CONFLICT & TERROR 04/29

Ships bring extra oil amid strike

Extra fuel supplies have started arriving in Scotland, to make up for possible shortages caused by the Grangemouth strike. A tanker carrying 2,000 tonnes of diesel and 1,000 tonnes of kerosene has begun unloading its cargo at Aberdeen harbour. Full Story

Gun attack linked to town tension

A suspected shotgun attack in Carrickfergus is being linked to tensions between local loyalists. It happened shortly before 2300 BST on Sunday at a house in Glenfield Walk. Damage was caused to a door, but there were no reports of any injuries. Full Story

EU says inflation to jump more than a full point to 3.2 pct

The European Union expects inflation to rise by more than a full point this year to 3.2 percent, pushed higher by soaring energy and food prices. Record-high prices for food, oil and metals risk driving cost increases beyond last year's inflation of 2.1 percent, and now threaten to increase production costs for other goods as well, the EU warned Monday. Full Story

Hardliners torch "heretical" Indonesian mosque-police

Hundreds of hardline Indonesian Muslims burnt a mosque early on Monday belonging to a sect that has been branded heretical by most Muslims, police said. The attack in West Java's Sukabumi district came after a government team recommended this month the Ahmadiyya sect be banned because its teachings deviate from the central tenets of Islam. Full Story

Japan PM's party in poll defeat

Japan's Liberal Democratic Party has been defeated in a key by-election, dealing a fresh blow to the leadership of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. LDP candidate Shigetaro Yamamoto was easily defeated in the vote in Yamaguchi prefecture. Full Story

Malaysia urged not to pull out of peace talks

Peace advocates in Mindanao are urging Malaysia to stay and continue helping build peace in the south. The Bantay Ceasefire (Ceasefire Watch), composed of about 650 peace advocates in Mindanao, also asked Malacaqang to speed up the attainment of genuine peace in Mindanao. Full Story

South Korea, Japan plan wider military cooperation

South Korea and Japan plan to sign their first comprehensive agreement on military cooperation, the defence ministry said on Monday, in another sign of warming ties between the two historic enemies. The two countries "are pushing to sign a comprehensive agreement on military cooperation", a ministry spokesman told AFP. Full Story

USS Kitty Hawk makes last port call in Hong

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk sailed into Hong Kong on Monday on its final away-from-home port call five months after being turned away by China. "We're delighted to be back," said the ship's commander, Rear Adm. Richard Wren. But he said the U.S. was still "not completely satisfied" with China's explanation of why the carrier was denied entry in November. Full Story

Pakistan Taliban chief halts talks over troops issue: spokesman

A Pakistani Taliban commander halted peace talks with the government over its refusal to pull troops from a troubled tribal area, but a ceasefire remains intact, his spokesman said Monday. Warlord Baitullah Mehsud, accused by the last government of orchestrating the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, made the decision after meeting tribal elders acting as mediators. Full Story

Sarkozy's ratings hit record low: pollsters

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's approval ratings hit a record low in April, pummeled by concerns over the economy and government cost cutting plans, a survey by BVA pollsters said on Monday. The poll for L'Express magazine showed 64 percent of people had a negative opinion of the president, a year after he took office, up nine points on March. BVA said this was the worst such reading since it started its regular surveys in 1981. Full Story

North Korea gives Olympic torch a rare welcome

The Olympic torch has made a peaceful procession through North Korea, where the regime is an ally of China. In a reversal of protests that have dogged the flame's world tour, thousands of cheering people lined the 12-mile route through the capital, Pyongyang, waving pink paper flowers and small flags with the Beijing Olympics logo and chanting: "Welcome, welcome." Full Story

RFE/RL Websites Hit By Mass Cyberattack

Several websites run by RFE/RL's broadcast services have been hit by an unprecedented cyberattack, making them inaccessible to the outside world. The attack, which started on April 26, intially targeted the website of RFE/RL's Belarus Service, but quickly spread to other sites. Within hours, eight RFE/RL websites (Belarus, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Tatar-Bashkir, Radio Farda, South Slavic, Russian, and Tajik) were knocked out. Full Story

Iranian president makes brief visit to Pakistan

Iranian and Pakistani leaders resolved issues related to a multibillion-dollar gas pipeline project opposed by the United States during the Iranian president's brief visit Monday to Pakistan, state media reported. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on his first trip to the neighboring country, met with President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in Islamabad during his four-hour stay before leaving for Sri Lanka. Full Story

Italian police arrest 16 in sweep against powerful mob syndicate

Italian news reports say police have arrested 16 suspects in a sweep against an organized crime syndicate. The arrests early Monday were made in Crotone, in the southern Calabria region where the powerful 'ndrangheta mob group is based. Full Story

Twenty-six Taliban killed in Afghanistan

Around 26 Taliban have been killed in military action in Afghanistan, officials said Monday, including a dozen when troops repelled a mass attack on several US and Afghan bases. Australia meanwhile announced earlier it had lost a soldier in a Taliban attack in the southern province of Uruzgan on Sunday. The country is one of about 40 with troops in Afghanistan to fight back the extremist Taliban. Full Story

East Timor rebel leader surrenders

The leader of a group of East Timor rebels accused of trying to assassinate President Jose Ramos-Horta in February has surrendered to authorities, the country's deputy prime minister said on Tuesday. Full Story

15 killed in Afghan blast: NATO force

An attack involving a suicide bombing in eastern Afghanistan Tuesday killed 15 Afghans and wounded 25 more, the NATO-led military force told AFP. Full Story

India, Iran set for energy talks during Ahmadinejad visit

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was to arrive in New Delhi Tuesday for a lightning visit due to be dominated by talks on gas supplies as energy-starved India searches for new fuel sources. Full Story

Afghan intel: Karzai was warned of assassination plot

Afghanistan's intelligence chief says he warned the president of a weekend assassination plot against him. Full Story

China sentences 17 for alleged involvement in Tibet riots

A Chinese court sentenced 17 people Tuesday to jail for their alleged roles in deadly riots in the Tibetan capital, in the first trial concerning last month's unrest, state media reported. Full Story

UN to set up task force to tackle global food crisis

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says he will head a new task force to tackle the global food crisis. Ban says the first priority for the task force is filling the $755 million shortfall in funding for the World Food Program. Full Story

US, France circulate UN resolution to battle pirates

The United States and France introduced a U.N. resolution Monday that would allow countries to chase pirates off Somalia's coast into the country's territorial waters and arrest the sea thieves. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.