Baghdad
- Around 1 p.m. a suicide car bomb targeted Al Rasheed police station in Al Yousifiyah, killing four policemen and one civilian and injuring seven policemen and one civilian.
- Police found three bodies in Baghdad; one in Doura, Kasra and Camp Sara.
Diyala
- A mortar shell slammed into Al Salam town (about 25 Kilometers north of Baquba) and hit a house near the town's police station killing one child and injuring two others.
- Gunmen killed three men in Baladrouz market today.
Salahuddin
- One mortar shell landed in Balad city causing damages to one shop.
- Gunmen kidnapped a citizen in Al Touz town, Iraqi police said.
Anbar
- The U.S. military and Iraqi police said one Iraqi police officer was killed and one marine was injured in an altercation at a joint outpost in the Jazeera area of Ramadi on Wednesday.
The police officer died of stab wounds and the marine was treated for minor injuries from lacerations at a military hospital.
The U.S. military said the incident is under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Colleagues of the police officer said the man's throat was slit.
Courtesy McClatchy Newspapers
Friday, December 21, 2007
CONFLICT & TERR0R 12/21
Georgia crackdown 'went too far'Posted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 7:05amUS-based rights body Human Rights Watch has accused the Georgian government of "crossing the line" in its crackdown on opposition protests last month. Full Story
Army Expansion Plans OutlinedPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 7:06amThe Pentagon will send six new combat brigades to bases in Texas, Georgia, and Colorado in the coming years as part of an extensive plan to increase the size of the Army. As the Army moves to grow by 74,000 Soldiers by 2010, officials Dec. 19 mapped out decisions to add the combat brigades and eight support units around the country, as well an agreement to delay moving two brigades out of Germany until 2012-2013. The overall effort would cost $66.4 billion in 743 military construction projects through 2013. Full Story
U.S., Turkey to Improve Anti PKK PlansPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 7:06amU.S. and Turkish military officials are working to streamline procedures for any future attacks against rebels in northern Iraq after top American officials in Baghdad were angered about how Turkish bombing inside Iraq on Dec. 16 unfolded. Full Story
Fort Dix Suspects Get Bail HearingPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 7:08amThe federal jail holding five men accused of plotting an attack on Fort Dix has promised the men will get better access to evidence in their case as a judge considers letting them out on bail. A bail hearing is scheduled Dec. 20 for the men, charged with preparing to sneak onto the military base and shoot soldiers. Full Story
E-mail threat to blow up Parliament, Taj MahalPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 7:09amAn e-mail purportedly from Al-Qaeda militant outfit threatening to target a few judges and blow up Parliament and the Taj Mahal has been received by the Delhi High Court. Full Story
Manila mutineers 'to be released'Posted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 8:30amThe Philippines government has ordered the early release of 53 military officers involved in a failed mutiny in 2003, the country's army chief says. Hermogenes Esperon said they were being freed one month early to allow them to spend Christmas with their families. Full Story
Bhutto says Pakistan spies press candidates to quitPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 8:40amPakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto said on Thursday the government had ordered security forces to close her offices, while intelligence agents were pressuring candidates to drop out of a January election. But Bhutto said despite that, Pakistanis were so fed up with inflation and unemployment it would be difficult for supporters of President Pervez Musharraf to rig a victory in the January 8 parliamentary poll. Full Story
Tensions rise at Islamic school protestPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 9:32amAustralian police broke up a large crowd protesting on Wednesday night against plans to build an Islamic school on Sydney's rural outskirts, with some vowing to assault Muslim students and their families if it proceeds. A male protester told local radio outside a meeting called to oppose the school's construction that if it was approved, "about 30 Aussies" would attack any Muslim who showed up. Full Story
Suicide bomber kills 13 Iraqi volunteersPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 9:32amA suicide bomber exploded a belt packed with explosives at a recruiting station for neighbourhood patrols in Iraq's restive Diyala province on Thursday, killing 13 volunteers and wounding 10, police said. Police said U.S. forces may have also been among the casualties in the attack that took place in Kanaan, 20 km (12 miles) southeast of Baquba, the province's capital north of Baghdad. A spokesman for U.S. forces confirmed an incident had taken place there but said he did not have any details. The police said the casualty toll could rise. Full Story
Iran nuclear plant won't start before end-2008:RussiaPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 9:33amIran's first nuclear power plant Bushehr will not be operational until at least the end of 2008, Russian news agencies quoted the head of the company building the facility as saying on Thursday. "I have promised to clear up the date when the construction of the Bushehr power plant will be completed but can say for sure that the station will not be launched before the end of 2008," RIA news agency quoted Sergei Shmatko, the president of state-run Atomstroiexport, as saying during a visit to China. Russia said on Dec. 17 it had delivered the first shipment of nuclear fuel to Bushehr, a step Moscow and Washington said should convince Tehran to shut down its own disputed uranium enrichment programme. Full Story
Gaza fighters die in Israeli raidPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 9:34amIsraeli tanks and troops have raided the central Gaza Strip, killing at least two Palestinian fighters, hospital officials said. They said Israeli forces operating east of Maghazi refugee camp, a few hundred metres in from Gaza's boundary fence, fired on a group of fighters, killing two and wounding several others. The Islamic Jihad group claimed the two dead men as its own. Full Story
Powerful Iraq cleric may extend freeze on militiaPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 9:37amIraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is considering extending a freeze on the activities of his powerful Mehdi Army militia, his spokesman said. "Yes, there is a chance that the freeze on the Mehdi Army will be extended," Salah al-Ubaidy told Reuters late on Wednesday. Ubaidy did not say how long another extension might last or why the group was thinking of extending a freeze that U.S. commanders say has helped ease overall levels of violence in Iraq. Full Story
France holds 'al-Qaeda suspects'Posted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 10:40amFrench police are questioning five men suspected of links to al-Qaeda's branch in Algeria, reports from France say. They are part of a group of eight held in France earlier this week, reports quoting police officials say. Three other men have since been released. he men are believed to be members of a support network for al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb (AQLIM). The AQLIM has said it was behind bomb attacks on UN offices in Algeria on 11 December that killed nearly 40 people. Full Story
Ceremony marks extended EU borderPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 11:14amA checkpoint between Austria and Slovakia has been dismantled in a symbolic ceremony marking the enlargement of the Schengen area. At midnight, nine new countries will join the pact, bringing an end to border controls from Estonia to Malta. Celebrations are due to take place in all the countries involved. Full Story
Guantanamo detainee freed on bailPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 11:43amA UK resident released by the US from Guantanamo Bay has been released on bail after appearing in court under a Spanish extradition warrant. Magistrates are considering whether to extradite Jamil El-Banna to Spain to face allegations of terror offenses. Spanish lawyers accused him of being part of an al-Qaeda cell and recruiting people to terror training camps. Full Story
Hundreds march for democracy in MacauPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:36pmHundreds of workers marched on Macua's government Thursday in a rare protest demanding full democracy in this booming Chinese casino enclave. Protesters said a lack of democracy breeds corruption and prevents the working class from reaping the benefits of Macau's economic growth thanks to the territory's vibrant gambling industry that has lured Las Vegas brands including Venetian, Wynn and MGM. Full Story
Sri Lanka to start oil exploration in volatile northPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:44pmSri Lanka plans to invite oil companies to explore for petroleum deposits in new areas in the north of the island, a senior minister said, where Tamil Tiger rebels are active. The petroleum ministry has been given the government nod to kick off exploration in the Sri Lankan side of Cauvery Basin, media minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said Thursday. Full Story
Man cleared of Omagh bombingPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 1:49pmA man accused of carrying out Northern Ireland's worst terror attack in 30 years was cleared on all charges on Thursday. Sean Hoey was found not guilty on 29 counts of murder relating to the August 1998 bombing in the town of Omagh which killed 29 people and wounded more than 300. Full Story
Authorities declare emergency in quake-hit New Zealand cityPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 4:06pmA state of emergency was declared on Friday for the centre of the eastern New Zealand city of Gisborne after a powerful 6.8 earthquake flattened buildings and caused widespread damage. No major injuries have been reported after Thursday night's quake, which was felt throughout much of New Zealand, but residents of Gisborne, on the east coast of the North Island, woke to widespread devastation. Full Story
Several feared dead in blast at Pakistan mosquePosted on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 12:28amSeveral people were feared dead after a blast during Muslim Eid festival prayers at a mosque on Friday in northwest Pakistan, police and officials said. "The explosion took place when the worshippers were offering prayers," Bacha Gul Wazir, home secretary of the North West Frontier Province, told Reuters. Full Story
Bermuda Premier Wins AgainPosted on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 12:31amPremier Ewart Brown of the Progressive Labour Party of Bermuda was yesterday returned to office according to the Parliamentary Registrars Office in Hamilton. Results on the Offices website last night showed the ruling party on the wealthy, North Atlantic island with a win of 22 seats compared to the opposition United Bermuda Partys 14. Full Story
14 African nations face meningitis epidemic: Red CrossPosted on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 12:33amRed Cross officials warned Thursday that 14 African countries could face one of the worst meningitis epidemics in recent memory and announced prevention campaigns in the affected areas. "The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is launching meningitis prevention activities in 14 countries across Africa to get ready for what could be one of the worst meningitis epidemics in a decade," a statement said. Full Story
Bin Laden's driver is not POW, U.S. judge saysPosted on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 12:36amOsama bin Laden's driver is not a prisoner of war as defined by the Geneva Conventions and can be tried by a Guantanamo war crimes tribunal, a U.S. military judge ruled in a decision made public on Thursday. The judge said Yemeni prisoner Salim Ahmed Hamdan is an "unlawful enemy combatant" under the law passed by Congress last year to provide a legal basis to try non-Americans on terrorism charges in a special war crimes court at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Full Story
US Commander Asks Iran to Stop Bomb Supplies to Iraq, AfghanistanPosted on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 12:38amThe commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East has called on Iran to officially stop helping insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. The officer spoke after visiting soldiers at a U.S. military hospital in Germany who had been wounded in Iraq by high-powered roadside bombs supplied by Iran. VOA's Al Pessin reports from Landstuhl, Germany. Full Story
Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.
Army Expansion Plans OutlinedPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 7:06amThe Pentagon will send six new combat brigades to bases in Texas, Georgia, and Colorado in the coming years as part of an extensive plan to increase the size of the Army. As the Army moves to grow by 74,000 Soldiers by 2010, officials Dec. 19 mapped out decisions to add the combat brigades and eight support units around the country, as well an agreement to delay moving two brigades out of Germany until 2012-2013. The overall effort would cost $66.4 billion in 743 military construction projects through 2013. Full Story
U.S., Turkey to Improve Anti PKK PlansPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 7:06amU.S. and Turkish military officials are working to streamline procedures for any future attacks against rebels in northern Iraq after top American officials in Baghdad were angered about how Turkish bombing inside Iraq on Dec. 16 unfolded. Full Story
Fort Dix Suspects Get Bail HearingPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 7:08amThe federal jail holding five men accused of plotting an attack on Fort Dix has promised the men will get better access to evidence in their case as a judge considers letting them out on bail. A bail hearing is scheduled Dec. 20 for the men, charged with preparing to sneak onto the military base and shoot soldiers. Full Story
E-mail threat to blow up Parliament, Taj MahalPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 7:09amAn e-mail purportedly from Al-Qaeda militant outfit threatening to target a few judges and blow up Parliament and the Taj Mahal has been received by the Delhi High Court. Full Story
Manila mutineers 'to be released'Posted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 8:30amThe Philippines government has ordered the early release of 53 military officers involved in a failed mutiny in 2003, the country's army chief says. Hermogenes Esperon said they were being freed one month early to allow them to spend Christmas with their families. Full Story
Bhutto says Pakistan spies press candidates to quitPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 8:40amPakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto said on Thursday the government had ordered security forces to close her offices, while intelligence agents were pressuring candidates to drop out of a January election. But Bhutto said despite that, Pakistanis were so fed up with inflation and unemployment it would be difficult for supporters of President Pervez Musharraf to rig a victory in the January 8 parliamentary poll. Full Story
Tensions rise at Islamic school protestPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 9:32amAustralian police broke up a large crowd protesting on Wednesday night against plans to build an Islamic school on Sydney's rural outskirts, with some vowing to assault Muslim students and their families if it proceeds. A male protester told local radio outside a meeting called to oppose the school's construction that if it was approved, "about 30 Aussies" would attack any Muslim who showed up. Full Story
Suicide bomber kills 13 Iraqi volunteersPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 9:32amA suicide bomber exploded a belt packed with explosives at a recruiting station for neighbourhood patrols in Iraq's restive Diyala province on Thursday, killing 13 volunteers and wounding 10, police said. Police said U.S. forces may have also been among the casualties in the attack that took place in Kanaan, 20 km (12 miles) southeast of Baquba, the province's capital north of Baghdad. A spokesman for U.S. forces confirmed an incident had taken place there but said he did not have any details. The police said the casualty toll could rise. Full Story
Iran nuclear plant won't start before end-2008:RussiaPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 9:33amIran's first nuclear power plant Bushehr will not be operational until at least the end of 2008, Russian news agencies quoted the head of the company building the facility as saying on Thursday. "I have promised to clear up the date when the construction of the Bushehr power plant will be completed but can say for sure that the station will not be launched before the end of 2008," RIA news agency quoted Sergei Shmatko, the president of state-run Atomstroiexport, as saying during a visit to China. Russia said on Dec. 17 it had delivered the first shipment of nuclear fuel to Bushehr, a step Moscow and Washington said should convince Tehran to shut down its own disputed uranium enrichment programme. Full Story
Gaza fighters die in Israeli raidPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 9:34amIsraeli tanks and troops have raided the central Gaza Strip, killing at least two Palestinian fighters, hospital officials said. They said Israeli forces operating east of Maghazi refugee camp, a few hundred metres in from Gaza's boundary fence, fired on a group of fighters, killing two and wounding several others. The Islamic Jihad group claimed the two dead men as its own. Full Story
Powerful Iraq cleric may extend freeze on militiaPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 9:37amIraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is considering extending a freeze on the activities of his powerful Mehdi Army militia, his spokesman said. "Yes, there is a chance that the freeze on the Mehdi Army will be extended," Salah al-Ubaidy told Reuters late on Wednesday. Ubaidy did not say how long another extension might last or why the group was thinking of extending a freeze that U.S. commanders say has helped ease overall levels of violence in Iraq. Full Story
France holds 'al-Qaeda suspects'Posted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 10:40amFrench police are questioning five men suspected of links to al-Qaeda's branch in Algeria, reports from France say. They are part of a group of eight held in France earlier this week, reports quoting police officials say. Three other men have since been released. he men are believed to be members of a support network for al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb (AQLIM). The AQLIM has said it was behind bomb attacks on UN offices in Algeria on 11 December that killed nearly 40 people. Full Story
Ceremony marks extended EU borderPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 11:14amA checkpoint between Austria and Slovakia has been dismantled in a symbolic ceremony marking the enlargement of the Schengen area. At midnight, nine new countries will join the pact, bringing an end to border controls from Estonia to Malta. Celebrations are due to take place in all the countries involved. Full Story
Guantanamo detainee freed on bailPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 11:43amA UK resident released by the US from Guantanamo Bay has been released on bail after appearing in court under a Spanish extradition warrant. Magistrates are considering whether to extradite Jamil El-Banna to Spain to face allegations of terror offenses. Spanish lawyers accused him of being part of an al-Qaeda cell and recruiting people to terror training camps. Full Story
Hundreds march for democracy in MacauPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:36pmHundreds of workers marched on Macua's government Thursday in a rare protest demanding full democracy in this booming Chinese casino enclave. Protesters said a lack of democracy breeds corruption and prevents the working class from reaping the benefits of Macau's economic growth thanks to the territory's vibrant gambling industry that has lured Las Vegas brands including Venetian, Wynn and MGM. Full Story
Sri Lanka to start oil exploration in volatile northPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:44pmSri Lanka plans to invite oil companies to explore for petroleum deposits in new areas in the north of the island, a senior minister said, where Tamil Tiger rebels are active. The petroleum ministry has been given the government nod to kick off exploration in the Sri Lankan side of Cauvery Basin, media minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said Thursday. Full Story
Man cleared of Omagh bombingPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 1:49pmA man accused of carrying out Northern Ireland's worst terror attack in 30 years was cleared on all charges on Thursday. Sean Hoey was found not guilty on 29 counts of murder relating to the August 1998 bombing in the town of Omagh which killed 29 people and wounded more than 300. Full Story
Authorities declare emergency in quake-hit New Zealand cityPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 4:06pmA state of emergency was declared on Friday for the centre of the eastern New Zealand city of Gisborne after a powerful 6.8 earthquake flattened buildings and caused widespread damage. No major injuries have been reported after Thursday night's quake, which was felt throughout much of New Zealand, but residents of Gisborne, on the east coast of the North Island, woke to widespread devastation. Full Story
Several feared dead in blast at Pakistan mosquePosted on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 12:28amSeveral people were feared dead after a blast during Muslim Eid festival prayers at a mosque on Friday in northwest Pakistan, police and officials said. "The explosion took place when the worshippers were offering prayers," Bacha Gul Wazir, home secretary of the North West Frontier Province, told Reuters. Full Story
Bermuda Premier Wins AgainPosted on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 12:31amPremier Ewart Brown of the Progressive Labour Party of Bermuda was yesterday returned to office according to the Parliamentary Registrars Office in Hamilton. Results on the Offices website last night showed the ruling party on the wealthy, North Atlantic island with a win of 22 seats compared to the opposition United Bermuda Partys 14. Full Story
14 African nations face meningitis epidemic: Red CrossPosted on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 12:33amRed Cross officials warned Thursday that 14 African countries could face one of the worst meningitis epidemics in recent memory and announced prevention campaigns in the affected areas. "The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is launching meningitis prevention activities in 14 countries across Africa to get ready for what could be one of the worst meningitis epidemics in a decade," a statement said. Full Story
Bin Laden's driver is not POW, U.S. judge saysPosted on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 12:36amOsama bin Laden's driver is not a prisoner of war as defined by the Geneva Conventions and can be tried by a Guantanamo war crimes tribunal, a U.S. military judge ruled in a decision made public on Thursday. The judge said Yemeni prisoner Salim Ahmed Hamdan is an "unlawful enemy combatant" under the law passed by Congress last year to provide a legal basis to try non-Americans on terrorism charges in a special war crimes court at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Full Story
US Commander Asks Iran to Stop Bomb Supplies to Iraq, AfghanistanPosted on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 12:38amThe commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East has called on Iran to officially stop helping insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. The officer spoke after visiting soldiers at a U.S. military hospital in Germany who had been wounded in Iraq by high-powered roadside bombs supplied by Iran. VOA's Al Pessin reports from Landstuhl, Germany. Full Story
Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
IRAQ EVENTS IN BRIEF 12/20
Baghdad
3 people were killed and 28 were injured in a parked car bomb explosion near alcohol shop in Sadoun Street downtown Baghdad around 3,30 pm.
Police found two anonymous bodies in Baghdad. One body was found in Shaab while the other body was found in Saidiyah.
Diyala
13 members of Sahwa (awakening) were killed including Sheikh Nasir Al Mandalawi, one of the members of the supporting 2oth revolution brigades and 8 others were wounded when a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt attacked awakening recruiting center in Door Mandili area 10 KMs north Baquba city today morning
Gunman killed a civilian in Al Gatoon neighborhood west Baquba today morning.
Two gunmen were killed in clashes between the Iraqis army and gunmen in Hashimiyat area north Baquba today morning.
Basra
Police released two kidnapped women and arrested the kidnapper in two separated incidents today afternoon. The first woman was found in Al Jaza’ir neighborhood downtown Basra city while the other woman was found in Al Ashar neighborhood.
2007 McClatchy Newspapers
3 people were killed and 28 were injured in a parked car bomb explosion near alcohol shop in Sadoun Street downtown Baghdad around 3,30 pm.
Police found two anonymous bodies in Baghdad. One body was found in Shaab while the other body was found in Saidiyah.
Diyala
13 members of Sahwa (awakening) were killed including Sheikh Nasir Al Mandalawi, one of the members of the supporting 2oth revolution brigades and 8 others were wounded when a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt attacked awakening recruiting center in Door Mandili area 10 KMs north Baquba city today morning
Gunman killed a civilian in Al Gatoon neighborhood west Baquba today morning.
Two gunmen were killed in clashes between the Iraqis army and gunmen in Hashimiyat area north Baquba today morning.
Basra
Police released two kidnapped women and arrested the kidnapper in two separated incidents today afternoon. The first woman was found in Al Jaza’ir neighborhood downtown Basra city while the other woman was found in Al Ashar neighborhood.
2007 McClatchy Newspapers
CONFLICT & TERR0R 12/20
US approves 785 million dollar aid for PakistanPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 5:39amThe US House of Representatives has passed a 785 million dollar aid package for Pakistan for the fiscal year 2008 despite its reservations over the state of emergency imposed on November 3. The US Senate is also expected to approve the package, which includes 300 million dollar of military assistance. The other major item on the approved list is that of 350 million dollar for economic support fund. Full Story
Senior Maoist 'arrested' in IndiaPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:09amA senior Maoist leader has been arrested in the southern Indian state of Kerala, police say. Full Story
Hamas seeks truce talks with IsraelPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:56amGaza's embattled Hamas leaders are seeking a cease-fire after months of Israeli attacks and sanctions, going so far as to make an unprecedented appeal through the Israeli media, a Hamas official confirmed Wednesday. Full Story
More than 30 political parties vie for parliamentary seats in Thai electionPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 8:51amThailand has more than 30 political parties, and in all, 3,894 candidates are vying for parliamentary seats in Sunday's general elections. House-to-house canvassing in the Thai capital's Don Mueang district is how parliamentary candidate Thanawit Palakawong Na Ayutthaya reaches out to voters living outside the city centre. Full Story
Pakistan train mishap: 50 feared killedPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 8:54amn express train crowded with holiday travellers derailed in southern Pakistan early on Wednesday morning killing at least 50 people and injuring many more. The overnight train was going from Karachi to Lahore when its bogies came off the tracks at Mehrabpur in Sindh province. Full Story
Lee claims S Korea election winPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:10amLee Myung-bak has claimed victory in the South Korean general elections after initial results showed a landslide majority for his GNP party. Both his main rivals had earlier conceded defeat. Exit polls showed that Mr Lee, the candidate for the conservative GNP party, had won more than 50% of the vote. Full Story
Spanish court convicts 47 over links to armed group ETAPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:13amSpain's anti-terrorism court Wednesday convicted 47 members of Basque separatist groups over their links to the armed organization ETA and sentenced them to prison terms of between two and 20 years each. The rulings were issued following the biggest ever trial linked to ETA, which lasted from November 2006 to last March. The 47 belong to various groups campaigning for Basque independence. Full Story
Suspected rebels bomb Sri Lanka trainPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:18amSuspected rebels bombed a mail train in eastern Sri Lanka, a region the army said it liberated from Tamil Tiger control six-months ago. The bomb damaged the train engine but caused no casualties, said the military. Full Story
U.S. frees Iranian prisoner held in IraqPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:44amThe United States has released one of about 10 Iranian prisoners it is holding in Iraq, U.S. forces and the Iranian embassy said on Wednesday. The embassy named the prisoner as Hayder Alami, while U.S. forces gave his name as Hadir Alwai Mohammed.
Both said the prisoner had been held since July 2004 and was freed on Tuesday. The U.S. detention of Iranians in Iraq is one of the issues dividing the two countries. The United States freed nine Iranian prisoners on Nov. 9 and said at the time that it had held 20. Full Story
Skirting the Abyss in IraqPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:47amWith its volatile mix of Kurds, Turkmens and Arabs, this city is often described as a sectarian time bomb. But for now, the bomb is ticking a little more slowly thanks to that rare Iraqi event -- a compromise. Iraq has had too few of these political accommodations during its downward spiral over most of the past four years. But the Kirkuk deal announced yesterday illustrates that there can be virtuous cycles, too, even in a country as bitterly divided as this one. The success of the U.S. troop surge seems to be bolstering, ever so slightly, the advocates of conciliation and weakening the partisans of sectarian war. Full Story
Iran Continues to Support Shiite Militias in Iraq, Pentagon SaysPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:49amA new Pentagon report has concluded that Iran continues to provide money, training and weapons to Shiite militias in Iraq, although U.S. commanders previously stated that attacks using lethal bombs linked to Iran have fallen in recent months. "There has been no identified decrease in Iranian training and funding of illegal Shi'a militias in Iraq," said the report, released yesterday. Full Story
Greek journalists strike over pension reformsPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:51amGreek journalists' unions staged a 24-hour strike Wednesday, to protest pension fund reforms proposed by the conservative government. The strike the second in a week halted television, radio and Internet news programs and updates as well as the printing of newspapers. Full Story
Six unions representing state workers call Jan. 24 strike in FrancePosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:53amSix labor unions representing France's public sector workers announced Tuesday plans for a nationwide strike next month to demand higher pay. The walkout, planned for Jan. 24, follows three strikes this fall by transportation sector workers, which snarled road and rail traffic across the country. Full Story
Deal reached for 3-month interim government in BelgiumPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 10:08amBelgian leaders cobbled together a five-party interim government Wednesday that will tackle urgent economic issues, ending a six-month political deadlock. The crisis had revealed how differently Dutch-speaking and Francophone Belgians see the future of their bilingual nation. Full Story
France Guantanamo five convictedPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 10:21amFive Frenchmen who spent time at the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay have been convicted of having links to terrorism by a court in Paris. All five were sentenced to one year in jail plus a suspended sentence, but will not return to jail having spent more than a year in US custody. Full Story
Israel considers new settlementPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 10:25amIsrael says it is examining plans for a new settlement in East Jerusalem, after facing heavy criticism for expanding an existing Jewish settlement there. Housing minister Zeev Boim said it was a preliminary look at possible housing development in the Atarot area. He played down its significance, saying such checks were done year round on areas with building potential. Full Story
Guantanamo three detained in UKPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 3:15pmThree British residents held by the US at Guantanamo Bay for four-and-a-half years have been detained after arriving back in the UK. Omar Deghayes and Abdenour Samuer were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 after they arrived at Luton Airport. Jamil el-Banna was not arrested but is being detained under the act and questioned at a Luton police station. Full Story
Philippine police arrest Egyptian 'bomber'Posted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 4:34pmPolice in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato said on Wednesday they had arrested an Egyptian man allegedly plotting a bomb attack on Christmas day. The suspect, identified as Egyptian national Mohamad Sayed, was arrested on Tuesday during a raid on an apartment inside the Majad Islamic School in Cotabato, police said. Full Story
India, China hold counter-terror exercisesPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:46pmIndia and China are set to begin five days of joint counter-terrorism exercises in an initiative to expand defense cooperation between the countries. The joint training exercises, held in Kunming, China, will focus largely on joint battle decision making and anti-terrorism drills. Officially titled "Hand in Hand 2007," the exercises were established after a memorandum of understanding on exchange and cooperation was signed between the two countries in 2006. Full Story
Canada Confirms Eleventh Case of Mad-Cow DiseasePosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:47pmCanada confirmed its 11th case of mad-cow disease, in an animal born before a ban on feed ingredients that can spread the brain-wasting illness. The sick animal was a 13-year-old beef cow from Alberta, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said today in a statement on its Web site. No part of the animal entered the human food or animal feed systems, it said. Full Story
Turkey Says US Intelligence Led to Strikes on PKKPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:49pmA senior Turkish diplomat says U.S. intelligence shared with Turkey led to recent raids inside northern Iraq against Kurdish rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK. From Washington, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more. Turkey's Ambassador to Washington, Nabi Şensoy, told reporters Wednesday that about 50 Turkish fighter planes were involved in two waves of air strikes early Sunday morning against PKK targets inside northern Iraq. Full Story
New Solomons prime minister electedPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:04amSolomon Islands lawmakers voted in opposition candidate Derek Sikua as prime minister Thursday, the government said, a week after Parliament ousted the volatile South Pacific nation's former leader. Troops and police patrolled the capital, Honiara, as Parliament voted, but no trouble was reported. Rioters had looted and burned part of the city last year after an unpopular prime minister was chosen. Full Story
New Twist In Al Qaeda's Media CampaignPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:05amA new video, purporting to come from al Qaeda, has invited journalists to send questions to the organisations number two Ayman al-Zawahri. If genuine it represents the first such offer by the terror network to interview one of its leaders since attacks of September 11, 2001. Full Story
Commander: Al-Qaida still able to attackPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:07amThe top U.S. commander in northern Iraq warned Wednesday that al-Qaida in Iraq was still capable of staging spectacular attacks despite a 50 percent drop in bombings and other violence in his region. Army Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling said al-Qaida in Iraq was being pushed north by the increased numbers of U.S. troops that surged into Baghdad over the summer and fall. Full Story
Iraq says Turkey unlikely to extend operationPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:09amIraq said on Wednesday it believed Ankara was unlikely to conduct an extended operation inside northern Iraq to flush out the members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) who are fighting for self-rule in southeastern Turkey. "We believe Turkey is not going to extend the operation. It is a limited operation," Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told AFP. Full Story
'Jihad' bomb plotter's appeal dismissed by Australian courtPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:11amA Pakistan-born architect convicted of plotting a "jihad" or holy war bombing campaign in Australia had his appeal dismissed in a Sydney court Thursday. Faheem Khalid Lodhi was sentenced to 20 years jail in August 2006 after a jury found him guilty of planning to blow up the electrical grid in Australia's biggest city. Full Story
Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.
Senior Maoist 'arrested' in IndiaPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:09amA senior Maoist leader has been arrested in the southern Indian state of Kerala, police say. Full Story
Hamas seeks truce talks with IsraelPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:56amGaza's embattled Hamas leaders are seeking a cease-fire after months of Israeli attacks and sanctions, going so far as to make an unprecedented appeal through the Israeli media, a Hamas official confirmed Wednesday. Full Story
More than 30 political parties vie for parliamentary seats in Thai electionPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 8:51amThailand has more than 30 political parties, and in all, 3,894 candidates are vying for parliamentary seats in Sunday's general elections. House-to-house canvassing in the Thai capital's Don Mueang district is how parliamentary candidate Thanawit Palakawong Na Ayutthaya reaches out to voters living outside the city centre. Full Story
Pakistan train mishap: 50 feared killedPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 8:54amn express train crowded with holiday travellers derailed in southern Pakistan early on Wednesday morning killing at least 50 people and injuring many more. The overnight train was going from Karachi to Lahore when its bogies came off the tracks at Mehrabpur in Sindh province. Full Story
Lee claims S Korea election winPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:10amLee Myung-bak has claimed victory in the South Korean general elections after initial results showed a landslide majority for his GNP party. Both his main rivals had earlier conceded defeat. Exit polls showed that Mr Lee, the candidate for the conservative GNP party, had won more than 50% of the vote. Full Story
Spanish court convicts 47 over links to armed group ETAPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:13amSpain's anti-terrorism court Wednesday convicted 47 members of Basque separatist groups over their links to the armed organization ETA and sentenced them to prison terms of between two and 20 years each. The rulings were issued following the biggest ever trial linked to ETA, which lasted from November 2006 to last March. The 47 belong to various groups campaigning for Basque independence. Full Story
Suspected rebels bomb Sri Lanka trainPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:18amSuspected rebels bombed a mail train in eastern Sri Lanka, a region the army said it liberated from Tamil Tiger control six-months ago. The bomb damaged the train engine but caused no casualties, said the military. Full Story
U.S. frees Iranian prisoner held in IraqPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:44amThe United States has released one of about 10 Iranian prisoners it is holding in Iraq, U.S. forces and the Iranian embassy said on Wednesday. The embassy named the prisoner as Hayder Alami, while U.S. forces gave his name as Hadir Alwai Mohammed.
Both said the prisoner had been held since July 2004 and was freed on Tuesday. The U.S. detention of Iranians in Iraq is one of the issues dividing the two countries. The United States freed nine Iranian prisoners on Nov. 9 and said at the time that it had held 20. Full Story
Skirting the Abyss in IraqPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:47amWith its volatile mix of Kurds, Turkmens and Arabs, this city is often described as a sectarian time bomb. But for now, the bomb is ticking a little more slowly thanks to that rare Iraqi event -- a compromise. Iraq has had too few of these political accommodations during its downward spiral over most of the past four years. But the Kirkuk deal announced yesterday illustrates that there can be virtuous cycles, too, even in a country as bitterly divided as this one. The success of the U.S. troop surge seems to be bolstering, ever so slightly, the advocates of conciliation and weakening the partisans of sectarian war. Full Story
Iran Continues to Support Shiite Militias in Iraq, Pentagon SaysPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:49amA new Pentagon report has concluded that Iran continues to provide money, training and weapons to Shiite militias in Iraq, although U.S. commanders previously stated that attacks using lethal bombs linked to Iran have fallen in recent months. "There has been no identified decrease in Iranian training and funding of illegal Shi'a militias in Iraq," said the report, released yesterday. Full Story
Greek journalists strike over pension reformsPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:51amGreek journalists' unions staged a 24-hour strike Wednesday, to protest pension fund reforms proposed by the conservative government. The strike the second in a week halted television, radio and Internet news programs and updates as well as the printing of newspapers. Full Story
Six unions representing state workers call Jan. 24 strike in FrancePosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 9:53amSix labor unions representing France's public sector workers announced Tuesday plans for a nationwide strike next month to demand higher pay. The walkout, planned for Jan. 24, follows three strikes this fall by transportation sector workers, which snarled road and rail traffic across the country. Full Story
Deal reached for 3-month interim government in BelgiumPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 10:08amBelgian leaders cobbled together a five-party interim government Wednesday that will tackle urgent economic issues, ending a six-month political deadlock. The crisis had revealed how differently Dutch-speaking and Francophone Belgians see the future of their bilingual nation. Full Story
France Guantanamo five convictedPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 10:21amFive Frenchmen who spent time at the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay have been convicted of having links to terrorism by a court in Paris. All five were sentenced to one year in jail plus a suspended sentence, but will not return to jail having spent more than a year in US custody. Full Story
Israel considers new settlementPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 10:25amIsrael says it is examining plans for a new settlement in East Jerusalem, after facing heavy criticism for expanding an existing Jewish settlement there. Housing minister Zeev Boim said it was a preliminary look at possible housing development in the Atarot area. He played down its significance, saying such checks were done year round on areas with building potential. Full Story
Guantanamo three detained in UKPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 3:15pmThree British residents held by the US at Guantanamo Bay for four-and-a-half years have been detained after arriving back in the UK. Omar Deghayes and Abdenour Samuer were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 after they arrived at Luton Airport. Jamil el-Banna was not arrested but is being detained under the act and questioned at a Luton police station. Full Story
Philippine police arrest Egyptian 'bomber'Posted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 4:34pmPolice in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato said on Wednesday they had arrested an Egyptian man allegedly plotting a bomb attack on Christmas day. The suspect, identified as Egyptian national Mohamad Sayed, was arrested on Tuesday during a raid on an apartment inside the Majad Islamic School in Cotabato, police said. Full Story
India, China hold counter-terror exercisesPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:46pmIndia and China are set to begin five days of joint counter-terrorism exercises in an initiative to expand defense cooperation between the countries. The joint training exercises, held in Kunming, China, will focus largely on joint battle decision making and anti-terrorism drills. Officially titled "Hand in Hand 2007," the exercises were established after a memorandum of understanding on exchange and cooperation was signed between the two countries in 2006. Full Story
Canada Confirms Eleventh Case of Mad-Cow DiseasePosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:47pmCanada confirmed its 11th case of mad-cow disease, in an animal born before a ban on feed ingredients that can spread the brain-wasting illness. The sick animal was a 13-year-old beef cow from Alberta, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said today in a statement on its Web site. No part of the animal entered the human food or animal feed systems, it said. Full Story
Turkey Says US Intelligence Led to Strikes on PKKPosted on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:49pmA senior Turkish diplomat says U.S. intelligence shared with Turkey led to recent raids inside northern Iraq against Kurdish rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK. From Washington, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more. Turkey's Ambassador to Washington, Nabi Şensoy, told reporters Wednesday that about 50 Turkish fighter planes were involved in two waves of air strikes early Sunday morning against PKK targets inside northern Iraq. Full Story
New Solomons prime minister electedPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:04amSolomon Islands lawmakers voted in opposition candidate Derek Sikua as prime minister Thursday, the government said, a week after Parliament ousted the volatile South Pacific nation's former leader. Troops and police patrolled the capital, Honiara, as Parliament voted, but no trouble was reported. Rioters had looted and burned part of the city last year after an unpopular prime minister was chosen. Full Story
New Twist In Al Qaeda's Media CampaignPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:05amA new video, purporting to come from al Qaeda, has invited journalists to send questions to the organisations number two Ayman al-Zawahri. If genuine it represents the first such offer by the terror network to interview one of its leaders since attacks of September 11, 2001. Full Story
Commander: Al-Qaida still able to attackPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:07amThe top U.S. commander in northern Iraq warned Wednesday that al-Qaida in Iraq was still capable of staging spectacular attacks despite a 50 percent drop in bombings and other violence in his region. Army Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling said al-Qaida in Iraq was being pushed north by the increased numbers of U.S. troops that surged into Baghdad over the summer and fall. Full Story
Iraq says Turkey unlikely to extend operationPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:09amIraq said on Wednesday it believed Ankara was unlikely to conduct an extended operation inside northern Iraq to flush out the members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) who are fighting for self-rule in southeastern Turkey. "We believe Turkey is not going to extend the operation. It is a limited operation," Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told AFP. Full Story
'Jihad' bomb plotter's appeal dismissed by Australian courtPosted on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 12:11amA Pakistan-born architect convicted of plotting a "jihad" or holy war bombing campaign in Australia had his appeal dismissed in a Sydney court Thursday. Faheem Khalid Lodhi was sentenced to 20 years jail in August 2006 after a jury found him guilty of planning to blow up the electrical grid in Australia's biggest city. Full Story
Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
TERROR NEWS 12/19
CLICK ON LINKS FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES
Al-Qaida offers 'interview' with No. 2
Indian police raid terror training camp
(U.S.) Haitian acquitted in Liberty City 7 case faces deportation
FARC rebels say Betancourt poised for release
US Commander: Al-Qaida In Iraq Still Potent, But Violence Down
Hamas Seeks Truce Talks With Israel and Israel Cool to Hamas Proxy Offer
Afghanistan holds four over missing German: report
(U.S.) Report: Terrorists cannot train online - see rebuttal in Roderick Jones' Dec. 14 post, "No Limits"
(Iraq) Leading Iraqi academic figure shot dead outside Baghdad house
(Iraq) Suicide bomber kills 11 in cafe in Diyala - on Tuesday
(Iraq/Iran) U.S. frees Iranian prisoner held in Iraq
Iraq says Turkey raid an 'attack on sovereignty' -- Turkish army deals 'heavy blow' to Kurd rebels -- and -- Kurds: We will defend civilians
Afghan president calls for forgiveness of Taliban -- from God to mark the Eid al-Adha Muslim festival
(Afghanistan) President Karzai calls for 'terror' focus outside Afghanistan
(Pakistan) Bomb kills 2 supporters of Pakistan ruling party's candidate in southwest -- in Dera Bugti
(Pakistan) Rashid Rauf may sneak into Afghanistan, Pak intelligence agencies
(Pakistan) Four soldiers go missing
(Pakistan) Report: Al Qaeda said to be pursuing nuclear weapon -- Bruce Riedel study says Al Qaeda goal to get Pakistan nuclear weapon - want a revived Islamic caliphate from the ashes of broken Pakistan - West Point Combating Terrorism Center journal "The Sentinel"
(Pakistan) Secret detention system in Pak exposed: paper -- and -- Pakistan quietly frees 100 men suspected of terrorism links
(Pakistan) $785 million US aid to Pakistan approved
(India J&K) Top Hizbul Mujahideen commander surrenders, deadly RDX seized in J&K
(India) 'LeT terrorists plan suicide attack on top UP politician'
(U.S.) West Point Combating Terrorism Center: "The Sentinel" - Issue 1
(U.S.) Judge orders hearing on CIA videos
(Iran) Israeli ex-military intelligence chief: 'NIE will enable Iran to get nukes'
Gaza's Hamas rulers seek truce talks, as Israel pledges to strike militant leaders
(Israel) Top Jihad terrorist nabbed near Jenin -- IDF says man tried to transport 400-kg bomb into Israeli city
(Israel) IDF troops arrest 4 Palestinian terror suspects in West Bank
(North Africa) Al Qaeda in North Africa takes new tack amid losses
Kenya deports British Muslim suspected of 'terrorism ties': group -- Ahmed Khalid Ibrahim aka Graham Andrew Adams
Somali elder: Kidnapped French reporter said being 'treated well'
(France) Paris court convicts five former French Guantanamo inmates of terrorist links -- while acquitting a sixth man
Spain: Moroccan suspect of the Madrid train bombings to be accused
Spanish court sentences 46 Basque independence supporters for links to armed group ETA
(Indonesia) Bali bombers' final appeal rejected
(Indonesia) Militant's lawyers try to halt Indonesia terror trial -- Abu Dujana, leader of Jemaah Islamiyah organization (JI)
(Thailand) Insurgents kill man, wound 2 soldiers -- in Pattani
(Philippines) Man arrested with 'Christmas Day' bomb -- police arrested Egyptian man allegedly plotting a bomb attack on Christmas day - in Cotabato -- Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) booklet found in his room
Philippines: Six Muslim rebels killed in clashes with marines
(Sri Lanka) Suspected rebels bomb train in eastern Sri Lanka as fighting rages in north
(North Korea) US diplomat heads to North Korea
(North Korea) UN concerned over North Korean rights abuses -- and -- Martyrdom awaits North Koreans on Christmas
US urges Japan not to exit war on terror
(U.S.) Terrorism and the Times: What's Not Fit To Print -- by Steven Emerson
(U.S.) Bin Laden's driver to receive POW review -- military judge agreed to decide if Bin Laden's driver a POW under the Geneva Conventions
(U.S.) 'American Taliban' Lindh asks Bush to reduce 20-year prison term
US military not told of Turkey bomb plan
(U.S.) Judge orders hearing on destroyed CIA videos
(U.S.) Congress eases access to gov't records
(U.S.) Congress renews terror insurance act
(Pakistan) Forces foil suicide plot, seize explosives
Lebanon charges al Qaeda cell in church bomb plot -- charged 31 al Qaeda-linked individuals on Tuesday for plotting to attack a church and other religious sites
Egypt Frees 200 Jihad Prisoners
Egypt: Women of the Muslim Brotherhood rebel
(UK) Longer sentences for al-Qaeda men - Court of Appeals finds original sentencing "unduly lenient": Younes Tsouli sentence increased to 10 years, Waseem Mughal sentence increased to 12 years, Tariq Al-Daour sentence increased to 10 years
(Sri Lanka) Bomb explodes near train
Kosovo: 10,000 Serbs hold protest as independence looms
Colombian rebels to hand Chavez 3 hostages -- and -- Colombian hostage taken with Betancourt ordered freed: report - see Douglas Farah's Dec. 10 post
Turkish army sends soldiers into Iraq - 300 troops 1.5 miles into Iraq in overnight operation - Officials: Turkey withdraws from Iraq
22 killed in Iraq attacks: officials (updated) -- Bombings in Baquba, Baghdad, Diyala
(Iraq) American forces discover underground network of Qaeda hideouts in Iraq
(Iraq) Baghdad bolsters security before holiday -- Eid al-Adha holiday that begins Wednesday
(Iraq) Turkish troops enter northern Iraq: Kurdish official
(Afghanistan) 15 guards, several Taliban killed in Afghanistan: officials
(Afghanistan) Taliban leader Mullah Omar vows to fight on -- and -- Taliban leader taunts NATO
(Pakistan) Two police officers charged in Briton's escape: Pakistan police -- Rashid Rauf suspect in transatlantic jet plot to attack USA -- 'Rashid Rauf escaped with his uncle' -- and -- Heathrow bomb suspect on the run
(Pakistan) Al-Qaeda plays dealbreaker in Pakistan
(Pakistan) Bin Laden not in Pakistan, say pro-Taliban militants
(Pakistan) Suspected militants kidnap four govt officials in Pakistan
(Pakistan) Extremist group operates openly in Pakistan -- Jamaat ud-Dawa is listed as a charity, but the U.S. say it trains terrorists (formerly known as Lashkar-e-Taiba)
(Pakistan) 30 suspected pro-Taliban militants arrested in Swat -- and -- Waziristan militants announce Eid ceasefire
(Pakistan) Fugitive cleric says militants joining forces, would welcome bin Laden -- follow-up story on Faqir Mohammed and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan group
(Pakistan) 5 injured in Parachinar clashes
(India) Gunfight between insurgents and securitymen in Manipur
(India J&K) Jihad Council fine with Ireland model for J&K
(India) College dropout to terror mastermind -- Sheikh Faisal - key member of the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba, a Pakistan-based terror outfit
(Al Qaeda) FBI, CIA Debate Significance of Terror Suspect Abu Zubaida -- Agencies Also Disagree On Interrogation Methods
(Al Qaeda) Al-Zawahiri in Two Recent Messages: 'Iran Stabbed a Knife into the Back of the Islamic Nation;' Urges Hamas to Declare Commitment to Restoring the Caliphate
(Al Qaeda) Zawahri Wants Your Questions Online
(U.S.) NY court won't reconsider LA airport bomb conspiracy conviction -- Millenium terror bomber Ahmed Ressam
(U.S.) Ex-CAIR Member Takes on Free Speech - article by Investigative Project
(U.S.) Surveillance bill delayed until 2008
Iran sees Bushehr nuclear plant at full capacity in one year: official -- after passing a "critical stage" with the delivery of fuel from Russia
(Iran) Bush supports Russia sending enriched uranium to Iran -- and -- Iran says U.S. report a "declaration of surrender"
Lebanon sentences two over Germany bomb plot -- for failed attempt to bomb German trains - Jihad Hamad sentenced to 12 years, Youssef al-Haj Deeb gets life (in absenstia), 3 other defendants acquitted
(Lebanon) Jihad Hamad's lawyer says he will appeal if sentence is high -- vowed to appeal if sentence was not 3 to 5 years
(Gaza) 12 dead after Israeli strikes Gaza -- update -- 'Islamic Jihad may respond to strikes' -- and -- Islamic Jihad: We will carry out suicide attacks on Gaza periphery towns
Rand: Evidence about the Link Between Education, Poverty and Terrorism among Palestinians -- higher education and standard of living are positively associated with participation in Hamas or PIJ and with becoming a suicide bomber
(Gaza) More than 10,000 Palestinians attend militant's Gaza funeral
(West Bank) '16 Hamas operatives were arrested by PA security forces'
(Israel) Middle East Quartet condemns Kassam rocket attacks - against Israeli towns
(Saudi Arabia) Terror in disfavor in Saudi poll
Algerian terror group targeting institutions: report
Kenyan police arrest British Muslim in grenade probe -- and -- Kenya anti-terror squad allow visit to detained British national -- Ahmed Khalid Ibrahim aka Graham Andrew Adams
Nigeria's main militant group urges faction to unite and cripple oil industry
Sudan: Gunmen Attack AU Peacekeepers
(Russia) Chechnya: Roadside bomb kills prison guard in Grozny -police
Russia threatens US missile shield -- Russia has threatened to target two proposed American bases in Europe with its nuclear missiles
(Canada) Somali drug khat may fund terrorism
(UK) Counter-terror police examine DVD -- available in West Yorkshire which uses images of a young girl and appears to glorify suicide bombings
Al-Qaida offers 'interview' with No. 2
Indian police raid terror training camp
(U.S.) Haitian acquitted in Liberty City 7 case faces deportation
FARC rebels say Betancourt poised for release
US Commander: Al-Qaida In Iraq Still Potent, But Violence Down
Hamas Seeks Truce Talks With Israel and Israel Cool to Hamas Proxy Offer
Afghanistan holds four over missing German: report
(U.S.) Report: Terrorists cannot train online - see rebuttal in Roderick Jones' Dec. 14 post, "No Limits"
(Iraq) Leading Iraqi academic figure shot dead outside Baghdad house
(Iraq) Suicide bomber kills 11 in cafe in Diyala - on Tuesday
(Iraq/Iran) U.S. frees Iranian prisoner held in Iraq
Iraq says Turkey raid an 'attack on sovereignty' -- Turkish army deals 'heavy blow' to Kurd rebels -- and -- Kurds: We will defend civilians
Afghan president calls for forgiveness of Taliban -- from God to mark the Eid al-Adha Muslim festival
(Afghanistan) President Karzai calls for 'terror' focus outside Afghanistan
(Pakistan) Bomb kills 2 supporters of Pakistan ruling party's candidate in southwest -- in Dera Bugti
(Pakistan) Rashid Rauf may sneak into Afghanistan, Pak intelligence agencies
(Pakistan) Four soldiers go missing
(Pakistan) Report: Al Qaeda said to be pursuing nuclear weapon -- Bruce Riedel study says Al Qaeda goal to get Pakistan nuclear weapon - want a revived Islamic caliphate from the ashes of broken Pakistan - West Point Combating Terrorism Center journal "The Sentinel"
(Pakistan) Secret detention system in Pak exposed: paper -- and -- Pakistan quietly frees 100 men suspected of terrorism links
(Pakistan) $785 million US aid to Pakistan approved
(India J&K) Top Hizbul Mujahideen commander surrenders, deadly RDX seized in J&K
(India) 'LeT terrorists plan suicide attack on top UP politician'
(U.S.) West Point Combating Terrorism Center: "The Sentinel" - Issue 1
(U.S.) Judge orders hearing on CIA videos
(Iran) Israeli ex-military intelligence chief: 'NIE will enable Iran to get nukes'
Gaza's Hamas rulers seek truce talks, as Israel pledges to strike militant leaders
(Israel) Top Jihad terrorist nabbed near Jenin -- IDF says man tried to transport 400-kg bomb into Israeli city
(Israel) IDF troops arrest 4 Palestinian terror suspects in West Bank
(North Africa) Al Qaeda in North Africa takes new tack amid losses
Kenya deports British Muslim suspected of 'terrorism ties': group -- Ahmed Khalid Ibrahim aka Graham Andrew Adams
Somali elder: Kidnapped French reporter said being 'treated well'
(France) Paris court convicts five former French Guantanamo inmates of terrorist links -- while acquitting a sixth man
Spain: Moroccan suspect of the Madrid train bombings to be accused
Spanish court sentences 46 Basque independence supporters for links to armed group ETA
(Indonesia) Bali bombers' final appeal rejected
(Indonesia) Militant's lawyers try to halt Indonesia terror trial -- Abu Dujana, leader of Jemaah Islamiyah organization (JI)
(Thailand) Insurgents kill man, wound 2 soldiers -- in Pattani
(Philippines) Man arrested with 'Christmas Day' bomb -- police arrested Egyptian man allegedly plotting a bomb attack on Christmas day - in Cotabato -- Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) booklet found in his room
Philippines: Six Muslim rebels killed in clashes with marines
(Sri Lanka) Suspected rebels bomb train in eastern Sri Lanka as fighting rages in north
(North Korea) US diplomat heads to North Korea
(North Korea) UN concerned over North Korean rights abuses -- and -- Martyrdom awaits North Koreans on Christmas
US urges Japan not to exit war on terror
(U.S.) Terrorism and the Times: What's Not Fit To Print -- by Steven Emerson
(U.S.) Bin Laden's driver to receive POW review -- military judge agreed to decide if Bin Laden's driver a POW under the Geneva Conventions
(U.S.) 'American Taliban' Lindh asks Bush to reduce 20-year prison term
US military not told of Turkey bomb plan
(U.S.) Judge orders hearing on destroyed CIA videos
(U.S.) Congress eases access to gov't records
(U.S.) Congress renews terror insurance act
(Pakistan) Forces foil suicide plot, seize explosives
Lebanon charges al Qaeda cell in church bomb plot -- charged 31 al Qaeda-linked individuals on Tuesday for plotting to attack a church and other religious sites
Egypt Frees 200 Jihad Prisoners
Egypt: Women of the Muslim Brotherhood rebel
(UK) Longer sentences for al-Qaeda men - Court of Appeals finds original sentencing "unduly lenient": Younes Tsouli sentence increased to 10 years, Waseem Mughal sentence increased to 12 years, Tariq Al-Daour sentence increased to 10 years
(Sri Lanka) Bomb explodes near train
Kosovo: 10,000 Serbs hold protest as independence looms
Colombian rebels to hand Chavez 3 hostages -- and -- Colombian hostage taken with Betancourt ordered freed: report - see Douglas Farah's Dec. 10 post
Turkish army sends soldiers into Iraq - 300 troops 1.5 miles into Iraq in overnight operation - Officials: Turkey withdraws from Iraq
22 killed in Iraq attacks: officials (updated) -- Bombings in Baquba, Baghdad, Diyala
(Iraq) American forces discover underground network of Qaeda hideouts in Iraq
(Iraq) Baghdad bolsters security before holiday -- Eid al-Adha holiday that begins Wednesday
(Iraq) Turkish troops enter northern Iraq: Kurdish official
(Afghanistan) 15 guards, several Taliban killed in Afghanistan: officials
(Afghanistan) Taliban leader Mullah Omar vows to fight on -- and -- Taliban leader taunts NATO
(Pakistan) Two police officers charged in Briton's escape: Pakistan police -- Rashid Rauf suspect in transatlantic jet plot to attack USA -- 'Rashid Rauf escaped with his uncle' -- and -- Heathrow bomb suspect on the run
(Pakistan) Al-Qaeda plays dealbreaker in Pakistan
(Pakistan) Bin Laden not in Pakistan, say pro-Taliban militants
(Pakistan) Suspected militants kidnap four govt officials in Pakistan
(Pakistan) Extremist group operates openly in Pakistan -- Jamaat ud-Dawa is listed as a charity, but the U.S. say it trains terrorists (formerly known as Lashkar-e-Taiba)
(Pakistan) 30 suspected pro-Taliban militants arrested in Swat -- and -- Waziristan militants announce Eid ceasefire
(Pakistan) Fugitive cleric says militants joining forces, would welcome bin Laden -- follow-up story on Faqir Mohammed and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan group
(Pakistan) 5 injured in Parachinar clashes
(India) Gunfight between insurgents and securitymen in Manipur
(India J&K) Jihad Council fine with Ireland model for J&K
(India) College dropout to terror mastermind -- Sheikh Faisal - key member of the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba, a Pakistan-based terror outfit
(Al Qaeda) FBI, CIA Debate Significance of Terror Suspect Abu Zubaida -- Agencies Also Disagree On Interrogation Methods
(Al Qaeda) Al-Zawahiri in Two Recent Messages: 'Iran Stabbed a Knife into the Back of the Islamic Nation;' Urges Hamas to Declare Commitment to Restoring the Caliphate
(Al Qaeda) Zawahri Wants Your Questions Online
(U.S.) NY court won't reconsider LA airport bomb conspiracy conviction -- Millenium terror bomber Ahmed Ressam
(U.S.) Ex-CAIR Member Takes on Free Speech - article by Investigative Project
(U.S.) Surveillance bill delayed until 2008
Iran sees Bushehr nuclear plant at full capacity in one year: official -- after passing a "critical stage" with the delivery of fuel from Russia
(Iran) Bush supports Russia sending enriched uranium to Iran -- and -- Iran says U.S. report a "declaration of surrender"
Lebanon sentences two over Germany bomb plot -- for failed attempt to bomb German trains - Jihad Hamad sentenced to 12 years, Youssef al-Haj Deeb gets life (in absenstia), 3 other defendants acquitted
(Lebanon) Jihad Hamad's lawyer says he will appeal if sentence is high -- vowed to appeal if sentence was not 3 to 5 years
(Gaza) 12 dead after Israeli strikes Gaza -- update -- 'Islamic Jihad may respond to strikes' -- and -- Islamic Jihad: We will carry out suicide attacks on Gaza periphery towns
Rand: Evidence about the Link Between Education, Poverty and Terrorism among Palestinians -- higher education and standard of living are positively associated with participation in Hamas or PIJ and with becoming a suicide bomber
(Gaza) More than 10,000 Palestinians attend militant's Gaza funeral
(West Bank) '16 Hamas operatives were arrested by PA security forces'
(Israel) Middle East Quartet condemns Kassam rocket attacks - against Israeli towns
(Saudi Arabia) Terror in disfavor in Saudi poll
Algerian terror group targeting institutions: report
Kenyan police arrest British Muslim in grenade probe -- and -- Kenya anti-terror squad allow visit to detained British national -- Ahmed Khalid Ibrahim aka Graham Andrew Adams
Nigeria's main militant group urges faction to unite and cripple oil industry
Sudan: Gunmen Attack AU Peacekeepers
(Russia) Chechnya: Roadside bomb kills prison guard in Grozny -police
Russia threatens US missile shield -- Russia has threatened to target two proposed American bases in Europe with its nuclear missiles
(Canada) Somali drug khat may fund terrorism
(UK) Counter-terror police examine DVD -- available in West Yorkshire which uses images of a young girl and appears to glorify suicide bombings
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
IRAQ EVENTS IN BRIEF 12/18
Baghdad
Around 8,15 am, an IED exploded near the rare gate of Mustansiriyah University in Waziriyah neighborhood east Baghdad. No casualties reported.
Around 9,00 am, an IED exploded in Al Amirat Street in Mansour neighborhood west Baghdad. No casualties reported.
Three people (an Iraqi soldier and two civilians were wounded when mortar shell hit Al Shurta tunnel neighborhood west Baghdad around 10,00 am.
Four people were killed (1 national police member and 3 civilians) and seven others wounded (2 national police members and 5 civilians) in a parked car bomb in Al Nidhal Street downtown Baghdad around 2,00 pm.
Dean of al-Ma'moun college, Mohammed Abdulhasen al-Mayahi, was shot dead by gunmen as he got out of his car in front of his home in Qadisiyah neighbourhood, central Baghdad at 06:30 pm. The gunmen, in a civilian vehicle, used silencers.
5 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad by Iraqi Police today. 1 in Shaab, 2 in Slaikh, 1 in Doura and 1 in Saidiyah.
Diyala
A suicide car bomb targeted a police check point downtown Baquba city north of Baghdad around 1,00 pm killing tow policemen and injuring 15 people (10 civilians, 3 children and 2 policemen).
16 killed and 24 injured in explosion. A suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest detonated in a popular cafe in Abbara district, 10 km to the north of Baquba at around 07:00 pm. The victims came from mixed backgrounds.
Mosul
A prominent Yazidi family was attacked by gunmen and 7 of its members were killed including Mesco, the head of the family, and his wife. The attack came at 12:30 am when the family was asleep in their home that is located between Sinjar and the town of Ba'aj, 25 km to the south of Sinjar
Courtesy McClatchy Newspapers
Around 8,15 am, an IED exploded near the rare gate of Mustansiriyah University in Waziriyah neighborhood east Baghdad. No casualties reported.
Around 9,00 am, an IED exploded in Al Amirat Street in Mansour neighborhood west Baghdad. No casualties reported.
Three people (an Iraqi soldier and two civilians were wounded when mortar shell hit Al Shurta tunnel neighborhood west Baghdad around 10,00 am.
Four people were killed (1 national police member and 3 civilians) and seven others wounded (2 national police members and 5 civilians) in a parked car bomb in Al Nidhal Street downtown Baghdad around 2,00 pm.
Dean of al-Ma'moun college, Mohammed Abdulhasen al-Mayahi, was shot dead by gunmen as he got out of his car in front of his home in Qadisiyah neighbourhood, central Baghdad at 06:30 pm. The gunmen, in a civilian vehicle, used silencers.
5 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad by Iraqi Police today. 1 in Shaab, 2 in Slaikh, 1 in Doura and 1 in Saidiyah.
Diyala
A suicide car bomb targeted a police check point downtown Baquba city north of Baghdad around 1,00 pm killing tow policemen and injuring 15 people (10 civilians, 3 children and 2 policemen).
16 killed and 24 injured in explosion. A suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest detonated in a popular cafe in Abbara district, 10 km to the north of Baquba at around 07:00 pm. The victims came from mixed backgrounds.
Mosul
A prominent Yazidi family was attacked by gunmen and 7 of its members were killed including Mesco, the head of the family, and his wife. The attack came at 12:30 am when the family was asleep in their home that is located between Sinjar and the town of Ba'aj, 25 km to the south of Sinjar
Courtesy McClatchy Newspapers
CONFLICT & TERR0R 12/18
Poland criticises Russian military chief's missile warning
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 8:34am
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has criticised the chief of Russian army staff for his warning that a possible US anti-missile fire from Poland could provoke a Russian counterattack. Full Story
Nigerian oilfield militants urge unity
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 8:35am
Nigeria's main militant group on Monday urged all armed factions in the restive southern oil heartland to join together and cripple Africa's biggest petroleum industry. Full Story
Red Cross says volunteer abducted, slain in Sri Lanka
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 8:43am
A Sri Lanka Red Cross volunteer has been abducted and murdered in the island's army-held northern Jaffna peninsula, the relief agency said on Monday, the latest in a spree of aid worker killings amid renewed civil war. Full Story
Thailand's PPP set to win sizable votes in upcoming elections
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 8:49am
Thailand's People Power Party (PPP) looks poised to capture a sizable chunk of the votes in the kingdom's first general elections since the military coup in September 2006. The PPP is Thailand's newest political party, and its campaign rallies are attracting large crowds of working class Thais. Full Story
Malaysia drops attempted murder charges against 31 ethnic Indians
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 9:11am
Malaysian prosecutors dropped attempted murder charges against 31 ethnic Indians on Monday, a move likely to soothe the minority Indians who are chafing over complaints of racial discrimination in this Muslim-majority country. Prosecutors said all charges are being abandoned against five of the ethnic Indians. Prosecutors also dropped an attempted murder charge, punishable by 20 years in prison, against the remaining 26. Full Story
Putin says he'll be prime minister
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:08am
President Vladimir Putin told a congress of Russia's dominant party Monday that he would agree to become prime minister if Dmitry Medvedev is elected as his successor and said he would not seek to make the premiership more powerful. Full Story
Military Matters: Recreating Iraq
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:10am
Recent U.S. tactical successes in Iraq, especially the reduction in violence in Anbar province and in Baghdad, have led some people to assume that we are now "winning the war." However, for any tactical successes to add up to a win, they must be operationalized. Full Story
India and Vietnam announce measures to boost defence cooperation
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:20am
The Defence Minister AK Antony, who is on a three day visit to Vietnam, announced at the meeting with his counterpart General Phung Quang Thanh in Hanoi today that India will transfer 5000 naval spares belonging to Petya class of ship to Vietnam to make many of the ageing ships operational. Full Story
With an assist from Moscow, Islam flourishes
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:23am
Barred by the Soviets for decades from carrying out Islam's most sacred rite, such pilgrims were among the tens of thousands of Russian Muslims traveling to Saudi Arabia to join the masses in Mecca for the annual pilgrimage, or hajj, to one of Islam's holiest sites. Full Story
US orders review of mission in Afghanistan: report
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:25am
President George W. Bush's administration has launched an elaborate review of the US mission in Afghanistan amid fears Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces are gaining ground, the New York Times reported. Full Story
Protesters, police clash in Pakistan capital
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:35am
Pakistani police used batons and fired tear gas in a clash with protesters who hurled rocks and bricks at them in the capital Islamabad on Monday, AFP journalists on the scene said. Full Story
Lebanon presidential vote postponed to Dec. 22
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:30am
A Lebanese presidential election scheduled for Monday was postponed until Dec. 22, the parliament speaker said, delaying the vote for the ninth time. The U.S.-backed governing coalition and opposition supported by Syria have agreed on army chief General Michel Suleiman as the next president but have yet to conclude a broader political deal that will allow the election in parliament to go ahead.
"Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri decided to postpone the election which was supposed to be held today to elect a Lebanese president to 12 pm (1000 GMT) on Saturday", said a statement read on the speaker's behalf. Berri, a leading opposition figure, had earlier held talks with rival leaders at the chamber. Full Story
On the Sidelines in Basra: British Tackle a New Role
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:31am
The British soldiers spent more than an hour drilling the Iraqi army recruits in how to use key equipment needed to defend Basra from deadly mobs: body-size shields and menacing red batons.
"This is how you protect the city!" barked Sgt. George Parker, a gruff 34-year-old from Edinburgh, Scotland, as the Iraqis surveyed the shiny hardware the British were lending them for the training session last month. "We're not there anymore, so you need to learn how to use your weapons to defend yourselves." But there was one problem. Iraqi facilities had none of the riot gear the British assumed they did, according to the recruits' commanding officer, Lt. Kareem Hussein Tuwene.
"Don't they know we have nothing?" he said, speaking through a British military interpreter. "If they would leave the camp, they would see we have just a helmet and rifle. That's it." Full Story
Israel 'rules out' attacks by Syria, Hizbullah
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:32am
Israel's Aman military intelligence does not think Syria or Lebanon's Hizbullah will carry out a large-scale offensive against Israel in 2008, an Israeli daily said on Sunday. Aman said Israel had regained its so-called force of dissuasion during last year's 34-day war with Hizbullah, launched by the Jewish state after a deadly cross-border raid in July in which two Israeli troops were captured.
It also believes Israel demonstrated its ability to strike in the north, an allusion to a raid in Syria on September 6 in which Israeli warplanes bombed what media reports have said were possible nuclear targets deep within Syrian territory.
In Gaza, Hamas forces "have organized like a veritable army into battalions and regiments" with the aim of inflicting the maximum casualties on Israel should it launch a wide-scale offensive in the territory, the report said. The Aman report was cited by the mass-selling Yediot Ahronot daily. - AFP
Egyptian police arrest 7 after Christian shops burned
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:35am
Police arrested at least seven Egyptian Muslims after a riot in the southern city of Isna on Sunday that left at least 13 Christian-owned shops smashed up or burned and a church front damaged, security sources said. They said a car and a motorcycle owned by Christians were also burned and it appeared the rioters had attempted to burn the church.
Tensions have been high in the city for several days with a number of incidents threatening to escalate into sectarian clashes. Police have upgraded their presence. The tensions appear to have started when an angry crowd of Muslims surrounded and smashed up a Christian-owned store on Wednesday, where they suspected a Muslim girl was having sex with two Christian boys. Police beefed up security in the city after that incident. Full Story
Oil prices to stay high into 2008: energy consultantsPosted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:35amOil prices will remain at high levels into next year owing to tight supplies and despite fears that a weak US economy may dent crude demand, leading energy consultants said here Monday. Full Story
Saudis tighten security for Hajj
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:39am
Saudi Arabia has tightened security measures in the kingdom before the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which begins on Monday. More than 1.6 million Muslim pilgrims have already arrived in Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, and Saudi officials say they have installed more than 1,000 surveillance cameras around the city to monitor crowds. Full Story
Barak pledges NIS 320m for protecting rocket-weary south
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:41am
Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised Monday to work toward allocating NIS 320 million for the reinforcement of buildings in communities surrounding the Gaza Strip. The communities in question face almost daily barrages of Qassam rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. Full Story
Explosion reported at News Corp. NY building
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 12:07pm
An explosion was reported at the News Corp building in midtown Manhattan on Monday, a New York Fire Department spokesman said. Full Story
Sri Lanka president may ban Tamil Tigers
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 12:19pm
Sri Lanka may outlaw the Tamil Tigers if the rebels continue to mount large-scale attacks, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Monday, a move that would put the prospect of renewed peace talks further out of reach. Full Story
Bomb threatens 'at risk' Iraq dam
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 1:03pm
A truck laden with explosives has blown up near a controversial dam in Iraq, killing one person and damaging the main access bridge, Iraqi police said. Full Story
Bush supports Russia sending enriched uranium to Iran
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 1:04pm
U.S. President George W. Bush said on Monday he supports Russia sending enriched uranium to Iran for civilian power use because it meant that Tehran did not need to pursue their own enrichment capabilities. Full Story
Small blast near Thai party's campaign office: officials
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 1:15pm
A smoke bomb exploded late Monday outside the offices of the People Power Party in Bangkok, but caused no injuries and only minor damage, party officials said. Full Story
UK admits losing data of 3 million people
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:02pm
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government suffered new embarrassment over missing data on Monday when it revealed one of its contractors had lost the details of 3 million learner drivers.
The revelation came weeks after the government admitted it had lost computer discs containing the names and bank account details of 25 million people, exposing nearly half the population to possible fraud and identity theft. Full Story
Police chief breaks into own HQ to test security
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:04pm
One of the country's most senior police officers broke into his own headquarters to test its security for himself, his force said on Monday. Richard Brunstrom, head of North Wales Police, scaled scaffolding outside the building in Colwyn Bay to gain entry.
"The North Wales Police headquarters is currently being refurbished and as a result there is scaffolding attached to the building," a police spokeswoman said. "We can confirm the chief constable tested the security himself." Full Story
Euro zone inflation at 6-year high
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:11pm
Inflation in the 13 nations that use the euro surged to 3.1 percent in November versus a year earlier, its highest level in more than six years, the European Union's statistics agency Eurostat said Friday.
Food prices have not risen so quickly since 2001 to 2002 as bad weather and rising world demand for dairy products push up the cost of milk and cheese. Eurostat said dairy, transport fuel and heating oil were the main factors pushing prices up from a year ago, revising higher their initial estimate that inflation would hit 3 percent during the month. Full Story
Castro: Won't cling to power forever
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:05pm
Ailing leader Fidel Castro said in a letter read on state television Monday that he does not intend to cling to power forever or stand in the way of a younger generation, but invoked the example of a renowned Brazilian architect who is still working at 100.
"My elemental duty is not to cling to positions, or even less to obstruct the path of younger people, but to share experiences and ideas whose modest worth comes from the exceptional era in which I lived," Castro wrote in the final paragraph of a lengthy letter discussing the Bali summit on global warming. Full Story
Former Uruguayan dictator detained
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:06pm
Uruguay's last military dictator, Gregorio Alvarez, was charged Monday with the forced disappearance of political prisoners, cheering human rights activists who have long campaigned for his prosecution. Alvarez, now 82 and retired, was the army general who led Uruguay from 1982 until shortly before the country restored democracy in 1985. Full Story
Gadhafi in Madrid for 1st official visit
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 12:34am
Spain welcomed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi for an official visit Monday, joining France in rolling out the red carpet for the former pariah who is now seeking reconciliation with the West.
Gadhafi, long a vocal champion of armed struggle and once ostracized by the world community as a sponsor of terrorism, has been trying to build normal relations with European countries after renouncing terrorism and nuclear weapons. Full Story
Tiger rebels claim smashing Sri Lanka army outpost
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 12:54am
Tamil Tiger rebels overran a military outpost in northern Sri Lanka on Tuesday, killing at least five government soldiers, the rebels said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) mounted the offensive at Weerapuram in the district of Vavuniya just outside their de facto mini-state, the LTTE's Rasiah Ilanthiriyan said in a statement. Full Story
8 militants killed in Gaza airstrikes
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 1:11am
Israeli aircraft launched an assault on the radical Islamic Jihad organization from the skies over Gaza, killing eight of the organization's men in three fiery strikes overnight. In an e-mail sent to reporters, Islamic Jihad said it would retaliate for its losses with suicide attacks inside Israel, threatening "a wave of martyrdom operations." Full Story
Police arrested for plot suspect escape
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 1:34am
Two police officers have been arrested for allowing the escape of a British suspect in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic jetliners, officials said Tuesday. Britain has been seeking Rashid Rauf's extradition, both to question him as a "key person" in the airplane plot and as a suspect in the 2002 killing of his uncle. He has denied involvement in both cases. Full Story
Sharif blocked from Pakistan election
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 2:37am
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lost his appeal against the rejection of his nomination for next month's parliamentary elections, an official said Tuesday, eliminating a key opposition leader from the crucial vote. The Election Commission rejected Sharif's appeal Monday, commission spokesman Kanwar Dilshad said. Dilshad declined to give details, confirming only a report in the Urdu-language Jang daily Tuesday that Sharif was out of the elections. Full Story
Turkish troops enter northern Iraq: Kurdish official
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 3:45amTurkish troops entered northern Iraq early on Tuesday to flush out separatist Kurdish rebels, Jabbar Yawar, spokesman for the Kurdish peshmerga security force, told AFP. "The area they entered is a deserted area and there is no Iraqi force or peshmerga deployed there. We do not know how many Turkish troops" had crossed the border into Iraq, he said. Full Story
Police in Italy, Germany hold four in anti-mob raids
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 3:46am
Police in Italy and Germany on Tuesday arrested four members of an Italian crime family linked to the execution-style killings of six Italians in Germany last August. A police statement said two of the arrests were made in Germany and the other two in Calabria, the poor southern Italian region that is home to the 'Ndrangheta crime group, the area's version of the Sicilian Mafia. Full Story
Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 8:34am
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has criticised the chief of Russian army staff for his warning that a possible US anti-missile fire from Poland could provoke a Russian counterattack. Full Story
Nigerian oilfield militants urge unity
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 8:35am
Nigeria's main militant group on Monday urged all armed factions in the restive southern oil heartland to join together and cripple Africa's biggest petroleum industry. Full Story
Red Cross says volunteer abducted, slain in Sri Lanka
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 8:43am
A Sri Lanka Red Cross volunteer has been abducted and murdered in the island's army-held northern Jaffna peninsula, the relief agency said on Monday, the latest in a spree of aid worker killings amid renewed civil war. Full Story
Thailand's PPP set to win sizable votes in upcoming elections
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 8:49am
Thailand's People Power Party (PPP) looks poised to capture a sizable chunk of the votes in the kingdom's first general elections since the military coup in September 2006. The PPP is Thailand's newest political party, and its campaign rallies are attracting large crowds of working class Thais. Full Story
Malaysia drops attempted murder charges against 31 ethnic Indians
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 9:11am
Malaysian prosecutors dropped attempted murder charges against 31 ethnic Indians on Monday, a move likely to soothe the minority Indians who are chafing over complaints of racial discrimination in this Muslim-majority country. Prosecutors said all charges are being abandoned against five of the ethnic Indians. Prosecutors also dropped an attempted murder charge, punishable by 20 years in prison, against the remaining 26. Full Story
Putin says he'll be prime minister
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:08am
President Vladimir Putin told a congress of Russia's dominant party Monday that he would agree to become prime minister if Dmitry Medvedev is elected as his successor and said he would not seek to make the premiership more powerful. Full Story
Military Matters: Recreating Iraq
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:10am
Recent U.S. tactical successes in Iraq, especially the reduction in violence in Anbar province and in Baghdad, have led some people to assume that we are now "winning the war." However, for any tactical successes to add up to a win, they must be operationalized. Full Story
India and Vietnam announce measures to boost defence cooperation
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:20am
The Defence Minister AK Antony, who is on a three day visit to Vietnam, announced at the meeting with his counterpart General Phung Quang Thanh in Hanoi today that India will transfer 5000 naval spares belonging to Petya class of ship to Vietnam to make many of the ageing ships operational. Full Story
With an assist from Moscow, Islam flourishes
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:23am
Barred by the Soviets for decades from carrying out Islam's most sacred rite, such pilgrims were among the tens of thousands of Russian Muslims traveling to Saudi Arabia to join the masses in Mecca for the annual pilgrimage, or hajj, to one of Islam's holiest sites. Full Story
US orders review of mission in Afghanistan: report
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:25am
President George W. Bush's administration has launched an elaborate review of the US mission in Afghanistan amid fears Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces are gaining ground, the New York Times reported. Full Story
Protesters, police clash in Pakistan capital
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:35am
Pakistani police used batons and fired tear gas in a clash with protesters who hurled rocks and bricks at them in the capital Islamabad on Monday, AFP journalists on the scene said. Full Story
Lebanon presidential vote postponed to Dec. 22
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:30am
A Lebanese presidential election scheduled for Monday was postponed until Dec. 22, the parliament speaker said, delaying the vote for the ninth time. The U.S.-backed governing coalition and opposition supported by Syria have agreed on army chief General Michel Suleiman as the next president but have yet to conclude a broader political deal that will allow the election in parliament to go ahead.
"Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri decided to postpone the election which was supposed to be held today to elect a Lebanese president to 12 pm (1000 GMT) on Saturday", said a statement read on the speaker's behalf. Berri, a leading opposition figure, had earlier held talks with rival leaders at the chamber. Full Story
On the Sidelines in Basra: British Tackle a New Role
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:31am
The British soldiers spent more than an hour drilling the Iraqi army recruits in how to use key equipment needed to defend Basra from deadly mobs: body-size shields and menacing red batons.
"This is how you protect the city!" barked Sgt. George Parker, a gruff 34-year-old from Edinburgh, Scotland, as the Iraqis surveyed the shiny hardware the British were lending them for the training session last month. "We're not there anymore, so you need to learn how to use your weapons to defend yourselves." But there was one problem. Iraqi facilities had none of the riot gear the British assumed they did, according to the recruits' commanding officer, Lt. Kareem Hussein Tuwene.
"Don't they know we have nothing?" he said, speaking through a British military interpreter. "If they would leave the camp, they would see we have just a helmet and rifle. That's it." Full Story
Israel 'rules out' attacks by Syria, Hizbullah
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:32am
Israel's Aman military intelligence does not think Syria or Lebanon's Hizbullah will carry out a large-scale offensive against Israel in 2008, an Israeli daily said on Sunday. Aman said Israel had regained its so-called force of dissuasion during last year's 34-day war with Hizbullah, launched by the Jewish state after a deadly cross-border raid in July in which two Israeli troops were captured.
It also believes Israel demonstrated its ability to strike in the north, an allusion to a raid in Syria on September 6 in which Israeli warplanes bombed what media reports have said were possible nuclear targets deep within Syrian territory.
In Gaza, Hamas forces "have organized like a veritable army into battalions and regiments" with the aim of inflicting the maximum casualties on Israel should it launch a wide-scale offensive in the territory, the report said. The Aman report was cited by the mass-selling Yediot Ahronot daily. - AFP
Egyptian police arrest 7 after Christian shops burned
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:35am
Police arrested at least seven Egyptian Muslims after a riot in the southern city of Isna on Sunday that left at least 13 Christian-owned shops smashed up or burned and a church front damaged, security sources said. They said a car and a motorcycle owned by Christians were also burned and it appeared the rioters had attempted to burn the church.
Tensions have been high in the city for several days with a number of incidents threatening to escalate into sectarian clashes. Police have upgraded their presence. The tensions appear to have started when an angry crowd of Muslims surrounded and smashed up a Christian-owned store on Wednesday, where they suspected a Muslim girl was having sex with two Christian boys. Police beefed up security in the city after that incident. Full Story
Oil prices to stay high into 2008: energy consultantsPosted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:35amOil prices will remain at high levels into next year owing to tight supplies and despite fears that a weak US economy may dent crude demand, leading energy consultants said here Monday. Full Story
Saudis tighten security for Hajj
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:39am
Saudi Arabia has tightened security measures in the kingdom before the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which begins on Monday. More than 1.6 million Muslim pilgrims have already arrived in Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, and Saudi officials say they have installed more than 1,000 surveillance cameras around the city to monitor crowds. Full Story
Barak pledges NIS 320m for protecting rocket-weary south
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:41am
Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised Monday to work toward allocating NIS 320 million for the reinforcement of buildings in communities surrounding the Gaza Strip. The communities in question face almost daily barrages of Qassam rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. Full Story
Explosion reported at News Corp. NY building
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 12:07pm
An explosion was reported at the News Corp building in midtown Manhattan on Monday, a New York Fire Department spokesman said. Full Story
Sri Lanka president may ban Tamil Tigers
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 12:19pm
Sri Lanka may outlaw the Tamil Tigers if the rebels continue to mount large-scale attacks, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Monday, a move that would put the prospect of renewed peace talks further out of reach. Full Story
Bomb threatens 'at risk' Iraq dam
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 1:03pm
A truck laden with explosives has blown up near a controversial dam in Iraq, killing one person and damaging the main access bridge, Iraqi police said. Full Story
Bush supports Russia sending enriched uranium to Iran
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 1:04pm
U.S. President George W. Bush said on Monday he supports Russia sending enriched uranium to Iran for civilian power use because it meant that Tehran did not need to pursue their own enrichment capabilities. Full Story
Small blast near Thai party's campaign office: officials
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 1:15pm
A smoke bomb exploded late Monday outside the offices of the People Power Party in Bangkok, but caused no injuries and only minor damage, party officials said. Full Story
UK admits losing data of 3 million people
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:02pm
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government suffered new embarrassment over missing data on Monday when it revealed one of its contractors had lost the details of 3 million learner drivers.
The revelation came weeks after the government admitted it had lost computer discs containing the names and bank account details of 25 million people, exposing nearly half the population to possible fraud and identity theft. Full Story
Police chief breaks into own HQ to test security
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:04pm
One of the country's most senior police officers broke into his own headquarters to test its security for himself, his force said on Monday. Richard Brunstrom, head of North Wales Police, scaled scaffolding outside the building in Colwyn Bay to gain entry.
"The North Wales Police headquarters is currently being refurbished and as a result there is scaffolding attached to the building," a police spokeswoman said. "We can confirm the chief constable tested the security himself." Full Story
Euro zone inflation at 6-year high
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:11pm
Inflation in the 13 nations that use the euro surged to 3.1 percent in November versus a year earlier, its highest level in more than six years, the European Union's statistics agency Eurostat said Friday.
Food prices have not risen so quickly since 2001 to 2002 as bad weather and rising world demand for dairy products push up the cost of milk and cheese. Eurostat said dairy, transport fuel and heating oil were the main factors pushing prices up from a year ago, revising higher their initial estimate that inflation would hit 3 percent during the month. Full Story
Castro: Won't cling to power forever
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:05pm
Ailing leader Fidel Castro said in a letter read on state television Monday that he does not intend to cling to power forever or stand in the way of a younger generation, but invoked the example of a renowned Brazilian architect who is still working at 100.
"My elemental duty is not to cling to positions, or even less to obstruct the path of younger people, but to share experiences and ideas whose modest worth comes from the exceptional era in which I lived," Castro wrote in the final paragraph of a lengthy letter discussing the Bali summit on global warming. Full Story
Former Uruguayan dictator detained
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 10:06pm
Uruguay's last military dictator, Gregorio Alvarez, was charged Monday with the forced disappearance of political prisoners, cheering human rights activists who have long campaigned for his prosecution. Alvarez, now 82 and retired, was the army general who led Uruguay from 1982 until shortly before the country restored democracy in 1985. Full Story
Gadhafi in Madrid for 1st official visit
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 12:34am
Spain welcomed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi for an official visit Monday, joining France in rolling out the red carpet for the former pariah who is now seeking reconciliation with the West.
Gadhafi, long a vocal champion of armed struggle and once ostracized by the world community as a sponsor of terrorism, has been trying to build normal relations with European countries after renouncing terrorism and nuclear weapons. Full Story
Tiger rebels claim smashing Sri Lanka army outpost
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 12:54am
Tamil Tiger rebels overran a military outpost in northern Sri Lanka on Tuesday, killing at least five government soldiers, the rebels said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) mounted the offensive at Weerapuram in the district of Vavuniya just outside their de facto mini-state, the LTTE's Rasiah Ilanthiriyan said in a statement. Full Story
8 militants killed in Gaza airstrikes
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 1:11am
Israeli aircraft launched an assault on the radical Islamic Jihad organization from the skies over Gaza, killing eight of the organization's men in three fiery strikes overnight. In an e-mail sent to reporters, Islamic Jihad said it would retaliate for its losses with suicide attacks inside Israel, threatening "a wave of martyrdom operations." Full Story
Police arrested for plot suspect escape
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 1:34am
Two police officers have been arrested for allowing the escape of a British suspect in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic jetliners, officials said Tuesday. Britain has been seeking Rashid Rauf's extradition, both to question him as a "key person" in the airplane plot and as a suspect in the 2002 killing of his uncle. He has denied involvement in both cases. Full Story
Sharif blocked from Pakistan election
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 2:37am
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lost his appeal against the rejection of his nomination for next month's parliamentary elections, an official said Tuesday, eliminating a key opposition leader from the crucial vote. The Election Commission rejected Sharif's appeal Monday, commission spokesman Kanwar Dilshad said. Dilshad declined to give details, confirming only a report in the Urdu-language Jang daily Tuesday that Sharif was out of the elections. Full Story
Turkish troops enter northern Iraq: Kurdish official
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 3:45amTurkish troops entered northern Iraq early on Tuesday to flush out separatist Kurdish rebels, Jabbar Yawar, spokesman for the Kurdish peshmerga security force, told AFP. "The area they entered is a deserted area and there is no Iraqi force or peshmerga deployed there. We do not know how many Turkish troops" had crossed the border into Iraq, he said. Full Story
Police in Italy, Germany hold four in anti-mob raids
Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 3:46am
Police in Italy and Germany on Tuesday arrested four members of an Italian crime family linked to the execution-style killings of six Italians in Germany last August. A police statement said two of the arrests were made in Germany and the other two in Calabria, the poor southern Italian region that is home to the 'Ndrangheta crime group, the area's version of the Sicilian Mafia. Full Story
Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.
Monday, December 17, 2007
IRAQ EVENTS IN BRIEF 12/17
Baghdad
2 civilians were killed and 2 policemen were injured in an IED explosion in Al Alif Dar area (the 1000 houses area)in New Baghdad neighborhood east Baghdad around 7,30 am. The explosion was preceded by another IED in the same place which didn’t cause any casualties and after people gathered, the 2nd explosion.
Gunmen opened fire killing a traffic policemen inside his car in New Baghdad area east Baghdad around 8,30 am.
2 members of Adhemiyah Sahwa were killed and 10 others were injured in an IED explosion that targeted the office of Sahwa in Eshreen Street in Adhemiyah neighborhood north Baghdad around 12,30 pm.
2 civilians were injured when gunmen opened fire targeting their car in Waziriyah neighborhood east Baghdad around 12,30 pm.
3 members of Doura Sahwa were injured when they were attacked from one of the houses in Al Kafa’at area in Doura neighborhood south Baghdad around 12,30 pm.
A civilian was killed and 3 others were wounded in a suicide car bomb targeted a check point for the Iraqis army in Bayaa neighborhood southwest Baghdad around 4,30 pm.
Police found 4 bodies in Baghdad today in the following neighborhoods (1 body in New Baghdad, 1 body in Qahira, 1 body in Doura and 1 body in Saidiyah).
Diyala
Iraqi army found 4 corpses of civilians in Hdid area 5 Kms west of Baquba city.
3 civilians were wounded (2 men and a woman) when an IED exploded targeting a car in Muqdadiyah town east Baquba city.
Karbala
Karbala police spokesman Rahman Al Mshawi said that two children were killed and two others were wounded in a cluster bomb that was left over from the 2003 invasion. The incident took place in a soccer field in Al Ghadeer neighborhood south Karbala city today afternoon.
Mosul
Clashes happened between Iraqi police and gunmen in Al Karama neighborhood in the west bank of Mosul city north of Baghdad yesterday night, police killed Abo Salih Al Saudi, the prince of Qaida in Mosul city.
Courtesy McClatchy Newspapers
2 civilians were killed and 2 policemen were injured in an IED explosion in Al Alif Dar area (the 1000 houses area)in New Baghdad neighborhood east Baghdad around 7,30 am. The explosion was preceded by another IED in the same place which didn’t cause any casualties and after people gathered, the 2nd explosion.
Gunmen opened fire killing a traffic policemen inside his car in New Baghdad area east Baghdad around 8,30 am.
2 members of Adhemiyah Sahwa were killed and 10 others were injured in an IED explosion that targeted the office of Sahwa in Eshreen Street in Adhemiyah neighborhood north Baghdad around 12,30 pm.
2 civilians were injured when gunmen opened fire targeting their car in Waziriyah neighborhood east Baghdad around 12,30 pm.
3 members of Doura Sahwa were injured when they were attacked from one of the houses in Al Kafa’at area in Doura neighborhood south Baghdad around 12,30 pm.
A civilian was killed and 3 others were wounded in a suicide car bomb targeted a check point for the Iraqis army in Bayaa neighborhood southwest Baghdad around 4,30 pm.
Police found 4 bodies in Baghdad today in the following neighborhoods (1 body in New Baghdad, 1 body in Qahira, 1 body in Doura and 1 body in Saidiyah).
Diyala
Iraqi army found 4 corpses of civilians in Hdid area 5 Kms west of Baquba city.
3 civilians were wounded (2 men and a woman) when an IED exploded targeting a car in Muqdadiyah town east Baquba city.
Karbala
Karbala police spokesman Rahman Al Mshawi said that two children were killed and two others were wounded in a cluster bomb that was left over from the 2003 invasion. The incident took place in a soccer field in Al Ghadeer neighborhood south Karbala city today afternoon.
Mosul
Clashes happened between Iraqi police and gunmen in Al Karama neighborhood in the west bank of Mosul city north of Baghdad yesterday night, police killed Abo Salih Al Saudi, the prince of Qaida in Mosul city.
Courtesy McClatchy Newspapers
CONFLICT & TERR0R 12/17
EU, eyes on Kosovo, to offer Serbia fast track
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 6:10am
European Union leaders, worried that Kosovo's push for independence could trigger instability in the Balkans, were set to offer Serbia a fast-track route to joining the bloc at a summit on Friday. A day after signing a treaty to end a long institutional stalemate, the leaders switched focus to challenges posed by the Balkans -- a test of the EU's new hopes of strengthening its foreign policy clout -- and by globalization and immigration. Full Story
UN expert: Tapes point to CIA torture
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 8:04am
The destruction of CIA interrogation tapes supports suspicions that the agency used torture to gather information from terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, a U.N. human rights expert who recently visited the prison said Thursday. Martin Scheinin, the U.N. independent investigator on human rights in the fight against terrorism, also said he had reason to believe the CIA continues to use interrogation methods that violate international law. Full Story
US, Russian soldiers train in Germany
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 8:08am
U.S. and Russian generals, undeterred by political tensions over a proposed American missile shield in Europe, said Thursday that their joint training exercises in Germany should expand because of a common enemy: global terrorism. Lt. Gens. Kenneth Hunzeker of the U.S. and Vladimir Chirkin of Russia outlined the two-week exercise in southern Germany that put soldiers from both countries against an opposing force in an effort to better coordinate strategy, communications and tactics. It began Dec. 2 and ends Friday. Full Story
Bitter divisions exposed at Bali climate talks
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 8:42am
With governments at a United Nations meeting here on global warming bitterly divided, Germany's environment minister said Thursday that European Union countries would boycott a separate meeting next month proposed by the Bush administration if a deal was not reached here this week. The United States and the European Union remain at odds on many major points, including whether an agreement signed here should include numerical targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a move that the United States and a few other countries, including Russia, oppose. Full Story
Japan deadlocked over US warships
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 8:46am
Japan's government has extended the parliamentary session into the new year for the first time in 14 years, in an effort to pass a controversial bill. Opposition MPs, who control the upper house, are blocking the bill, which would allow Japan to refuel US warships involved in conflict in Afghanistan. Full Story
Three jailed over Maldives tourist bombing: police
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 9:00am
A court in the Maldives has sentenced three Islamic militants to 15 years each behind bars in connection with the holiday archipelago's first ever terror attack, police said Friday. The men admitted to planting and detonating a bomb at the Sultan Park in the capital island of Male on September 29. Full Story
Rebel group targeting foreigners in S Philippines
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 9:20am
The Philippine rebel group Abu Sayyaf has been eyeing foreigners, including U.S. servicemen deployed in the country's southern region of Mindanao, as their new kidnapping targets, the Philippine National Police said in a statement on Friday.
Quoting a report from the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), Police Director General Avelino Razon told reporters that the group was planning to carry out attacks and kidnappings in Zamboanga City and Basilan and was out to "replenish its depleted resources." Full Story
Survivors blast dam decision
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 9:44am
Survivors of a devastating flood lashed out at authorities Thursday for not warning that a dam's floodgates were being opened during Tropical Storm Olga, unleashing a wall of water that killed as many as 20 people. President Leonel Fernandez, who promised aid while touring the area to view the destruction, did not comment on the decision to rapidly release the water. He blamed global warming for the rare December storm with torrential rains. Full Story
Bolivian regions in autonomy push
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 10:54am
Bolivia's wealthiest region has taken steps to declare autonomy from the central government amid a bitter dispute over constitutional changes. The Santa Cruz assembly backed a statute under which the region would keep two-thirds of its tax revenues. Full Story
India moves troops to China border
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 10:55am
The Indian army has moved more than 6,000 troops to the Sino-India border following reports of Chinese intrusions in Bhutan. Chief of Army Staff Gen. Deepak Kapoor said the reported intrusion of Chinese forces into Bhutan was a matter between the two countries, adding the Indian army has moved more than 6,000 troops to the border with China. Full Story
Biggest Swiss political party quits cabinet
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 10:59am
Switzerland's biggest political party quit the cabinet Thursday, ending nearly half a century of government by consensus and opening what analysts see as a period of uncertainty in the previously predictable world of Swiss politics.
The rightist Swiss People's Party announced its decision to go into opposition a day after Parliament voted to remove its preferred candidate, the controversial industrialist Christoph Blocher, from the seven-member Federal Council, which serves as Switzerland's cabinet. Full Story
Sri Lanka's war budget approved despite defections
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 1:15pm
Sri Lanka's shaky coalition government on Friday won parliamentary approval for the island's biggest ever war budget, despite a series of defections to the opposition.
Parliament voted 114 to 67 in favour of the 2008 budget unveiled last month by President Mahinda Rajapakse, and which has allocated 166.44 billion rupees (1.51 billion dollars) for defence amid an upsurge in fighting with Tamil Tiger rebels. Full Story
'Freed terrorists behind U.N. bomb'
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 1:35pm
Two convicted terrorists who had been freed in an amnesty carried out the suicide bombings at U.N. and government buildings that killed 37 people, an Algerian security official has said. Rescuers in the shaken city Thursday were still extracting the living and the dead from the crumpled remains of U.N. offices in Algiers that were bombed by al-Qaeda's self-styled North African affiliate. Full Story
Pakistani men suspected of being country's first bird flu victims
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 3:40pm
Two brothers who suddenly died after becoming ill at a chicken farm in north-west Pakistan are suspected of being the country's first bird-flu victims, health officials said Friday. The men died at least 10 days ago, but the Pakistani government did not disclose their deaths and has refused to confirm test results of whether they succumbed to the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Full Story
Iraqi oil exceeds pre-war output
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 3:47pm
Iraqi oil production is above the levels seen before the US-led invasion of the country in 2003, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA said Iraqi crude production is now running at 2.3 million barrels per day, compared with 1.9 million barrels at the start of this year. It puts the rise down to the improving security situation in Iraq, especially in the north of the country. Full Story
U.S., Japan tighten missile-defense ties
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 6:33pm
The U.S. and Japanese navies have worked out common rules for their advanced warships designed to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles, the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet said on Friday ahead of a milestone test. Full Story
ETA says it killed 2 Spanish police
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 6:36pm
The armed Basque group ETA has claimed responsibility for the killing of two Spanish Civil Guards in southern France earlier this month and warns it will attack Spain's security forces "wherever they may be," a Basque newspaper reported Friday. Full Story
17 UN staffers killed in Algiers bombings: spokeswoman
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 8:22am
The United Nations on Friday said 17 of its staffers were now confirmed to have died in this week's car bombings in Algiers along with "a devastatingly high number" of Algerians. Full Story
Colombia Destroys Thousands of Weapons from Paramilitary Fighters
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 11:04am
Colombian and Organization of American States officials have supervised the destruction of thousands of weapons surrendered by demobilized right-wing paramilitary fighters. Full Story
Hakim confident Iraqi forces can keep order in Basra
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 11:05am
One of Iraq's most influential Shiite figures has said he is confident the country's security forces will be able to maintain order in the mainly Shiite province of Basra, which is to be handed over by British troops on Sunday. Full Story
Philippine Muslim rebels reject govt homeland plan
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 11:06am
Philippine Muslim rebels on Saturday rejected a government draft on a proposed ancestral homeland for Muslims in southern Philippines, officials said, dealing a surprise blow to peace talks. Full Story
Arrested in Kirkuk a gang specialised in kidnapping Christian doctors
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 12:09pm
Yesterday in Kirkuk Iraqi police captured the remaining members of the criminal organisation; 4 brothers who have all confessed: we did it for the money. The medical profession is among the worst hit by terrorism and criminality: leaders in the field and simple doctors emigrate or are killed, depriving Iraq of a vital resource. Full Story
Iraqi Kurds: No Kurdish state but long term presence of US
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 12:10pm
Iraqi Kurdish leaders rule out a Kurdish state but stress they want continued American presence in northern Iraq and establish a strategic alliance with the United States similar to that between the Washington and Baghdad. Full Story
Officials: U.K. terror suspect escaped
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 4:28pm
Rashid Rauf, a British suspect in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic jetliners, escaped from police custody in Pakistan on Saturday, officials said. Full Story
Gadhafi Wraps Up Visit to France
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 4:29pm
Mr. Gadhafi got the red carpet treatment from French President Nicolas Sarkozy during his five-day visit here. The Libyan leader was the featured guest at a state dinner. The Libyan and French leaders also signed a number of contracts worth billions of dollars. Full Story
Israel: US report on Iran may spark war
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 4:42pm
Israel's public security minister warned Saturday that a U.S. intelligence report that said Iran is no longer developing nuclear arms could lead to a regional war that would threaten the Jewish state. Full Story
28 LTTE rebels killed in fresh clashes in Sri Lanka
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 7:50am
At least 28 LTTE militants and a soldier were killed in a spate of clashes in the restive northern Sri Lanka, the Army said here on Saturday. Full Story
Darfur rebels say attack Sudan army, capture 29
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 8:29am
Darfur rebels said on Sunday they had inflicted a crushing defeat on Sudan's army in West Darfur in an overnight battle during which they captured 29 soldiers, 32 vehicles and heavy weaponry. Full Story
Pakistan campaign kicks off after emergency lifted
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 9:30am
Israel's Aman military intelligence does not think that Syria or Lebanon's Hezbollah militia will carry out a largescale offensive against Israel in 2008, an Israeli daily said on Sunday. Full Story
40 Maoists escape from Dantewada jail
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 10:29am
In a daring act, about forty naxalities on Sunday escaped from the Dantewada jail in Chhattisgarh after overpowering jail guards, police sources said. Full Story
Egyptian police arrest 7 after Christian shops burned
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 10:31am
Police arrested at least seven Egyptian Muslims after a riot in the southern city of Isna on Sunday that left at least 13 Christian-owned shops smashed up or burned and a church front damaged, security sources said. Full Story
Saudis tighten security for Hajj
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 11:29am
Saudi Arabia has tightened security measures in the kingdom before the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which begins on Monday. Full Story
Kyrgyzstan votes in election, opposition cries foul
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 11:30am
Kyrgyzstan voted on Sunday in a snap parliamentary election expected to hand President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's party a landslide victory but which the opposition quickly condemned as rigged. Full Story
Iran shuts down 24 cafes in Internet crackdown
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 12:24pm
Iranian police have closed down 24 Internet cafes and other coffee shops in as many hours, detaining 23 people, as part of a broad crackdown on "immoral behaviour" in the Islamic state, official media said on Sunday. Full Story
Russia orders new strategic nukes
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 12:25pm
Russia's military has commissioned another batch of new intercontinental ballistic missiles nuclear weapons officials boast can penetrate any prospective missile shield, reports said Sunday. Full Story
Russia expels anti-Kremlin journalist
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 12:27pm
Russian authorities expelled a Moldovan journalist critical of the Kremlin on Sunday in a move condemned by media watchdogs. Full Story
Top Turk general says US approved strikes in N.Iraq
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 4:02pm
The head of Turkey's military General Staff said it had U.S. approval for Turkish air strikes on Sunday against Kurdish PKK rebel targets in northern Iraq. Full Story
US: Afghan border attacks drop 40%.
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 4:03pm
A top American general said Sunday that attacks along the Afghan-Pakistan border have dropped more than 40 percent since July and the U.S. and its allies are making progress in the fight against the Taliban. Full Story
General: Iraq at its quietest since '04
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 5:54pm
Violence in Iraq is at its lowest levels since the first year of the American invasion, finally opening a window for reconciliation among rival sects, the second-ranking U.S. general said Sunday as Iraqi forces formally took control of security across half the country. Full Story
Communist leader to run for president in Russia
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 5:56pm
The Communist Party of Russia has nominated its party leader, Gennady Zyuganov, to run in the March presidential election - a vote that is widely expected to be won by President Vladimir Putin's personal choice. Full Story
Al-Zawahri video: US failing in Iraq
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 7:23pm
Al-Qaida's No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri said in a new video posted Monday that the United States is trying to hide its failures in Iraq and warned that the mujahedeen there are increasing in strength. "We are seeing a triple failure for the Americans in Iraq," al-Zawahri said in the 90-minute videotape. "No matter how much the gigantic propaganda machine in America tries to deceive the people, the reality is stronger and worse than all the deceptions." Full Story
Sri Lanka ministry says 22 killed in fresh violence
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:13am
Renewed violence between Tamil rebels and government forces left at least 22 people dead in northern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said Monday. Among the dead were two civilians killed by unidentified attackers in the Jaffna peninsula where 15 Tamil Tiger rebels also died in clashes with troops on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement. Full Story
Cambodian monks fight police at Vietnam embassy: police
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:15am
About 40 Cambodian Buddhist monks fought with police, knocking one unconscious before being beaten back with batons, as they tried to hand a petition to Vietnam's embassy, officials said Monday. The clash broke out when 100 police refused to allow the monks to approach the embassy in the Cambodian capital. Full Story
Rebels say no talks unless Manila sticks to deal
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:15am
The Philippines' largest Islamic separatist group will not return to peace talks, unless Manila honors a previous pledge to create a Muslim homeland in the south, the rebels' chief negotiator said on Monday. Negotiations to formalize an agreement on ancestral domain were shelved over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur after the government said a deal would need the approval of Congress, something earlier drafts did not require. Full Story
Russia test-fires intercontinental missile
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:17am
Russia successfully conducted a test launch on Monday of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, the navy said. A statement said the missile was launched from the Tula nuclear powered submarine in the Barents Sea in the Arctic and hit a designated area in the Kura testing ground on the Kamchatka Peninsula on Russia's Pacific coast. Full Story
Russia sends nuclear fuel to Iran
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:36am
Russia has completed its first shipment of nuclear fuel to Iran's Bushehr plant, which is at the center of the international tensions over Iran's nuclear program, Russian news agencies reported Monday. Iran contends the nuclear power plant operation in Bushehr is strictly for civilian purposes, but many critics suspect Iran intends to use the plant as part of an alleged effort to develop nuclear weapons. Full Story
Philippines communist rebels reject ceasefire, order more attacks
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 3:14am
Communist guerrillas on Monday rejected the Philippines military's three-year ceasefire proposal and vowed to mount more attacks as government forces observed a unilateral three-week Christmas truce. Three Marines were slain by New People's Army (NPA) rebels on the western island of Palawan on Sunday, within hours of the military's "suspension of offensive military operations". Full Story
Around 9,000 to contest Pakistan polls: official
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 3:15am
Around 9,000 candidates will contest next month's parliamentary elections in Pakistan, officials said, as the country's main opposition leaders hit the campaign trail. With the January 8 vote three weeks away, the election commission approved the final candidates list, commission official Khurshid Alam told AFP. Full Story
Ten killed in Pakistani bomb attack
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 3:37am
A suicide bomber killed at least 10 people in northwest Pakistan on Monday in an attack on a security checkpost, military officials said. The attack was near an army-run school in Kohat town in North West Frontier Province, where militants have made repeated attacks on security forces in recent months. Full Story
Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 6:10am
European Union leaders, worried that Kosovo's push for independence could trigger instability in the Balkans, were set to offer Serbia a fast-track route to joining the bloc at a summit on Friday. A day after signing a treaty to end a long institutional stalemate, the leaders switched focus to challenges posed by the Balkans -- a test of the EU's new hopes of strengthening its foreign policy clout -- and by globalization and immigration. Full Story
UN expert: Tapes point to CIA torture
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 8:04am
The destruction of CIA interrogation tapes supports suspicions that the agency used torture to gather information from terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, a U.N. human rights expert who recently visited the prison said Thursday. Martin Scheinin, the U.N. independent investigator on human rights in the fight against terrorism, also said he had reason to believe the CIA continues to use interrogation methods that violate international law. Full Story
US, Russian soldiers train in Germany
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 8:08am
U.S. and Russian generals, undeterred by political tensions over a proposed American missile shield in Europe, said Thursday that their joint training exercises in Germany should expand because of a common enemy: global terrorism. Lt. Gens. Kenneth Hunzeker of the U.S. and Vladimir Chirkin of Russia outlined the two-week exercise in southern Germany that put soldiers from both countries against an opposing force in an effort to better coordinate strategy, communications and tactics. It began Dec. 2 and ends Friday. Full Story
Bitter divisions exposed at Bali climate talks
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 8:42am
With governments at a United Nations meeting here on global warming bitterly divided, Germany's environment minister said Thursday that European Union countries would boycott a separate meeting next month proposed by the Bush administration if a deal was not reached here this week. The United States and the European Union remain at odds on many major points, including whether an agreement signed here should include numerical targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a move that the United States and a few other countries, including Russia, oppose. Full Story
Japan deadlocked over US warships
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 8:46am
Japan's government has extended the parliamentary session into the new year for the first time in 14 years, in an effort to pass a controversial bill. Opposition MPs, who control the upper house, are blocking the bill, which would allow Japan to refuel US warships involved in conflict in Afghanistan. Full Story
Three jailed over Maldives tourist bombing: police
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 9:00am
A court in the Maldives has sentenced three Islamic militants to 15 years each behind bars in connection with the holiday archipelago's first ever terror attack, police said Friday. The men admitted to planting and detonating a bomb at the Sultan Park in the capital island of Male on September 29. Full Story
Rebel group targeting foreigners in S Philippines
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 9:20am
The Philippine rebel group Abu Sayyaf has been eyeing foreigners, including U.S. servicemen deployed in the country's southern region of Mindanao, as their new kidnapping targets, the Philippine National Police said in a statement on Friday.
Quoting a report from the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), Police Director General Avelino Razon told reporters that the group was planning to carry out attacks and kidnappings in Zamboanga City and Basilan and was out to "replenish its depleted resources." Full Story
Survivors blast dam decision
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 9:44am
Survivors of a devastating flood lashed out at authorities Thursday for not warning that a dam's floodgates were being opened during Tropical Storm Olga, unleashing a wall of water that killed as many as 20 people. President Leonel Fernandez, who promised aid while touring the area to view the destruction, did not comment on the decision to rapidly release the water. He blamed global warming for the rare December storm with torrential rains. Full Story
Bolivian regions in autonomy push
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 10:54am
Bolivia's wealthiest region has taken steps to declare autonomy from the central government amid a bitter dispute over constitutional changes. The Santa Cruz assembly backed a statute under which the region would keep two-thirds of its tax revenues. Full Story
India moves troops to China border
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 10:55am
The Indian army has moved more than 6,000 troops to the Sino-India border following reports of Chinese intrusions in Bhutan. Chief of Army Staff Gen. Deepak Kapoor said the reported intrusion of Chinese forces into Bhutan was a matter between the two countries, adding the Indian army has moved more than 6,000 troops to the border with China. Full Story
Biggest Swiss political party quits cabinet
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 10:59am
Switzerland's biggest political party quit the cabinet Thursday, ending nearly half a century of government by consensus and opening what analysts see as a period of uncertainty in the previously predictable world of Swiss politics.
The rightist Swiss People's Party announced its decision to go into opposition a day after Parliament voted to remove its preferred candidate, the controversial industrialist Christoph Blocher, from the seven-member Federal Council, which serves as Switzerland's cabinet. Full Story
Sri Lanka's war budget approved despite defections
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 1:15pm
Sri Lanka's shaky coalition government on Friday won parliamentary approval for the island's biggest ever war budget, despite a series of defections to the opposition.
Parliament voted 114 to 67 in favour of the 2008 budget unveiled last month by President Mahinda Rajapakse, and which has allocated 166.44 billion rupees (1.51 billion dollars) for defence amid an upsurge in fighting with Tamil Tiger rebels. Full Story
'Freed terrorists behind U.N. bomb'
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 1:35pm
Two convicted terrorists who had been freed in an amnesty carried out the suicide bombings at U.N. and government buildings that killed 37 people, an Algerian security official has said. Rescuers in the shaken city Thursday were still extracting the living and the dead from the crumpled remains of U.N. offices in Algiers that were bombed by al-Qaeda's self-styled North African affiliate. Full Story
Pakistani men suspected of being country's first bird flu victims
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 3:40pm
Two brothers who suddenly died after becoming ill at a chicken farm in north-west Pakistan are suspected of being the country's first bird-flu victims, health officials said Friday. The men died at least 10 days ago, but the Pakistani government did not disclose their deaths and has refused to confirm test results of whether they succumbed to the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Full Story
Iraqi oil exceeds pre-war output
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 3:47pm
Iraqi oil production is above the levels seen before the US-led invasion of the country in 2003, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA said Iraqi crude production is now running at 2.3 million barrels per day, compared with 1.9 million barrels at the start of this year. It puts the rise down to the improving security situation in Iraq, especially in the north of the country. Full Story
U.S., Japan tighten missile-defense ties
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 6:33pm
The U.S. and Japanese navies have worked out common rules for their advanced warships designed to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles, the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet said on Friday ahead of a milestone test. Full Story
ETA says it killed 2 Spanish police
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 6:36pm
The armed Basque group ETA has claimed responsibility for the killing of two Spanish Civil Guards in southern France earlier this month and warns it will attack Spain's security forces "wherever they may be," a Basque newspaper reported Friday. Full Story
17 UN staffers killed in Algiers bombings: spokeswoman
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 8:22am
The United Nations on Friday said 17 of its staffers were now confirmed to have died in this week's car bombings in Algiers along with "a devastatingly high number" of Algerians. Full Story
Colombia Destroys Thousands of Weapons from Paramilitary Fighters
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 11:04am
Colombian and Organization of American States officials have supervised the destruction of thousands of weapons surrendered by demobilized right-wing paramilitary fighters. Full Story
Hakim confident Iraqi forces can keep order in Basra
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 11:05am
One of Iraq's most influential Shiite figures has said he is confident the country's security forces will be able to maintain order in the mainly Shiite province of Basra, which is to be handed over by British troops on Sunday. Full Story
Philippine Muslim rebels reject govt homeland plan
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 11:06am
Philippine Muslim rebels on Saturday rejected a government draft on a proposed ancestral homeland for Muslims in southern Philippines, officials said, dealing a surprise blow to peace talks. Full Story
Arrested in Kirkuk a gang specialised in kidnapping Christian doctors
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 12:09pm
Yesterday in Kirkuk Iraqi police captured the remaining members of the criminal organisation; 4 brothers who have all confessed: we did it for the money. The medical profession is among the worst hit by terrorism and criminality: leaders in the field and simple doctors emigrate or are killed, depriving Iraq of a vital resource. Full Story
Iraqi Kurds: No Kurdish state but long term presence of US
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 12:10pm
Iraqi Kurdish leaders rule out a Kurdish state but stress they want continued American presence in northern Iraq and establish a strategic alliance with the United States similar to that between the Washington and Baghdad. Full Story
Officials: U.K. terror suspect escaped
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 4:28pm
Rashid Rauf, a British suspect in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic jetliners, escaped from police custody in Pakistan on Saturday, officials said. Full Story
Gadhafi Wraps Up Visit to France
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 4:29pm
Mr. Gadhafi got the red carpet treatment from French President Nicolas Sarkozy during his five-day visit here. The Libyan leader was the featured guest at a state dinner. The Libyan and French leaders also signed a number of contracts worth billions of dollars. Full Story
Israel: US report on Iran may spark war
Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 4:42pm
Israel's public security minister warned Saturday that a U.S. intelligence report that said Iran is no longer developing nuclear arms could lead to a regional war that would threaten the Jewish state. Full Story
28 LTTE rebels killed in fresh clashes in Sri Lanka
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 7:50am
At least 28 LTTE militants and a soldier were killed in a spate of clashes in the restive northern Sri Lanka, the Army said here on Saturday. Full Story
Darfur rebels say attack Sudan army, capture 29
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 8:29am
Darfur rebels said on Sunday they had inflicted a crushing defeat on Sudan's army in West Darfur in an overnight battle during which they captured 29 soldiers, 32 vehicles and heavy weaponry. Full Story
Pakistan campaign kicks off after emergency lifted
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 9:30am
Israel's Aman military intelligence does not think that Syria or Lebanon's Hezbollah militia will carry out a largescale offensive against Israel in 2008, an Israeli daily said on Sunday. Full Story
40 Maoists escape from Dantewada jail
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 10:29am
In a daring act, about forty naxalities on Sunday escaped from the Dantewada jail in Chhattisgarh after overpowering jail guards, police sources said. Full Story
Egyptian police arrest 7 after Christian shops burned
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 10:31am
Police arrested at least seven Egyptian Muslims after a riot in the southern city of Isna on Sunday that left at least 13 Christian-owned shops smashed up or burned and a church front damaged, security sources said. Full Story
Saudis tighten security for Hajj
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 11:29am
Saudi Arabia has tightened security measures in the kingdom before the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which begins on Monday. Full Story
Kyrgyzstan votes in election, opposition cries foul
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 11:30am
Kyrgyzstan voted on Sunday in a snap parliamentary election expected to hand President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's party a landslide victory but which the opposition quickly condemned as rigged. Full Story
Iran shuts down 24 cafes in Internet crackdown
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 12:24pm
Iranian police have closed down 24 Internet cafes and other coffee shops in as many hours, detaining 23 people, as part of a broad crackdown on "immoral behaviour" in the Islamic state, official media said on Sunday. Full Story
Russia orders new strategic nukes
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 12:25pm
Russia's military has commissioned another batch of new intercontinental ballistic missiles nuclear weapons officials boast can penetrate any prospective missile shield, reports said Sunday. Full Story
Russia expels anti-Kremlin journalist
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 12:27pm
Russian authorities expelled a Moldovan journalist critical of the Kremlin on Sunday in a move condemned by media watchdogs. Full Story
Top Turk general says US approved strikes in N.Iraq
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 4:02pm
The head of Turkey's military General Staff said it had U.S. approval for Turkish air strikes on Sunday against Kurdish PKK rebel targets in northern Iraq. Full Story
US: Afghan border attacks drop 40%.
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 4:03pm
A top American general said Sunday that attacks along the Afghan-Pakistan border have dropped more than 40 percent since July and the U.S. and its allies are making progress in the fight against the Taliban. Full Story
General: Iraq at its quietest since '04
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 5:54pm
Violence in Iraq is at its lowest levels since the first year of the American invasion, finally opening a window for reconciliation among rival sects, the second-ranking U.S. general said Sunday as Iraqi forces formally took control of security across half the country. Full Story
Communist leader to run for president in Russia
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 5:56pm
The Communist Party of Russia has nominated its party leader, Gennady Zyuganov, to run in the March presidential election - a vote that is widely expected to be won by President Vladimir Putin's personal choice. Full Story
Al-Zawahri video: US failing in Iraq
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 7:23pm
Al-Qaida's No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri said in a new video posted Monday that the United States is trying to hide its failures in Iraq and warned that the mujahedeen there are increasing in strength. "We are seeing a triple failure for the Americans in Iraq," al-Zawahri said in the 90-minute videotape. "No matter how much the gigantic propaganda machine in America tries to deceive the people, the reality is stronger and worse than all the deceptions." Full Story
Sri Lanka ministry says 22 killed in fresh violence
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:13am
Renewed violence between Tamil rebels and government forces left at least 22 people dead in northern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said Monday. Among the dead were two civilians killed by unidentified attackers in the Jaffna peninsula where 15 Tamil Tiger rebels also died in clashes with troops on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement. Full Story
Cambodian monks fight police at Vietnam embassy: police
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:15am
About 40 Cambodian Buddhist monks fought with police, knocking one unconscious before being beaten back with batons, as they tried to hand a petition to Vietnam's embassy, officials said Monday. The clash broke out when 100 police refused to allow the monks to approach the embassy in the Cambodian capital. Full Story
Rebels say no talks unless Manila sticks to deal
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:15am
The Philippines' largest Islamic separatist group will not return to peace talks, unless Manila honors a previous pledge to create a Muslim homeland in the south, the rebels' chief negotiator said on Monday. Negotiations to formalize an agreement on ancestral domain were shelved over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur after the government said a deal would need the approval of Congress, something earlier drafts did not require. Full Story
Russia test-fires intercontinental missile
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:17am
Russia successfully conducted a test launch on Monday of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, the navy said. A statement said the missile was launched from the Tula nuclear powered submarine in the Barents Sea in the Arctic and hit a designated area in the Kura testing ground on the Kamchatka Peninsula on Russia's Pacific coast. Full Story
Russia sends nuclear fuel to Iran
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 2:36am
Russia has completed its first shipment of nuclear fuel to Iran's Bushehr plant, which is at the center of the international tensions over Iran's nuclear program, Russian news agencies reported Monday. Iran contends the nuclear power plant operation in Bushehr is strictly for civilian purposes, but many critics suspect Iran intends to use the plant as part of an alleged effort to develop nuclear weapons. Full Story
Philippines communist rebels reject ceasefire, order more attacks
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 3:14am
Communist guerrillas on Monday rejected the Philippines military's three-year ceasefire proposal and vowed to mount more attacks as government forces observed a unilateral three-week Christmas truce. Three Marines were slain by New People's Army (NPA) rebels on the western island of Palawan on Sunday, within hours of the military's "suspension of offensive military operations". Full Story
Around 9,000 to contest Pakistan polls: official
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 3:15am
Around 9,000 candidates will contest next month's parliamentary elections in Pakistan, officials said, as the country's main opposition leaders hit the campaign trail. With the January 8 vote three weeks away, the election commission approved the final candidates list, commission official Khurshid Alam told AFP. Full Story
Ten killed in Pakistani bomb attack
Posted on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 3:37am
A suicide bomber killed at least 10 people in northwest Pakistan on Monday in an attack on a security checkpost, military officials said. The attack was near an army-run school in Kohat town in North West Frontier Province, where militants have made repeated attacks on security forces in recent months. Full Story
Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.
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