CONFLICT & TERROR 06/25

Pirates take four European tourists hostagePosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 7:54amPirates took four European tourists hostage after their yacht ran out of fuel off the coast of northern Somalia in the Red Sea's Gulf of Aden, according to a Somaliland official. Full Story

Indonesian police use water cannon in fuel protestPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 8:04amIndonesian police used water cannons to disperse about 500 protesters who threw rocks and bamboo sticks at police and broke a parliament building fence on Tuesday to protest against a hike in fuel prices. Full Story

Airstrikes kill 16 Taliban in Afghan eastPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 8:06amInternational troops killed 16 Taliban insurgents in airstrikes on Tuesday after the militants attacked a small town in eastern Afghanistan, a provincial police chief said. The Taliban have overrun a number of isolated small towns in the last two years, briefly taking control of local government buildings and forcing thinly spread Afghan and international forces to mobilise to chase them out. Full Story

Germany to send 1,000 more troops to AfghanistanPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 8:21amGermany plans to increase its military contingent in northern Afghanistan by up to 1,000 soldiers, Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said Tuesday. The announcement follows months of pressure from Germany's NATO allies to step up its troop presence in Afghanistan and deploy soldiers in the south to help US, British and Canadian forces fight a tenacious Taliban insurgency. Full Story

Spanish court asked to charge 4 alleged NazisPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 8:22amA human rights group has asked a Spanish court to indict four alleged former Nazi concentration camp guards and seek their extradition from the United States over the deaths of Spanish citizens, a lawyer said Tuesday. The Brussels-based rights organization, Equipo Nizkor, names the suspects as John Demjanjuk, a retired, 88-yr-old auto worker in Ohio who is also being sought by Germany; Anton Tittjung, Josias Kumpf and Johann Leprich. Full Story

Thirty hurt in new religious protests in Indian KashmirPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 8:23amThirty people were hurt in Indian Kashmir Tuesday in fresh protests against the handing over of land to Hindu pilgrims visiting the Muslim-majority region, officials and witnesses said. The violent clashes in Srinagar, Indian Kashmir's summer capital, came a day after police apparently opened fire on stone-throwing youths, killing one and wounding two others. Full Story

Thai lawmakers begin debate on prime minister's futurePosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 8:27amThe Thai prime minister fought for his political survival Monday as opponents began a no-confidence debate in Parliament and thousands of protesters continued to besiege his office. The opposition Democrat Party brought the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his cabinet in the wake of four weeks of street protests calling for the government's resignation, and the Senate opened debate on the measure Monday. FullStory

Iran says EU sanctions could hurt nuclear diplomacyPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 8:37amIran said on Tuesday new sanctions imposed on it by the European Union over its nuclear plans could hurt diplomatic efforts to resolve the row. The standoff between the West and the Islamic state has sparked fears of a military confrontation that would disrupt oil supplies. Last week a report said Israel had practiced for a possible strike against Iran's nuclear sites. Full Story

Britain removes Iran oppo group from terror listPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 8:44amBritish lawmakers formally removed an Iranian opposition group from the U.K.'s list of banned terror groups on Monday, after a seven-year campaign by the organization. Legislators approved the decision of the Court of Appeal, which ruled in May that the People's Mujahedeen of Iran should no longer be listed as a proscribed group. Full Story

EU sanctions illegal, says IranPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 8:46amIran has condemned as illegal new EU sanctions against Tehran over its uranium enrichment program. A foreign ministry spokesman said the sanctions would make Iran more determined to obtain the technology. Full Story

More German troops to AfghanistanPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 8:52amUnder pressure from NATO, Germany announced Tuesday that it would increase the level of troops available for duty in Afghanistan by almost one-third to 4,500. Franz Josef Jung, the defense minister, said the government wanted to increase the number of troops it can send to Afghanistan by 1,000, after a parliamentary mandate limiting the deployment to 3,500 expires in October. The increase will require the approval of the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag. Full Story

Rockets hit Israel, which says truce brokenPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 9:14amPolice say two Palestinian rockets hit southern Israel and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office says the cease-fire that took effect last week has been broken. Full Story

Pirates take four European tourists hostagePosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 9:58amPirates took four European tourists hostage after their yacht ran out of fuel off the coast of northern Somalia in the Red Sea's Gulf of Aden, according to a Somaliland official. The pirates then took their hostages -- a man, woman, their child and their yacht's pilot -- into hills around the fishing town of Las Qoray, said Ahmed Yusuf Yasin, vice president of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland. Full Story

British reporter kidnapped on Afghan-Pakistan border is freedPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 10:02amBritain's Foreign Office says a British reporter kidnapped on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan has been released after being held for three months. Sean Langan was working on a documentary for Britain's Channel 4 when he was seized. Full Story

France, Spain to approve text of immigration policyPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 10:08amFrance and Spain will approve the text for an immigration proposal at a mini-summit between the two nations on Friday in the northern Spanish city of Zaragoza, a Spanish government official said Monday. The text will serve as the basis to develop a European consensus on immigration before a European Union summit in October, Spain's secretary of state for the EU, Diego Lopez Garrido, told a news conference. Full Story
Spanish prime minister admits severity of slowdownPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 10:14amPrime Minister Josi Luis Rodrmguez Zapatero on Monday acknowledged Spain was facing a much sharper economic downturn than originally thought and predicted activity for 2008 would grow by under two percent, below official forecasts. Economy Minister Pedro Solbes has made mention of the word "crisis" to describe Spain's rapidly slowing economy almost a taboo, but Zapatero Monday said the semantic debate was of "little practical" importance. Full Story

West links drug war aid to Iranian nuclear impassePosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 10:17amIranian forces have battled for years in the lonely canyons and deserts on the Afghan border against opium and heroin traffickers  winning rare praise from the United States and aid from Europe for the fight along one of the world's busiest drug routes. Full Story

Explosion in Baghdad's Sadr City district kills 10Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 10:18amA bomb struck a municipal council building Tuesday in Baghdad's Shiite Sadr City district, killing four Americans, including two soldiers and two U.S. government civilian employees, U.S. officials said. At least six Iraqi civilians also died. Full Story

Zimbabwean opposition leader seeks refuge in Dutch embassyPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 10:47amAll of today's papers carry a photograph of Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on their front pages and while the headlines vary, they all convey the same message: "safe in Dutch embassy". On Sunday evening, the Movement for Democratic Change leader sought refuge in the Dutch embassy in Harare, as he feared for his life and the lives of MDC supporters. Full Story

Pakistani Taliban said pulling out of captured townPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 11:52amPakistani Taliban militants began withdrawing from a northwestern town on Tuesday after capturing it the previous day in a bloody clash with rivals, a government and a security official said. Militants loyal to notorious Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud seized the town of Jandola, on the main road into the South Waziristan ethnic Pashtun tribal region on the Afghan border. Full Story

Rebel commanders shun violence in India's northeastPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 11:55amA powerful separatist group in India's restive northeast suffered a blow when half a dozen of its senior commanders decided to shun violence and declared a ceasefire, officials said on Tuesday. At least six field commanders of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in Assam state decided to put their guns away. Full Story

Suicide at farewell ceremony mars Sarkozy trip to IsraelPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 12:47pmAn Israeli police officer fatally shot himself in the head on Tuesday at an airport departure ceremony for French President Nicolas Sarkozy, authorities said, sparking fear of an assassination attempt and prompting bodyguards to whisk Sarkozy and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert away. The shooting occurred while a military band was playing, and the leaders apparently didn't hear anything. Dark-suited security men then quickly ushered Sarkozy up the stairs of his plane. In a panic, Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, rushed up the stairs ahead of him. Full Story

Ecuador says may impose Colombia trade sanctionsPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 3:46pmEcuador said on Tuesday it may impose trade restrictions on Colombia, part of a diplomatic dispute stemming from a Colombian military raid on Ecuador's side of the border in March. The threat came after Colombia postponed this week's scheduled restoration of diplomatic ties with its neighbor. Full Story

Haiti president offers new prime ministerPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 3:49pmFor years her name has been rumored as a potential prime ministerial candidate. But each time the job was available, Michhle Pierre-Louis never got the call -- until now. Pierre-Louis, a highly-respected educator who is considered a trailblazer in international circles because of her work on behalf of Haiti's poor and youths, has been tapped by Haitian President Reni Prival to become prime minister. Full Story

Attacks in east Afghanistan up 40 percent, US saysPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 4:14pmInsurgent attacks in eastern Afghanistan rose by 40 percent in the first five months of this year over the same period a year ago, the U.S. commander of NATO forces in the region said on Tuesday. While insisting NATO was making progress in establishing stability, Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser said he was "nowhere near" being able to state those efforts had achieved irreversible momentum. Full Story

Argentine farmers end road blockadePosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 4:18pmCountry roads and highways swelled with trucks bearing grains and gasoline during the weekend as Argentina's farmers cleared the highways after lifting their fourth strike in three months. While hope sprang eternal here in Santa Fe Province that food rationing and gasoline shortages would finally ease, the latest chapter in the political drama began playing out in Buenos Aires, where the embattled president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, met with farm leaders late Monday. Full Story

Governors snub Bolivia referendumPosted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 4:27pmFive of Bolivia's nine regional governors have rejected President Evo Morales' plans for a vote on whether they should all stay in office. President Morales set 10 August for a recall referendum, aiming to gather support for his wide-ranging reforms. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.