no one was in his eatery at the time of the explosion and he believes all of his employees are safe. There is no word yet on whether anyone has been injured.

A diner at Main Street Overeasy on Main Street described the sound like that of a cannon firing. She said diners heard the noise and felt the building shake. The power immediately went out, she said.

This news is originally from: www.montanasnewsstation.com