CONFLICT & TERROR 12/31

HAPPY NEW YEAR

China Says Man Confessed to Bus BombingsPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 9:57amPolice officials say that a man who died Christmas Eve after trying to plant a bomb at a coffee shop in the southwestern city of Kunming was also responsible for a pair of bus bombings there in July that killed two people and wounded 14, state news media reported Sunday. Full Story

Barak: Israel in 'all-out war' with HamasPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 9:58amIsrael is in "all-out war" with Hamas, the nation's defense minister said Monday as Israeli jets continued to hammer targets in Gaza and the Palestinian death toll reportedly topped 300. Full Story

SCENARIOS-Assessing risks of India, Pakistan confrontationPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 10:00amSince militants killed 179 people in an assault on Mumbai, India has withstood internal pressure to unleash a military attack on Pakistan soil. Internal dynamics and diplomatic responses are still evolving since the Nov. 26-29 attack. With relations fraught between rivals who have fought three wars, here is a look at some scenarios that could unfold. Full Story

Thousands of protesters surround Thai ParliamentPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 11:18amPolitics returned to the streets in Thailand on Monday as thousands of anti-government demonstrators surrounded the Parliament building, forcing a delay in the legislature's opening session under a new government. Full Story

Kashmir parties work on cobbling together coalitionPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 11:19amPolitical parties in Kashmir tried to stitch together a coalition on Monday after elections seen as a vote for better governance in the disputed region rather than acceptance of Indian rule. Full Story

Marked changes in world's political, economic landscapePosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 11:20amThe world has undergone remarkable changes this year, but international security situation on the whole remained stable with "peace" and "development" prevailing as the themes of the times. Full Story

Iranian group registers volunteers to fight IsraelPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 11:49amA group of influential conservative Iranian clerics launched an online registration drive on Monday seeking volunteers to fight against Israel in response to its air assault on the Gaza Strip. About 3,550 people registered Monday with the Combatant Clergy Society's Web site. The weeklong online campaign gives volunteers three options on ways they can fight Israel: military, financial and propaganda. Full Story

Lehman chiefs destroyed $75bn of bank's value in hoursPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 1:22pmThe bosses of Lehman Brothers destroyed as much as $75 billion (#51.3 billion) of the company's value by rushing the stricken investment bank into a surprise bankruptcy filing, an analysis by Lehman's liquidators has found. Full Story

Oil rises on Middle East tensionsPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 1:25pmCrude oil prices have climbed on concerns that Israel's attacks on Hamas could disrupt oil production and threaten supplies from the Middle East. Full Story

Jordan MPs want ties with Israel reviewedPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 1:25pmJordan's parliament has urged the government to "reconsider" its ties with Israel if the Jewish state does not halt a massive air blitz of the Gaza Strip, a prominent MP said on Monday. Full Story

Iran hardliners register volunteers to fight IsraelPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 1:26pmA group of Iranian hard-line clerics is signing up volunteers to fight in the Gaza Strip in response to Israel's air strikes that have killed at least 300 Palestinians, a news agency reported on Monday. Full Story

Attacking Gaza, Israel Worries About LebanonPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 1:27pmAs Israel continues its air offensive against Hamas in the Gaza strip, one unsettling specter has emerged from the recent past: the failed campaign to crush the Lebanese militants of Hizballah in July 2006. Lebanon was clearly on the minds of Israel's military planners. Even as Hamas targets were pounded in Gaza, Israeli jets flew low level saber-rattling sorties over southern Lebanon, a warning to militants not to launch reprisal attacks along Israel's volatile northern border. Full Story

Gaza attack dominates Gulf meetingPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 1:28pmThree days of Israeli assaults on Gaza appeared likely to dominate an annual Gulf Arab leaders' meeting, casting a pall Monday on a gathering aimed at finalizing monetary pacts, including a long-delayed push to unify the currencies of the oil rich nations. Full Story

Gazprom to meet EU gas needsPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 1:28pmThe board of directors at Russian energy giant Gazprom Monday said they would meet European gas demands despite a row with transit country Ukraine. Full Story

Mexican officer accused of working with cartelsPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 3:15pmMexicans got new word Saturday of the narcotics mafias' relentless efforts to infiltrate the government here when authorities accused a midranking army officer in the elite presidential guard of selling information about the whereabouts of President Felipe Caldersn to the drug lords. Full Story

Taliban claim suicide blast that killed 14 Afghan childrenPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 3:16pmAfghanistan's extremist Taliban network on Monday claimed responsibility for a weekend suicide car bombing that the NATO military force said killed 14 children and two adults. Full Story

Security to be tightened for Chennai OpenPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 3:17pmSecurity will be tightened ahead of next week's Chennai Open ATP tennis tournament following the militant attacks in Mumbai, a tournament official said on Monday. Independent security consultant Reg Dickason will inspect the venue in the southern city for the January 5-11 event and the players will receive a briefing. Full Story

Al Qaeda may hit UK next: reportPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 3:20pmWhere is Al Qaeda going to hit next? tops a list of 14 key questions the Observer said would dominate the headlines in 2009 and concluded that the most likely next target would be the UK. However, before discussing the likely targets of Al Qaeda during the next year, Observer correspondent Jason Burke in his report claims that the terror organisation leadership itself was now on the run because of attacks from US drones in Pakistans tribal areas and also that Bin Laden was under attack from within the jihadi movement for failing to stage any major attack since 9/11. Full Story

Ukrainian ship standoff enters 96th dayPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 3:26pmNegotiations between Somali pirates and the owners of the hijacked Ukrainian ship MV Faina reached their 96th day Monday with no resolution, observers said. Full Story

Somalia president resigns; new unity government seenPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 3:28pmThe resignation of Somalia's embattled president today should clear the path for a new unity government, officials and diplomats said. Abdullahi Yusuf, a former warlord who had served as president of a transitional government since 2004, submitted his resignation to parliament and immediately returned to his native Puntland region in northern Somalia. Full Story

Kim cheered at public appearance: reportsPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 3:33pmKim Jong Il attended a concert by North Korea's state orchestra, state media said Monday, the latest official report to portray the reclusive leader as healthy amid speculation he suffered a stroke in August. Full Story

Suicide bombers kill 4 in AfghanistanPosted on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 3:34pmTwo suicide bombers struck in Afghanistan's Parwan and Kandahar provinces Monday, killing at least four people and injuring many more, authorities said. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.