CONFLICT & TERR0R

Russia bus bomb kills 8, injures 43 At least eight people were killed and 43 were injured on Wednesday in an explosion on a bus in the Russian city of Togliatti and authorities said they were treating the suspected bombing as a terrorist act. Full Story

Judge finds 21 guilty of Madrid bombings A Spanish judge on Wednesday found 21 people guilty of involvement in the 2004 Islamist bombings of Madrid trains which killed 191 people in Europe's deadliest al Qaeda inspired attack. Full Story

'Taliban surrounded' in Kandahar fight Afghan, U.S. and Canadian troops have surrounded a pocket of some 250 Taliban fighters who have commandeered people's homes in villages just outside Afghanistan's major southern city, officials said Wednesday. Full Story

Naval officer killed, four injured in militant attack in Nigeria One navy officer was killed and four other naval personnel injured in an overnight attack on a vessel protecting a Shell oilfield off southern Nigeria, industry and security sources said Wednesday. Full Story

Turkish army kills 15 rebels The Turkish army Wednesday said it had killed 15 Kurdish rebels in clashes near the Iraqi border. Full Story

Pakistan fighting resumes with gunships and artillery
Islamist militants fired at helicopter gunships flying over their northwest Pakistan stronghold on Wednesday, officials said, as violence that has killed scores since last week resumed after a brief truce. Full Story

Coalition prods Japan to stay in 'war on terror'
Coalition countries involved in the US-led "war on terror" urged Japan on Wednesday to continue its naval support mission which is set to be halted this week due to opposition objections. Full Story

US giving Turkey PKK intelligence
The US is giving Turkey "actionable intelligence" on the positions of Kurdish separatist fighters in northern Iraq, a Pentagon spokesman has said. Full Story

US warships monitoring hijacked Japanese tanker off Somalia
US warships are monitoring a Japanese tanker which was hijacked by pirates last weekend off the coast of Somalia, a piracy watchdog said Wednesday. Full Story

Defiant monks march again in Myanmar
More than 100 Buddhist monks marched peacefully Wednesday in a northern Myanmar town noted for its defiance of the country's military rulers, the first large protest since the junta violently crushed a wave anti-government demonstrations.

The monks marched for nearly an hour in the town of Pakokku, chanting a Buddhist prayer that has come to be associated with the pro-democracy cause. They did not carry signs or shout slogans, but their action was clearly in defiance of the military government, as one monk spelled out in a radio interview. Full Story

Troops surround Taliban, villagers flee
Afghan civilians piled belongings onto trucks Wednesday and fled two villages infiltrated by hundreds of Taliban militants outside Afghanistan's second-largest city. U.S., Canadian and Afghan troops had about 250 of the insurgents surrounded.

The troops killed 50 militants in three days of fighting 15 miles north of Kandahar city, the provincial police chief said. Three policemen and one Afghan soldier also died. Full Story

'Criminal' Botnet Stumps for Ron Paul
If Texas congressman Ron Paul is elected president in 2008, he may be the first leader of the free world put into power with the help of a global network of hacked PCs spewing spam, according to computer-security researchers who've analyzed a recent flurry of e-mail supporting the long-shot Republican candidate.

"This is clearly a criminal act in support of a campaign, which has been committed with or without their knowledge," says Gary Warner, the University of Alabama's director of research in computer forensics. Full Story

US helicopter opens fire in Iraq
U.S. helicopters opened fire after a ground patrol came under attack southeast of Baghdad on Wednesday, and Iraqi police said three officers were killed and one wounded in the strike.

The fighting occurred near Salman Pak, a predominantly Sunni area that has been the subject of a U.S. military campaign aimed at routing insurgents from rural strongholds and disrupting the flow of weapons to the capital. Full Story

Striking workers released from UAE jail
More than 4,000 south Asian workers who had been jailed since a weekend labor strike were released Wednesday, India's ambassador said, in an incident that has highlighted labor tensions in this booming city.

About 160 other strikers, including 90 Indian nationals, remained in custody in Dubai's central jail after United Arab Emirates authorities determined they had participated in violence during the strike, said Tahmiz Ahmad, the Indian ambassador to the Emirates. Full Story

Tropical storm death toll rises to 81
Tropical Storm Noel triggered mudslides and floods in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, pushing the death toll to 81 on Wednesday and forcing some parents to choose which of their children to save from the surging waters. Full Story

Tens of thousands flee Mexico flooding
A week of heavy rains unleashed massive flooding Wednesday in southeastern Mexico, where tens of thousands fled the rising waters for shelters in Tabasco and Chiapas states. At least 20,000 people had sought shelter in Tabasco's oil-rich capital of Villahermosa, where floodwaters reached the rooftoops of homes, and Gov. Andres Granier was urging residents to evacuate. Full Story

Eight dead in Pakistan suicide blast
A suicide bomber rammed a motorbike into a bus carrying Pakistani air force officials Thursday, killing at least eight and intensifying the troubles facing President Pervez Musharraf. The attack in the central city of Sarghoda, the latest in a series targeting the military, came as key US ally Musharraf awaits a court decision expected this week on whether his victory in an October 6 presidential vote was valid. Full Story

Villagers flee as troops surround Taliban
Afghan civilians piled belongings onto trucks Wednesday and fled two villages infiltrated by hundreds of Taliban militants outside Afghanistan's second-largest city. U.S., Canadian and Afghan troops had about 250 of the insurgents surrounded. Full Story

U.S. troop losses plunge in IraqPosted on
US troop losses in Iraq have plummeted in the past few months to levels not seen since early 2006  an encouraging sign, say analysts and defense officials, that the US strategy is working, at least for now. Full Story

Japan orders navy ships home from Afghan mission
Japan ordered its naval ships to withdraw from a mission backing U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan as a deadline to extend the activities was set to expire on Thursday. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has been struggling against a resurgent opposition to enact a new bill to allow Japan's navy to keep providing free fuel for U.S. and other ships patrolling the Indian Ocean, a mission seen as vital by close ally Washington. Full Story

Two hijackers shot in Durban
Two hijackers were shot, another was arrested and a fourth wanted criminal was on the run in KwaZulu-Natal, police said on Thursday. This followed a fierce gunbattle between the hijackers and police on Wednesday afternoon. Full Story

Bombers 'regret' killing Muslims
Two of the three Muslim militants on death row for involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings said they were sorry for killing fellow Muslims, while insisting their deadly attack had gone according to plan. In an interview at their remote island prison, taped secretly by national TV channel Lativi, Imam Samudra, 37, and Amrozi, 45, said it was regrettable Muslims were among the 202 killed on the resort island's nightclub attacks. Full Story

China raises fuel prices amid shortages
China raised gasoline and diesel prices on Thursday to curb demand amid shortages that have caused long lines at filling staions and disrupted trucking in key export areas. Oil companies have blamed the shortages, which began last week, on a lack of refining capacity.

Government controls have forced refiners to pay the difference between soaring market prices for crude and lower retail prices at the pump. Some refiners responded by cutting output. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.