CONFLICT & TERROR 01/21

Russia restarts gas supplies to Europe via UkrainePosted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 8:01amRussian natural gas began flowing into Europe on Tuesday after a nearly two-week cutoff that left large parts of the continent shivering and underscored its vulnerability and dependence on Russia's energy. Full Story

Jemaah Islamiyah weakening, but should not be written off: expertPosted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 8:02amThe Indonesian-based Islamic militant group Jemaah Islamiyah may have weakened as a group but individual members still remain a threat to regional security, an anti-terrorism expert said Tuesday. Full Story

22 Militants Killed in Afghanistan Coalition Ground, Air AssaultsPosted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 8:04amThe U.S. military says coalition forces in Afghanistan have killed 22 militants in a series of clashes throughout the country. Officials said the coalition's ground and air assaults took place Monday in southern and eastern Afghanistan. They said one operation targeted a Taliban network in Kapisa province, killing 18 insurgents and one Taliban commander. Full Story

China urges Hamas to 'face reality,' stop attacksPosted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 8:10amThe militant Islamic group Hamas should "face reality" and join the Middle East peace process, a Chinese envoy said Monday, adding the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians cannot be resolved by war. Full Story

Spanish police arrest 10 suspected Islamic extremistsPosted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 8:45amSpanish police arrested 10 suspected Islamic extremists in a series of raids Tuesday in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands, a source close to the inquiry said. Full Story

Chinese PM's trip 'snubs France'Posted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 8:48amChinese Premier Wen Jiabao is due to travel to Europe next week, the foreign ministry has announced - but his trip will pointedly exclude France. Mr Wen will visit Germany, Spain and Britain, as well as the EU in Brussels and the World Economic Forum in Davos. Full Story

UK: Government gives #1m to anti-extremist think-tank Quilliam FoundationPosted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 8:54amAlmost #1 million of public money is being given to a think-tank run by two former Islamic extremists, despite reservations being expressed by members of the Government and the Opposition. Full Story

Deadly bicycle bomb strikes as Afghan voter registration opensPosted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 9:09amTwo Afghan police officers and a civilian were killed after a remote-controlled bicycle bomb detonated in a central part of Kandahar city Tuesday. Witnesses said the bomb, planted on the bicycle, went off as a police pickup truck was driving by around 1:30 p.m. local time. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Full Story

Turkey's PM Presses for EU Membership, Pipeline AlternativePosted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 9:37amTurkey's prime minister and the head of the European Commission on Monday urged one another to do more to speed up Turkey's progress towards the European Union, especially in the field of energy security. Full Story

India test fires missile in province near PakistanPosted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 9:46amIndia tested its nuclear-capable Brahmos supersonic cruise missile Tuesday in a province bordering Pakistan, despite already tense relations with Islamabad following the Mumbai terror attacks, a news report said. Full Story

Taliban blow up 6 schools in SwatPosted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 9:46amThe Taliban on Monday blew up five boys and a girls school in the restive Swat district, locals and officials said on Monday. The Taliban planted bombs around the buildings of five schools, which detonated late on Sunday, while the sixth was detonated on Monday afternoon. No reports of casualties were received. Meanwhile, two security personnel were injured in a remote-controlled bomb attack on their vehicle in Shand area of Madian on Monday, sources said. Full Story
Wanted militant arrested at Chennai airportPosted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 9:47amA suspected militant, wanted in various cases, including a letter bomb case, was arrested at the airport here on Tuesday, the police said. Full Story

World agenda: Positive signs from US invasion of Iraq beginning to be seenPosted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 9:50amAs George Bush leaves office under a cloud of criticism, he can take comfort in the signs of democracy emerging across Iraq, a country that defined his presidency and became his greatest challenge.

Campaign posters cover walls in towns and cities, while billboards promising unity and change stand in the darkest depths of the countryside as political parties spread their message ahead of provincial elections on January 31. Full Story

Taliban bomb kills Afghan policePosted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 11:47amThe Taliban claimed responsibility for a roadside bomb that killed at least two police officers in Kandahar Tuesday, while coalition troops said they killed 22 militants, including two Taliban commanders, in raids elsewhere.

Two police officers died when a bomb targeting their vehicle went off Tuesday morning in the center of the southern city of Kandahar, said Zulmai Ayoubi, the spokesman for the governor of Kandahar province. The blast wounded two other officers and a civilian. Full Story

3 men deny conspiring with London transit bombersPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 8:52amA prosecutor on Monday accused three British men of scouting out potential targets on behalf of suicide bombers who killed 52 commuters on London's transit system in 2005. Full Story

Britain launches new bank bailout to boost lendingPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 8:53amBritain announced a new bank bailout Monday to boost lending into a struggling economy and protect banks from the bad assets sinking their balance sheets  an admission that an earlier sweeping rescue plan didn't do the job. Full Story

Video threatens Germany over AfghanistanPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 8:54amGerman authorities said Sunday that they believe a purported al-Qaida video in which a man threatens Germany over its military presence in Afghanistan is authentic. Full Story

Yemen tribesmen 'kidnap German'Posted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 8:58amArmed Yemeni tribesmen have kidnapped a German engineer and two of his colleagues, a Yemeni gas firm has said. The incident involving employees of Yemen LNG happened in Shabwa region, east of the capital Sanaa, on Sunday. Full Story

Maritime hijacks hit record levels: studyPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 9:00amPiracy in the Gulf of Aden pushed the number of marine hijackings to record levels last year, according to the latest figures from the Piracy Reporting Centre.

Part of the London-based ICC International Maritime Bureau, the Piracy Reporting Centre said that the 2008 figures surpass all figures for hijacked vessels and hostages taken since it began reporting in 1992. Full Story

Turkey tries to revive EU drivePosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 9:03amTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has begun a visit to Brussels for talks on his country's flagging bid to join the European Union. He will meet the European Commission president and other senior officials. Full Story

Lawyer in prominent Chechnya cases slain in MoscowPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 10:17amA lawyer who had opposed the early release of a Russian colonel convicted of killing a Chechen woman was shot and killed after a press conference in central Moscow on Monday, officials said. Full Story

Bulgaria gets emergency gas supply from GreecePosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 11:10amGreece has started pumping natural gas to Bulgaria amid the European energy crisis caused by the halt of natural gas supplies from Russia. Full Story

Russia, Ukraine sign contract on gas supplies for 2009-2019Posted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 12:33pmRussian energy giant Gazprom and Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz signed on Monday a contract on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine for 2009-2019. Full Story

Leading Russian defence lawyer shot dead in MoscowPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 12:39pmA Russian defence lawyer famous for his work in one of Russia's most infamous criminal cases was shot dead in central Moscow this afternoon. Stanislav Markelov was shot close to the Kremlin by a man using a pistol with a silencer. Before escaping, his assassin also shot and seriously wounded two women walking with the lawyer. Full Story

Pakistan: Swat Girls' Schools to Reopen Despite ThreatPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 12:41pmPakistan's Information Minister Sherry Rehman says the government intends to reopen girls' schools in the northwestern Swat Valley, despite a ban issued by the local Taliban. Rehman told reporters in Karachi Sunday efforts will be made to ensure that classes resume on March 1, following the winter break. Full Story

Unleashed CIA Zapped 8 Qaeda Lieutenants Since JulyPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 12:42pmIn one of his final acts in office, President Bush has been trying to settle unfinished business in his internationally-unpopular global war on terror. No, he hasnt killed Osama Bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri or Abu Ayyub al-Masri. No, he hasnt pulled all U.S. troops out of Iraq. No, he hasnt closed Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib or Bagrams prisons. Full Story

Sri Lankan troops press offensive against TigersPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 12:43pmSri Lankan soldiers and Tamil Tiger rebels fought heavy battles during an army push to corner the separatist insurgents on the Indian Ocean island's northeast coast, the military said on Monday. The fighting on Sunday took place at several locations around the shrinking wedge of jungle that is all the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) still control, with analysts saying the 25-year war is near its end. Full Story

Employees resume strike at Hungary's main airportPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 12:43pmThe operator of Hungary's main airport says employees have gone on strike there and passengers may face delays. Full Story

Pakistan reopens NATO supply route after brief haltPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 12:44pmPakistan reopened a main NATO supply route to Afghanistan Monday after the road was briefly closed by a rebel rocket attack that killed one soldier and wounded 10 others, officials said. Full Story

Russia and Ukraine sign 10-year gas supply dealPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 12:44pmRussia and Ukraine signed a 10-year gas supply deal on Monday to clear the way for a prompt resumption of supplies to a freezing Europe, cut off for nearly two weeks by a dispute between the ex-Soviet states. Full Story

Suicide attack near US base kills 1 AfghanPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 12:44pmA suicide car bomb attack near the gates of a U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan killed one Afghan on Monday and wounded several more, officials said. The attack targeted Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost City, near the border with Pakistan, said Lt. Cmdr. James Gater, a spokesman for the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. Full Story

Police: Greek shipping magnate releasedPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 7:41pmPolice say kidnappers have released an elderly and ill Greek shipping magnate, eight days after they snatched him at gunpoint in a seaside suburb of Athens. Full Story

RBS expects full-year loss up to 28 billion poundsPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 7:42pmCrisis-stricken Royal Bank of Scotland took fresh help from the government on Monday and announced that its losses for last year could reach 28 billion pounds ($41.3 billion)  the biggest ever for a British corporation. Full Story

French police arrest three for synagogue attackPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 7:44pmFrench police arrested three people on suspicion of involvement in a petrol bomb attack on a synagogue earlier this month, officials said Monday. About a dozen people were inside the synagogue in the southwestern city of Toulouse when a car was set on fire and pushed into the door of the building, which suffered only slight damage. Full Story

Colombia Army Rescues 10 FARC Rebel CaptivesPosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 9:32amThe Colombian army on Thursday rescued 10 peasants who had been kidnapped by FARC rebels on Dec. 20 in a rural part of the central province of Meta, a senior officer said. The commander of the army's 4th Division, Gen. Luis Zapata, confirmed Thursday that the peasants were rescued in the Sumapaz area, not far from Bogota, and were being taken to the Colombian capital. Full Story

Dissident Group Reports Cuba Still Has 207 Political PrisonersPosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 9:38amThe dissident Cuban Commission on Human Rights reported that the island's communist regime continues to hold 207 political prisoners. In a message addressed to the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and released Monday in Havana, the commission said that 57 of the political detainees have been adopted by Amnesty International as prisoners of conscience. Full Story

2 Mexican police assigned to Interpol chargedPosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 9:39amTwo Mexican police officials formerly assigned to top positions in Mexico's Interpol offices were charged with having ties to drug cartels, the Attorney General's Office announced Thursday. The two ex-officials have been under house arrest since they were detained in November on suspicion of aiding cartels in exchange for money. Full Story

Latin America to hold summit to fight crimePosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 9:48amViolence and drug-trafficking have become such a major threat to Latin America that the presidents of Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala and Panama will sit around a table Friday in Panama to discuss what they can do about it. Their summit comes at a particularly troubled time for these governments, especially Mexico, which tallied a record number of drug-related killings last year. Full Story

Protesters clash with police in LithuaniaPosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 9:52amPolice used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse anti-government protesters throwing rocks and eggs at Lithuania's Parliament on Friday. One police officer and several other people were injured in the clashes. Police said one protester lost a finger after being hit by a rubber bullet. Full Story

Doctor cleared in British terror plot free on bailPosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 9:52amA Jordanian doctor cleared of involvement in botched car bomb attacks in London and Scotland but still facing a deportation order has been granted bail and freed. Full Story

Russia hopes US will not seek NATO expansionPosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 9:53amForeign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Russia hopes the new U.S. president will not raise tensions by making Ukrainian and Georgian membership in NATO a priority. Full Story

Russia 'plans Mid-East sea bases'Posted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 9:55amRussia has taken a political decision to establish naval bases in Libya, Syria and Yemen, according to a Russian naval official quoted in the media. The unnamed official from the general naval staff told the Russian state news agency Itar-Tass that bases would be set up "within a few years". Full Story

Damage Apparently Kept Secret at German Nuclear Waste SitePosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 10:25amThe heat has been turned up on Germany's radiation protection office after it was revealed that an old salt mine in the German state of Lower Saxony, where nuclear waste is being stored, has sustained damaged. Full Story

Bomb explodes in Spain's Basque region, none hurtPosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 10:27amPolice say a bomb has exploded at a television re-transmitter outside a town in Spain's northern Basque region, causing damages but no injuries. A spokesman for the Ertzaintza Basque regional force says the blast occurred around 1 a.m. (0000 GMT) on a hill outside the town of Hernani. He said the installation was not located near houses. Full Story

Spanish police smash drug, money laundering ringPosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 10:28amFive of the nine arrested had Colombian nationality and all were linked to a top Colombian drug trafficker, currently at large, who owned a number of bars and restaurants in the southern Murcia region, a police statement said. Full Story

Bombs explode in Chile capitalPosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 10:42amTwo bombs exploded nearly simultaneously around midnight in front of public buildings in Santiago, but no injuries were reported, Chilean police said Monday. A spokesman for the Carabineros militarized police force told Efe that a previously unknown anarchist group took responsibility for the bombings, which caused some damage. Full Story

South Florida Hotels Tutored on TerrorismPosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 11:59amA parade of speakers discussed anthrax, explosives and terrorist tactics at a standing room only seminar Thursday on Miami Beach. The crowd at the Shore Club on Collins drive was not made up of visitors, but those who host visitors: Hotel managers and hotel security chiefs. Full Story

Homemade bombs now top threat in Kandahar, Canadians sayPosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 12:00pmThe number of homemade bombs littering the Kandahar landscape has more than doubled in the past year, Canadian military officials say, making these improvised explosives the No. 1 threat against coalition troops in the province. Full Story

Turkish military criticizes coup plot probePosted on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 2:43pmTurkey's secular military, disturbed by the arrests of dozens of military officers in an alleged plot to topple the Islamic-rooted government, criticized the handling of the investigation as unfair and irresponsible Friday. Full Story

Mexican collapse? Drug wars worry some AmericansPosted on Sunday, January 18, 2009 at 12:08pmIndiscriminate kidnappings. Nearly daily beheadings. Gangs that mock and kill government agents. This isn't Iraq or Pakistan. It's Mexico, which the U.S. government and a growing number of experts say is becoming one of the world's biggest security risks. Full Story

The Doomsday MemoPosted on Sunday, January 18, 2009 at 12:11pmEven as most of Washington prepares to greet the new president, there are people in that city who are hard at work drawing up plans for a worst-case scenario. They are deeply aware of the chilling possibility that looms over the transition of power from President Bush to President Obama, reports CBS News correspondent Rita Braver.

"The most urgent threat that he'll have to deal with, and other presidents after him will have to deal with, is an attack on our homeland," Mr. Bush said in his news conference on Jan. 12. Full Story

Before the Handover Comes the SleepoverPosted on Sunday, January 18, 2009 at 12:14pmAs night falls on inauguration eve, a government slumber party of historic dimensions will begin. Nearly 6,000 soldiers will unroll their sleeping bags in D.C. schools. Homeland Security employees will climb onto bunk beds in trailers. FBI agents will stretch out on cots in a District church hall. Full Story

Pakistani Taliban blow up schools in SwatPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 6:43amPakistani Taliban insurgents destroyed four schools in the northwestern Swat region on Monday hours after a cabinet minister vowed that the government would reopen schools in the violence-plagued valley. Full Story

2 killed during attack on AU force in SomaliaPosted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 6:44amAt least two civilians were killed during an attack on African Union peacekeepers by an extremist Islamic group in the Somali capital, witnesses said on Sunday. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.