OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sought to calm speculation in Israel that war with Syria could erupt soon, saying on Wednesday he wanted peace with Damascus and to avoid any miscalculations that could lead to hostilities.

NAHR BARED (AFP) — Lebanon laid terror charges against Al Qaeda inspired gunmen Wednesday as sporadic gunbattles flared between the Islamists and the army on the 18th day of a deadly standoff.

TEHRAN (AFP) — Cyclone Gonu, the worst tropical storm to hit the Gulf in decades, made landfall in Iran on Wednesday afternoon, packing winds of 200 kilometres an hour and   forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, officials said.