CONFLICT & TERROR 04/03

Army chief in Pakistan wins honor from U.S.Posted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:14am

Since General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani took command of Pakistan's army last November, a parade of top American officers and spymasters has trooped to Islamabad to urge him to wage an aggressive campaign against Al Qaeda and other militants in the country's restive tribal areas. Full Story

China confirms Xinjiang protestsPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:18am

China has admitted that protests took place in a restive western region last month, days after unrest in Tibet. Protesters "caused a disturbance" in the market town of Hotan in China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, according to the local government. Full Story

Ahern to resign as Irish premierPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:22am

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has announced he is to resign in May. Mr Ahern, 56, has been taoiseach since June 1997 and has been a member of the Irish Parliament for 31 years. The announcement comes a day after Mr Ahern began a court challenge to limit the work of a public inquiry probing planning corruption in the 1990s. Full Story

Vietnam faces expanding cholera outbreakPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:26am

Vietnam is bracing to cope with an outbreak of cholera, which has expanded to eight provinces in the north and infected nearly 60 people since the beginning of this year, a health official said Wednesday. Full Story

Polish deputies approve EU treatyPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:30am

The Polish parliament has overwhelmingly backed the EU reform treaty, after weeks of argument. The opposition Law and Justice party had threatened to vote against the treaty, fearing it could place limits on Polish sovereignty. Full Story

Iceland's economy 'under attack'Posted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:31am

Iceland is considering intervention in its currency and stock markets to fight hedge funds that it says are attacking its financial system. The country's prime minister, Geir Haarde, told the Financial Times that it was being unfairly targeted. Full Story

France to send Betancourt missionPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:32am

The French president has said he plans to send a humanitarian mission to Colombia to treat a high-profile hostage held by Farc rebels. Nicolas Sarkozy also appealed directly to the left-wing group's leader, urging the release of Ingrid Betancourt. Full Story

Israel: Iran has set up listening stations in Syria to intercept Israeli communicationsPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:32am

Iran has set up sophisticated listening stations in Syria in recent months to intercept Israeli military communications, Israeli security officials say. The officials offered no details on how many stations had been set up. They spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because they were not authorized to disclose information about defense operations. Israel is taking new precautions because of the listening stations, the officials said. Full Story

Hezbollah Criticizes Saudi ArabiaPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:33am

The Hezbollah militant group criticized Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, accusing it of siding with Lebanon's Western-backed government in its power struggle with the Syrian-allied opposition. The comments came only days after Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal slammed Syria and its Lebanese allies for obstructing an Arab League initiative to help Lebanon elect a new president. Full Story

France sets out Afghan deploymentPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:33am

France could send "a few hundred" extra troops to Afghanistan, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has told MPs. In a stormy National Assembly debate, he rejected opposition Socialist calls for a parliamentary vote on the plan. Full Story

T5 baggage backlog sent to MilanPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:34am

Thousands of suitcases are being sent to Milan by British Airways to try to help clear a backlog of 19,000 bags at Heathrow's new Terminal 5. BA said it would be quicker for some bags to be sorted by a Milan courier company and then driven to home or holiday addresses in mainland Europe. Full Story

Five political leaders arrested over riots south of YemenPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:36am

Five political leaders believed to have incited riots were arrested on Tuesday south of Yemen, official sources said.The search continues for 13 more people that authorities believe were behind the two-day riots, which caused damage to private and public properties in the southern provinces of Al Dhale'e and Lahj. Full Story

Strong quake jolts Indonesia's Sumatra islandPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:37am

A strong earthquake hit Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday, the meteorology office said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Full Story

Twin bombings kill ten policeman in Iraq's Deyala provincePosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:38am

Ten policemen were killed and five injured in twin bombings on Wednesday in Iraq's restive Diyala province while senior officials from the ministry of defence survived a bomb blast in the southern city of Basra. Full Story

Myanmar opposition says "No" to new constitution Posted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:41am

Myanmar's main opposition party called for a "no" vote on Wednesday in May's constitutional referendum, throwing its weight behind a so-far underground campaign to derail the ruling junta's "roadmap to democracy." Full Story

Bush urges NATO to send more troops to AfghanistanPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:45am

US President George W. Bush warned Wednesday that "innocent civilians will pay the price" if NATO fails to send more troops to Afghanistan to snuff out "terrorists" still lurking there. Full Story

Eight dead in new Afghanistan unrestPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:51am

New Taliban-linked violence left eight people dead in Afghanistan as President Hamid Karzai headed Tuesday to a NATO summit to call for more help in fighting the deadly unrest, officials said. Full Story

Bush urging Nato expansion eastPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 9:45am

US President George Bush has repeated his call for Nato to expand eastwards and highlighted the countries he wants to welcome into the alliance. Speaking in Romania ahead of Nato's summit in Bucharest, he said the former Soviet states of Ukraine and Georgia should be offered paths to membership. Full Story

Turkey 'kills 16 Kurdish rebels'Posted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 9:49am

Turkey says its troops have killed seven more members of the Kurdish guerrilla group, the PKK, in fighting in the southeastern province of Sirnak. It brings to 16 the number of rebels Turkey says it has killed since Monday in a sweep near the border with Iraq. Full Story

Turkey's high court to hear case against Islamic partyPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 9:54am

Turkey's highest court unanimously voted Monday to hear a case that seeks a ban on the Islamic-rooted governing party - a decision that could lead to months of political uncertainty in a country divided over the role of Islam in society. The case seeks to dissolve the governing Justice and Development Party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on grounds that it is threatening Turkey's secular principles, said the deputy court chairman, Osman Paksut. Full Story

Serbia vows to hold elections in Serb-dominated parts of KosovoPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 10:02am

Serbia will organize elections in the Serb-dominated parts of Kosovo in defiance of Kosovo's declared independence, a government official said Monday. Serbia's minister for Kosovo, Slobodan Samardzic, said Serbia's parliamentary and local vote, planned for May 11, would also be held in the Serbian regions of Kosovo.

"Kosovo is part of Serbia, and parliamentary and local elections will be held in this territory," Samardzic said after meeting local Serb leaders in the village of Laplje Selo, just south of the capital, Pristina. Full Story

Serbia will arrest war crimes fugitivePosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 10:07am

Serbia has told the European Union it would soon arrest the war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic, as the EU insists, but expressed concerns that the dispute over Kosovo was driving the country further apart from the group. Serbia's foreign minister, Vuk Jeremic, spoke with EU foreign ministers Saturday in the first high-level EU-Serbia encounter since member nations began recognizing Kosovo's secession last month.

To date, 18 of the 27 EU nations accept Kosovo's independence from Serbia. Jeremic said EU nations' recognition of Kosovo was dangerous, counterproductive and illegal, and that it played into the hands of nationalists running in Serbia's May 11 elections. Full Story

Britain and U.S. at odds over Guantanamo inmatePosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 10:10am

The Bush administration and the British government are at odds over how to treat one of the last two British residents held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, officials from the countries involved in the case and his lawyer say. Over objections from the British government, the Pentagon plans to file terrorism-related charges against the detainee, Binyam Mohamed. Full Story

Turkish police detain 45 in anti-al Qaeda operationPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 10:11am

Turkish police have taken 45 people into custody in a series of raids across Istanbul Tuesday targeting the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. In a co-ordinated operation, police carried out raids in the Istanbul suburbs of Bagcilar, Bahcelievler, Umraniye, Fatih, Beyoglu, Uskudar, Gaziosmanpasa and Avcilar on Tuesday. Full Story

Blacksliding on reform is seen in new EU statesPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 10:12am

The European Union's eastward expansion aimed to cement former Communist countries into a bloc committed to pluralism, democracy and good government. But the new members have a worrying tendency to backslide and succumb to "reform fatigue," according to a recent academic study. Since 2006, anti-corruption campaigns in Latvia, Slovakia, Romania and Slovenia have come under pressure as governments or Parliament members sought to scale down their activities. Full Story

Sarkozy caught up in French vote forgery rowPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 10:15am

President Nicolas Sarkozy came under pressure on Wednesday after a newspaper said his staff had faked the electoral roll to enable the French leader to vote in last month's local ballot. The investigative Canard Enchaine weekly said the president missed the December 31 2007 deadline to register at his local voting office and that aides added his name to the list on January 3, but backdated the entry to make it appear legitimate. Full Story

EU: Talks must be suspended if AK Party closed downPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 10:16am

European Union officials yesterday stepped up warnings that a possible closure of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) would have fatal implications on the country's bid to join the 27-nation club. The Constitutional Court agreed on Monday to hear a closure case against the AK Party on charges of it having become "a focal point for anti-secular activities."

In an immediate reaction to the court's decision, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn repeated a strong warning that it exposed a "systemic error" in Turkey's Constitution, announcing that he would brief the EU Commission on the case on Wednesday. Full Story

Russia govt. to consider recognizing Georgia breakaway regionsPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 10:28am

Russia's foreign minister said on Wednesday that the government would study closely a proposal by the Russian parliament to recognize the breakaway Georgian republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia's lower house of parliament proposed on March 21 that the president and the government consider the issue of whether to recognize the Georgian regions, which have been seeking independence since the early 1990s. Full Story

Russia will respond pragmatically to NATO expansion - LavrovPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 10:36am

Russia will offer a pragmatic response to NATO's possible eastward expansion, the Foreign Minister said Wednesday as the alliance is due to discuss setting Ukraine and Georgia on the path to membership. U.S. President George W. Bush urged his European allies in Bucharest, Romania, earlier on Wednesday to meet the request of the ex-Soviet republics to join the program paving the way to membership. Full Story

Postal workers on strike in southern Germany to protest extended work weekPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 11:40am

A union manager says 2,200 postal workers walked off the job in southern Germany to protest an extension of their work week and the abolishment of their layoff protection. Anton Hirtleiter of the ver.di service workers' union says mail distribution centers Bavaria and Hesse states were closed as part of the action Wednesday. Full Story

Moscow's growing influence over NATOPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 12:35pm

Russia isn't a member of NATO. It never will be. But the country which once used to dominate and run the rival Warsaw Pact is nevertheless having a crucial influence on the deliberations in Bucharest of the 26-nation alliance. Whether western powers like it or not, Russia is becoming NATO-Plus-One. Full Story

Spain arrests suspected Islamic extremistsPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 12:37pm

Spanish police Tuesday arrested two Moroccan men suspected of having links to Islamic terrorism, Spain's Ministry of Interior said, including one man wanted in connection with attacks in Casablanca in 2003. The arrests were made in Melilla, a Spanish enclave of about 68,000 people on Morocco's Mediterranean coast, with Spanish Civil Guards acting on international arrests warrants issued by Morocco, the ministry said in a written statement. Full Story

Spain holds Morocco bomb suspectPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 12:40pm

Spanish police have detained two men wanted by Moroccan authorities, including one sought in relation to the May 2003 suicide attacks on Casablanca. One of the men is said to be Ali Aarass, wanted over the attacks which killed 45, including 12 bombers. Full Story

Aircraft bomb plot trial to beginPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 12:42pm

Jurors are being selected ahead of the trial of eight men charged over an alleged plot to blow up passenger planes flying out of Heathrow airport. Mr Justice Calvert-Smith warned 100 potential jurors the trial at Woolwich Crown Court in south-east London would be high profile, long and complex. Full Story

Tibet exile radio says China jamming itPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 2:32pm

China has intensified its jamming of a Tibetan exile radio network's news broadcasts into Tibet during a crackdown on anti-government protests there, the network charged Wednesday. Full Story

Greece to veto Macedonia Nato bidPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 3:05pm

Greece says it is almost certain to veto Macedonia's bid to join Nato, following Macedonian portrayals of the Greek prime minister as a Nazi. The two countries are also in dispute over the name "Macedonia" for Greece's northern neighbour. Time is running out for a solution before the Nato summit in Bucharest, which opens on Wednesday evening. Full Story

Tiny Italian party threatens to postpone elections Posted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 3:09pm

A tiny centrist party that has been cleared to stand in Italy's general elections may push for its right to campaign for a full 30 days, forcing a postponement of the polls, the interior ministry said Wednesday. "I cannot rule out the postponement of the election dates," Interior Minister Giuliano Amato said, adding that the situation is "not covered by election law." Full Story

Air France-KLM chief rejects Alitalia unions' counter-proposalsPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 3:12pm

Air France-KLM chief Jean-Cyril Spinetta on Wednesday rejected counter-proposals by unions at Alitalia to his takeover bid for the failing Italian carrier and left the negotiating table, a union official said. "Mr. Spinetta rejected the proposal and left the negotiations," Guido Barcucci of the FILT-CGIL union told AFP. Full Story

Gas cylinder blast kills 13 in PakistanPosted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 3:18pm

At least 13 people were killed today, when a worker struck a match to light a cigarette at at a gas cylinder shop and set off series of explosions, a police official in the central Pakistani city of Faisalabad said. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.

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