CONFLICT & TERROR 09/19

Israeli FM Livni wins vote to succeed PM OlmertPosted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 5:21pmIsraeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni won a Kadima party vote on Wednesday to replace Ehud Olmert, putting her on track to succeed the scandal-plagued prime minister as head of the government, exit polls showed. The polls from three different television stations showed her winning between 47 and 49 percent of the vote, with a lead of at least 10 points over her main opponent, Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, giving her a clear victory. Full Story

Osama doesn't head Qaida day-to-day ops: CIAPosted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 6:56amOsama bin Laden is no longer believed to be the head of al-Qaida's day-to-day operations, but the United States' capturing or killing him would still have a powerful effect on the organization, CIA director Michael Hayden said. Full Story

Treasury Designates Iranian Military FirmsPosted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 7:56amThe U.S Department of the Treasury today designated six Iranian military firms that are owned or controlled by entities previously designated for their roles in Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, including Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) and Defense Industries Organization (DIO). Full Story

Sri Lankan Navy sinks 10 rebel boats, killing 25Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 7:56amThe Sri Lankan military says naval forces have sunk 10 Tamil Tiger boats and killed at least 25 rebel sailors in a major sea battle off the country's northwest. Full Story

Two suspected suicide bombers killed in NW Pakistan: policePosted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 9:49amTwo suspected suicide bombers blew themselves up in a northwestern Pakistani town Thursday after residents prevented their entry into the area, police said. The militants from Swat valley, a hotbed of Islamic extremists, entered into the nearby town of Upper Dir but people from the area chased them away, local police officer Johar Ali told AFP. "The militants entered into a school building but failed to get shelter," he said. Full Story

New Thai PM appeals for unity, protesters stay putPosted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 12:19pmThailand's new prime minister appealed for unity and reconciliation in his inaugural speech Thursday after weeks of political crisis, even as thousands of protesters refused to end their siege of the seat of government. Somchai Wongsawat, a 61-year-old former judge, is the brother-in-law of disgraced former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a point Thaksin's legions of opponents say should disqualify Somchai from holding the top office. Somchai has sought a conciliatory stance with the anti-government protesters who pressured his predecessor, Samak Sundaravej, to leave office. Full Story

Second Palestinian battalion begins U.S.-funded trainingPosted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 12:58pmAbout 500 members of a security force loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas crossed into Jordan on Thursday for U.S. funded training, the second such battalion to do so. Full Story

Karzai ally killed in battle with NATO troopsPosted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 2:17pmNATO-led troops killed an ally of President Hamid Karzai in southern Afghanistan during an overnight gunbattle, officials said Thursday. The Afghan president said the death resulted from a "misunderstanding between foreign and local forces." Ruzi Khan Barakzai, the former police chief of Uruzgan province and a tribal leader and militia commander, was killed outside the provincial capital of Tirin Kot, on Wednesday night. Full Story

Thirty injured in Kashmir attackPosted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 2:19pmAt least 30 people have been injured in a grenade attack in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, police say. The attack took place near a bunker of the security forces in the busy Budshah Chowk area of the city. It is still not clear who was behind the attack. Full Story

Markets stabilize as central banks pump in billionsPosted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 2:22pmNews that central banks around the world are pumping billions of dollars into money markets in a bid to ease the current financial turmoil appeared to calm stock markets across Europe and the United States Thursday. The package of up to $247 billion comes from the U.S. Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Swiss National Bank, the Bank of England, the Bank of Canada and the Bank of Japan. The injection of cash, which amounts to an expansion of up to $180 billion in available funds, is an effort to fuel economic activity. Full Story

Europe to patrol Somalian waters for piratesPosted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 4:57pmFighting between militant groups and the Nigerian military in the oil-rich Niger Delta on Wednesday entered a fifth day in the region's worst violence in two years, raising fears of an escalation in the unrest that has plagued the area. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, the most prominent of the insurgent groups in the region, has claimed responsibility for the daily attacks since Saturday on oil facilities run by various multinational companies. Full Story

Hackers shut down Iranian clerics' Web sitesPosted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 5:07pmIranian media reports say hackers have shut down the Web sites of several hundred Shiite clerics and seminary schools. Iran's state TV says the hackers were Sunni Muslims based outside Shiite Iran, suggesting a sectarian motive, though it did not say how it knew that. Full Story

19 killed in Mexican prison riotPosted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 5:47pmNineteen inmates have been killed and a dozen wounded during a riot in a Mexican prison, the second at the jail in less than a week. A local police official says the authorities have now regained control of the prison in the city of Tijuana. Full Story

Asian markets rally as US examines bank bailout planPosted on Friday, September 19, 2008 at 5:44amAsian stocks rallied Friday on the back of a rebound on Wall Street, as the US government and the world's central banks took action to keep the global financial crisis from deepening. The Shanghai market soared by nearly 9.5 percent in morning trade after China abolished a tax on stock transactions, hoping to reverse a slide on the bourse that threatened to affect millions of middle-class Chinese. Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei-225 index, which had slipped a day before to a more than three-year low, recovered by 3.30 percent in the morning session. Hong Kong shares jumped more than six percent. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.