CONFLICT & TERROR 09/09

Al-Qaeda commander threatens DenmarkPosted on Friday, September 5, 2008 at 5:09pmAL-Qaeda has released a video featuring a senior commander who was rumoured to have been killed in Pakistan in July, threatening more attacks against Denmark after a suicide bombing on its embassy in Islamabad, according to the SITE group which monitors Islamist websites. Full Story

Hizbullah Spying Through 'Facebook'Posted on Friday, September 5, 2008 at 5:26pmAccording to the intelligence community in Israel, Hizbullah terrorists are becoming increasingly computer savvy, using Facebook to learn more about IDF soldiers, potential targets for kidnappings. Full Story

Malaysia deploys navy to SomaliaPosted on Friday, September 5, 2008 at 7:50pmMalaysia is sending three navy ships to the coast of Somalia to protect merchant vessels from piracy. The ships, carrying troops and helicopters, are expected to begin patrolling in the Gulf of Aden in the next few days. Full Story

Egypt opens Gaza borderPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 7:34amEgypt opened its Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip at the weekend for the first time since May, allowing more than 2,500 people to leave the coastal territory controlled by the Islamist group Hamas. The border opening was aimed as a goodwill gesture ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Over the weekend, Palestinian officials said those leaving Gaza included Egyptian citizens, students, holders of foreign residency permits and patients in need of medical treatment abroad. Full Story

Greenpeace logging protest in PNG endsPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 7:35amA protest by Greenpeace activists who were preventing an export ship loading logs in Papua New Guinea has ended. Armed police ordered the protest to stop after local land owners reached an agreement with the logging company to have the operation on their land reviewed. Full Story

Malaysia's Anwar says on track to unseat governmentPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 7:36amMalaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said on Saturday he is on track to meet a mid-September deadline to recruit enough members of parliament to topple the government. The opposition is confident it will secure the defection of at least 30 members from the ruling Barisan Nasional government  the number needed to unseat the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, Anwar said. Full Story


Explosion hits police checkpoint in PakistanPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 7:39amAn explosion erupted near a police checkpoint in Pakistan's volatile northwest on Saturday, officials said. The violence came as Pakistani lawmakers voted for a new president. Police official Taj Din said the explosion was on the outskirts of the main northwest city of Peshawar. Full Story

Russia accuses West of warship provocationPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 7:52amRussian President Dmitry Medvedev accused the West on Saturday of acting provocatively in and around the Black Sea, where the United States is using warships to deliver humanitarian aid to Georgia. "I wonder how they would feel if we now dispatched humanitarian assistance to the Caribbean, suffering from a hurricane, using our navy," Medvedev said, adding that a whole fleet had been dispatched to deliver the aid. Full Story

Nuclear suppliers approve US-India deal--diplomatsPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 7:58amForty-five nuclear supplier states on Saturday approved a U.S. proposal to drop a ban on trade with India, advancing a U.S.-Indian atomic energy deal, diplomats in the closed meeting told Reuters. The decision followed a tense debate over conditions for the move demanded by Nuclear Suppliers Group members to minimise any damage to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which India has not joined. Details were not immediately known. Full Sory

Medvedev: Russia 'a country to be reckoned with'Posted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 4:46pmPresident Dmitry Medvedev again put the West on notice that Moscow will exert its military and economic might with new determination, saying Saturday that Russia is a country to be reckoned with after its war with Georgia. Full Story

World leaders congratulate Pakistan's new leaderPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 6:30pmWestern nations and Pakistan's neighbours are are congratulating Asif Ali Zardari on his election as Pakistan's new President. Asif Ali Zardari, 53, has overcome more than a decade in jail, corruption charges, exile and the assassination of his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, to rise to one of the toughest jobs in international politics. Full Story

Piracy solution likely expensivePosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 6:31pmThe Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia has become one of the most dangerous passages for shipping. So far this year, Somali pirates have attacked or attempted to attack at least 20 ships in the gulf, including an Egyptian cargo ship seized Wednesday with 25 crew members. Full Story

Cheney Criticizes Russia, Calls for NATO EnlargementPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 6:33pmVice President Dick Cheney said Saturday that Russia's actions in the conflict with Georgia are an "affront to civilized standards" and "completely unacceptable." Using some of the strongest language to date by the U.S. administration, Cheney challenged Russia to engage in the world as a "responsible, modern power." Full Story

Cabinet to eradicate piracy operationsPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 6:43pmThe Cabinet approved at its meeting on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding between Yemen and the countries in sub-Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden and Red Sea area on the control and eradication of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the region. Full Story

Neglect threatens infrastructure - US security chiefPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 6:45pmThe United States has increased security to protect its levees, dams and power grids from terrorists, but neglect of ordinary upkeep exposes such critical infrastructure to dangerous decay, the U.S. homeland security chief said on Friday. Full Story

Police suspect Abergil crime group of involvement in Netanya pipe bombPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 6:48pmPolice believe that a pipe bomb found near the entrance to a Netanya house on Friday was intended against an alleged member of the Abergil crime organization, either as part of an internal dispute or a vendetta with another crime organization. Full Story

Deadly Iraq bombings target market, politicianPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 6:53pmAt least six people were killed and 50 wounded in a suicide car bombing Saturday at an outdoor market in northern Iraq, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said. Ahmed Chalabi was unharmed in a car bombing, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said. The midday attack in Tal Afar, about 45 miles west of Mosul in Nineveh province, was carried out less than a day after a car bombing in western Baghdad that targeted Shiite politician Ahmed Chalabi. Full Story

U.S. nuclear envoy meets China on N. Korea talksPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 6:55pmThe top U.S. nuclear envoy met with his Chinese counterpart Saturday as part of the latest round of talks aimed at breaking a deadlock over verification of North Korea's nuclear programs. Full Story

Turkish president pays landmark visit to ArmeniaPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 6:57pmThe presidents of Armenia and Turkey pledged Saturday to overcome decades of enmity between their two nations during the first visit to Yerevan by a Turkish head of state. Abdullah Gul held talks with Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian after which the two agreed there was now the "political will" to improve relations frozen for decades by lingering bitterness over 1915-1917 massacres. Full Story

At least 24 dead in Cairo rockslidePosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 6:58pmAt least 24 people were killed on Saturday when dozens of homes in a northern Cairo shantytown were crushed by a massive rockslide, rescue officials said. Full Story

Honduras issues 1,051-year sentence in massacrePosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 7:03pmA Honduran court has sentenced a former prison official to 1,051 years in jail for the deaths of 69 people in a 2003 prison massacre. Full Story

Nigeria court bails ex-governor on graft chargesPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 7:05pmA Nigerian court has granted bail to a former state governor facing corruption charges, court officials said Saturday. Rasheed Ladoja, former governor of southwestern Oyo state, and two other officials were arrested and brought before a court on August 29 accused of embezzling state funds worth around 16 million dollars (11 million euros). Full Story

Rice,Algerian President Plan Stronger Fight Against Al-QaedaPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 7:26pmU.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika planned ways to more effectively take on the terrorist threat in North Africa, as al-Qaeda and its allies step up their attacks. Full Story

Al-Qa'eda's American-born propaganda chief may have died in predator attackPosted on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 9:47pmWestern intelligence sources in Pakistan believe that al-Qa'eda's prize American recruit and propaganda chief may have been killed in a CIA-directed airstrike. Full Story

512 criminal gangs smashed during last eight monthsPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2:02pmLahore Police smashed 512 criminal gangs and arrested their 1703 member and recovered looted property worth Rs 623.1 million during last eight months. The police also arrested 12762 court absconders and proclaimed offenders during the campaign against the criminals launched on the direction of Capital City Police Officer, Muhammad Pervez Rathore. Full Story

Three injured in stabbings outside barPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2:05pmFour alleged members of a motorcycle gang were arrested early Friday following a Union Avenue stabbing that left a man with serious injuries. Full Story

Rice holds terrorism talks in Morocco on last leg of tourPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2:08pmUS Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held talks in Morocco Sunday on issues including terrorism as part of a tour of North Africa, where an Al-Qaeda-linked group has claimed attacks. On the last leg of the tour that included a landmark meeting with Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, Rice saw her Moroccan counterpart Taieb Fassi-Fihri and spoke of cooperation in fighting extremists afterward. Full Story

Afghan tribal leader set for trial in NYCPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2:09pmBy his own account, former Afghan tribal leader Bashir Noorzai resisted the Soviet Union's invasion of his country three decades ago, then put down his weapons when U.S. forces showed up following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "Afghanistan is in anarchy," the one-time Taliban ally recalls telling his tribesmen. "Americans are establishing our future government." Full Story

Tories to recycle tough-on-crime messagePosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2:11pmThe thing about law and order is that no matter how many laws you pass, there never seems to be enough order - at least not at election time. More than two years after they took power vowing to crack down on crime, the federal Conservatives are set to argue in the coming campaign that there's more work to be done. Full Story

BJP MP's convoy attacked, seven injuredPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2:15pmSeven persons were seriously injured as the convoy of BJP MP Yogi Adityanath was attacked today by angry protesters while he was on his way to address an anti-terrorism rally in Azamgargh district of Uttar Pradesh. The BJP leader from Gorakhpur was whisked to safety by his supporters as dozens of people armed with sticks attacked his convoy pelting stones at it and trying to torch the vehicles in Takia area, police sources said. The rally was organised by BJP and Hindu Yuva Vahini to protest a meeting organised in support of SIMI activist Abdul Bashar after his arrest on August 11. Full Story

Iraq, Saudis reach anti-terror agreementPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2:17pmIraqi officials say they and Saudi Arabia officials have agreed to a continuation of their joint effort to fight terrorism. Financial transactions between the two countries will be a special focus under an agreement reached during a recent visit to Saudi Arabia by Iraqi Security Adviser Dr. Muwafaq al-Rubaie, the Kuwait News Agency, KUNA, reported Sunday. Full Story

Pakistan bombing underscores risks to Zardari presidencyPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2:19pmThe death toll in a devastating suicide blast has reached 35, officials said Sunday, as Pakistan prepared for Benazir Bhutto's widower to take over as president. The suicide attack Saturday underscored the militant threat facing the country and its president-elect, Asif Ali Zardari, who was expected to be sworn in by Tuesday. Full Story

Nuclear India may trigger arms race in Asia: ChinaPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2:21pmChinese experts on international affairs are calling for creation of a mechanism for India and China to discuss issues relating to nuclear non-proliferation on a regular basis. Full Story

Arab activists accuse Israel of Gaza 'genocide'Posted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2:24pmA group of Arab international lawyers and human rights activists accused Israel on Sunday of committing "genocide" through its crippling blockade of the Gaza Strip. "The catastrophic situation in which Gaza citizens live, which led to the deterioration of medical, economic, ecological and humanitarian conditions, in addition to the death of innocent people, amounts to genocide," said the 11 activists in a statement received by AFP. Full Story

Terror groups developing 'dirty bomb', say security chiefsPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 9:12pmIslamist terrorists have stepped up their efforts to develop a 'dirty' bomb for use against Western targets, senior Western security sources have told The Daily Telegraph. Full Story

US missions receive suspicious envelopesPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 9:13pmThe US embassy in the federal capital and its consulate in Karachi have received suspicious envelopes containing an unidentified white colour substance, sparking a security alert, according to embassy and other security officials on Sunday. Full Story

Chavez opponents call state media coverage unfairPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 9:13pmIn speech after speech, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stares at the television camera and unleashes a hail of colorful insults against his opponents. Full Story

Cyber security 'needs a global approach'Posted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 9:14pmThe world has to unite against the growing menace of cyber terrorism, IT experts said on Thursday, evoking a recent "cyber war" against Georgia as the latest example of the threat. Full Story

Lingering ethnic tensions delaying Iraq withdrawalPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 9:15pmConcern over upcoming elections and widening tensions among Iraq's religious and ethnic groups appear behind the U.S. military's recommendation to put the brakes on withdrawing more American troops from Iraq despite improvements in security. Full Story

Iraqi police: Roadside bombs wound 14 in BaghdadPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 9:17pmA series of roadside bombs wounded at least 14 people Sunday in eastern Baghdad, police said, in a sign of the ongoing security threats despite a sharp reduction of violence in the Iraqi capital. Full Story

Roadside bomb kills Canadian soldier, wounds 7 others in AfghanistanPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 9:18pmCanada has lost its 97th soldier on the Afghanistan mission following a roadside bomb explosion today in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar. Full Story

Israel police: Indict Olmert on corruption chargesPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 9:19pmIt may have little political consequence, but Israel's police are recommending that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert be indicted in a string of corruption cases. Full Story

Petraeus to hand over Iraq command on Sept 16Posted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 9:20pmUS General David Petraeus, the man credited with curbing sectarian violence in Iraq, will hand the command of US-led forces in Iraq to General Raymond Odierno on September 16, his spokesman said Sunday. Full Story

Thailand's political turmoil shakes tourists and investorsPosted on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 9:23pmThe political turmoil playing out in Thailand's capital is damaging the kingdom's economy, hitting its thriving tourism sector and making investors wary, business leaders said. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.