THE MIDDLE EAST

The Hamas leadership urged Gaza militants not to attack border crossings with Israel, to ensure the flow of basic goods into Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Hamas gunmen, along with militants allied with other groups, have been involved in rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli targets, including border crossings, and the statement by the militant group's spokesman Taher Nunu marked a change of position.

It was not clear whether other militants would heed the call.

The Popular Resistance Committees said in a statement that it would send "messages of death" to Israel during Ramadan.

MALI Gunmen fire at U.S. military plane

Suspected rebels hit a U.S. military plane with machine-gun fire after it dropped food to Malian troops pinned down in battle this week near the Algerian border, American and Malian officials said.

No one was wounded and the C-130 transport sustained only minor damage, said Maj. Pam Cook, a spokeswoman for the U.S. command in Stuttgart, Germany, which oversees Africa missions.

The attack occurred overnight Tuesday over the village of Tin-Zawatine.

Another U.S. official in Stuttgart, Air Force Maj. John Dorrian, said the plane was the only U.S. aircraft in Mali. It was there for a counter-terrorism training exercise when the rare call for help came from the government, he said.

EGYPT Officials to shut down rights group

Egypt has told a rights group that aids torture victims it will be shut down for financial misdeeds, the group said, in what activists called a government effort to quash criticism.

The Assn. for Human Rights Legal Aid said it had received notice that it was being dissolved and its assets seized over accusations it had accepted foreign funding without government approval.

The group denied any wrongdoing.

Egyptian and international human rights groups dismissed the accusations as political cover for an attempt to silence a group that has raised embarrassing torture cases in court. Government officials had no immediate comment.

From Times Wire Reports