CONFLICT & TERROR 01/27

Nepal rolls back fuel price hike after protests Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 8:32am

Nepal rolled back a steep rise in fuel prices on Wednesday after two days of anti-government protests disrupted life in much of the Himalayan nation ahead of national elections, a spokesman said. The state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), which has a monopoly over oil imports, had increased kerosene, cooking gas and diesel prices by up to 20 percent on Monday to cut its losses and attempt to minimise fuel shortages. Full Story

Greek PM in historic Turkish trip Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 8:42am

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis arrives in Turkey on Wednesday in the first official visit there by leader of Greece for almost five decades. The landmark three-day visit is being seen by both sides as an important step towards improving relations. Full Story

Police in protest rally over pay Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 8:46am

An estimated 18,500 police officers are marching in central London in a protest over pay. Officers are angry that a 2.5% pay rise has been backdated to only 1 December for officers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Full Story

EU to keep Farc on 'terror list' Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 8:50am

The European Union has insisted it will not remove Colombia's Farc rebels from its "terror list", despite recent calls by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. "The answer is no. There is no reason to change our position," said EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana after talks with Colombia's president. Full Story

44 killed in Pakistan militant fighting Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 8:50am

More than 40 people have been killed in fighting between militants and Pakistani security forces near the Afghan border. 1 of 2 clashes began when militants attacked a fort in a lawless tribal region where al-Qaida and Taliban-linked fighters operate. It's the second attack on the fort this month. Full Story
Air Force bombs key rebel base in northern Sri Lanka Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 8:54am

The Sri Lanka air force bombed a key rebel base in the northern part of the country regularly visited by Tamil leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, a defence ministry statement said Wednesday. The rebel holdout known as "X-Ray base" in Kilinochchi, 390 kilometres north-east of the capital, was bombed Wednesday morning and the target was taken accurately, the statement quoted the air force as saying. Full Story

Retired Generals Tell Musharraf to Go Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 8:57am

An influential group of retired officers from Pakistan's powerful military has urged President Pervez Musharraf to immediately step down, saying his resignation would promote democracy and help combat religious militancy. Full Story

Afghan journalist sentenced to death Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 9:16am

An Afghan journalist sentenced to death for distributing an article that allegedly violated Islam is actually being punished for reporting by his brother about abuses by northern warlords, a media group said Wednesday. Full Story

Suicide blast wounds three in Afghan restaurant Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 11:03am

KHOST, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide blast at a restaurant wounded three people on Wednesday in the southeastern Afghan town of Khost, a police official said. The bomber died in the blast and the intended target might have been Afghan and foreign military officials who were meeting at a park about 300 meters away from the restaurant, the police official said. Full Story

Sri Lankan Navy plants mines along marine border with India Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 11:59am

Breaking international conventions, Sri Lankan Navy has planted mines along the maritime border with India, a move that could prove to be fatal to Tamil Nadu fishermen, official sources said. According to a fax message received by the Navy office at Rameswaram from their Sri Lankan counterparts, mines had been planted between Nedunthivu and Kachathivu, to prevent LTTE activists from crossing to Indian territorial waters. Full Story

Amr Moussa target of alleged assassination attempt Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 12:00pm

Sources in Cairo have told the Egyptian press that Lebanese security foiled an assassination attempt on Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, close to the Lebanese-Syrian border Saturday night. Moussa was in Lebanon to mediate between rival political parties to try and resolve the countrys political deadlock. Full Story

Iranian reformists disqualified from upcoming election Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 12:00pm

Around 3,000 prospective candidates, mostly reformist seeking to disrupt the status quo by bringing about democratic change in the Islamic ruled state, have been disqualified on Wednesday from running in the upcoming parliamentary election, said official party leaders. The mass disqualification of reformists means that the largest rivals, seeking to transform Iran, have been eliminated from the equation. Full Story

Ahmadinejad to make Landmark visit to Iraq - Ministry Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 12:01pm

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accepted an invitation to visit Baghdad, Iraq's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, a landmark trip that would make him the first leader of Iran to visit the country. Full Story

Israel authorises 2,500 new settler homes in Jerusalem Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 12:01pm

Israel has authorized the construction of nearly 2,500 new housing units in settlements in annexed east Jerusalem, the city authorities said on Wednesday. The Palestinians slammed the move, saying it was torpedoing peace negotiations that the two sides revived under US stewardship in late November after a seven-year freeze. Full Story

Palestinians Blow Up Border Wall, Flood into Egypt Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 12:01pm

Palestinian militants blew up part of the wall between Gaza and Egypt on Wednesday, and tens of thousands of Palestinians poured into Egypt to stock up on food and fuel in short supply due to an Israeli blockade. Residents of the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah said a group of militants, including members of Hamas, set off a series of explosions overnight, demolishing about 200 meters (yards) of the border wall. Hamas denied involvement. Full Story

Iraq's New Law on Ex-Baathists Could Bring Another Purge Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 12:01pm

Maj. Gen. Hussein al-Awadi, a former official in Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, became the commander of the Iraqi National Police despite a 2003 law barring the party from government. But now, under new legislation promoted as way to return former Baathists to public life, the 56-year-old and thousands like him could be forced out of jobs they have been allowed to hold, according to Iraqi lawmakers and the government agency that oversees ex-Baathists. Full Story

Aoun renews ultimatum, warns of street protests Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 12:02pm

As the country braces for the opposition's promised escalation on January 27 by taking to the streets in the event the Arab foreign ministers' meeting in Cairo fails to address the Lebanese political crisis effectively, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa has promised to return to Beirut before that date to continue his efforts to reach an agreement between rival factions. Full Story

Pakistan launches offensive against Bhutto assassin Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 1:45pm

Two soldiers were killed Wednesday as hundreds of Pakistani troops launched a major operation against a pro-Taliban commander who has been blamed for the murder of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials said. Full Story

Baidu aims to take on Google and Yahoo in Japan Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 3:51pm

China's top Internet search firm Baidu.com aims to overtake Google and Yahoo Japan with its local search engine in Japan, its executives said on Wednesday. Baidu, which holds a 70 percent market share in China, has revamped its top page (www.baidu.jp) and expanded its Japanese language services to include blog searches in its quest to break into the world's second-largest economy. Full Story

Judge: Islamic cell planned Barcelona attack Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 5:07pm

An Islamic militant cell broken up over the weekend had planned a suicide attack in Barcelona, a Spanish judge said Wednesday. Full Story

Philippines renews truce offer to Maoist rebels Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 8:24am

The Philippines has renewed an offer to communist rebels to accept a ceasefire deal as a step to restarting peace talks on ending a four-decade rebellion, an aide of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said on Thursday. Full Story

Japan resumes refueling mission Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 8:27am

A Japanese warship has set off to the Indian Ocean to help US ships involved in Afghanistan, days after a law allowing the redeployment was passed. Opposition MPs had tried to block the mission, but Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda invoked a rarely-used override power to force through the legislation. Full Story
Thailand detects first bird flu outbreak in over a year Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 8:29amThailand has confirmed a fresh outbreak of avian influenza on a commercial chicken farm in the central province of Nakorn Sawan after almost a year of being bird-flu-free, authorities confirmed Thursday. Authorities promised to complete culling up to 50,000 chickens on four commercial farms in Chumsaeng district, Nakorn Sawan, 220 kilometres north of Bangkok, after laboratory tests confirmed that the recent deaths of 1,000 fowls on one of the farms was due to the H5N1 virus. Full Story

Strikes spreading in Ho Chi Minh City Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 8:33am

Thousands of workers at four factories in Ho Chi Minh City have gone on strike, Vietnamese press reported Thursday, joining 8,000 shoe factory workers who laid down their tools early this week, as inflation concerns sparked labor unrest in the country's largest city. Full Story

Pakistani tanks, choppers kill dozens of militants: army Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 9:02am

Pakistan (AFP) - Pakistani troops backed by tanks and gunships cleared militant hideouts near the Afghan border amid fierce fighting that left eight troops and 40 rebels dead, the army said Thursday. Full Story

UK to unveil terror law proposals Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 9:05am

The British government was set on Thursday to unveil sweeping plans to toughen terrorism laws  measures that will face significant opposition in Parliament. Full Story

Italy PM Prodi in showdown with hostile Senate Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 9:31am

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said Thursday he would take his case to the Senate as he struggles against increasing odds to save his centre-left government from collapse, the ANSA news agency reported. "I told the president (Giorgio Napolitano) that I will go to the Senate at 3:00 pm (1400 GMT)," Prodi, 68, told reporters. Full Story

Pakistani politician among three killed in attack Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 9:38am

Unidentified gunmen killed a politician and his bother in Pakistan's troubled Swat valley on Thursday, police said. Zakir Khan, a leader of the nationalist Awami National Party (ANP), came under attack at Matta town when he was traveling in his car with brother and another colleague, who was also killed in the attack. Full Story

World forum focuses on terrorism Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 10:25am

Fears of world recession briefly took a back seat Thursday at the World Economic Forum, where leaders from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq focused on how to establish security in their volatile regions. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said poverty  especially when paired with illiteracy  was the key breeding ground for suicide bombers. Barham Saleh, deputy prime minister of Iraq, described terrorism in his country as "efforts by extremists to hijack my religion." Full Story

Suicide attack leaves one dead in NW Pakistan Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 11:04am

One person was killed and another injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday. The official Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted Assistant Political Agent Jamrud, Rasool Khan as saying that the attacker was apparently targeting the police and Khasadar's check post, set up near Karkhano market at the confluence of Khyber Agency and Peshawar, capital of North West Frontier Province. Full Story

Bomb found on Nawaz Sharif's convoy route Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 11:04am

Pakistani police defused a roadside timebomb just minutes before opposition leader Nawaz Sharif was due to pass the spot in the north-western city of Peshawar, officials said. Former prime minister Sharif was travelling in a convoy to address a lawyers' convention and a political rally in the troubled city near the Afghan border ahead of elections on February 18. Full Story

China lashes out at Dalai Lama, other Olympic critics Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 12:53pm

In a blast of harsh rhetoric, China lashed out Thursday at the Dalai Lama and critics of Beijing's support for Sudan, saying attempts to link political issues to the Beijing Summer Olympics betrayed the spirit of the games. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said China could "definitely not accept" rights groups that say China's support for Sudan's government is prolonging the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Full Story

US general: Afghan air corps needs years of help Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 12:54pm

Afghanistan's fledgling air corps, short on planes and pilots, will be unable to fly combat missions before at least 2013, a U.S. general said on Thursday. "It's not just air frames that we have to acquire," said Air Force Brig. Gen. Jay Lindell, responsible for helping to build and train the Afghan air corps. "It's obviously the training of the pilots in this close air support role." Full Story

U.S. deeply concerned at student death in Iran jail Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 12:59pm

The United States said on Wednesday that it was deeply concerned at the death in prison of a Kurdish Iranian student who had been arrested by the countrys secret police in Sanandaj, western Iran. The United States is deeply concerned about the tragic death under suspicious circumstances of Ebrahim Lotfallahi, an Iranian student of Kurdish descent detained by the Ministry of Intelligence on January 6, said U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack in a press statement. Full Story

Kenyan leaders in first meeting since disputed poll Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 1:00pm

Kenya's feuding leaders shook hands and smiled Thursday after a landmark first meeting brought about by former UN chief Kofi Annan, a month after disputed presidential polls. President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga spoke to reporters as they stood together next to Annan in a symbolic gesture after weeks of violence sparked by the disputed election, in which close to 800 people died. Full Story

US Plans More Training of Pakistani Forces Fighting Islamic Militants Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 1:02pm

U.S. defense and military officials say they want to step up the training of Pakistani forces in the country's fight against a growing insurgency. Central Command, this week proposed U.S. troops help increase Pakistan's military capability in the battle against Islamic extremists, especially in Pakistan's tribal region. Full Story

Singapore holds pair over terror fears Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 2:04pm

Two men have been held in Singapore over terror fears and a third man has had his movements restricted, authorities in the city-state said Thursday. Full Story

Explosion rocks Beirut, 5 dead Posted on Friday, January 25, 2008 at 6:39am

A car bomb exploded in a Christian neighborhood of Beirut on Friday killing at least five people, including a top police official who dealt with terrorist bombings and had previously been targeted, authorities said. Full Story

Reports: FBI suspect detained in Moscow Posted on Friday, January 25, 2008 at 6:56am

Police in Moscow have arrested a suspected crime boss with alleged links to Russia's multibillion dollar gas business who has long been sought by the FBI and Interpol, officials said Friday. Full Story

FBI: Teen arrested for hijack plot Posted on Friday, January 25, 2008 at 6:57am

A teenage passenger from California was arrested in Nashville for plotting to hijack a plane from Los Angeles to Nashville, the FBI said Friday. FBI spokesman George Bolds told The Associated Press the 16-year-old boy was removed from Southwest Airlines Flight 284 Tuesday night by authorities at Nashville International Airport and found with "suspicious" items. Full Story

U.S. says threat against airlines remains high Posted on Friday, January 25, 2008 at 7:19am

The United States is likely to keep a high threat designation for the airline industry because militants still see air travel as a target, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said. Full Story

Islamist rebels attack Somali airfield Posted on Friday, January 25, 2008 at 8:46am

Islamist insurgents briefly seized control of Somalia's biggest military airfield on Friday and looted weapons, witnesses and an Islamist commander said. Full Story

EU eyes signing interim pact with Serbia Posted on Friday, January 25, 2008 at 9:14am

The European Union is considering signing an interim pact on trade and cooperation with Serbia before a February 3 presidential election to try to boost the pro-European incumbent, diplomats said on Friday. The interim agreement would normally enter into force only when the EU signs a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Belgrade and pending its ratification, but the Netherlands and Belgium have so far blocked that signature to demand the arrest of a key fugitive war crimes suspect. Full Story

Courtesy the Terrorism Research Center, Inc.