CONFLICT & TERROR 09/13

Transportation Security Officers Have Renewed Focus & New Look on Seventh Anniversary of 9/11Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 10:44amStarting Sept. 11, 2008, transportation security officers at airport checkpoints nationwide will begin wearing new uniforms and badges, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today. Full Story

Morales expels divisionist US ambassadorPosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 10:49amEvo Morales, Bolivias first indigenous president, on Wednesday threatened a further deterioration of relations with Washington by demanding that the US ambassador leave the Andean country. The leftist head of state said he had asked Philip Goldberg to leave after accusing him of fomenting protests against his government, which is facing separatist movements. Full Story

Brazil raises rates as growth surgesPosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 10:50amBrazils central bank on Wednesday night increased interest rates - to 13.75 per cent, up from 13 per cent - after the country reported stronger-than-expected growth in the second quarter. The move put rates at their highest level in nearly two years. The government appeared to be delighted with the growth figures, which exceeded most analysts expectations. Full Story

Reports: No nukes for Russian bombers in VenezuelaPosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 10:52amTwo long-range bombers that flew to Venezuela in the first such Western Hemisphere flight since the Cold War carried no nuclear weapons, a news agency reported Thursday, citing a Russian air force official. The bombers flew to Venezuela before planned joint military maneuvers that appear to be a tit-for-tat response to the U.S. warships being used to deliver aid to U.S.-allied Georgia. Full Story

Hugo Chavez ally says coup plot discovered in VenezuelaPosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 10:53amA close ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says a plot to oust the leader has been discovered. Mario Silva, who hosts a program on state television, played a recording late Wednesday of a purported phone conversation in which alleged conspirators discussed plans to overthrow Chavez. Full Story

Not guilty: the Greenpeace activists who used climate change as a legal defencePosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 11:33amSix Greenpeace climate change activists have been cleared of causing #30,000 of criminal damage at a coal-fired power station in a verdict that is expected to embarrass the government and lead to more direct action protests against energy companies. Full Story

Piracy toll sparks international actionPosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 11:42amWith the number of vessels being held by pirates around Somalia reaching ten this week, the director of Beluga Shipping, owner of the hijacked BBC Trinidad, has requested a 'convoy arrangement' along a safety corridor from the German Navy. Full Story

Security specialists say US is more vulnerable to attackPosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 11:44amSome key measures experts have called for to thwart nuclear and biological terrorism have floundered since Sept. 11, 2001, increasing the risk that Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups will use a weapon of mass destruction and inflict far more civilian casualties, a government task force was warned yesterday. Full Story

Terrorism: Al-Qaeda remains 'dangerous', says Italian expertPosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 11:48amOsama Bin Laden is still alive but Al-Qaeda has lost the capacity to organise large-scale attacks, according to Italy's leading anti-terrorism expert, Stefano Dambruoso. Nevetheless, Dambruoso told Adnkronos on the anniversary of the 11 September attacks in the United States that Al-Qaeda was still a dangerous and widespread phenomenon that we would have to face for many years. Full Story

French police arrest 5 terror suspectsPosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 11:50amPolice in western France detained five people Thursday suspected of planning to carry out a terrorist attack, as the interior minister warned on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks that the threat of terrorism in France remains high. Full Story

Refusing To Go Overboard On SecurityPosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 11:54amIt was seven years ago today that 19 Islamic terrorists hijacked four commercial airlines and changed our nation forever. As we mark this solemn anniversary, questions remain regarding how safe we are today. Full Story

Ex-Pasco Deputy Agrees To Plead Guilty In Drug SchemePosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 11:55amA former Pasco County sheriff's deputy has agreed to plead guilty to federal drug and firearms charges. Don Riggans, 34, faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of life for possessing a firearm in connection with drug trafficking. He also has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to possess hydrocodone, a charge that carries up to five years behind bars. Full Story

Kosovo police cracks down on customs, six arrested for corruptionPosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 11:57amKosovo police said Thursday it has arrested the customs deputy director and five other customs officials suspected of allowing organized crime to smuggle vast amounts of fuel. Full Story

Mexico safety chiefs tough job: policing the policePosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 11:58amFederal police in the northern state of Coahuila had seven drug suspects in hand this week when they met a caravan of gun-toting men apparently intent on freeing the arrestees. The highway standoff quickly turned nasty, and bullets began to fly. When the shooting stopped, one of the would-be rescuers was dead and two were wounded. The federal police arrested 33 people. Full Story

20 people arrested in area marijuana raidsPosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 11:59amA task force of federal agents and local police raided 13 locations in King County Wednesday morning, seizing thousands of marijuana plants and arresting 20 people. Full Story

ICE Fights Human Trafficking and Human SmugglingPosted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 12:02pmHuman trafficking and human smuggling represent significant risks to homeland security. Would-be terrorists and criminals can often access the same routes and utilize the same methods being used by human smugglers. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Human Smuggling and Trafficking Unit works to identify criminals and organizations involved in these illicit activities. Full Story

Security Forces crush major terror attack at Vavuniya; 10 LTTE bodies foundPosted on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 11:57amLatest military reports received from Vavuniya reveal that a major attack launched by LTTE terrorists at the security forces headquarters Wanni and Air Force Base Vavuniya early this morning (Sept 9) was completely foiled. Fuill Story

Schumer finds dangerous gaps in anti-terror effortsPosted on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 11:58amThe United States has failed to close dangerous gaps in domestic security since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as the Bush administration continues "dragging its feet" in enforcing new security measures, Sen. Charles Schumer said yesterday. Full Story

Forces must be up-to-date, says PMPosted on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 11:59amAUSTRALIA'S armed forced must be better equipped to deal with new security threats associated with Asia's booming economies and expanding militaries, says Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Addressing the RSL National Congress tonight, Mr Rudd said Asia could be home to the largest and most dynamic economies in the world by 2020, posing new strategic risks for Australia. Full Story

WMD report: US remains 'dangerously vulnerable'Posted on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 12:00pmThe United States remains "dangerously vulnerable" to chemical, biological and nuclear attacks seven years after 9/11, a forthcoming independent study concludes. And a House Democrats' report says the Bush administration has missed one opportunity after another to improve the nation's security. Full Story

Terror trial's lessons felt in NZPosted on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 12:01pmThree British Muslims have been convicted of conspiracy to commit mass murder after being accused of plotting to blow up passenger planes in the UK, and their case has affected the way we travel in New Zealand and around the world. Full Story
Pair seized boy to test security, police sayPosted on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 12:03pmTwo North Las Vegas women were arrested Monday after police said they snatched a 6-year-old boy near Mackey Elementary School and kept him for more than two hours before handing him over to Clark County School District personnel. Full Story
Wales has third highest rate of violent crime'Posted on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 12:04pmWALES has the third highest rates of recorded violent crime in the world, shocking new figures reveal. Alcohol-fuelled fights in Welsh towns and city centres has helped propel the nation to the top of the crime league of 39 countries. Full Story
Russia prepares to launch Iran's nuclear plantPosted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 4:38amThe Russian state-run company building Iran's first nuclear plant said Monday that preparations for the reactor's launch had entered their final stage. Full Story
Health chiefs battle to bring back Iraqi doctorsPosted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 4:39amA kidney specialist who fled Iraq's bombings, kidnappings and sectarian killings 20 months ago has reported back to work at his Baghdad hospital  one of some 800 doctors who have returned over the summer. Full Story
8,000 Troops to Leave Iraq Next YearPosted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 4:39amPresident Bush has accepted the recommendation of his senior civilian and military advisers to reduce the number of American troops in Iraq by 8,000 in the early months of next year. Full Story
Deal aims to end violence in northern LebanonPosted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 4:40amRival groups signed an agreement Monday to end sectarian violence that has killed and wounded scores in the past three months in the northern city of Tripoli. Full Story
Qaeda down but not out in Saudi, YemenPosted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 4:41amOil-rich Saudi Arabia, home of most of the 9/11 hijackers, has largely neutralised local Al-Qaeda militants but they can not be written off so long as their "dogma" is alive, officials and experts say. Full Story
Syrian economy opens  will its politics follow?Posted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 4:41amAt the hip Costa coffeehouse downtown, young Syrians chat over cappuccinos and lattes, laptops propped before them. Shoppers at nearby boutiques try on Prada and Armani designs. Tourists stream in and out of the Four Seasons Hotel. Full Story
Arab states must act against Palestinian divisionPosted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 4:42amSaudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal on Monday voiced his exasperation over continuing internal violence between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas, urging the 22-state Arab League to take action. Full Story
Al Qaida 'lacks leadership'Posted on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 4:43amAl Qaida activists in Yemen do not follow Osama Bin Laden, Nasser Al Bahri, a former bodyguard of Bin Laden, told Gulf News. Full Story

Terror groups developing 'dirty bomb', say security chiefsPosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 7:22amIslamist 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

3 ships evade pirate attack off SomaliaPosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 7:23amPirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked three vessels off Somalia's coast but failed to hijack them because of quick action by crew members, a maritime official said Monday. A Chinese cargo ship, a Singaporean liquefied gas carrier and a Thai bulk carrier managed to thwart the pirates in the Gulf of Aden by increasing speed and taking evasive maneuvers, said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau. Full Story

U.S. drones kill 13 in missile attack in PakistanPosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 7:24amMissiles fired by U.S. drones killed 13 people, including 7 foreign militants, on Monday in a Pakistani village where a religious school founded by an old friend of Osama bin Laden is located, intelligence officials and witnesses said. Full Story

Russia says to send battleship to Caribbean SeaPosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 8:36amRussia will send a nuclear-powered battleship to the Caribbean for a joint naval exercise with Venezuela, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Monday. Full Story

Algeria: Attack by female suicide bomber foiledPosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 8:36amPolice in Algeria have broken up a terrorist cell in southern Algeria that they claim was poised to deploy a female suicide bomber in an attack against a military barracks. The terror cell was based in Waraqla and had four members: an engineer, a doctor, a teacher and woman whose profession was unspecified, according to Algerian press reports. Full Story

Top Taliban commander targeted in U.S. attack in Pakistani tribal areaPosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 11:15amUS predator drones struck the Pakistan base of a top Taliban commander on Monday, the latest hit in a concerted and controversial effort by the United States military to go after Taliban targets inside Pakistan. The aerial attack comes days after NATO troops crossed over into Pakistan to engage Taliban targets, sparking outrage from Pakistan's government. Full Story

Piracy Grips Gulf of AdenPosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 11:16amPirates have stepped up attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden, increasing insurance costs for ship owners and raising the specter of military intervention in one of the world's most important sea lanes. Full Story

Russian Troops Turn Away U.N. Convoy in GeorgiaPosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 11:17amRussian soldiers prevented international aid convoys from visiting Georgian villages on Monday in a blunt demonstration of power in a tense zone around the breakaway province of South Ossetia. The ambassadors of Sweden, Latvia and Estonia said they also had been barred from visiting villages beyond Russian checkpoints. Full Story

Town 'not prepared for terror attack'Posted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 11:19amCCTV coverage in Swindon is not sufficient to cope with a terrorist attack in the town centre. That is the conclusion of research into the boroughs fragmented CCTV system, which will be debated by Swindon Councils cabinet members this week. Full Story

Metro police alert in terror-prone areas ahead of 9/11Posted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 11:20amPolice in the National Capital Region (NCR) are closely monitoring key areas where terrorists could strike as the seventh anniversary of the attack on the US on Sept. 11, 2001 draws near, an official said Monday. In an interview, NCR Police Office director Geary Barias said the 9/11 anniversary on Thursday would be an added factor to the heightened security across Metro Manila. Full Story

Venezuela, Russia may hold joint naval exercisesPosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 11:23amPresident Hugo Chavez said Sunday that Venezuelan and Russian ships could soon hold joint naval exercises in the Caribbean  a move that would likely raise concerns in Washington. "Russia's naval fleet is welcome here," Chavez said on his weekly broadcast program. "If it's possible, we'll stage an exercise in our Caribbean waters." Full Story

Bulletproof designs add style to growing Mexico security industryPosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 11:24amA top-of-the-range metal detector guards the door of a slick store in the upscale Polanco district of Mexico City, where leather jackets, suits and shirts protect against more than the just the elements. Colombian Miguel Caballero's bulletproof clothes are one option for wealthy Mexicans seeking protection from escalating crime, in a private security industry that has mushroomed in recent years. Full Story

Australian jury retires to consider terrorism casePosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 11:26amA jury is considering its verdict in the trial of a Sydney man accused of terrorism offences. The Supreme Court jury has retired after the four-week trial of Belal Khazaal, who is accused of producing a document connected with terrorism and urging others to commit a terrorist act. Full Story

Bomb-making video of Al Qaeda terrorists bro hits internetPosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 11:27amA YouTube spoof video posted by the brother of an Al-Qaeda terrorist, in which he boasts how to make a bomb, is making rounds of internet circles. The video shows Musa Ahmet, 47, chillingly looking into the camera saying: Hi everybody. Im going to show you how to make a deadly bomb in two minutes. Full Story

Suspected US Missile Strikes Hit Taliban Stronghold in PakistanPosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 11:34amPakistani security officials say suspected U.S. drones on Monday attacked a Taliban stronghold in the troubled northwest region, killing six people and wounding at least 15 others. Security officials say the suspected drones fired missiles at a house and nearby seminary run by Taliban commander Jalauddin Haqqani. Full Story

Shots fired on Pa. university campus; nobody hurtPosted on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 3:45pmOfficials at Indiana University of Pennsylvania say someone fired gunshots into the air on the school's campus early Monday but no one was hurt. University spokeswoman Michelle Fryling says the suspects are not students. Campus police say one of the two suspects fired the gun while his friend was just "along for the ride." Full Story

U.S.targets Haqqani network in Afghan east, 2 heldPosted on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 3:24amThe U.S military said on Tuesday it had targeted the network of veteran Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani during an operation in eastern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan, and detained two suspected militants. Full Story

Deal aims to end violence in northern LebanonPosted on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 3:25amRival groups signed an agreement Monday to end sectarian violence that has killed and wounded scores in the past three months in the northern city of Tripoli. Full Story

Russia prepares to launch Iran's nuclear plantPosted on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 3:26amThe Russian state-run company building Iran's first nuclear plant said Monday that preparations for the reactor's launch had entered their final stage. Full Story

US missile attack on Taliban stronghold kills 14 in PakistanPosted on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 3:27amA US missile attack on a Taliban stronghold in Pakistan by an unmanned drone aircraft has killed at least 14 people, officials said. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.