CONFLICT & TERROR 08/30

Pakistan: Lawyers rally for return of judgesPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 10:59amHundreds of lawyers are rallying in major Pakistani cities and disrupting traffic. They are pressuring the government to reinstate dozens of judges fired by ex-President Pervez Musharraf. Full Story

Seven killed in bombing of Pakistani police busPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 11:00amSeven people, most of them law enforcement officers, were killed Thursday by a roadside bomb that struck a police bus in Pakistan's restive North-West Frontier Province, officials said. "Suspected Islamist militants detonated a remote-controlled explosive device when the prison van was crossing a bridge over the Kurram River, killing six policemen and a passerby," a senior police officer, Waqas Hasan, said. Full Story

Malaysias Anwar rejoins parliamentPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 11:03amMalaysias opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim took another step towards his goal of bringing down the government and implementing ambitious reforms when he rejoined parliament on Thursday after a decades absence. Full Story

Premier says India floods a "calamity"Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 11:04amMassive flooding in eastern India has caused a "national calamity", the prime minister said Thursday after touring the devastated region where more than a million remain trapped. Full Story

Taiwan ex-intelligence chief indicted for alleged cover-upPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 11:05amTaiwan's ex-intelligence chief has been indicted for allegedly covering up for former president Chen Shui-bian over suspected money laundering, an official said Thursday. Full Story

Thai protesters defy court order to dispersePosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 11:06amThousands of demonstrators, some armed with golf clubs, batons and bamboo sticks, defied a court order to end their occupation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's office compound on Thursday, vowing to remain until the country's leaders resign. FullStory

Lebanese helicopter brought downPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 2:25pmA Lebanese military officer has been killed after armed men brought down a Lebanese army helicopter flying over the southern village of Sejoud, military officials have said. Full Story

Iran general says Israel too vulnerable to attackPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 2:26pmThe head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said on Wednesday that Israel is too vulnerable to Iran's longer-range missiles to dare launch an attack. Full Story

Iraq's Sadr suspends militia activity indefinitelyPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 2:27pmIraqi Shiite radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr said on Thursday that he has suspended indefinitely the activity of the Mahdi Army, his feared 60,000 strong militia. Full Story

U.S. to hand over security in Anbar to the IraqisPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 2:27pmThe American military will hand over responsibility for the security of Anbar Province, once a stronghold of the Sunni insurgency and one of the most violent regions in Iraq, to the Iraqi government as early as Monday, Iraqi and American officials said Wednesday. Full Story

2 Iraqi officials accused of aiding al-QaidaPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 2:28pmA university president and a top local official in a restive province north of Baghdad are suspected of giving weapons and government cars to al-Qaida in Iraq insurgents, according to arrest reports obtained Wednesday. Full Story

Iraq's holy city of Najaf witnessing a boomPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 2:29pmThe city's first airport is weeks away from opening, but already a bigger one is talked about. Land prices are soaring. Merchants say they don't remember business ever being so good. Full Story

MEND offers to help free kidnapped IsraeliPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 2:30pmThe Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has said it is not behind Tuesday night's abduction of an Israeli construction worker, Ehud Avni, in Nigeria's oil city of Port Harcourt. Full Story

Suicide bomber killed trying to attack Pakistan campPosted on Friday, August 29, 2008 at 2:53amA suicide bomber tried to force his vehicle into a Pakistani military camp in the northwest on Friday but was blown up when soldiers opened fire on him, a day after dozens of people were killed in violence across the region. Full Story

Iran says 4,000 atomic centrifuges working: reportPosted on Friday, August 29, 2008 at 3:33amIran has 4,000 working nuclear centrifuges, an official said in remarks published on Friday, in line with a number verified by the U.N. atomic watchdog but lower than a figure cited by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Full Story

Hezbollah shot Lebanese army helicopter: paperPosted on Friday, August 29, 2008 at 4:51amA Lebanese army helicopter that was hit by gunfire in south Lebanon was targeted by Hezbollah fighters who thought the aircraft was Israeli, the Lebanese newspaper as-Safir reported on Friday. Full Story

Zardari should give up Pakistan president bid, rival saysPosted on Friday, August 29, 2008 at 4:52amThe widower of assassinated former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto should withdraw as a candidate for president because of questions about his mental health, a rival candidate said on Friday. Full Story

Contacts between Iraq and Jordan to develop national gas fieldsPosted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 7:53amThe Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Khaldoun Qatishat stressed that his country is running contacts with Iraq to develop national gas fields and to return part of their production to Jordan. Full Story

Settlements unhelpful to peace talksPosted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 7:59amSecretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday urged Israel to stop expanding settlements on disputed territory hours after a new report came out saying the Jewish state has nearly doubled such activity in the past year. Full Story

France offers help in Syria-Lebanon thawPosted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 8:03amFrances Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner yesterday offered French help to Syria and Lebanon on thorny issues linked to their resolve to normalise ties for the first time since independence 60 years ago. Full Story

Steps in place to foil terror attackPosted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 9:13amAs the Kingdom braces itself for a huge influx of Umrah pilgrims during the holy month of Ramadan, the Saudi Interior Ministry has ruled out the possibility of a terror attack during the holy month. Full Story

Islamists protest in downtown BeirutPosted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 9:15amTwo Sunni Muslim women with Islamic head band, hold Islam's holy book the Quran, as they ask for the release their husbands, brothers and fathers, during a sit-in in front the government house, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday Aug. 26, 2008. Full Story

Thousands flee Pakistan offensive: UNPosted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 1:11pmThe military offensive against Taliban militants in a restive Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border has displaced more than 260,000 people, UN and local officials said Tuesday. Full Story

Curfew still in force in KashmirPosted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 1:13pmMany parts of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir are still under curfew as authorities try to halt huge protests by both Muslim separatists and Hindus. Indian police are still holding separatist leaders who were arrested on Sunday and Monday after they defied the curfew and attempted to lead protests. Full Story

Floods kill dozens in Bihar statePosted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 1:20pmAt least 40 people have died and over a million have been affected by floods in three districts of the northern Indian state of Bihar, officials say. The banks of the Kosi river overflowed days after the part of the river in neighbouring Nepal breached an embankment there. Full Story

Battles kill 15 rebels, 7 soldiers in Sri LankaPosted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 1:21pmA series of gunbattles between government forces and the Tamil Tigers killed 15 rebels and seven soldiers in war-torn northern Sri Lanka, the military said on Tuesday. Fighting broke out on Monday along the front lines separating government-controlled territory and the rebels' de facto state in the north, a military statement said. Full Story

US, Russia anchor military ships in Georgian portsPosted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 4:06pmA U.S. military ship loaded with aid docked at a southern Georgian port Wednesday, and Russia sent three missile boats to another Georgian port as the standoff escalated over a nation devastated by war with Russia. Full Story

Russia plans to raise navy presence in Syria: diplomatPosted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 4:10pmThe Russian navy will make more use of Syrian ports as part of increased military presence in the Mediterranean, a Russian diplomat said on Wednesday. Full Story

Hijackers of Darfur plane surrender in LibyaPosted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 4:13pmTwo Sudanese men, armed with handguns and the threat of explosives, stormed the cockpit of the Boeing 737, taking control just minutes into the flight. Passengers said the hijackers remained calm but they still spent a night in fear. Full Story

Venezuela posed to nationalize fuel distributionPosted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 4:16pmLawmakers loyal to President Hugo Chavez want to allow the nationalization of fuel distribution, the government's latest move to bring Venezuela's economy under increased state control. Full Story

Israeli businessman kidnapped in NigeriaPosted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 4:18pmKidnappers have seized an Israeli businessman in oil-rich southern Nigeria, officials said Wednesday. The attackers kidnapped the man late Tuesday in the southern city of Port Harcourt, said regional police spokeswoman Rita Inoma-Abbey. Full Story

Thai protest refuses order to leave gov't compoundPosted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 4:21pmThai authorities stepped up pressure Wednesday on demonstrators occupying the grounds of the prime minister's office, getting court orders demanding the crowd disperse and issuing arrest warrants for nine protest leaders on insurrection charges. Full Story

Pakistan restores eight judgesPosted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 7:13pmEight of the judges sacked last November by former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf have been reinstated. Full Story

Police arrest two over Brown death threatsPosted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 7:16pmPolice investigating alleged death threats against Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday they had arrested two men on suspicion of terrorism.

Militants killed in Kashmir siegePosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 4:14amThree suspected militants have been shot dead and six hostages freed in the Jammu area of Indian-administered Kashmir, security forces said. They said two women and four children were rescued, but the militants had killed three male hostages. Full Story

Local emergency teams practice terror drillsPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 4:15amFederal, state, and local emergency teams joined forces along the Maumee to practice their terror drills A terrorist attack can happen without warning and emergency crews have to be able to respond immediately. One possible target is Toledo's port. Federal, state, and local emergency teams joined forces along the Maumee to practice their terror drills. Full Story

Airport to debut color-coded security lanesPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 4:19amOn Thursday, the TSA will officially unveil color-coded lanes at Sky Harbor that could speed up security checkpoint lines. The program allows travelers to choose a security checkpoint lane based on how familiar they are with airport rules and how much time they need, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Full Story

Sudanese plane hijackers surrender in LibyaPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 4:23amThe hijackers of a Sudanese airliner surrendered to authorities in Libya on Wednesday after releasing all the passengers and crew, Libya's aviation authority said. The airliner, with 95 people on board, was seized on Tuesday after leaving Sudan's war-torn Darfur region for Khartoum. It was forced to land at the remote Sahara desert oasis of Kufrah in southeastern Libya. Full Story

Pirate Ransom Helped Somalia Islamist Militants Seize PortPosted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 4:29amDuring the first half of this decade, factional leader Yusuf Mohamed Siad, better known by his nickname Inda'ade, was notorious in Somalia for engaging in pirate activities and running a lucrative drug and weapons trafficking operation from the city of Merca, the provincial capital of the Lower Shabelle region. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.