Jews, Arabs riot in mixed town

Two Arab-owned apartments were set ablaze in the Israeli town of Acre amid clashes between Jews and Arabs, police said Saturday.

Rioting in Acre – one of only a few mixed Arab-Jewish towns in Israel – first erupted on Wednesday, during observances of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

The violence has continued since then with hundreds of Arabs and Jews at times throwing stones at one another and vandalizing shops and cars. Police sent reinforcements.

Police said Saturday that two empty apartments owned by Arabs in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood have been torched.

The unrest surged again late Saturday with residents briefly hurling stones at one another before police forces restored calm. Overall, 12 people are in custody for rioting and eight are under house arrest.

Havana

Castro: Racism will affect vote

Fidel Castro says a “profound racism” in the United States will stop millions from voting for Barack Obama in next month’s presidential election.

The ailing, 82-year-old former Cuban president says it is “a miracle that the Democratic candidate hasn’t suffered the same luck as (assassinated leaders) Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and others who harbored dreams of equality and justice.”

Castro’s written comments were published by state media Saturday. In them, he insists a “profound racism” exists in the U.S. and that millions of whites “cannot reconcile themselves to the idea that a black person … could occupy the White House, which is called just that: white.”

Castro also described Republican presidential candidate John McCain as “bellicose.”