CONFLICT & TERROR 04/06

Bangladesh culls 100,000 fowl to halt bird fluPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 6:33am

Bangladesh authorities have culled more than 100,000 chickens at farms over the last one week over suspected bird flu outbreaks, officials said on Thursday, although the disease had begun subsiding across the country. Full Story

Pay row 'disrupts China flights'Posted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 6:35am

A row over pay at several Chinese airlines has seen pilots disrupt flights, according to state media. At China Eastern Airlines, 14 pilots turned back mid-flight blaming bad weather, despite other aircraft travelling normally, the reports said. Full Story

Bad law and order situation affecting tourism in PakistanPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 6:49am

Due to the recent bomb blasts in major cities, including Lahore, a declining trend in tourists inflow was witnessed in March in Pakistan, while the number of tourists going abroad increased in the same month. Full Story

Airstrike kills 3 in AfghanistanPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 6:59am

An airstrike in southern Afghanistan killed three armed militants, while a raid by U.S.-led coalition troops in the same region left several insurgents dead, officials said Thursday. Full Story

China will reopen Tibet to foreign tourists on May 1Posted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 7:26am

China announced Thursday that foreign tourists would be allowed to travel into Tibet again from May 1, after the Himalayan region was sealed off following violent unrest there last month. Full Story

UAE and Qatar see inflation easing on housing supplyPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 8:17am

Additional housing supply later this year in the UAE and Qatar should ease soaring rents and near-record inflation, the respective Central Bank governors said yesterday. Lower inflation could ease pressure on the UAE and Qatar to revalue their currencies against the tumbling dollar or to drop their pegs to the US Dollar. Full Story

Al-Qaeda's No. 2 Defends Deadly AttacksPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 8:19am

Al-Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri, rejecting criticism of attacks by the terror network's followers that have killed thousands, maintained that it does not kill innocent people. His comment came during a 90-minute audio response Wedneday that was billed as the first installment of answers to the more than 900 questions submitted on extremist Internet sites by al-Qaeda supporters, critics and journalists in December. Full Story

Lebanon Army Chief Doubts Political Crisis will be SolvedPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 8:20am

Lebanon's army chief and consensus presidential candidate Michel Sleiman said in an interview published on Thursday that he doubts the country's political crisis will be resolved. "Every time we take one step forward we find ourselves facing another series of steps that need to be taken before electing a president," Michel Sleiman told the opposition leftist daily As-Safir. Full Story

Dana Gas project in Iraqi Kurdistan over 70% completePosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 8:22am

Dana Gas, the Middle East's first and largest regional private-sector natural gas company, has announced that its project in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to supply, process, and transport natural gas to fuel urgently needed local electricity generation is progressing at a rapid pace, with over 70% overall project completion to date. Full Story

France sets date on Nato decisionPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 8:22am

President Nicolas Sarkozy says France will make a decision on Nato by the end of the year, indicating it will return to the organisation's military command. He told a Nato summit the move would come at the end of France's six-month EU presidency later this year. Full Story

Race on to find Ahern successorPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 8:43am

Arrangements are due to get under way to find a successor to Bertie Ahern who is stepping down as Irish premier and leader of Fianna Fail next month. Deputy Prime Minister Brian Cowen is said to be the front-runner but senior party figures are due to meet on Thursday to agree terms for succession. Full Story

Symbolic Cyprus crossing reopensPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 8:47am

Greek and Turkish Cypriots have reopened a major crossing in the divided Cypriot capital of Nicosia. Ledra Street, which had come to symbolise the partition of the island, was declared open by local officials. Full Story

EU court annuls PKK terror rulingPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 8:50am

A ruling to blacklist Kurdish rebel group the PKK as a terrorist organisation and freeze its assets has been overturned by an EU court. The European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg said the 2002 decision was illegal under EU law. Full Story

Betancourt needs urgent treatmentPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 8:52am

Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt needs a blood transfusion within hours to stay alive, according to her son. Lorenzo Delloye says his mother, who is also a French national, has hepatitis B and a skin disease which require a transfusion "in the coming hours". Full Story

Protection pledged for UK seasPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 9:05am

The government has published its long awaited Marine Bill, pledging better protection for wildlife and public right of access to the UK coastline. The bill also includes a unified planning system, simpler licensing of installations such as wind farms, and better management of inshore fisheries. Full Story

North Korea makes warship claimPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 9:07am

North Korea has accused Seoul of sending warships into its waters, amid a growing row between the countries. Pyongyang promised "unexpected countermeasures" should the alleged incursion continue. South Korean officials deny the
claims. Full Story

Extortionist posing as al-Qaeda member caught in DavaoPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 9:11am

Police authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of a man, who allegedly tried to extort money from companies operating in the Southern Mindanao region by posing as an al-Qaeda member. Chief Superintendent Andres Caro, Southern Mindanao police chief, identified the suspect as Romie John Rosalia. Full Story

Police bust SIMI terror camp in Madhya PradeshPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 9:14am

Within months of reports that Karnataka's jungles were being used as a training base by Pakistan-backed terrorists, a similar training camp has been found at a popular holiday spot, 35 km from Indore. The camp was located following a week of interrogation by Madhya Pradesh police of 13 arrested SIMI leaders. Full Story

NATO rejects 2 Black Sea states, for nowPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 9:22am

NATO decided Thursday to reject a drive by President George W. Bush to place the strategically important Black Sea states of Ukraine and Georgia on track for NATO membership. President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany expressed concern about provoking Moscow, which is vehemently opposed to NATO's taking in the two former Soviet republics, which border Russian territory near key east-west oil and gas routes. Full Story

Gritty Dutch war games raise eyebrows in former colonyPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 9:24am

The Netherlands may have relinquished control of this South American country in 1975, but one day last month it seemed as if it had never left as Sergeant Major Bart Cobussen expounded on killing techniques in the Surinamese jungle for two platoons of Dutch marines at their camp here. "To begin with, you must be dirty, stinking and sleeping in a very uncomfortable place," said Cobussen, 47, who directs the jungle warfare course of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps.

"Suriname is the perfect place to achieve these conditions, getting us into nice activities like patrolling, ambushing and six days of live firing." Full Story

Switzerland freezes EUR 3 million of "ETA funds"Posted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 9:28am

Authorities in Switzerland have frozen a total of EUR 3 million in bank accounts which allegedly belong to the Basque terrorist group ETA, sources from the country's federal tax office revealed yesterday. According to a spokeswoman, there are currently two investigations running regarding possible ETA funds. Full Story

Sri Lanka sets date for elections in war-torn eastPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 10:24am

Residents in Sri Lanka's war-ravaged east will vote in provincial council elections for the first time in two decades next month, election officials in the island nation said on Thursday. Full Story

Belgium against Blair bid to become EU headPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 10:34am

Belgian foreign minister Karel De Gucht on Wednesday poured cold water on former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's bid to become the European Union's first full-time president. De Gucht said Belgium would not accept a candidate from a country that does not fully participate in all EU policies, including the euro currency and the bloc's passport-free zone. Full Story

Switzerland to help ailing Colombian hostagePosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 10:48am

Switzerland, France and Spain have launched a delicate mission on Wednesday to help an ailing hostage held by Colombian rebels, the French president's office announced. The one-sentence statement did not spell out how many people were participating in the mission, where it was headed or what it hoped to accomplish. Full Story

Cafeteria blast rocks ElefsinaPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 11:04am

A 20-kilogram bomb went off in Elefsina, west of Athens, early yesterday, damaging 30 buildings and about 20 parked cars in what police believe was an attack related to nightspot protection rackets. One man was slightly injured in the explosion caused by 20 kilos of dynamite at around 4 a.m. outside of the Boss cafeteria, which was completely destroyed in the blast. Full Story

Nato denies Georgia and UkrainePosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 11:34am

Nato has confirmed it will not yet offer membership to Georgia or Ukraine after the 26-member alliance was split amid strong objections from Russia. Moscow said Nato's promise at a summit in Romania that the nations would join one day was a "huge strategic mistake". Full Story

Hague court acquits Kosovo ex-PMPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 11:36am

The International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague has acquitted a former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) of war crimes. Ramush Haradinaj was found not guilty on all counts.He had been accused, along with Idriz Balj and Lahi Brahimaj, of murder, persecution, rape and torture in Kosovo in 1998.Mr Haradinaj had been a KLA commander fighting Serb forces and later became prime minister in UN-run Kosovo. Full Story

Court decision on PKK likely to fuel anti-EU sentimentsPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 11:46am

The European Union has said the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) will remain on its list of terror organizations despite yesterday's ruling by an EU court to overturn a decision to place the PKK on the EU's terrorist list. The Court of First Instance (CFI), the EU's second-highest court, ruled yesterday against the way the PKK was put on the bloc's list of groups whose funds must be frozen to help fight terrorism in 2002. The CFI said the EU had not properly justified its decision at the time. Full Story

Port Power: Georgia hopes Poti will fuel country's economic recoveryPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 11:54am

Georgian officials hope that the decision to transform the Black Sea port city of Poti into a tax haven will give a boost to President Mikheil Saakashvilis much-touted war on poverty.Eleven companies responded to the ports privatization tender and its transformation into a Free Industrial Zone, a move initially announced in October 2007. Although a final decision is not expected before mid-April, Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze has already announced the name of the frontrunner.

Georgia seems likely to hand Potis Free Industrial Zone and a 51 percent stake in the Poti port itself to the United Arab Emirates RAK Investment Authority http://www.rak-ia.com, Gurgenidze indicated during a March 27 briefing. Full Story

German Islamist plans Afghan suicide mission-mediaPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 12:48pm

A radical German Islamist may be planning suicide attacks on German targets in Afghanistan, Focus magazine reported on its Web site on Thursday, and police confirmed they had issued warnings. Full Story

Dutch parliament debates MP Wilders' Fitna moviePosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 1:03pm

During a special debate in the Dutch parliament, right-wing populist Geert Wilders accused three cabinet ministers of lying, and submitted a motion of no-confidence in the entire government. Parliament put aside all other business to discuss Freedom Party leader Geert Wilder's anti-Islam film, Fitna, during a debate that went well into the night. No other party in parliament supported Wilders. Full Story

Group plotted carnage on transatlantic flights: British prosecutorPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 2:32pm

Islamist extremists plotted to have suicide bombers blow up at least seven simultaneous flights from Britain to North America in an attack of "truly global impact," a prosecutor said Thursday. The eight men, whose arrest prompted tough limits on liquids in hand baggage on planes, targeted seven flights from London's Heathrow airport to New York, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto and Montreal, prosecutor Peter Wright said. Full Story

Sweden to host UN Iraq conferencePosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 2:37pm

Sweden plans to host a U.N. conference on Iraq at the end of May, the government said Thursday. The conference will build on the International Compact with Iraq, a sweeping five-year economic and political reform package that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon helped broker. Full Story

Austrian measles outbreak spreadsPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 2:39pm

A measles outbreak in and around the Austrian city of Salzburg has spread to about 180 people, most of them schoolchildren, authorities said Thursday. An investigation has been launched to determine if negligence may have led to the spread of the contagious disease, said Marcus Neher, a spokesman with the Salzburg public prosecutor's office. Full Story

Airliner bomb plot trial begins in UKPosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 2:43pm

Eight British men planned to set off homemade bombs aboard at least seven airliners flying over the Atlantic to the United States and Canada, hoping to kill hundreds in a mammoth terror attack, a prosecutor said Thursday as their trial opened. Prosecutor Peter Wright said the men had plotted to strike United Airlines, American Airlines and Air Canada flights at the height of the summer vacation season in 2006. Full Story

Rome, Alitalia unions want Air France-KLM to come back to tablePosted on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 3:43pm

The Italian government and unions at Alitalia Thursday signalled they wanted Air France-KLM to return to the negotiating table after the European aviation giant dropped its bid for the failing Italian flagship. "I hope good sense will prevail and the negotiations can resume," outgoing Prime Minister Romano Prodi told reporters in Bucharest, according to Italian radio. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.