CONFLICT & TERROR 02/29

Philippine military warns of terrorist attack during protests Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 6:32am

The Philippine military warned Thursday that a planned massive anti-government protest calling for the resignation of scandal-tainted President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo might be attacked by terrorists. Major General Fernando Mesa, chief of military forces in Manila, said they have information that al-Qaeda-linked Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebels or communist guerrillas might launch attacks during the demonstrations scheduled on Friday. Full Story

Taleban 'run 10% of Afghanistan' Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 9:29am

Six years after being ousted in the US-led invasion, the Taleban have retaken about 10% of Afghanistan, US intelligence chief Mike McConnell says. The government controlled just 30% of the country, and the rest was under tribal control, the director of national intelligence told senators. Full Story

32 LTTE rebels killed, 44 surrender in Sri Lanka Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 9:49am

At least 32 LTTE rebels and four soldiers were killed in fierce clashes in Sri Lanka's embattled northern region as 44 suspected Tigers surrendered to the security forces, the army said on Wednesday. Full Story

Al-Zawahiri vows revenge in video Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 9:51am

Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's second-in-command, has vowed revenge for the killing of Abu Laith al-Libi, a top commander of the group in a suspected US attack in Pakistan. Full Story

Six held in Nordic 'terror raids' Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 9:55am

Swedish police say they have arrested three people in the capital, Stockholm, on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts and financing terror groups. Earlier on Thursday, Norwegian police said they had arrested three people in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, on suspicion of financing terrorism. Full Story

Iran 'targeting' women activists posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 9:56am

Amnesty International has called on Iran to stop persecuting people who campaign for women's rights. The human rights group says activists involved in a big campaign to improve women's rights have been targeted. Full Story

Abbas rules out naturalization of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 9:58am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was quoted Wednesday as rejecting the naturalization of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. "We would never accept any settlement that leads to naturalizing Palestinians in Lebanon," Abbas told pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat. Full Story
Turkey tells US its troops will stay in Iraq 'as long as necessary' Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 9:59am

Turkey said Thursday its offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq will continue "as long as necessary," rejecting pressure for a speedy end to the military incursion from US Defence Secretary Robert Gates.

As Gates held talks in Ankara, Turkish warplanes bombed separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in northern Iraq and intensive fighting was reported on the ground near a major rebel base in the Zap area, Iraqi security sources said. Full Story

UK: Plot to kill Saudi prince foiled Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 10:04am

British police seized hundreds of thousands of dollars allegedly meant to finance a plot to kill the Saudi crown prince in 2003, a top counterterrorism officer said Wednesday. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia during last autumn's visit to London. Full Story

Extremists cleared of Madrid courthouse bomb plot Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 10:05am

A Spanish court Wednesday convicted 20 men, mainly Algerians and Moroccans, of Islamic terrorist activity, but none was found guilty of the more serious charge of an alleged plot to destroy Madrid's anti-terrorism courthouse with a truck bomb, according to a copy of the sentence viewed by CNN.

Those convicted were part of a group of 30 defendants who went on trial last October. The three-judge panel hearing the case -- in the very courthouse that prosecutors alleged was the target of the truck bomb -- began their deliberations for a verdict after the trial concluded on Jan. 14. Full Story

UK store finds secret government disk Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 10:08am

A repairman discovered a confidential government computer disc hidden inside a laptop bought on eBay, a computer store in northern England said Thursday. A customer brought the laptop to Leapfrog Computers in Bolton on Monday to have it repaired, sales manager Jonathan Parry said. Full Story

China may scrap one-child policy, official says Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 1:58pm

China, worried about an ageing population, is studying scrapping its controversial one-child policy but will not do away with family-planning policies altogether, a senior official said on Thursday. With the world's biggest population straining scarce land, water and energy resources, China has enforced rules to restrict family size since the 1970s. Rules vary but usually limit families to one child, or two in the countryside. Full Story

Hill may return to Beijing for North Korea talks Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 1:59pm

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill could return to Beijing this weekend to meet his North Korean counterpart for talks on ending Pyongyang's nuclear program, a U.S. official said on Thursday. The official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the diplomacy, said the United States did not know whether the North Korean official, Kim Kye-gwan, would agree to go to Beijing for such talks. Full Story

One dead in French gas explosion Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 4:54pm

A gas explosion in the southern French city of Lyon has killed at a fireman and injured at least 26 people. The explosion ripped through Cours Lafayette, a busy shopping street in the city centre, around midday. Fire engulfed several nearby buildings after the blast, authorities said, and two of the injured remained in serious condition. Full Story

EU says 'No' to Kosovo partition Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 4:56pm

EU special envoy Pieter Feith has said Kosovo will not be split in two because of the divide between ethnic groups. "There will be no partition of the country, that is not foreseen," he told a news conference in Vienna. Meanwhile, in Bulgaria, delegations from Kosovo and Serbia met face to face for the first time since Kosovo declared independence. Full Story

Prince Harry in Taleban fighting Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 4:59pm

Prince Harry has been fighting the Taleban on the front line in Afghanistan, the MoD has confirmed. Harry, 23, who is third in line to the throne, has spent the last 10 weeks serving in Helmand Province. The prince joked about his nickname "the bullet magnet", but said: "I finally get the chance to do the soldiering that I want to do." Full Story

Dutch Islam film 'nearly ready'Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 5:05pmFar-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders has said that this week he will finish a film about Islam which has already triggered Muslim outrage. Mr Wilders said he was determined to release the film despite government warnings that this would damage Dutch political and economic interests. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.