Hamas militants clash with Gaza gunmen at Health Ministry, three wounded
Ibrahim BarzaK
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
I
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip —
Dozens of Hamas militants
Sunday rushed to the aid of a
Cabinet minister confronted
by angry gunmen, sparking
a shootout that wounded
three people in the latest
explosion of infighting in
the Gaza Strip.
The incident showed
how the new Hamas-led
government is turning to
its private army to impose
order as it battles the rival
Fatah movement for control
of Palestinian security
forces.
The power struggle
has grown increasingly
contentious in recent days
since Hamas announced
it would form a security
agency headed by a militant
wanted by Israel. Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas
of Fatah vetoed the plan,
leading to clashes and
protests.
. The two sides agreed
early Sunday to work to end
the tensions, but the pledge
-quickly degenerated into
new violence. Thousands
of Fatah activists joined
anti-Hamas protests in the
West Bank, hours before the
shootout at the Palestinian
Health Ministry in Gaza.
The shootout came a
day after Health Minister
Bassem Naim, a top Hamas
official, said he was cutting
$2 million from the
monthly health budget to
help alleviate a government
mm • eofiTinuEDFRomi
Invisible Children and how
they were raising awareness,
I wanted to be involved
right away,” Renfrew said.
Renfrew said there will be
pictures and film taken of
the event, and participators
will be writing letters to
the children of Uganda,
South Carolina senators and
President Bush.
“I really do believe this
event has the potential to
end the war,” Renffow said.
The event at the State
House will run from 8
p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m.
Sunday.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocknews@gwm.sc. edu
BOOKS • COnTinOCDFMI
issue, set by the publishers,”
Preston said. “We had to
find a way to address this
concern on campus.”
Preston said the executive
officers decided giving
students more time to buy
textbooks would be the best
way to help lower the cost.
Cheslie Fowler, an
assistant manager at the
S.C. Bookstore, said stores
have been offering textbook
reservations online “for
years” and that offering
the books through VIP is
“nothing new.”
Fowler said that both
the S.C. Bookstore and
Addam’s Bookstore have
books listed online, but
the University Bookstore
gets more business because
students can pay with their
CarolinaCard and order
ahead of time.
On Sunday, Addam’s and
the S.C. Bookstore’s Web
sites didn’t have any listings
for fall 2006.
“If the people are not
going to use common sense
to shop around they’re going
to pay more,” Fowler said.
Preston agreed, though
he was quick to add that
the University Bookstore
does offer price matching.
If a student sees a textbook
for a lower price at another
bookstore, the University
Bookstore will match
that price. Students must
specifically mention the
lower price.
Preston and SG are also
working on a system that
would post more class
information onKne. Grade
distribution and other
information professors
choose to post would be
available to students before
they signed up for a class,
Preston said. He said the
program has the support
of the provost and college
deans.
Preston said University
Technology Services is
working on a system to
add the information that
he said he hopes will be up
in the fall.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocknews@gwm.sc. edu
TOWERS • COflTinUGD FROfTlI
students that would have
lived in the Towers will be
to Columbia Hall, Capstone,
Sims and the Roost,”
*
Fortune said. ,
; Sno\yden resident Drew
jErnandez, a first-year
phemistry student, said he
doesn’t regret living in the
Towers.
| “I would probably still live
jn Snowden if I had to do it
gll over again,” Ernandez
$aid. “There are a lot of
good people that live there
fco it’s a good place to make
Friends. Granted, some of
it’s kind of nasty, but that’s
part of the experience.”
Ernandez said students
are mostly to blame for the
negative aspects of living in
the Towers.
“The people there work
really hard to keep it clean,
but a lot of people treat it
badly, which is why some
parts can be foul,” Ernandez
said.
The closing and eventual
demolition of the Towers
has temporarily left USC
with a shortage of rooms,
causing the initial waiting
list for housing to be 730
students long at the end of
registration.
Kevin Tyner, a third-year
criminal justice student,
said he is oft the waiting list
and was told he most likely
wouldn’t get the assignment
he was hoping for — if he
got one at all.
“If I don’t find someone
to switch with me, I will
probably end up in a dorm
that I would prefer not
to live in,” Tyner said. “I
really don’t know what I
would do if I didn’t get an
assignment. I guess I would
have to start looking, for
people to get an apartment
with.”
Fortune said the waiting
list has shrunk to 350
students, but said many
off-campus housing options
are filled as well.
“I talk with private
competitors frequently
and most of them have
waitlists as well,” Fortune
said. “College Suites, for
example, has an existing
waitlist, I have been told.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocknews @gwm. sc. edu
tom • conTinucD PRom i
will be the chance to win
golf and other sport items
in a raffle. The cost of
tickets will be $5. USC
sports memorabilia such as
f football autographed by
Steve Spurrier will be among
the raffle prizes, Patty said.
“It’s a nice escape from
campus and a great way to
relax and get some friends
together to play a round
fcvf golf on a really beautiful
fcpurse,” Patty said.
’ Northwoods Golf Club is
located at 201 Powell Road
in Columbia. Directions
are provided in a brochure
available in the department’s
office in room 2012 of the
Coliseum.
The event is sponsored by
feat More Tees on a course
that has been home to two
PGA tour events in the past,
as well as the annual City
Tournament in 1993 and
1?94.
; Sport and entertainment
management students have
volunteered to work the
event as an opportunity to
jpteract with faculty and
fye involved with events.
Xhe experience is a “good
exposure to one aspect of
me industry,” Patty said.
<«
•Gonfments on this story? E-mail
'gaintcocknews@gwm.se. edu
financial crisis by halting
payments .for patients
seeking treatment abroad.
Gaza’s health care system
is poor, and Palestinians
routinely travel to Israel
and other countries for
treatment.
On Sunday, a group of
men, some armed, burst into
Naim’s office and demanded
he authorize a medical-care
trip for a relative, Health
Ministry spokesman Khaled
Radi said.
Naim’s bodyguards —
Hamas militants — called
for backup from their
colleagues, and a brief
shootout wounded three
people, witnesses and
Palestinian security officials
said.
After a 45-minute standoff,
masked Hamas militants,
joined by Palestinian
police, retook the building, *
arresting gunmen. Naim left
surrounded by 10 militants.
The minister’s reliance on
Hamas gunmen — not the
Fatah-dominated security
services — illustrated the
deep distrust between the
sides.
Abbas, a political moderate
has been trying to use his
already considerable powers
to marginalize Hamas.
OF VITTA LOCATION *
CORNER of park & SeNa'
food Purchase
$20 OR More
Valid only at Vista location.
Not valid with any other coupons
Expires 5-22-06
Jspecials!
ES DRlMK
lt)AY HSr&PH
i except fajitas
BB
food Purchase
of $16 or More
1 Valid only at Vista location.
I ^0**^ Not valid with ang othencoupons K 0
I- ' —-. I
_____
4gjW+i&3t|
LilMCH specials! I
INCLUDES OPiMK
Sat & suWcay 42-5ph .
apy lynch exccyAfajius t
ySr • "•“"'IS
—_EH—__JS
0
I
m vM'-;nWmmm0