CONFLICT & TERROR 07/22

German vessel released by Somalian pirates arrives in OmanPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 7:19amA German cargo ship with Russian and Ukrainian crew members onboard that was recently held by Somalian pirates for some six weeks has arrived in the port of Salala, in Oman, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said on Monday. "The sailors are in a satisfactory condition," the report says. A Ukrainian delegation, including a Ukrainian human rights envoy and officials from the foreign, emergencies and health ministries has arrived in Oman. Full Story

China, Russia sign border agreementPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 7:45amChina and Russia on Monday signed an agreement that ended a decades-long territorial dispute, in the latest sign of warming ties. The protocol, signed by the two countries' foreign ministers in Beijing, adds to an existing agreement on their 4,300-kilometre (2,700-mile) boundary. Full Story

Two dead in Chinese bus blastsPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 7:50amTwo explosions on buses in the south-western Chinese city of Kunming have left at least two people dead and 14 injured, according to reports. The blasts happened within about an hour during the morning rush hour in Yunnan's state capital. Full Story

Two Turks freed in Afghanistan, returning homePosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 7:52amTwo Turkish engineers kidnapped in western Afghanistan last week have been set free and are returning home, authorities said on Monday. "They are safe and now are flying to Turkey with a private aircraft," a Turkish Foreign Ministry official, who declined to be named, told Reuters. The pair would shortly arrive in Ankara. Full Story

Sri Lanka Military Says 5,000 Rebels Killed This Year So FarPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 8:01amMore than 5,000 Tamil Tiger rebels have been killed by Sri Lanka's military since the beginning of the year, the Defense Ministry said Sunday. The ministry said its latest figures showed 5,036 rebels and 446 of its own soldiers had died in fighting in the period beginning in January and ended Friday night. Full Story

38 killed as Pakistani forces clamp down on rebels in BalochistanPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 8:02amClashes between paramilitary troops and militants left at least 38 people dead and dozens injured in Pakistan's insurgency-hit south-western province of Balochistan, media reports said Monday. Fighting broke out in the Uch area of the Dera Bugti district in Balochistan Saturday when security forces launched a search operation to arrest rebels, who had attacked a gas field and killed an engineer of the state-managed exploration company. Full Story

UK tourist drowns in PhilippinesPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 8:03amPhilippine police say a British tourist has drowned after being swept away by a strong current at a popular waterfall west of Manila. Senior Superintendent Manuel Gaerlan said that 56-year-old Richard Kidd, from Gateshead in England, drowned while swimming alone in Bataan's Dunsulan Falls. Full Story

Sarkozy on EU mission to DublinPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 8:12amFrench President Nicolas Sarkozy is starting an official visit to Ireland to discuss how to proceed after the Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty. He will meet Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen during the trip, which is expected to last less than six hours. Earlier this month, Mr Sarkozy said the Republic of Ireland would have to hold a second referendum on the EU treaty. Full Story

Singapore offers $740,000 bounty for escaped militantPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 8:13amSingapore on Monday offered a reward of one million dollars (740,000 US) for information leading to the recapture of an alleged extremist leader whose escape in February stunned the city-state. Full Story

India, Pakistan begin new round of peace talksPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 8:14amIndia and Pakistan on Monday started fresh peace talks despite a bomb attack on India's embassy in Kabul which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan's spy service. Full Story

Facebook Challenges German RivalPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 8:17amThe German company that is the subject of an intellectual property lawsuit from social networking firm Facebook has said the case is without merit. Facebook's complaint, filed in a California federal court, accuses Studivz of copying the look, feel, features and services of Facebook. Full Story

Brown Issues Iran Nuclear WarningPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 8:28amBritain is determined to prevent Iran developing nuclear arms, Gordon Brown has warned in an address to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. He said that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for Israel "to be wiped off the map" was abhorrent. Tehran must abandon its nuclear programme or face "growing isolation". Full Story

RIR troops hurt in Taleban attackPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 8:29amSix Royal Irish Regiment soldiers have been injured in an attack by the Taleban in Afghanistan. An Army spokesperson said the soldiers were in Helmand province at the time of the incident. Full Story

Man hurt in city 'flash' attackPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 8:31amA man in his 30s has been injured in an attack in west Belfast. The victim said he was walking along the Springfield Road at about 2000 BST on Sunday when he saw a flash before receiving an injury to the shoulder. Full Story

British PM: 'Hostage video adds to families' anguish'Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 9:04amA videotaped statement claiming one of five British hostages captured in Iraq last year has committed suicide is an "abhorrent film" that will only increase the anguish suffered by their families, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Sunday. The video also reportedly shows another British hostage, identified as "Alan". Full Story

Iraqi panel proposes delay in key electionPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 9:13amIraq's election authority proposed Sunday to delay important provincial balloting in an apparent sign of frustration over a political impasse that has stalled preparations for voting planned for this fall. Full Story

Al-Qaida may be easing effort in IraqPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 9:13amAfter intense U.S. assaults, al-Qaida may be considering shifting focus to its original home base in Afghanistan, where American casualties are running higher than in Iraq, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said Saturday. Full Story

UK 'Must Check' US Torture DenialPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 9:37amThe British government should not rely on US assurances that it does not use torture, a report by MPs says. The foreign affairs select committee said the UK and US differ on their definitions of what constitutes torture and it urged the UK to check US claims. It recommended the government carry out an "exhaustive analysis of current US interrogation techniques." Full Story

Sunni Bloc Rejoins Iraqi Government, Amid Reconciliation HopesPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 9:49amIraq's largest Sunni political bloc rejoined the government Saturday after a nearly year-long boycott, a move that could help bridge the country's sectarian divide. Full Story

Fear Over Pandemic Disease EffortPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 9:49amMore needs to be done to protect against outbreaks of infectious diseases, a Lords report says. The House of Lords Intergovernmental Organisations Committee said there was poor coordination between international organisations and governments. It said improvements in surveillance and response systems had to be made to. Full Story
3 killed in Lebanon refugee camp brawlPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 9:49amThree Palestinians have been killed after an argument between rival factions in a refugee camp in south Lebanon turned violent, a Palestinian official said yesterday. The fighting broke out late on Saturday in Ain El-Helweh camp, the largest in Lebanon, between Islamist group Jund Al-Sham and a joint force of Palestinian factions which polices the camp. Full Story

Sri Lankan troops kill 42 rebels: militaryPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 10:41amSri Lankan troops have killed dozens of Tamil Tiger rebels during ground battles across the war-torn island's northern district, the defence ministry said Monday. Full Story

Top Indian diplomat blames Pakistan in bombing of Indian embassy in KabulPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 10:43amA top Indian diplomat blamed Pakistan on Monday for the bombing of India's embassy in Afghanistan, saying the attack had put the rivals' peace process "under stress." Full Story

France's Sarkozy Faces Protests at EU Crisis TalksPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 10:51amFrench President Nicolas Sarkozy faced protests Monday as he arrived in Dublin to discuss the way forward after Ireland's shock rejection of a key European Union treaty. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside government offices where Sarkozy -- whose country took over the EU's six-month rotating presidency this month -- was to hold talks with Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen. The French leader sparked outrage last week by reportedly suggesting that Ireland should vote again after its crushing rejection of the Lisbon Treaty in a June 12 referendum. Full Story

Madeleine police inquiry shelvedPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 1:31pmThe police investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been shelved due to lack of evidence, Portugal's attorney general has said. The child's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, and a third British national, Robert Murat, are no longer formal suspects, he also confirmed. Full Story

Aid workers seized in AfghanistanPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 1:33pmTwo French aid workers have been abducted in central Afghanistan, the French aid organisation Action Against Hunger has announced. The pair, who have not been named, were seized at gunpoint in the early hours of Friday from their house in Daykundi province, the Paris-based group said. Full Story

Sarkozy visits Ireland to revive EU treatyPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 1:38pmPromising to listen rather than lecture, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France arrived here on Monday, seeking to revive a European Union reform treaty Ireland's voters rejected last month. The Lisbon Treaty, which aims to streamline European Union institutions, must be approved by all 27 nations in the bloc. Alone among the member states, Ireland put the matter to a referendum, as its Constitution required. But when 53 percent of voters rejected the measure on June 12, Ireland, a country of 4 million, derailed plans for a pact that would have covered almost 500 million people. Full Story

Ex-Marine, daughter abducted near ManilaPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 2:54pmGunmen kidnapped a retired U.S. Marine and his daughter from their Philippine home, but released the former serviceman three hours later after demanding a ransom for his daughter, police said Monday. Full Story

Top war crimes suspect arrested in SerbiaPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 5:47pmFormer Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, a war crimes fugitive and one of the world's most wanted men, was arrested on Monday evening in a sweep by Serbian security forces, the country's president said. Full Story

Al-Qaida senior leader grants rare TV interviewPosted on Monday, July 21, 2008 at 6:16pmIn a rare move, one of al-Qaida's highest-ranking leaders has conducted an on-camera interview with a journalist and, in the process, called for the destruction of Pakistan's government. It was the first time since 2002 that any top al-Qaida official has taken the security risk of sitting down for an interview with a bonafide journalist. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.