N. Korea to expel S. Koreans at resort

North Korea says it will eject South Koreans from a mountain resort in the communist country, a further sign of fraying ties between the divided countries.

The move comes after a South Korean tourist was shot by a North Korean soldier at the resort last month, prompting strong protests from Seoul.

The North’s military unit in the resort said in a statement carried Sunday by the official Korean Central News Agency that it would expel South Koreans deemed “unnecessary” from the area.

The North also warned it would take military action against “even the slightest hostile actions” in the Diamond Mountain resort and its military areas.

It said it would also limit the passage of South Korean vehicles through the heavily armed border crossing leading to the resort.

BAGHDAD

U.S. soldiers face murder charges

Two U.S. soldiers have been charged with premeditated murder for the shooting of an Iraqi detainee north of Baghdad, the military said Saturday.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Hal M. Warner and 1st Lt. Michael C. Behenna were accused of shooting the detainee “at or near” their forward operating base and then lying about it, according to the military.

Both faced charges of premeditated murder, assault, making a false official statement and obstruction of justice, according to a statement. Warner faced an additional charge of accessory after the fact, it added.

The military said the slain detainee, Ali Mansour Mohammed, was initially believed to have been released from U.S. detention about May 16.

But Warner and Behenna allegedly killed him “by means of shooting him with a pistol,” according to charging papers.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip

Nine Palestinians die in Gaza battle

Hamas forces battled Fatah-linked fighters with mortars and machine guns in a crowded Gaza neighborhood Saturday, leaving at least nine dead in the worst Palestinian infighting in nine months.

About 88 people were injured, 12 of them children, hospital officials said.

Loud explosions and gunfire could be heard throughout the day in the Gaza City neighborhood of Shijaiyeh, a stronghold of the Fatah-allied Hilles clan. Hamas accuses the clan of hiding suspects responsible for a car bombing last week that killed five activists of the Islamic militant group.

The clashes began when Hamas raided Shijaiyeh under heavy morning fog. Security forces stormed several high-rise buildings and rounded up rooftop snipers, gunmen and wounded fighters, said Islam Shahwan, a Hamas police spokesman.

Heavy battles with mortars and machine guns ensued. Three Hamas policemen and a Hilles member were killed, hospital officials said.

It was the deadliest internal Palestinian fighting since November, when Hamas police killed seven people in a Fatah-organized memorial rally for the late Yasser Arafat.

PRETORIA, South Africa

Mandela deflects praise on 90th

Nelson Mandela called for unity in South Africa’s governing party at a rally marking his 90th birthday Saturday, saying the African National Congress was responsible for making him the person he is today.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner urged tens of thousands at the rally to focus their celebrations not on him but rather the party that helped bring about the end of white racist rule in South Africa.

“Do not celebrate an individual,” he said. “Celebrate the achievements and reaffirm the values of a great organization.”

Mandela was flanked by his successor to the presidency, Thabo Mbeki, and ANC president Jacob Zuma. The two fought over the party leadership last year and the battle damaged the reputation of the party as it heads for general elections next year.