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HavenWorks.com/world/archive/2004 |
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/ Archive
/ 2004
Romania
- "Romania's
presidential election: An unexpected victory for
the opposition candidate." ... "Inexperienced as they may be in the ways
of democracy, Romania's voters seem keen to explore it to the full. Two
weeks ago they elected a parliament without a clear majority. This week
they voted Traian Basescu, a plain-spoken former sea captain who has been
mayor of Bucharest since 2000, into the presidency. He will try to put
together a centre-right government in place of the outgoing socialist one.
If he fails, he may have to settle for cohabitation, or even call early
elections." -Economist
Romania
- "Romania's
dubious elections:One more dubious vote? The left
narrowly wins, but the result is disputed." ... "A little fraud in Romania
is, you might say, like a little snow in Siberia. Only to be expected,
not really worth a fuss. But claims of trickery in the November 28th elections
for parliament and president, however predictable, have been embarrassing
for both Romania and the European Union. In the first place, Romania is
on the verge of being promised membership of the EU in 2007. It should
be now demonstrating its capacity to meet in full the EU's high standards
of democracy. Second, a disputed election in Europe's backyard weakens
the EU's moral authority as it resists the outcome of a rigged presidential
vote in Romania's northern neighbour, Ukraine."
-Economist
- 
- Pat
Robertson - "Bush
Predicted No Iraq Casualties, Robertson Says." ...
"The Rev. Pat Robertson said President Bush dismissed his warning that
the United States would suffer heavy casualties in Iraq and told the television
evangelist just before the beginning of the war that "we're not going to
have any casualties."" ... "Robertson related the conversation during an
interview with CNN late Tuesday. He said he spoke to Bush before the invasion
of Iraq in March 2003 and urged him to prepare the nation for heavy casualties.
While Bush's response was a mistake, Robertson said, God has blessed the
president anyhow." -By Alan Cooperman-WashingtonPost
Larry
Franklin - 
Douglas
Feith - 
Criminal
Investigation - US
- 
Israel
- 
Italy
- 
Iran
- 
Military
- 
Intelligence
- 
History
- "Iran-Contra
II? Fresh scrutiny on a rogue Pentagon operation."
... "On Friday evening, CBS News reported that the FBI [Federal Bureau
of Investigation ] is investigating a suspected mole in the Department
of Defense who allegedly passed to Israel, via a pro-Israeli lobbying organization
[AIPAC], classified American intelligence about Iran. The focus of the
investigation, according to [United States] U.S. government officials,
is Larry Franklin, a veteran Defense Intelligence Agency Iran analyst now
working in the office of the Pentagon's number three civilian official,
Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith." ... "The investigation
of Franklin is now shining a bright light on a shadowy struggle within
the [Republican President] Bush administration over the direction of U.S.
policy toward Iran. In particular, the FBI is looking with renewed interest
at an unauthorized back-channel between Iranian dissidents and advisers
in Feith's office, which more-senior administration officials first tried
in vain to shut down and then later attempted to cover up." ... "Franklin,
along with another colleague from Feith's office, a polyglot Middle East
expert named Harold Rhode, were the two officials involved in the back-channel,
which involved on-going meetings and contacts with Iranian arms dealer
Manucher Ghorbanifar and other Iranian exiles, dissidents and government
officials. Ghorbanifar is a storied figure who played a key role in embroiling
the Reagan administration in the Iran-Contra affair. The meetings were
both a conduit for intelligence about Iran and Iraq and part of a bitter
administration power-struggle pitting officials at [the Department of Defense]
DoD who have been pushing for a hard-line policy of "regime change" in
Iran, against other officials at the State Department and the CIA [Central
Intelligence Agency] who have been counseling a more cautious approach."
... "Reports of two of these meetings first surfaced a year ago in Newsday,
and have since been the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence. Whether or how the meetings are connected
to the alleged espionage remains unknown. But the FBI is now closely scrutinizing
them." ... "While the FBI is looking at the meetings as part of its criminal
investigation, to congressional investigators the Ghorbanifar back-channel
typifies the out-of-control bureaucratic turf wars which have characterized
and often hobbled Bush administration policy-making. And an investigation
by The Washington Monthly -- including a rare interview with Ghorbanifar
-- adds weight to those concerns. The meetings turn out to have been far
more extensive and much less under White House control than originally
reported. One of the meetings, which Pentagon officials have long characterized
as merely a "chance encounter" seems in fact to have been planned long
in advance by Rhode and Ghorbanifar. Another has never been reported in
the American press. The administration's reluctance to disclose these details
seems clear: the DoD-Ghorbanifar meetings suggest the possibility that
a rogue faction at the Pentagon was trying to work outside normal US foreign
policy channels to advance a "regime change" agenda not approved by the
president's foreign policy principals or even the president himself." ...
"The Italian Job" ... "The first meeting occurred in Rome [Italy's
capital] in December, 2001. It included Franklin, Rhode, and another American,
the neoconservative writer and operative Michael Ledeen, who organized
the meeting. (According to UPI, Ledeen was then working for Feith as a
consultant.) Also in attendance was Ghorbanifar and a number of other Iranians.
One of the Iranians, according to two sources familiar with the meeting,
was a former senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard who claimed
to have information about dissident ranks within the Iranian security services.
The
Washington Monthly has also learned from U.S. government sources that
Nicolo Pollari, the head of Italy's military intelligence agency, SISMI,
attended the meetings, as did the Italian Minister of Defense Antonio Martino,
who is well-known in neoconservative circles in Washington." ... "Alarm
bells about the December 2001 meeting began going off in U.S. government
channels only days after it occurred." ... "Since the late 1980s Ghorbanifar
has been the subject of two CIA "burn notices." The Agency believes Ghorbanifar
is a serial "fabricator" and forbids its officers from having anything
to do with him." -By Joshua
Micah Marshall, Laura Rozen,
and Paul Glastris with contributions by Claudio Lavanga
-WashingtonMonthly.com
- 
- "India's
cultural elite revive muckraking magazine: After
declining under previous government, Tehelka.com rebounds, bolstered by
reader funding." ... "Tarun Tejpal's story shows the perils and promise
of muckraking journalism in modern India." ... "His Internet news portal,
Tehelka.com,
was almost hounded out of existence after rocking India's political and
defense establishment three years ago with a seedy exposé of high-level
corruption." ... "The Tehelka tapes, declared bona fide late last month,
depicted top military officials and politicians accepting bribes - and,
in some cases, prostitutes - from reporters posing as defense contractors.
The news portal was crushed in an alleged government backlash, and its
staff fell from 125 employees to three under the weight of police raids
and a lengthy judicial inquiry." -By Dan Morrison
-CSMonitor
- 
-
- "Lance
Armstrong wins record sixth Tour de France." ...
"Lance Armstrong rode into history Sunday, winning a record sixth Tour
de France and cementing his place as one of the greatest athletes of all
time." ... "Never in its 101-year history has the Tour had a winner like
Armstrong — who just eight years ago was given less than a 50% chance
of overcoming testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain."
... "Armstrong's victories and his inspiring comeback from cancer have
drawn new fans to a race that has been won five times by four other riders.
His professionalism, attention to detail, grueling training regimens and
tactics have raised the bar for other riders hoping to win the three-week
cycling marathon." ... "After more than 1,900 miles of racing, riders mostly
took it easy on the 101-mile final stage, until they reached the crowd-lined
Champs-Elysees." -By John Leicester
-AP via -USATODAY
- 
- "Aid planes
due to leave for Sudan: The government has defended
its
efforts over the Sudan crisis, as UK aid planes prepare to leave for the
country." ... "Oxfam planes will fly from Manston Airport in Kent on Friday,
for the western region of Darfur." ... "An estimated million people face
famine and disease after Arab militias forced them from their homes. Some
10,000 are already thought to be dead."-BBC/News
-
-
- "US
increases pressure on Sudan." ... "The US secretary
of state, Colin Powell, today said he expected the UN security council
to threaten sanctions against Sudan over the humanitarian crisis in Dafur."
... "More than one million refugees there face the threat of famine, disease
and attacks by pro-government militia." ... "A draft resolution, circulated
by the US yesterday, called on Khartoum to prosecute the leaders of the
predominantly Arab Janjaweed militia, and advocated an immediate embargo
on weapons to the region." ... "The refugees, mainly from Darfur's black
African tribes, have fled their homes after being attacked by the Janjaweed.
They now live in tent cities, where overcrowding a shortage of rations
are leading to deaths from hunger and disease."
-Guardian.co.uk
-
- 
- "Sudanese
slam genocide resolution." ... "Sudanese Arabs have
criticised a U.S. congressional resolution declaring genocide in the Darfur
region, while Darfuris asked what Washington would do to make it safe for
them to go back home." ... "hey do not understand anything," said Ismail
Gasmalseed on Friday, a 34-year-old driver in Khartoum." ... "The U.S.
Congress approved the resolution on Thursday and its supporters hope it
will help mobilise the international community to protect Africans in Darfur
from Arab militias." ... "But the accusation of genocide is highly controversial.
The United Nations has declared the situation in Darfur the world's worst
humanitarian crisis but has not called it a genocide, which would force
it to take action." -By Nima Elbagir-Reuters
-
-
- "U.S.
[Proposes UN] Gives Sudan 30 Days to Arrest, Prosecute Militia (Update2)."
... "The U.S. proposed giving Sudan's government 30 days to arrest and
prosecute leaders of the Janjaweed militia that has attacked people in
Darfur or face the threat of United Nations sanctions." ... "The demand
for action and threat of sanctions are included in a draft resolution given
today to UN Security Council members. The text, a revision of a measure
first distributed last month, also imposes an arms embargo on the Janjaweed
designed to prevent its resupply by Sudan's government."-By
Bill Varner ed. by Paul Tighe -Bloomberg
-
- "Who Are the Janjaweed?
A guide to the Sudanese militiamen." [MSN explainer] ... "The word [Janjaweed],
an Arabic colloquialism, means "a man with a gun on a horse." Janjaweed
militiamen are primarily members of nomadic "Arab" tribes who've long been
at odds with Darfur's settled "African" farmers, who are darker-skinned.
(The labels Arab and African are rather misleading, given the complexity
of the region's ethnic history. For simplicity's sake, Explainer will stick
with these inelegant terms.) Until last year, the conflicts were mostly
over Darfur's scarce water and land resources—desertification has been
a serious problem, so grazing areas and wells are at a premium. In fact,
the term "Janjaweed" has for years been synonymous with bandit, as these
horse- or camel-borne fighters were known to swoop in on non-Arab farms
to steal cattle." ... "Both victims and international observers allege
that the Janjaweed are no longer the scrappy militias of yore, but rather
well-equipped fighting forces that enjoy the overt assistance of the Sudanese
government." -By Brendan I. Koerner -Slate.com
via MSN
-
- 
- 
- 
- "War
Costs Exceed Budget, Watchdog Panel Says." ... "Military
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are running $12.3 billion over budget
this year, and Pentagon officials are trying to make up for the shortfall
by transferring money from other accounts and delaying refurbishment of
worn-out equipment in Iraq, the General Accountability Office said Wednesday."
... "The office, a nonpartisan Congressional agency, estimated that the
Army was running about $9.4 billion short of what had been budgeted. By
putting off other kinds of spending until next year, the military is likely
to run up higher costs in future, said the agency, which was formerly the
General Accounting Office." -By Edmund L. Andrews
-NYTimes
UPS
News - "United
Parcel 2nd-Qtr Net Rises 18% on Global Growth (Update2)."
... "United Parcel Service Inc., the world's largest package-delivery company,
said earnings in the second quarter rose 18 percent as global economic
growth raised shipments." ... "Net income increased to $818 million, or
72 cents a share, from $692 million, or 61 cents, a year earlier, the Atlanta-based
company said in a statement. Revenue climbed 7.8 percent to $8.87 billion
from $8.23 billion." -By Mary Schlangenstein ed. by
Steve Geimann -Bloomberg
-
-
- 
-
- Religion
- Osama
bin Laden
- "9/11:
The Iran Factor: The final report of the 9-11 Commission
reveals troubling new evidence that Tehran was closer to Al Qaeda than
Iraq was." ... "U.S. intelligence believes that in faraway Tehran, the
hard-line Islamist clerics who now exercise near total control over Iran
directed their border guards to help jihadists coming from Afghanistan.
And sometime between October 2000 and February 2001, according to the forthcoming
final report of the 9-11 Commission, eight to 10 of the "muscle" hijackers
of the September 11 plot were among those who benefited from this Iranian
good-fellowship." ... "According to a December 2001 memo buried in the
files of the National Security Agency, obtained by the commission, Iranian
officials instructed their border inspectors not to place Iranian or Afghan
stamps in the passports of Saudi terrorists traveling from Osama bin Laden's
training camps through Iran. Such "clean" passports undoubtedly helped
the 9/11 terrorists pass into the United States without raising alarms
among U.S. Customs and visa officials, sources familiar with the report
told NEWSWEEK." -By Michael Isikoff and Michael Hirsh
with contributions by Mark Hosenball and Steve Tuttle
-Newsweek 20040726
ed. via -MSNBC
-
- 
- 
- 
- "Halliburton
unit's Iran role probed." ... "The investigation
centers on Halliburton Products and Services Ltd., a subsidiary registered
in the Cayman Islands and headquartered in Dubai that provides oil field
services in Iran. The unit's operations in Iran included [US Vice President]
Cheney's stint as CEO from 1995 to 2000, when he frequently urged the lifting
of such sanctions." ... "Current law forbids US companies from doing business
with countries considered by the US government to be sponsors of terror.
The list includes Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Sudan. However, numerous
US companies operate indirectly in Iran under strict guidelines requiring
that their subsidiaries have a foreign registry and no US employees, and
act independently of the parent company. At issue is whether Halliburton's
subsidiary met those criteria." --LAtimes
via -Boston/Globe
-
-
-
-
- "US
group admits to criminal probe over Iran." ... "Halliburton,
the oilfield services company formerly headed by US Vice-President Dick
Cheney, has disclosed that a Treasury Department probe into its business
dealings with Iran had been elevated to a criminal investigation. The company
acknowledged that it had been subpoenaed by a grand jury in the southern
district of Texas to present documents related to a Cayman Islands subsidiary
that serves the Iranian National Oil Company." -By
Joshua Chaffin -FT.com
- Osama
bin Laden - "Intelligence
failures cited in 9/11 report: Doesn't conclude whether
attacks were preventable." ... "The report, to be released publicly tomorrow,
includes a list of 10 ''operational opportunities" that the government
missed to potentially unravel the Sept. 11 plot, according to a government
official who has read the document. Six of the incidents listed came during
the Bush administration and four were during the Clinton years, the official
said." ... "Another government official who has been briefed on the report
said the tally of missed opportunities includes the CIA's failure to add
two hijackers' names to a terrorism watchlist; the FBI's handling of the
August 2001 arrest of Zacarias Moussaoui, who has been accused of conspiring
in the plot; and several failed attempts to kill or capture Osama bin Laden."
-By Dan Eggen and Mike Allen
-Boston/Globe
via -WashingtonPost
-
-
-
- 
- 
-
- "Poor
Relations With Iran Turning Worse." ... "The Bush
administration is pressing Britain, France and Germany for strong measures
against Iran in response to its violation of a nonproliferation agreement
reached with the three last fall, a State Department official said Wednesday."
... "The issue is part of a deepening American concern over recent Iranian
activities that range from weapons programs to terrorism. To head off a
potential crisis, some analysts believe the administration should work
harder to promote a dialogue with Iran." ... "The United States believes
Iran is developing nuclear weapons, a view reinforced by Iran's recent
decision to resume construction of centrifuges. This is a key step in the
development of a uranium-based bomb, one that Iran promised the Europeans
last fall that it would not take." -By George Gedda
-AP via -Newsday.com
-
-
- "Short-Changed
Soldiers: Report: U.S. Army Reservists Encounter
Pay Problems." ... "An overwhelming number of U.S. Army reservists are
having problems getting paid, and many are paid late." ... "A report issued
today by the General Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress,
discovered major problems with the way the Army compensates its reservists."
... "Such problems are causing a considerable hardship for Melinda Delain,
a single mother who had just purchased a new home when her reserve unit
was deployed to Afghanistan." ... "Like everyone else in her medical unit,
she did not receive her full paycheck for three months." ... "In its report,
GAO investigators found that 95 percent of Army reservists had pay problems."
(1, 2)-ABCNEWS.com
-
-
- "Fear
of Nuclear Iran Could Influence U.S. Diplomacy."
... "The intense antagonism that has existed since militant students held
52 Americans hostage for 444 days during the 1979 Iranian revolution "could
become a collision course," former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski
said this week." ... ""But perhaps there are the makings of somewhat ameliorating
the relationship between the two sides," he said." ... "[However] Many
experts believe even if Tehran's hard-line leaders are replaced, it may
have no impact on the quest for a nuclear bomb because a broad spectrum
of Iranians endorse that goal." (1, 2)
-By Carol Giacomo-Reuters
UPS
News - "EBay
2nd-Qtr Profit More Than Doubles on 52% Sales Increase."
... "EBay Inc., the world's No. 1 Internet auctioneer, said second-quarter
earnings more than doubled to $190.4 million as a record number of users
bought and sold merchandise online and utilized its electronic-payment
system." ... "EBay added 9.2 million users to sites in the U.S. and 22
countries, helping boost the value of items sold through them to $8 billion."
... "During the quarter, AuctionDrop Inc., a company that takes items on
consignment for sale on EBay, reached an agreement with United Parcel Service
Inc. to have 3,400 stores to act as drop- off points for the service."
-By Greg Wiles ed. by Vince Bielski -Bloomberg
-
- 
- "Iraq
Militants Take Six Foreign Truck Drivers Hostage, AP Says."
... "The hostages include two from Kenya, three from India and an Egyptian.
A group calling itself ``the Holders of the Black Banners'' said in a statement
given to the AP that it would kill one hostage every 72 hours."
-AP via -Bloomberg
- 
-
- "Haiti
receives $1-billion in pledges: Aid promised as [Canadian]
troops prepare to pull out." ... "But the fledgling peacekeeping force
in Haiti is woefully short of soldiers, with only 2,200 on the ground,
compared with the 8,000 the UN says are necessary. And nearly one-quarter
of that force, the 520-strong Canadian contingent, will start packing to
go home this week." ... "The departure of the Canadians will leave about
1,700 UN peacekeepers to cope with Haiti's sporadic violence and widespread
crime. Contingents from other countries have been slow to arrive -- for
instance, of an expected 200 Argentine soldiers who are supposed to take
over in Gonaïves next week, only a small advance party has reached
Haiti." -By Paul Koring -TheGlobeAndMail.com
-
- "U.S.
hostage head found in freezer: The head of slain
American hostage Paul M. Johnson Jr., who was kidnapped and beheaded in
Saudi Arabia last month, has been found in a freezer [in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia], a Saudi Interior Ministry official said." ... "Two suspected al
Qaeda militants were killed during raids, the official added Wednesday."
... "Security forces found the head and a cache of weapons in a raid on
a villa Tuesday night and it was positively identified Wednesday morning."
-CNN
- "Rights
Group Says Sudan's Government Aided Militias." ...
"Human Rights Watch, the New York-based advocacy group, on Monday published
excerpts of documents that it says implicate the Sudanese government in
recruiting, equipping and guaranteeing impunity for the Arab militias accused
of killing tens of thousands of Africans and driving more than 1 million
from their homes in the Darfur region of Sudan." ... "The rights organization
said the confidential government documents called on local Sudanese officials
in February and March to recruit fighters for the militia known as the
Janjaweed, to give them "provisions and ammunition," and to tolerate "minor"
abuses of civilians." -By Colum Lynch-WashingtonPost
-
- "Sudan:
New Darfur Documents: Ties Between Government and
Janjaweed Militias Confirmed." ... "In a series of official Arabic-language
documents from government authorities in North and South Darfur dating
from February and March 2004, officials call for recruitment and military
support, including “provisions and ammunition” to be delivered to known
Janjaweed militia leaders, camps and “loyalist tribes.” " ... "A particularly
damning February directive orders “all security units” in the area to tolerate
the activities of known Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal in North Darfur. The
document “highlights the importance of non-interference so as not to question
their authority” and authorizes security units in a North Darfur province
to “overlook minor offenses by the fighters against civilians who are suspected
members of the rebellion….”" ... "Another document calls for a plan for
“resettlement operations of nomads in places from which the outlaws [rebels]
withdrew.” This, along with recent government statements that displaced
persons will be settled in 18 “settlements” rather than in their original
villages, raises concerns that the ethnic cleansing that has occurred will
be consolidated and that people will be unable to return to their villages
and lands." ... "Human Rights Watch called for Sudan government officials
implicated in the policy of militia support to be added to the U.N. sanctions
list included as part of a pending U.N. resolution. It also called for
international monitoring of the disarmament of the militia groups and the
establishment of an international commission of inquiry into the abuses
committed in Darfur by all parties to the conflict." -HRW.org
-
- "Darfur
Documents Confirm Government Policy of Militia Support:
A Human Rights Watch Briefing Paper, July 20, 2004." ... "Since February
2003, the government of Sudan has used militias known as “Janjaweed”3
as its principal counter-insurgency ground force in Darfur against civilians
from the Fur, Zaghawa, Massalit and other ethnic groups from which two
rebel groups known as the Sudan Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) and the
Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) are drawn. The government-backed Janjaweed
militias are derived from the “Abala,” camel-herding nomads who migrated
to Darfur from Chad and West Africa in the 1970s, and from Arab camel-herding
tribes from North Darfur.4
With government aerial support, arms, communications, and other backing,
and often alongside government troops, the Janjaweed militias have been
a key component in the government’s military campaign in Darfur; a campaign
that has resulted in the murder, rape and forced displacement of thousands
of civilians.5"
... "If genuinely concerned with bringing peace and stability to Darfur
and ending the cycle of violence and impunity in the region, the Sudanese
government should suspend key government officials who bear responsibility
for recruiting, arming or otherwise supporting the Janjaweed militias from
official duties, pending official investigation of their responsibility
for abuses." ... "In addition, the international community must recognize
that the government-backed militias and government forces are clearly indivisible—they
are utilized as one entity. Those officials for whom there is evidence
of implication in the policy of militia support should be included in any
forthcoming international measures, including international travel sanctions,
arms embargoes, and investigation by any future international commission
of inquiry." -HRW.org
-
-
-
-
- Osama
bin Laden
- "9/11
Panel's Report to Offer New Evidence of Iran-Qaeda Ties."
... "The final report of the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks
will offer new evidence of cooperative ties between Iran and Al Qaeda,
including information drawn from intelligence reports suggesting that Iran
provided several of the hijackers with safe passage in the year before
the attacks, government officials said yesterday." ... "The officials emphasized
that the commission had no evidence to suggest that Iranian officials knew
of the Sept. 11 plot. But they said the evidence raised new questions about
why the Bush administration focused on the possibility of Iraqi ties to
Osama bin Laden's terror network after Sept. 11, 2001, when there may have
been far more extensive evidence of an Iranian connection." -By
Philip Shenon -NYTimes
-
- "Bodies lined
up in the desert of Darfur: Witness to ethnic cleansing."
... "I saw numbing evidence of the ethnic cleansing campaign pursued by
the government of Sudan in this Muslim region, which is populated by Arabs
and non-Arabs. In response to a rebellion begun by primarily non-Arab groups
in early 2003, the regime armed the Janjaweed militia, giving them impunity
to attack. Burned villages confirmed harrowing stories we had heard from
Darfurians who were lucky enough to make it to refugee camps in Chad."
... "In village after village that I visited, the painstakingly accumulated
wealth of the non-Arab population - their livestock, their homes, their
grainstocks - had been abruptly destroyed. About 1.5 million people have
been left homeless, and as many as 300,000 may be dead by year's end."
... "It is time to move directly against regime officials who are responsible
for the killing. Accountability for crimes against humanity is imperative,
as is the deployment of sufficient force to ensure disarmament and arrangements
to deliver emergency aid." -By John Prendergast -NYTimes
via -IHT.com
-
-
-
-
- "9/11
Commission Finds Ties Between al-Qaeda and Iran:
Senior U.S. officials have told TIME that the 9/11 Commission's report
will cite evidence suggesting that the 9/11 hijackers had previously passed
through Iran." ... "A senior U.S. official told TIME that the Commission
has uncovered evidence suggesting that between eight and ten of the 14
"muscle" hijackers—that is, those involved in gaining control of the four
9/11 aircraft and subduing the crew and passengers—passed through Iran
in the period from October 2000 to February 2001. Sources also tell TIME
that Commission investigators found that Iran had a history of allowing
al-Qaeda members to enter and exit Iran across the Afghan border. This
practice dated back to October 2000, with Iranian officials issuing specific
instructions to their border guards—in some cases not to put stamps in
the passports of al-Qaeda personnel—and otherwise not harass them and to
facilitate their travel across the frontier. The report does not, however,
offer evidence that Iran was aware of the plans for the 9/11 attacks."
-By Adam Zagorin and Joe Klein
-TIME
- 
- "The
[diamond] cartel isn't for ever." ... "On July 13th
in an Ohio court De Beers, the world's largest producer of rough stones,
finally pleaded guilty to charges of price-fixing of industrial diamonds
and agreed to pay a $10m fine, thereby ending a 60-year-long impasse. De
Beers executives are at last free to visit and work directly in the largest
diamond market, America." ... "A few days earlier, on July 9th, the first
case of successful industry self-regulation against trade in so-called
conflict diamonds took place when Congo-Brazzaville was punished
for failing to prove the source of its diamond exports. And on June 28th
Lev Leviev, an arch-rival of De Beers, opened Africa's biggest diamond-polishing
factory in Namibia." ... "Behind all these events lies sweeping change
in an industry that sells $60-billion-worth of jewellery alone each year.
For generations it has been run by De Beers as a cartel. The South African
firm dominated the digging and trading of diamonds for most of the 20th
century. Yet the system for distributing stones established decades ago
by De Beers is curious and anomalous—no other such market exists, nor would
anything similar be tolerated in a serious industry."
-Economist
Stephen
Cambone - Torture
- Prisons
- Classified
- Military
- Intelligence
- US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Noteworthy
- "Implausible
Denial II." ... "On Saturday, May 15--twenty-four
hours after The Nation published "Implausible
Denial"--The New Yorker posted on its website Seymour Hersh's latest
Abu Ghraib-related investigative report. Its central revelation: The interrogations
at [Iraq prison] Abu Ghraib were part of a highly classified Special Access
Program (SAP) code-named Copper Green, authorized by [Republican President
Bush's] Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and ultimately overseen by Under
Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Stephen Cambone. Originally a joint
[Central Intelligence Agency] CIA-Pentagon program in Afghanistan that
utilized highly trained Special Operations personnel, Copper Green eventually
expanded to Iraq, Hersh reports, where Cambone decided it would begin using
non-Special Operations personnel--including military intelligence officers
and other military personnel--to begin questioning prisoners whose status
was outside the program's original brief. The CIA objected and withdrew
from the program, while Cambone apparently tasked [Major General] Maj.
Gen. Geoffrey Miller, former Guantánamo Bay interrogations chief,
with "Gitmo-izing" Iraq's prison system." ... "What may be more surprising
than the revelations in Hersh's piece is the fact that leads to the Abu
Ghraib skullduggery were hidden in plain sight--and that the Pentagon press
corps all but ignored them. Though Cambone has been an exceptionally sub
rosa figure in his position as DoD's intelligence chief, on November 21,
2003, he sat down for a rare on-record meeting over breakfast with the
Defense Writers Group. Again in contrast to his May 11 comments, in which
he cast himself as a benign bureaucrat largely out of the loop, his November
comments offer a glimpse into the mechanics of how Cambone's office was
assertively taking the lead in coordinating intelligence operations in
Iraq." ... "Noting first that his office has "one group of people over
to do an assessment" and that another was getting ready to go, Cambone
said that "the requirement for an increased level of intelligence support
became increasingly evident as we went through a period between early July/late
August.... In that late August time frame, a delegation went over there
from the Department and included people from the CIA to look at how we
were structured, whether we had proper arrangement at the division level,
whether that information, as it was being compiled at the divisional level,
was being moved from that level up to the CJTF-7 [Combined Joint Task Force-7]
level in an expeditious manner."" ... "Cambone further stated that the
group "came back with a list of somewhere close to eighty or ninety recommendations,"
and went on to describe a rapid infusion of personnel and technology for
intelligence-related endeavors. He also noted that the Director of Central
Intelligence, George Tenet, had "made a number of adjustments in his complement
of people in Iraq" as part of a "concerted effort to lash up much more
tightly the work that is done in the context of the CIA activities with
those being done by the Department to ensure there is [a] cross-flow of
information and cooperation."" ... "Cambone's remarks at the breakfast
also bring into potentially clearer focus the role in Abu Ghraib of [Lieutenant
General] Lieut. Gen. William "Jerry" Boykin, his deputy for intelligence
and warfighting support. "It is an office," Cambone says of Boykin's shop,
"that is designed to assure the types of capabilities we have just been
talking about here, whether it is people, or it is resources, or it is
material, or it is information, is moved forward to the people who need
it at various levels of command and operation in order for them to execute
their mission."" -By Jason
West -TheNation.com
US
- Afghanistan
- Military
- Terrorism
- Prisoner
- War
Crimes Act - Human
Rights - Death
Penalty - Politics
- "Memos
Reveal War Crimes Warnings: Could Bush administration
officials be prosecuted for 'war crimes' as a result of new measures used
in the war on terror? The White House's top lawyer thought so." ... "The
White House's top lawyer warned more than two years ago that U.S. officials
could be prosecuted for "war crimes" as a result of new and unorthodox
measures used by the Bush administration in the war on terrorism, according
to an internal White House memo and interviews with participants in the
debate over the issue." ... "The concern about possible future prosecution
for war crimes-and that it might even apply to Bush adminstration
officials themselves- is contained in a crucial portion of an internal
January
25, 2002, memo by White House counsel Alberto Gonzales
obtained by NEWSWEEK. It urges President George Bush declare the
war in Afghanistan, including the detention of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters,
exempt from the provisions of the Geneva Convention." ... "In the memo,
the White House lawyer focused on a little known 1996 law passed by Congress,
known as the War Crimes Act, that banned any Americans from committing
war crimes-defined in part as "grave breaches" of the Geneva Conventions.
Noting that the law applies to "U.S. officials" and that punishments
for violators "include the death penalty," Gonzales told Bush that
"it was difficult to predict with confidence" how Justice Department prosecutors
might apply the law in the future. This was especially the case given that
some of the language in the Geneva Conventions-such as that outlawing "outrages
upon personal dignity" and "inhuman treatment" of prisoners-was "undefined.""
... "One key advantage of declaring that Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters
did not have Geneva Convention protections is that it "substantially reduces
the threat of domestic criminal prosecution under the War Crimes Act,"
Gonzales wrote." -By Michael Isikoff
-MSNBC/Newsweek
Stephen
Cambone - Torture
- Prison
- Military
- Intelligence
- Police
- Human
Rights - Law
- Politics
- US
- 
Syria
- Iraq
- "Knowledge
of Abusive Tactics May Go Higher." ... "Army intelligence
officers suspected that a Syrian and admitted jihadist who was detained
at [Iraq's] Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad [Iraq's capital] knew about
the illegal flow of money, arms and foreign fighters into Iraq. But he
was smug, the officers said, and refused to talk. So last November, they
devised a special plan for his interrogation, going beyond what Army rules
normally allowed." ... "An Army colonel [Thomas M. Pappas] in charge of
intelligence-gathering at the prison, spelling out the plan in a classified
cable to the top [United States] U.S. military officer in Iraq, said interrogators
would use a method known as "fear up harsh," which military documents said
meant "significantly increasing the fear level in a security detainee."
The aim was to make the 31-year-old Syrian think his only hope in life
was to talk, undermining his confidence in what they termed "the Allah
factor."" ... "According to the plan, interrogators needed the assistance
of military police supervising his detention at the prison, who ordinarily
play no role in interrogations under Army regulations. First, the interrogators
were to throw chairs and tables in the man's presence at the prison and
"invade his personal space."" ... "Then the police were to put a hood on
his head and take him to an isolated cell through a gantlet of barking
guard dogs; there, the police were to strip-search him and interrupt his
sleep for three days with interrogations, barking and loud music, according
to Army documents. The plan was sent to [Lieutenant General] Lt. Gen. Ricardo
Sanchez." ... "Congressional testimony by Defense Department and Army officials
over the past two weeks has highlighted the fact that the abuses in Iraq
-- which mostly occurred in the last quarter of 2003 -- came at a time
of heightened pressures in Washington for more robust intelligence-gathering,
because of proliferating attacks on U.S. forces and the dwindling intelligence
on Saddam Hussein's suspected weapons of mass destruction." ... "Although
no direct links have been found between the documented abuses and orders
from Washington, Pentagon officials who spoke on the condition that they
not be named say that the hunt for data on these two topics was coordinated
during this period by Defense Undersecretary Stephen A. Cambone, the top
U.S. military intelligence official and long one of the closest aides to
[Republican President Bush's] Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld."
... ""We've got no proof that a person in authority told them to do this
activity," [Lieutenant General] Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, the Army's deputy
chief of staff, said on May 11." ... "But three directives in particular
have already begun to attract congressional scrutiny: The first is a classified
report by Army [Major General] Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller on [September]
Sept. 9, 2003, demanding that the military police at Abu Ghraib be dedicated
and trained to set "the conditions for the successful interrogation and
exploitation of internees/detainees." The report, which Cambone has testified
was presented to his deputy William Boykin, contained five recommendations
spelling out how this was to occur and reported it had already begun."
... "The second is an [October] Oct. 12 classified memo signed by Sanchez
that demanded a "harmonization" of military policing and intelligence work
at Abu Ghraib for the purpose of ensuring "consistency with the interrogation
policies . . . and maximiz[ing] the efficiency of the interrogation.""
... "The memo, obtained by The Washington Post, also states "it is imperative
that interrogators be provided reasonable latitude to vary their approach,"
depending on a detainee's background, strengths, resistance and other factors.
It also explicitly demands humane treatment and requires that any dogs
present during the interrogations be muzzled." ... "The third is a [November]
Nov. 19 memo from Sanchez's office that formally placed the two key Abu
Ghraib cellblocks where the abuses occurred under the control of Pappas
and his 205th Military Intelligence Brigade. It was 11 days later, after
this memo placed the military police responsible for "security of detainees
and base protection" in Pappas's hands, that he sought, in his memo to
Sanchez, to draw military police explicitly into applying pressure on the
Syrian." ... "The fact that prison interrogations were so directly controlled
by these military directives, as well as the apparent cultural sophistication
of some of the abuses, has already led some lawmakers to conclude that
much more experienced and senior officers were involved than the seven
military police now charged by the Army with wrongdoing. " (1, 2,
3)
-By R. Jeffrey Smith with contributions by Rajiv Chandrasekaran
and Sewell Chan -WashingtonPost
Stephen
Cambone - Torture
- Prisons
- Military
- Intelligence
- Police
- Human
Rights - Law
- Politics
- Feith
- 
Rhode
Island - 
Virginia
- US
- Iraq
- Guantánamo
Bay - 
Cuba
- Noteworthy
- "Implausible
Denial." ... "Writing in the December 16, 2002, edition
of The Nation, I broke the news--and explored the concerns many
in the [United States] US intelligence community had--about [Republican
President Bush's] Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's quiet success in
prevailing upon Congress to authorize the creation of a new senior position
at the Pentagon,the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. Several
months later, in the pages of the Columbia Journalism Review, I
followed up with a piece devoted to the media's utter lack of interest--perhaps
best demonstrated by the absence of any reporter from a farcical confirmation
hearing--in the new Under Secretary himself, Stephen Cambone." ... "Despite
his status as the Pentagon's über-intelligence authority, in the initial
days of the breaking [Iraq prison] Abu Ghraib scandal Cambone was virtually
invisible. When Rumsfeld was called to the Hill to testify before the Armed
Services Committee on May 7, however, Cambone was unexpectedly summoned
to the witness table from his chair behind Rumsfeld. That cameo appearance
resulted in a more expansive return appearance on May 11, in which Cambone
less than deftly tried to undermine Abu Ghraib investigator [Major General]
Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba. (Cambone disputed the general's conclusion that
military intelligence units effectively controlled the prison's military
police detachment.) Cambone also reacted adversely to [Rhode Island Democratic]
Senator Jack Reed's assertion (confirmed by Taguba) that recommendations
made in a report on improving intelligence collection at Abu Ghraib by
then-chief Guantánamo Bay [Cuba] interrogator [Major General] Maj.
Gen. Geoffrey Miller clearly called for the use of [Military Police] MPs
in interrogations, which helped create an environment that begot the subsequent
abuse and torture in the tiers. As a May 12 Washington Post editorial
points out, Cambone's office approved interrogation practices that are
in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions." ... "At the May 11 hearings,
Cambone and another senior Defense Department official, Army intelligence
chief [Lieutenant General] Lieut. Gen Keith Alexander, essentially cast
themselves as mere Pentagon representatives fielding questions about Abu
Ghraib--and not as men who might bear any responsibility for what they
desperately tried to cast as an aberrant and isolated incident. Yet many
of their assertions on May 11 are in fact contradicted by statements they
made before the same committee a month before, as well as a year-old memo
outlining the responsibilities of Cambone's office." ... "The Under Secretary
of Defense for Intelligence, or OUSD(I) in Pentagonese, was originally
conceived by Rumsfeld as a centralizing measure, a way to give him "one
dog to kick" rather than a "whole kennel" of individual civilian and uniformed
defense intelligence agencies. In choosing the person responsible for ostensibly
bringing unprecedented order and control to the Pentagon's spy shops, the
Secretary chose Cambone, a man with no intelligence experience but a favored
protégé and loyal partisan who had served on Rumsfeld's ballistic
missile threat commission and worked with the neoconservative Project for
the New American Century. Previously principal deputy to Under Secretary
for Policy Doug Feith (and, in that capacity, liaison between Feith and
the ideological intelligence analysis unit that would later morph into
the notorious Office of Special Plans), Cambone went out of his way in
his confirmation hearings to say that he would closely "consult and coordinate"
with Feith to "insure [that Department of Defense] DoD-related intelligence
activity supports the goals" of the Pentagon's policy shop." ... "Two months
after Cambone's confirmation, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz described
his new portfolio in a detailed internal Pentagon memo. Reflecting the
seriousness and specificity of Cambone's mission, an organizational chart
appended to the memo shows a generic under secretary with six deputies,
including one for warfighting and operations, whose duties include specific
liaison with the intelligence elements of each of the armed services, each
individual combatant command, and the under secretary for policy. The document
itself explicitly states that Cambone's office will, among other things:"
... "provide oversight and policy guidance for all DoD intelligence activities;
provide policy oversight of all the intelligence organizations within the
DoD, to include ensuring these organizations are manned, trained, equipped
and structured to support the missions of the Department; provide
assessments of and advice [to] the Secretary and CJCS [Chairman, Joint
Chiefs of Staff] on the adequacy of military intelligence performance;
exercise management and oversight of all DoD counterintelligence and security
activities; coordinate DoD intelligence and intelligence-related policy,
plans, programs, requirements and resource allocations; oversee provision
of intelligence support and involvement in information operations, focused
on assessments in support of operations." ... "None of this should leave
much to the imagination, especially when it comes to policies and practices
pertaining to the dimensions of human intelligence collection that involve
interrogations conducted by military intelligence. Yet when asked by [Virginia
Republican] Senator John Warner if his office has "overall responsibility
for policy concerning the handling of detainees," Cambone dodged with a
"not precisely, sir," effectively denying any responsibility as set forth
in his charge by Wolfowitz. Rather, Cambone said, he only reactively "became
involved in this issue from the perspective of assuring there was a flow
of intelligence back to the commands and done in an efficient and effective
way."" -By Jason
West -TheNation.com
James
Inhofe - Torture
- Politician
- US
- Military
- Prisoners
- Photographs
- Iraqi
- Human
Rights - Lawmakers
- 
Oklahoma
- "GOP
[Republican] senator labels abused prisoners 'terrorists':
Other lawmakers disavow comment." ... "A Republican member of the Senate
Armed Services Committee dismissed Tuesday the outrage over the abuse of
Iraqi prisoners by [United States] U.S. troops, saying Iraqis depicted
in widely broadcast photographs probably had "blood on their hands."" ...
""I'm probably not the only one up at this table that is more outraged
by the outrage than we are by the treatment," [Oklahoma Republican Senator]
Sen. James Inhofe said during a hearing on the [Iraqi] Abu Ghraib prison
scandal. (Full
story)" ... "[Republican] President Bush and other top U.S. officials
and leading Republicans have condemned the abuse of Iraqis held at the
Baghdad[Iraq's capital]-area prison, once a notorious torture chamber under
ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein." ... "Though he [Inhofe] called the
soldiers charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners "seven bad people," he added,
"I am also outraged that we have so many humanitarian do-gooders right
now crawling all over these prisons looking for human rights violations
while our troops, our heroes, are fighting and dying."" -With
contributions by Ed Henry -CNN
-
- "US
forces kill 64 in fighting near Iraqi holy city of Najaf."
... "US forces have killed 64 rebel militiamen in clashes near Shia Islam's
holiest city, Najaf, a US military spokesman in Baghdad said yesterday."
... "At least 115 US troops have been killed in fighting this month - as
many as died in combat during the two-month invasion of Iraq." -By
Nicolas Pelham -FT.com
-
- "Japanese
hostages get $7,000 bills for expenses." ... "Three
Japanese who were held hostage for a week in Iraq were billed about $7,000
each to cover their plane tickets home and other miscellaneous expenses,
an official said Monday." -AP
via -RegisterGuard
-
-
- "U.S.
gunships topple tower of mosque." ... "A protracted
firefight between Marines and insurgents in a Fallujah suburb on Monday
culminated with U.S. helicopter gunships and tanks firing at a mosque and
toppling its minaret, further dimming hopes for a peaceful end to the three-week
siege." ... "The U.S. command said that the battle erupted when insurgents,
breaching a shaky cease-fire in Fallujah, 30 miles west of Baghdad, used
the mosque to launch rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire at Marine
positions. After two hours, pinned down by fire, the Marines called in
helicopters and tanks, which directed "suppressing fire" at the mosque,
the command said." ... "One U.S. Marine was killed and eight others wounded
in the battle, which also killed eight insurgents, a U.S. spokesman said."
-By John Burns -NYTimes
via -RegisterGuard
-
- "Shell
says signs Libya oil and gas partnership."
-Reuters via -Forbes
- "Toll
Climbs to 161 in N.Korea Blast as Aid Sent." ...
"Aid workers initially put the toll at 154 dead and hundreds injured after
the explosion of two trains at North Korea's Ryongchon station near the
Chinese border just hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had passed
through by train." ... ""We have heard from our people in North Korea that
the death toll has risen to 161," said Niels Juel, regional relief coordinator
for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,
Sunday. Scores of primary school children were among those killed." ...
"Intravenous drips to administer antibiotics and painkillers to seriously
injured patients were scant, as were clean sheets and food." (1, 2,
3)
-By Kim Miyoung and Juliana Liu
-Reuters
-
- "Future of
Mitsubishi Motors in doubt as bailout is withheld:
DaimlerChrysler insists it will still honor joint ventures." ... "The future
of Mitsubishi Motors was thrown into question on Friday after DaimlerChrysler's
surprise decision to cut off financial support to its partner. The Japanese
automaker's stock collapsed, falling 25 percent before trading was halted."
... "DaimlerChrysler, which controls Mitsubishi Motors through a 37 percent
stake, said late Thursday that it had decided "to cease further financial
support" for Japan's fourth-largest carmaker. The announcement shocked
investors, who had speculated that the German company would announce a
cash injection of ¥200 billion, or $1.8 billion, or more. Mitsubishi
Motors must now scramble for investments if it is to remain in business."
-By Todd Zaun -NYTimes
via -Google-News
-IHT.com
-
-
-
- "Shi'ite
cleric threatens suicide attacks." ... "Militant
Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ratcheted up his anti-American rhetoric
yesterday, threatening to launch suicide attacks if US forces enter Iraq's
holy cities to capture or kill him." ... "Sadr's remarks, made during Friday
prayers at the Kufa mosque, marked an ominous escalation in the standoff
between the cleric, whose militia has seized control of mosques and other
key sites in Najaf and Kufa, and US officials who have been threatening
to retake the southern cities by force." -By Edmund
Sanders-LAtimes
via -Boston/Globe
-
"U.S.,
Libyan Bankers Discuss Frozen Assets -Libya." ...
"Libyan officials say assets worth about $1 billion are frozen in the United
States, including equity holdings in banks." ... "Although assets remain
blocked, a Libyan banking official said there would be no further freezing,
which would previously have occurred if, for example, any Libyan dollar
transactions were cleared through New York." (1, 2)
-By Salah Sarrar -Reuters
-
-
-
- "Bush
eases years-long economic sanctions against Libya."
... "President Bush on Friday eased economic sanctions against Libya, ending
its status as a pariah nation and clearing the way for the return of American
oil companies." ... "Bush's order ending Libya's economic isolation gave
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi the reward that he wanted for agreeing in
December to abandon his pursuit of weapons of mass destruction." -By
Ron Hutcheson -Knight Ridder via
-SLTrib.com
- 
- "International
Aid Workers Rush to Site of N. Korean Train Explosion; Gov't Blames Carelessness."
... "In its first statement on the disaster, North Korea's official news
agency said the catastrophic explosion in the railway town was touched
off by "electrical contact caused by carelessness during the shunting of
wagons loaded with ammonium nitrate fertilizer." The chemical is sometimes
used in explosives." ... "Separately, the Chinese news agency Xinhua quoted
North Korean officials as saying trains loaded with oil and chemicals collided
and were ignited by a downed power line." -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
-
-
- 
- "NFL,
Arizona Football Fans Mourn Death of Pat Tillman, Who Gave Up Career to
Fight for Country." ... "Pat Tillman overachieved
in football, and just about everything else. He worked his way from seventh-round
draft pick to starting safety for the Arizona Cardinals, then walked away
from millions of dollars to join the Army Rangers and serve his country.
This week, he paid with his life. Tillman was killed in an ambush Thursday
night in Afghanistan. He was 27." -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
-
- "U.S.
Soldiers Re-Enlist in Strong Numbers: Despite Violence
in Iraq, U.S. Soldiers Are Re-Enlisting at Rates Higher Than Pentagon Expected."
... "Despite the shrapnel wounds Staff Sgt. William Pinkley suffered during
his tour in Iraq, the 26-year-old is joining other soldiers who are re-enlisting
at rates that exceed the retention goals set by the Pentagon." ... "As
of March 31 halfway through the Army's fiscal year 28,406 soldiers had
signed on for another tour of duty, topping the six-month goal of 28,377.
The Army's goal is to re-enlist 56,100 soldiers by the end of September."
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
- "N
Korea blast kills 'at least 54': The International
Red Cross says Thursday's huge train explosion in North Korea killed at
least 54 people." ... "In the first independent account of the disaster,
Red Cross officials at the scene say more than 1,200 people were injured
and 1,850 houses destroyed." ... "The explosion partially destroyed 6,350
houses, John Sparrow, a spokesman for the International Red Cross in Beijing
told the BBC." ... "South Korean media reports talked of up to 3,000 people
dead or wounded. Officials in Seoul say there is no way as yet of confirming
these figures." ... "However, diplomatic sources in Pyongyang say the casualty
figures are in the thousands." ... "They also say the blast - initially
thought to have been caused by two trains colliding -was triggered by an
electric wire dropping onto two wagons loaded with dynamite."
-BBC/News
-
- "Marines
Warn Insurgents in Fallujah to Hand Over Heavy Weapons or Face Possible
U.S. Attack." ... "The stark warning came two days
after city leaders called on insurgents to hand over their heavy weapons
in return for a U.S. pledge to hold back on plans to storm Fallujah and
allow the return of families that fled the city." ... "Now Marines have
halted the return of families because of the failure to disarm and the
desire to have fewer civilians in the city if fighting resumes. More than
a third of Fallujah's 200,000 people fled to Baghdad and elsewhere during
the fighting that began April 5." ... "Early Thursday, Marines launched
a major assault on the village of Karma, 10 miles northeast of Fallujah,
in a second attempt to put down guerrillas there."
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
-
- 
- Photo
News - "Woman
fired by military contractor for published photograph of flag-draped U.S.
coffins." ... "A military contractor fired two cargo
workers responsible for a photograph of flag-draped coffins of U.S. soldiers
that appeared on a newspaper's front page." ... "Maytag Aircraft Corp.
fired Tami Silicio, 50, and her husband, David Landry, because they "violated
Department of Defense and company policies by working together" to take
and publish the photograph, company president William Silva said in a news
release Thursday." ... "The firing was first reported Thursday in The Seattle
Times, which published the April 7 photo on Sunday." -By
Gene Johnson -AP
via -SFGate.com
-
-
- 
- "Death
toll near 500 in Fallujah, Baghdad." ... "In the
first detailed accounting of Iraqi casualties in the fighting that erupted
across the country this month, officials at the Iraqi Ministry of Health
said yesterday that 264 have been killed and 791 wounded in the Fallujah
area since April 5, while in Baghdad another 235 have been killed and 832
wounded." ... "The health ministry's nationwide data also show that 12
percent of the Iraqis killed were women or children 15 years old or younger."
... "The health ministry's casualty toll for Fallujah was substantially
lower than the death counts reported since fighting broke out there at
the start of April. The data also show a nationwide death toll for April's
fighting that is much lower than the figures widely reported in the media,
some of them exceeding 1,100." -By Anne Barnard
-Boston/Globe
-
-
- 
- "Fury
over Diana crash photos: Princess Diana's family,
British media and the prime minister have expressed outrage at a U.S. television
network's decision to broadcast pictures of the princess as she lay dying."
... "CBS, which aired the images in its "48 Hours" program, said the photos
were included in a 4,000-page confidential French investigators' file on
the accident and that they were not graphic or exploitative." ... "But
British newspapers and friends and family of Diana and Fayed strongly disagreed."
-CNN
-
-
- ELECTION
2004 - "Saudi
envoy: Oil policy standard, not a deal: Calls U.S.
politics: 'Your seasonal tribal warfare'." ... "Saudi Arabia's ambassador
to the United States stood firm that his country made no secret deals with
the White House to try to drive down gas prices to help re-elect President
Bush and sought to reassure Democratic contender Sen. John Kerry." ...
""I really don't see what is the big deal," Prince Bandar bin Sultan told
reporters Wednesday after a White House meeting with national security
adviser Condoleezza Rice." ... ""Unless somebody would like to see the
oil prices stay high, then nobody should complain."" -By
John King -CNN
- 
-
- 
-
- "High
court mulls Mexican truck access." ... "A Bush administration
lawyer told the Supreme Court yesterday that the president must be able
to open America's roads to Mexico's trucks without delays for an environmental
study." ... "But a lawyer for labor and environmental organizations cautioned
justices that ''we're talking about tens of thousands of trucks" packing
US roads after a two-decade moratorium ends." ... "Some of those trucks
are older and may be pollution-causing safety hazards, said the organizations'
lawyer, Jonathan Weissglass." -By Gina Holland
-AP via -Boston/Globe
- "Thousands
Dead or Injured in N.Korea Rail Blast-YTN." ... "Up
to 3,000 people were killed or injured when two trains loaded with fuel
collided and exploded at a North Korean station Thursday, hours after leader
Kim Jong-il had passed through, South Korea's YTN television said." ...
"The sources said cargo trains carrying gasoline and liquefied petroleum
gas collided at Ryonchon station 30 miles south of the border." -By
Jack Kim and Martin Nesirky -Reuters
via -ABCNEWS.com
-
- "Four
Killed and 148 Wounded in a Suicide Bombing in Riyadh."
... "A suicide bomber detonated a Chevrolet Blazer loaded with explosives
in central Riyadh on Wednesday, shattering the facade of a police building,
killing at least four people and wounding 148." ... "Saudi officials and
foreign embassies had been bracing for such an attack since April 12, when
a shoot-out in a poor Riyadh neighborhood led to a chain of bloody skirmishes
across the central part of the kingdom. In the last 10 days, six police
officers were shot dead, and security officials said that they had captured
five booby-trapped cars and arrested eight militants." ... "Wednesday's
bombing and the clashes preceding it represent a qualitative shift in the
ongoing war between the security services and Islamic militants believed
to be either directly connected to Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda or inspired
by the terrorist group, Saudi officials and other analysts said. It was
a shift, they said, toward attacks by groups that are less organized, on
targets that are less easily protected." (1, 2)
-By Neil MacFarquhar -NYTimes
via -Google-News
-
- "UN
backs oil for food inquiry." ... "The former chairman
of the US Federal Reserve Board yesterday began an independent investigation
into allegations of corruption and kickbacks worth $10bn (?5.6bn) in the
UN's oil-for-food programme in Iraq." ... "The United Nation's security
council unanimously approved Paul Volcker's inquiry into the scheme that
US legislators say allowed billions of dollars in illegal oil revenue to
flow to Saddam Hussein." -By Gary Younge
-Guardian.co.uk
-
- "Judges
chosen for Saddam trial." ... "Iraq's US-appointed
governing council today announced that it has chosen judges and prosecutors
to try Saddam Hussein." ... "Their identities are being kept secret for
fear that supporters of the toppled dictator will hunt them down." ...
"Salem Chalabi, the US-educated lawyer who is director-general of administration
for the special tribunal set up to prosecute Saddam, said that seven investigative
judges and five prosecutors would take charge of the case."
-Guardian.co.uk
-
- 
- "Cubans
Sentenced in Miami for Plane Hijacking."... "A U.S.
judge sentenced six Cuban men to prison terms of 20 years or more on Wednesday
for hijacking a Cuban airliner in the Communist Caribbean nation last year."...
"The Cubans were convicted in December of air piracy for commandeering
a 1940s-era Aerotaxi DC-3 after it took off from Cuba's Isle of Youth and
forcing it to Key West on Florida's southern tip on March 19, 2003. The
incident was the first in a series of hijackings in Cuba last year." -By
Jim Loney -Reuters
-
-
-
-
- "High
Court Hears Detention Cases: Policy on Terror Suspects
Challenged." ... "Facing the court in oral arguments over the detention
of al Qaeda and Taliban suspects held at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba, Solicitor
General Theodore B. Olson dramatically reminded the court that "the United
States is at war," that more than 10,000 troops are in Afghanistan, and
that the country faces an "extraordinary threat."" ... "But several justices
asked questions that implied they doubted Olson's assertion that Bush,
as commander in chief, may hold the suspects for interrogation at the base
in Cuba as long as he deems necessary, without judicial oversight." ...
""It seems rather contrary to an idea of a Constitution with three branches
that the executive would be free to do whatever they want -- whatever they
want without a check," Justice Stephen G. Breyer said." ... "The question
is whether the Guantanamo detainees have a right to ask a federal court
to order the president to give them a hearing --not whether the courts
must do so." (1, 2)
-By Charles Lane-WashingtonPost
-
- "Suicide
Bombers Kill at Least 58 in Southern Iraq." ... "Suicide
bombers killed at least 58 people, many of them children, in co-ordinated
strikes on four police stations that brought bloody chaos to Iraq's southern
city of Basra on Wednesday, witnesses said." ... "Near-simultaneous explosions
hit three police stations in Basra and one in the town of Zubair, 16 miles
south of the mainly Shi'ite city, the British military said." ... "Reuters
counted 55 bodies at one hospital. Among the dead were many children who
had been going to school in a minibus caught in one of the car bombings.
Some 200 civilians and police were wounded." (1, 2,
3)
-By Abdel-Razzak Hameed -Reuters
-
- "Bombs
hit Basra police stations: Rush-hour blasts probably
caused by car bombs have hit three police stations in Iraq's second city
of Basra, killing at least 40 and injuring scores." ... "Two school buses,
one of them apparently full of children, were destroyed in one of the attacks,
an AP correspondent reports from the scene." ... "A British officer said
the three attacks had been near-simultaneous."
-BBC/News
- 
- "Year-long
space station trips rejected." ... "NASA has rebuffed
a Russian proposal to extend the next mission aboard the International
Space Station from six months to a year. Lengthening the mission would
have allowed Russia's cash-strapped agency to sell two extra Soyuz spacecraft
seats to space tourists, at about $20 million each." -By
Will Knight -NewScientist.com
-
- 
-
- "Israeli
Nuclear Whistleblower Vanunu to Go Free." ... "Israeli
nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu goes free on Wednesday after 18
years in jail for spilling secrets that publicly placed the Jewish state
among the world's top atomic powers." ... "But the former nuclear technician
-- whose revelations to a British newspaper led analysts to conclude Israel
had an arsenal of more than 100 nuclear warheads -- will still be subject
to a list of stringent security measures to keep him silent." ... "Vanunu
was jailed in 1986 for treason after disclosing information to Britain's
Sunday Times." (1, 2)
-By Megan Goldin -Reuters
-
- 
- 
- 
- 
-
- "Powell
urges coalition leaders to keep troops in Iraq."
... "Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday the U.S.-led coalition
in Iraq remains strong despite decisions by Spain and Honduras to pull
out their troops. Later, the Dominican Republic announced that it also
would withdraw its troops." ... "Powell told reporters that leaders of
13 coalition countries with whom he spoke by telephone Monday and Tuesday
"all expressed steadfast support" for their respective troop commitments."
... "Among the leaders Powell spoke with was Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart
Sathirathai." ... "In addition to Surakiart, Powell spoke with leaders
of El Salvador, Dominica, Norway, Denmark, Hungary, Portugal, Poland, Bulgaria,
Holland, Romania, the Philippines and Ukraine." -By
George Gedda -AP
via -SFGate.com
-
-
- "Iraq
jail attack kills 22 inmates: A mortar attack on
an Iraqi detention centre near Baghdad has left 22 inmates dead, the US
military says." ... "All the casualties in the attack on the Baghdad Confinement
Facility in Abu Ghraib were prisoners of the US-led coalition, officials
said." ... "The sprawling prison complex of Abu Ghraib, which covers more
than one square kilometre, was one of Iraq's biggest prisons under Saddam
Hussein's regime and had a fearsome reputation."
-BBC/News
-
-
- ELECTION
2004 - "Poll
Shows New Gains for Bush: Lead Over Kerry Widens
On Issues of Security." ... "President Bush holds significant advantages
over John F. Kerry in public perceptions of who is better equipped to deal
with Iraq and the war on terrorism, and he has reduced the advantages his
Democratic challenger held last month on many domestic issues, according
to a Washington Post-ABC News Poll." ... "In a matchup, Bush held a lead
of 48 percent to 43 percent over Kerry among registered voters, with independent
Ralph Nader at 6 percent. In early March, shortly after he effectively
wrapped up the Democratic nomination, Kerry led Bush by 48 percent to 44
percent." (1, 2)
-By Richard Morin and Dan Balz with contributions
by Claudia Deane -WashingtonPost
-
-
- 
- ELECTION
2004 - "Kerry
hits alleged Bush-Saudi deal: Seizes on account in
journalist's book." ... "The latest inside account of the Bush administration
has provided fresh fodder for John F. Kerry's campaign, with the presumptive
Democratic nominee yesterday condemning the president for reportedly allowing
the Saudis to maintain high gasoline prices until just before the fall
election, when they would be cut to boost the US economy." ... "Kerry said
the deal, reported in "Plan of Attack," the new book by Washington Post
editor Bob Woodward, and mentioned in his appearance Sunday on the CBS
program "60 Minutes," was "fundamentally wrong" and "outrageous and unacceptable
to the American people." A day earlier, the Massachusetts senator condemned
Bush for withholding details about Iraqi war planning from Secretary of
State Colin L. Powell, again relying on Woodward's account of the administration's
war planning." -By Glen Johnson -Boston/Globe
-
-
- "Negroponte
named Iraq ambassador: President George W Bush has
named John Negroponte as the first US ambassador to Iraq since the overthrow
of Saddam Hussein last year." ... "Mr Negroponte, currently the US envoy
to the UN, is expected to take over in Baghdad when the US hands power
to an interim Iraqi government by 30 June." ... "The top US official in
Iraq, Paul Bremer, is expected to leave once the political transition is
completed." -BBC/News
-
-
- "Profile:
John Negroponte: John Negroponte was the man who
spearheaded the US diplomatic effort in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion
of Iraq." ... "The soft-spoken diplomat will head the largest US embassy
in the world, in charge of 3,000 staff." ... ""He'll hold the title of
ambassador but he's really being appointed de facto governor-general of
Iraq because the US is going to retain a lot of authority,'' Ted Galen
Carpenter of the Washington-based Cato Institute think-tank told Bloomberg
news service." -BBC/News
-
-
-
- "Spain
recalls its troops from Iraq: New prime minister
fulfills campaign vow." ... "Spain's prime minister yesterday ordered Spanish
troops pulled out of Iraq as soon as possible, fulfilling a campaign pledge
to a nation recovering from terrorist bombings that Al Qaeda militants
said were reprisal for Spain's support of the war." ... "Jose Luis Rodriguez
Zapatero issued the abrupt recall just hours after his government was sworn
in, saying there was no sign the United States would meet his demand for
United Nations control of the postwar occupation -- his ultimatum for keeping
troops there." ... "Zapatero's Socialist Party won the March 14 general
election amid allegations that outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar,
by backing the war in Iraq, had provoked commuter-train terrorist bombings
that killed 191 people three days before the vote." (1, 2)
-By Daniel Woolls -AP
via -Boston/Globe
-
- Osama
bin Laden -
"C.I.A.
Says Voice on Tape Likely bin Laden." ... "The CIA
said Thursday that a tape of a man identifying himself as Osama bin Laden
probably is an authentic recording of the al-Qaida leader." ... "The official,
speaking on condition of anonymity, said the tape was probably recorded
in the past several weeks because of its reference to Israel's killing
last month of Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin. In the tape, the speaker
vows revenge against the United States for the killing."
-AP via -NYTimes
via -AltaVista-News
-
-
- Osama
bin Laden -
"'Bin
Laden' tape offers peace deal with Europe." ... "Osama
bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, sought to split the US-led coalition
in Iraq by offering European countries a three-month respite from terrorist
attacks if they withdrew their forces and left the US to fight alone."
... "The statement said: "I offer a truce to them (Europe), with a commitment
to stop operations against any state which vows to stop attacking Muslims
or interfere in their affairs, including (participating) in the American
conspiracy against the wider Muslim world."" ... "It went on to say that
the truce would start "with the withdrawal of the last soldier from our
land," and said that the offer to implement it would last for three months
from the date of Thursday's statement. "Whoever rejects this truce and
wants war, we are its [war's] sons and whoever wants this truce, here we
bring it," it said." -By Mark Huband
-FT.com
- "China's
economy soars despite Beijing's curbs." ... "China's
economy grew at an official 9.7 per cent in the first quarter of this year
as ambitious local authorities went on an investment binge and banks continued
to lend to a roaring property sector in spite of Beijing's orders to rein
in credit." ... "The 9.7 per cent increase in gross domestic product to
Rmb2,711bn ($328bn) was higher than last year's full-year 9.1 per cent
increase. Some independent economists use a range of proxy indicators to
suggest that the official figures understate reality and China is actually
growing at around an annualised 11 or 12 per cent." -By
James Kynge -FT.com
- "Victory
for Roh's party in South Korea vote." ... "South
Korea's political landscape changed radically on Thursday as voters handed
control of parliament to a progressive liberal party, backed by the suspended
President Roh Moo-hyun, that was formed five months ago." ... "The opposition
Grand National party - associated with the country's business community
and traditional ruling elite - lost control of parliament but avoided the
annihilation it feared, winning about 121 seats." ... "The GNP's popularity
has been declining for months after it emerged that the party had received
millions of dollars of secret funds from the country's chaebol business
groups, such as Samsung and LG." -By Andrew Ward
-FT.com
-
- "South
Koreans Vote Heavily for Impeached Leader's Party."
... "In a sharp political backlash against last month's impeachment of
President Roh Moo Hyun, South Koreans voted heavily today for congressional
candidates of Mr. Roh's party, according to surveys of voters by South
Korea's three largest broadcasting networks." ... "If the forecasts hold
up, the president and the Parliament will be of the same party for the
first time since democracy was restored here in 1987. Mr. Roh has four
more years in his term, and the legislators were elected today to four-year
terms." ... "In the vote, the Grand National Party avoided electoral disaster
largely through determined campaigning by Park Geun Hye, the new party
chairman. Ms. Park learned her political skills in the 1970's, when her
father, Park Chung Hee, an army general, ruled South Korea with dictatorial
powers." -By James Brooke -NYTimes
via -AltaVista-News
-
- "Iraq
death toll reaches new high." ... "The last two weeks
have been the bloodiest yet for US soldiers in Iraq since the fall of Saddam
Hussein. Iraqi deaths are much harder to track, but an Associated Press
estimate puts the total since 1 April at 880." ... "April's casualty count
for US soldiers has spiralled to 87, the highest for any month since the
war began." ... "Nearly all the deaths have been in hostile incidents in
two weeks which have seen major battles with both Sunni and Shia insurgents."
... "Most of the US soldiers have been killed in attacks on road convoys,
firefights in the Sunni-dominated towns of Falluja and Ramadi and battles
in and around Baghdad." ... "The total of American soldiers killed in Iraq
is now 686. More than three-quarters of these have died since major hostilities
ceased." ... "Just over a quarter of the casualties have died in "non-hostile"
events such as accidents involving vehicles or munitions."
-BBC/News
- "Danish
furore over Iraq secrets: Denmark is to declassify
intelligence assessments of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction after newspaper
leaks led to criminal charges against three men.'Prime Minister Anders
Fogh Rasmussen said the publication of classified material had given rise
to doubts about the government's credibility." ... "An intelligence officer
had told two journalists that the government knew Iraq was unlikely to
have the weapons." ... "His claims contradicted Mr Fogh Rasmussen's stance
on the issue." ... "The prime minister supported the US-led invasion and
told parliament that he was convinced Iraq was in possession of such weapons."
... "Former intelligence officer Major Frank Soeholm Grevil has been charged
with breaching the official information act and the two journalists, Jesper
Larsen and Michael Bjerre, are charged with exploiting information emerging
from a crime." -BBC/News
-
- "US
troops to stay longer in Iraq: Some 20,000 US troops
now serving in Iraq will have their tour of duty extended, Defence Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld has announced." ... "Mr Rumsfeld said they would spend
another 90 days in Iraq beyond their original one-year deployment." ...
""The country is at war and we need to do what is necessary to succeed,"
he told a news conference." ... "Mr Rumsfeld said the extension came in
response to a request by the commander of US forces in Iraq, Gen John Abizaid."
-BBC/News
-
-
-
-
- "Japanese
Hostages Freed in Iraq; Iranian Killed." ... "Three
Japanese hostages were freed Thursday, but the murders of an Iranian diplomat
and an Italian captive were chilling proof of the risks foreigners face
in Iraq, where rebels are battling the U.S.-led occupation." ... "America's
top general said talks were under way to try to bring peace to the embattled
Sunni Muslim city of Falluja and to avoid a bloodbath in the Shi'ite shrine
city of Najaf." ... "The three [Japanese] seized last week are Noriaki
Imai, 18, who wanted to research the effects of depleted uranium weapons,
journalist Soichiro Koriyama, 32, and aid worker Nahoko Takato, 34." (1,
2,
3)
-By Fiona O'Brien -Reuters
-
- 
- "Cheney
Warns China About Hong Kong: Policy There Linked
to Taiwan, He Says." ... "Linking two contentious issues in U.S.-Chinese
relations, Vice President Cheney warned China's leaders Wednesday that
any efforts by Beijing to thwart democracy in Hong Kong would likely reinforce
the budding movement in Taiwan to formally separate from China." ... "Cheney's
message, which was described, on condition of anonymity, by a senior administration
official, echoed the arguments of recently reelected Taiwanese President
Chen Shui-bian, who has vowed to draft a new constitution for the island
by 2006. In the talks, Cheney reiterated the long-standing U.S. position
that there is "one China," a statement prominently mentioned in China's
state media." -By Glenn Kessler and Edward Cody -WashingtonPost
-
- "U.N.
Envoy to Iraq Calls for New Interim Government: Continued
Violence Could Upset Election Plans, Brahimi Warns." ... "U.N. special
envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, wrapping up a mission to Iraq to help devise a new
plan for creating a democratic Iraqi government, said today that the U.S.-led
occupation administration could hand over power as scheduled on June 30
to a new interim government but he acknowledged that the current unrest
in the country could upset plans for elections to follow that transfer
of power." ... "Speaking to reporters in Baghdad, Brahimi said, "The security
situation has to improve significantly for these elections to take place
in an acceptable environment," according to a transcript of his remarks.
Nonetheless, he reiterated the need to push forward with that vote next
January." (1, 2)
-By Mark Stencel-WashingtonPost
-
- "Bush
endorses 'courageous' Sharon plan to withdraw from part the West Bank."
... "Breaking with long-standing U.S. policy, President Bush on Wednesday
endorsed Israel's retention of part of the West Bank in any final peace
settlement with the Palestinians. In a show of support for Israel's leader
that brought immediate condemnation from the Palestinians, Bush also ruled
out Palestinian refugees ever returning to Israel." ... "An elated Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said his plan would create "a new and better
reality for the state of Israel."" ... "But minutes after Bush spoke, Palestinian
Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said in Ramallah that "he is the first president
who has legitimized the (Israeli) settlements in Palestinian territories.""
-Barry Schweid -AP
via -SFGate.com
-
- "Insurgents
Display New Sophistication: Campaign Leaves Bridges
Heavily Damaged, Hampering Military's Push South." ... "Insurgents fighting
the U.S.-led occupation force have sharply increased the sophistication,
coordination and aggressiveness of their tactics over the past week, Army
officers and soldiers involved in combat here said." ... "With occupation
forces battling Sadr's Shiite militiamen south and east of Baghdad and
Sunni Muslim insurgents to the north and west, the timing of the Iraqis'
tactical development is nearly as troubling for U.S. forces as its effect.
But the explanation for the change is not yet clear, military commanders
said." ... "Here in southern Iraq, which is overwhelmingly Shiite, U.S.
officers say the best guess is that former soldiers who served under President
Saddam Hussein have decided to lend their expertise and coordinating abilities
to the untrained Shiite militiamen." (1, 2)
-By Thomas E. Ricks-WashingtonPost
-
-
- "Cleric,
Surrounded by U.S., Hints at Easing His Resistance."
... "A 2,500-member American force backed by tanks and artillery took up
positions outside Najaf on Tuesday when a rebel Shiite cleric, Moktada
al-Sadr, resisted demands from the American authorities and other clerics
that he disband a militia that has challenged American authority across
wide areas of southern Iraq." ... "From his Najaf headquarters, Mr. Sadr
shrugged off American threats to capture or kill him, saying he was "ready
to sacrifice my blood" to end the American occupation." ... "But the day
after a delegation sent by some of the most powerful Shiite clerics appealed
to him to avoid a showdown, he also hinted at a face-saving compromise,
saying he was ready to "implement any order" issued by the religious establishment."
(1, 2)
-By John F. Burns with contributions from Warren Hoge
-NYTimes
via -Google-News
-
- 
- "Dead
soldier's
sisters excused duty in war zone." ... "Michelle
Witmer, 20, died last Friday in an ambush of her Humvee, and her father's
plea to the Pentagon to spare his two other daughters, who were also serving
in Wisconsin national guard units in Iraq, received attention throughout
the US." -By Suzanne Goldenberg
-Guardian.co.uk
-
-
-
- "Iran
distances itself from Sadr." ... "Iran is dismissing
attempts by Washington to link it to Moqtada al-Sadr, the young radical
cleric whose militia has battled US forces in neighbouring Iraq." ... "US
officials and administration ad visers have long alleged that Iran has
secretly funded Mr Sadr's militia. On Monday, General John Abizaid, commander
of US Central Command, told a press briefing "there are indications from
intelligence folks that there are some Iranian activities going on that
are unhelpful". Last week, Donald Rumsfeld, US secretary of defence, accused
Iran of "meddling" in Iraq." -By Gareth Smyth
-FT.com
- "Taiwan's
parties finalise plans for election recount." ...
"Under presiding judge Wu Ching-yuan, both parties hammered out an agreement
on the scope and the procedures for the recount yesterday. "All the major
points of disagreement are solved now," said Jaclyn Tsai, head of [opposition
candidate] Mr Lien's legal team. Wellington Koo, [the president] Mr Chen's
lawyer, said he expected the recount to begin in mid-May." ... "The recount
is expected to take up to four days, Mr Koo said. It was therefore unlikely
to be finished before Mr Chen's inauguration for his second term on May
20." -By Kathrin Hille
-FT.com
-
-
- "Russia
mulls pull-out after hostages seized." ... "Russia,
a strong critic of the U.S.-led military operation in Iraq, has confirmed
that eight of its nationals working for an energy company have been taken
hostage in Baghdad." ... "An unnamed Foreign Ministry source was quoted
on Tuesday as saying that Moscow was now considering evacuating all of
its 500 or so nationals, most of whom work in Iraq's energy and power sectors."
-By Oleg Shchedrov -Reuters
-
-
- "Chinese
hostages 'released'." ... "China was anxiously awaiting
confirmation last night that seven of its nationals kidnapped in Iraq had
been released." ... "The Xinhua news agency, which broke the news of the
kidnappings on Sunday, cited a Chinese merchant in Baghdad as saying that
the seven had been handed over to a Muslim association involved with hostage
release." ... "It was not clear what the seven latest victims of the hostage
drama sweeping Iraq were doing in the country." -By
Jonathan Watts -Guardian.co.uk
-
-
- "Seven
Chinese Kidnapped in Iraq; China Urges Rescue." ...
"Gunmen kidnapped seven Chinese citizens in Iraq in the latest spate of
hostage-taking and Beijing on Monday appealed to Baghdad to rescue them."
... "China was regarded as a friend by Iraq's former Baathist government
under the leadership of Saddam Hussein, and it opposed the military invasion
of Iraq. Beijing pledged $24 million for rebuilding the country at a donor
conference in Madrid last year." (1, 2)
-By John Ruwitch -Reuters
-
-
- "Japan
unsure of safety of hostages in Iraq as crisis drags into fourth day."
... "Optimism that three Japanese held hostage in Iraq would be quickly
released evaporated Monday, as Tokyo's top government spokesman backtracked
on an earlier statement and said authorities were no longer confident about
their safety." ... "The hostages[,] two aid workers and a photojournalist[,]
were being held by a previously unknown group calling itself the ''Muhahedeen
Squadron,'' which demanded Japan pull its troops out of Iraq within three
days or it would burn the three alive." -By Eric Talmadge
-AP via -Boston/Globe
-
- "14
Soldiers Killed in Iraq Since Friday: Uneasy Ceasefire
in Fallujah." ... "Meanwhile, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq,
Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, defended the current level of 129,000 U.S.
troops in Iraq as adequate. "We clearly showed some weaknesses here in
the last couple of weeks, and we are retackling the problem with greater
intensity," he said on NBC's "Meet The Press."" ... "Sanchez also said
that the refusal of a new Iraqi army battalion to fight in Fallujah "did
uncover significant challenges" in the Iraqi security forces." ... ""We
knew that there were going to be some risks that we were taking by standing
up security forces quickly, and we also know that it's going to take us
a while to stand up reliable forces that can accept responsibility for
both the internal and the external security of the country," Sanchez said."
(1, 2)
-By Sewell Chan and Pamela Constable with contributions
by Thomas E. Ricks and Saad Sarhan -WashingtonPost
-
- "Taiwan
Riot Police Battle Election Protesters." ... "Riot
police officers fought with demonstrators and used water cannons mounted
on armored cars as a large rally turned unexpectedly violent here on Saturday
night in front of the presidential palace." ... "A crowd estimated by organizers
at 300,000 and by the police at 100,000 assembled peacefully on Saturday
afternoon to call for a parliamentary investigation into a shooting incident
that wounded President Chen Shui-bian on the eve of elections here last
month, and may have helped him win re-election." ... "On March 20, President
Chen won a second four-year term by fewer than 30,000 votes out of 13 million
cast, defeating Mr. Lien of the Nationalist Party and his running mate,
James Soong of the People First Party. The president had been grazed across
the abdomen the day before by a bullet while standing in an open Jeep in
a motorcade through his hometown, Tainan." ... "The Nationalists have suggested
that presidential aides inside the Jeep may have staged the shooting, in
a bid to bolster Mr. Chen's support." -By Keith Bradsher
-NYTimes
-
-
-
- "Japan
court rules against shrine visits, PM unbowed." ...
"A Japanese court ruled on Wednesday that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
had violated the constitution by visiting a shrine honouring Japan's military
war dead, a landmark ruling on his annual pilgrimages that have angered
China and other Asian neighbours." ... "But Koizumi vowed to keep visiting
Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, where war criminals are among those honoured and
which critics at home and abroad regard as a symbol of Japan's past militarism."
-By Masayuki Kitano -Reuters
-
-
- "Three
countries arrest 53 militants in coordinated crackdown."
... "Turkey, Italy, and Belgium arrested 53 militants in a coordinated
crackdown Thursday on a Turkish Marxist group considered a terrorist organization
by Washington, Turkey's Interior Ministry said." ... "Police in Istanbul
arrested 37 suspects of the Marxist Revolutionary People's Liberation Army-Front,
or DHKP-C, while security forces Italy and Belgium detained 16, an Interior
Ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity."
-AP via -USATODAY
-
- "Attacks
in Iraq claim lives of four contractors, five soldiers:
An anti-American mob in the Iraqi city of Fallujah ambushed a group of
contractors Wednesday, beating and dragging four bodies through the streets.
The brutal attack came on the same day a roadside bomb killed five Americans
west of Baghdad." ... "" -PBS.org
/NewsHour
-
-
-
- Osama
bin Laden
- "Panel
probing terrorism faults 2 administrations: Says
efforts feel short; officials defend actions." ... "The US government had
substantial intelligence about key Al Qaeda figures indicating the possibility
of a catastrophic terrorist attack beginning in the mid-1990s, but failed
to act forcefully enough to thwart the Islamic terrorist network, the bipartisan
commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks said in an interim report
yesterday." ... "Diplomatic initiatives urging other countries to bring
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to justice were unsuccessful, yet the Clinton
administration could not reach a consensus on a sustained military effort
to kill the terrorist leader or disrupt the organization's home base in
Afghanistan, according to the report released yesterday, at the start of
two days of public testimony from Bush and Clinton administration leaders."
-By Bryan Bender -Boston/Globe
- "Taiwan's
Chen offers to meet opposition." ... "Chen Shui-bian,
Taiwan's president, on Wednesday offered to meet the opposition leaders
who are challenging his narrow victory in last weekend's election." ...
"However, he demanded that Lien Chan, presidential candidate of the Kuomintang
(KMT) and his running mate James Soong of the People First Party (PFP)
first end the demonstrations their parties were organising in front of
the presidential office." -By Kathrin Hille
-FT.com
-
- 
-
- Microsoft
News - "EU
orders Microsoft to pay $613 million fine: Software
giant found guilty of abusing "near monopoly"." ... "The European Union
declared Microsoft Corp. guilty Wednesday of abusing its "near monopoly"
with Windows to squeeze competitors in other markets and levied a record
fine of $613 million (497.2 million euros)." ... "The EU's antitrust authority
said that "because the illegal behavior is still ongoing," it was also
demanding changes in the way the U.S. software company operates."
-AP via -MSNBC
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- "Bush
Asks Allies for Unity on Iraq: No Nation Exempt From
Terrorism, President Says on War Anniversary." ... "President Bush yesterday
marked the anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq with an appeal
for international unity after a year of division by warning that there
can be "no separate peace" with the West's enemies." ... "Bush spoke to
an audience of 83 diplomats, including those from such countries as France
and Germany, which opposed the war. But his remarks seemed directed toward
such countries as Spain and Poland, allies in Iraq that are now expressing
misgivings, and, in Spain's case, rethinking their cooperation with the
United States." -By Dana Milbank -WashingtonPost
- "Taiwanese
president's supporters jubilant with victory one day after assassination
attempt." ... "Supporters of Taiwanese President
Chen Shui-bian celebrated victory with booming fireworks and blasting air
horns Saturday as he won a narrow re-election just a day after being wounded
by a would-be assassin's bullet." ... "Chen beat Nationalist Party rival
Lien Chan, a former vice president, in an electoral rematch that lifted
his Democratic Progressive Party to its second presidential win. Lien vowed
to challenge the results of what he called an unfair contest." -By
Christopher Bodeen -AP
via -SFGate.com
-
-
-
- "Mass
Extinction Not Inevitable." ... "Two new studies
published this week in Science
that show steep declines in bird, butterfly and plant populations across
Great Britain provide the strongest proof yet that we are in the midst
of the sixth great extinction of life." ... "The British analyzed six surveys
covering virtually all of their native species populations over the last
40 years. They discovered birds and native plants had declined 54 percent
and 28 percent respectively while butterflies experienced a shocking 71
percent decrease." ... "According to scientists, there have been five prior
mass
extinctions in the past 450 million years. The last was 65 million
years ago, when the dinosaurs and tens of thousands of species disappeared,
likely as a result of a comet or large asteroid hitting the Earth." -By
Stephen Leahy -Wired
- "'Small
asteroid' bypasses Earth by just 26,500 miles." ...
"A 100-foot-wide space rock yesterday missed Earth by only 26,500 miles,
the closest asteroid ever detected by astronomers before it actually made
its approach. The harmless flyby occurred at 2:08 p.m. Pacific time." ...
""We figure that on average something this size hits the Earth every two
to three years," said astronomer Paul Chodas, of NASA's Near-Earth Object
Program. "We've never detected them out in space, either approaching or
receding. This is the closest."" -By Guy Gugliotta
-WashingtonPost
with the -AP via -SeattleTimes.NWsource
-
- Free-Speech
- "China
Changes Constitution to Address Rights Issues." ...
"China's Parliament formally approved today constitutional amendments that
address private property and human rights, while the country's new prime
minister promised to rein in the overheated economy." ... "Chinese legal
experts and even lawmakers said the constitutional changes, which were
decided in closed-door sessions of the ruling Communist Party last fall
and formally approved today, would not lead to lifting restrictions on
speech and political protest. China's constitution is subordinate to the
party and is amended often to reflect changes in official ideology." -By
Chris Buckley -NYTimes
-
-
-
- "Spain's
ruling party swept from power amid anger of Madrid terror attacks."
... "Spain's ruling conservatives crashed to surprise defeat in elections
overshadowed by anger over terrorist bombings, becoming the first government
that backed the U.S.-led war in Iraq to be voted out of office." ... "The
win by the Socialists over President Jose Maria Aznar's favored Popular
Party Sunday came amid charges that Aznar made Spain a target for terrorist
by supporting the Iraq war." ... "Spain's incoming prime minister, Jose
Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, has pledged to bring home the 1,300 Spanish troops
in Iraq when their tour of duty ends in July." -By
Daniel Woolls -APvia
-SFGate.com
-
-
- "Spain
Studies Alleged al-Qaida Tape Claim." ... "Investigators
analyzed a videotape in which al-Qaida reportedly claimed responsibility
for the deadly railway bombings earlier this week amid criticism Sunday
that Spanish intelligence blundered in failing to foresee the attack."
... "With a mourning nation voting in general elections overshadowed by
the attacks that killed 200 and wounded 1,500, officials said five suspects
arrested Saturday can remain in police custody for 72 hours, after which
police would need a court order for an extension." -By
Daniel Woolls -AP
via -Miami/Herald
- "A
vote for democracy, Putin-style: Russia's president
is expected to win reelection handily Sunday - with tactics that critics
decry as 'Soviet.'" ... "President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to win
reelection by a wide margin, came to power four years ago promising a "dictatorship
of the law." Indeed, he has brought a new stability and economic growth,
while playing it tough in Chechnya - as well as with political rivals,
constricting the marketplace of ideas in favor of firm control from the
top." ... "Critics and a handful of opposition candidates - who between
them can't muster a fraction of Mr. Putin's over 70 percent popularity
rating - charge that Sunday's vote is a "farce" that has been pre-engineered
by the Kremlin, and marks the end of Russia's experiment with democracy."
-By Scott Peterson -CSMonitor
-
-
-
-
- "Md.
Woman Accused of Acting as Iraqi Agent." ... "Federal
agents today arrested a Maryland woman at her home on charges of acting
as an agent for the Iraqi government of former president Saddam Hussein
and plotting to aid resistance groups in Iraq after Hussein was ousted
by U.S. forces." ... "Susan Lindauer, 40, a former journalist and congressional
aide in Washington, was taken into custody by the FBI at her home in Takoma
Park after federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against her and two
Iraqis, the sons of a former diplomat, who were charged with similar offenses."
-By William Branigin -WashingtonPost
- "Al
Qaeda Suggested in Madrid Train Bombings: 200 Dead,
1,200 Wounded in Rush Hour Blasts in Spain." ... " In the worst terrorist
attack in Spain's history, nearly 200 people are dead and more than 1,200
are wounded after 10 simultaneous bomb blasts ripped through four packed
commuter trains in Madrid Thursday morning." ... "Spanish officials initially
blamed the Basque separatist group ETA for the bombings, but now they're
pursuing other lines of investigation. Police have found a van with detonators
and an audiotape of Koranic verses near where the bombed trains originated.
And an Arabic newspaper in London said it had received a letter from al
Qaeda claiming responsibility."-NPR/News
-
- "A
Primer on the ETA." ... "Euskadi Ta Azkatasuna, translated
from Euskara, the Basque language, means "freedom for the Basque country.""
... "And the organization bearing that name, ETA for short, has been fighting
for freedom from Spain since the 1960s in an unrelenting campaign of bombings,
kidnappings and assassinations." ... "In that respect, today's devastating
attacks on commuter trains in Madrid were definitely in character. That
may be one of the reasons why Spanish government officials so quickly blamed
ETA, without offering concrete evidence or any claim of responsibility."
... "In another respect, however, the attack departed from ETA's pattern:
Never before has the organization killed and injured so many people in
a single blow." (1, 2)
-By Fred Barbash -WashingtonPost
-
-
- "War
crimes court opens in Freetown." ... "The UN-backed
war crimes court in Sierra Leone opened its new courthouse yesterday, but
was left guessing about whether its president will step down because of
alleged bias against some defendants." ... "UN and government officials
joined Geoffrey Robertson QC at the ceremony in the capital, Freetown,
but he gave no public indication about the ultimatum he has been given
to resign by tomorrow morning or stay and fight an attempt to disqualify
him." ... "Defence lawyers have demanded that he withdraw because of a
book he wrote which depicted the Revolutionary United Front, Sierra Leone's
rebel movement, as a bloodthirsty criminal enterprise which committed crimes
against humanity during a decade-long civil war." -By
Rory Carroll -Guardian.co.uk
-
-
- "Alarm
Raised Over Quality of Uranium Found in Iran." ...
"United Nations nuclear inspectors have found traces of extremely highly
enriched uranium in Iran, of a purity reserved for use in a nuclear bomb,
European and American diplomats said Wednesday." ... "Among traces that
inspectors detected last year are some refined to 90 percent of the rare
235 isotope, the diplomats said. While the International Atomic Energy
Agency has previously reported finding "weapons grade" traces, it has not
revealed that some reached such a high degree of enrichment." ... "The
presence of such traces raises the stakes in the international debate over
Iran's nuclear program and increases the urgency of determining the uranium's
origin. If the enrichment took place in Iran, it means the country is much
further along the road to becoming a nuclear weapons power than even the
most aggressive intelligence estimates anticipated." -By
Craig S. Smith with contributions by David E. Sanger -NYTimes
- "Madrid
blasts kill at least 15: At least 15 people have
been killed in Madrid as several explosions hit the rail network in the
morning rush hour. Police cars raced to the Atocha train station in the
heart of the Spanish capital, where a blast destroyed carriages of a suburban
train." ... "Explosions were also reported on other trains - details are
unclear." ... "The cause is not yet clear, but police have been on the
alert for possible Basque separatist violence ahead of Sunday's general
election." -BBC/News
-
- "Koizumi
admits state fault in '50s emigration plan." ...
"He [Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi] indicated the government might compensate
Japanese emigrants to the Caribbean country who have filed a suit against
the government." ... "Some 180, including returnees, have filed a damages
suit seeking 3.1 billion yen in compensation. The plaintiffs have said
they did not receive the rich farmland that the Japanese government had
promised, and had to endure many difficulties after moving there."
-JapanTimes.co.jp
-
- "Mexico,
Japan agree on trade deal." ... "Mexico and Japan
have agreed on the substance of a free-trade agreement, Mexico's Economy
Department says." ... "The department said in a statement Wednesday that
the deal is expected to create annual growth of 10.6 percent in Mexican
exports to Japan, creating about 277,000 new jobs over 10 years."
-AP via -CNN
-
-
- "U.S.
Confident
IAEA to Put Iran on Sanctions Notice." ... "Secretary
of State Colin Powell said on Wednesday he was confident the U.N. atomic
watchdog, which is assessing Iran's nuclear programs, would warn Tehran
it could face sanctions within months." ... "The resolution being discussed
in Vienna will stop short of declaring Iran in breach of the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty and reporting it to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions
but will signal that could be close, he said."
-Reuters
-
-
-
- "Libya
blamed for W Africa wars: The chief prosecutor at
the UN's new court for Sierra Leone has repeated claims that the Libyan
leader is behind the past decade of war in West Africa." ... "The accusation
against Muammar Gaddafi was made by David Crane in an interview with the
BBC." -BBC/News
-
-
-
-
-
-
- "Five
Guantanamo Britons Fly Home, Fate Unsure." ... "Five
British men jailed for more than two years at the U.S. Guantanamo base
in Cuba headed home Tuesday -- posing anti-terror police a dilemma over
whether to release them to their families or keep them behind bars." ...
"The five, held since late 2001 or early 2002 with more than 600 others
suspected of fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan or supporting al
Qaeda, were expected to reach the Northolt military air base near London
around 7 p.m." ... "Police will take immediate custody of them, but if
they decide there is no case against them under Britain's tough anti-terror
laws, they may be freed in days, legal sources said." (1, 2)
-By Andrew Cawthorne -Reuters
-
-
- "An
Interim President for Haiti Is Sworn In." ... "Interim
President Boniface Alexandre was installed in the National Palace in a
brief, awkward ceremony on Monday, as hundreds of supporters of Haiti's
exiled president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, marched through the capital,
chanting "Aristide or death!"" ... "A power struggle continued in the city's
streets and its salons with the search for a new prime minister, a day
after Aristide loyalists opened fire on anti-Aristide demonstrators near
the presidential palace. Six people were killed and about 30 wounded. United
States marines said on Monday that their return fire had killed one gunman."
(1, 2)
-By Lydia Polgreen and Tim Weiner -NYTimes
via -Google-News
-
- "Iraqi
Council Signs Interim Constitution." ... "Iraq's
Governing Council signed a landmark interim constitution Monday after resolving
a political impasse sparked by objections from the country's most powerful
cleric. The signing was a key step in U.S. plans to hand over power to
the Iraqis by July 1." ... "But there were signs that a dispute that delayed
plans to sign the constitution on Friday might surface again." ... "One
clause in dispute, according to [council member Ibrahim] al-Jaafari, would
give Kurds and Sunni Arabs veto power over a permanent constitution expected
to be drafted and put to a referendum next year. The other bars any changes
to the document signed Monday except with the approval of a proposed president,
his two deputies, and three-fourths of a parliament to be elected by January
2005." -By Hamza Hendawi
-AP via -AJC
- "Fears
of rising violence in capital." ... "Anger is growing
in Haiti and there are fears of more violence on the streets of the capital
Port-au-Prince today as thousands are expected to turn out for a protest
march against the toppling of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide." ... "After
a week of anarchy following Aristide's resignation and departure, armed
gangs that support the former leader have continued their shooting and
looting sprees, while the rebels who fought to depose him have been parading
around the city." ... "Now the warring factions are being quelled by the
presence of more than 2,000 international troops, mostly US marines, who
patrol the streets of the capital in armoured vehicles. But in much of
the country no one really knows who is in control." -By
Sibylla Brodzinsky -Observer.co.uk
via -Guardian.co.uk
-
-
-
- "Aristide
Again Says He Was Kidnapped from Haiti." ... "Haitian
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide says his departure from his country was
a "kidnapping" as heavily armed "white men" surrounded the National Palace,
according to a statement released on Saturday." ... "The United States
has repeatedly dismissed Aristide's contentions that he was kidnapped when
he left Haiti on Feb. 29. The Bush administration blames the crisis in
Haiti on Aristide, who was restored to power a decade earlier by 20,000
U.S. troops after his ouster in a military coup."
-Reuters
-
-
- "IMF vacancy
revives debate over top job." ... "Horst Köhler's
decision to resign as head of the International Monetary Fund to become
a candidate for president of Germany has rekindled a debate over whether
a non-European should run the international lender for the first time."
... "Köhler, 61, who cuts short a term as managing director that would
have expired in June 2005, will be replaced by Anne Krueger, the IMF's
No. 2 official and an American, until a replacement is found." ... "The
IMF, with 184 member countries, was created in 1945 to promote global economic
health after World War II."
-Bloomberg -Reuters
-AFP.com via -IHT.com
-
-
- "Signing
of Iraqi Charter Is Delayed by Shiite Objections."
... "The scheduled signing of a previously approved interim constitution
for Iraq was delayed indefinitely today after five Shiite members of the
Iraqi Governing Council rejected wording that dealt with the Kurds and
the proposed setup of the presidency." ... "The council unanimously agreed
to the accord on Monday. But an official on the council said today that
the changes being called for were necessary if they were to gain the acceptance
of Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani." -By
Dexter Filkins and Terence Neilan -NYTimes
via -Google-News
-
-
-
- "Brazil
could lead Haiti UN peacekeeping mission." ... "French
President Jacques Chirac and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan want Brazil
to lead a U.N. peacekeeping mission due to go into Haiti in three months,
Brazil said Thursday." ... "The request came in a phone call between Brazilian
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Chirac and would represent a major
success for Lula's ambitions of making Brazil a leader in Latin American
affairs." -Reuters
via -Forbes
-
-
- "Government,
troops get tentative grip on Haiti." ... "The government
and foreign military forces gained a tentative grip on chaotic Haiti Thursday
as U.S. and French troops stepped up patrols and armed rebels who helped
oust the president prepared to leave the capital." ... "Banks reopened
after two weeks of gun battles, looting and barricades in the capital forced
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide into exile. The government says a monthlong
rebel uprising cost Haiti about $300 million, roughly equivalent to its
yearly budget." -By Jim Loney and Alistair Scrutton
editing by Lori Santos -Reuters
via -Forbes
Lesotho
- "Prince
Harry: Lesotho 'Needs Help'." ... "Britain's Prince
Harry, on a two-month working trip to Lesotho, said Wednesday the tiny
African kingdom needed help as it battles poverty, AIDS and a punishing
drought." ... ""It's not a place that everybody really knows about," Harry
told reporters at an orphanage about 62 miles south of the capital Maseru,
one of a series of charity projects Harry has taken on since arriving in
the landlocked country on February 13." -By By Joseph
Oesi -Reuters
-
-
-
-
- "U.S.
may step up [Haitian]peace force to 2,000." ... "The
number of U.S. troops in Haiti could reach about 2,000, and a decision
had not been made late Monday on whether to station ships off the coast
of the troubled Caribbean nation, defense officials said." ... "U.S. Marines,
along with French and Canadian troops, continued to arrive in Haiti and
were expected to do so for several more days." ... "The U.N. Security Council
authorized the deployment of an interim multinational force hours after
Aristide's departure. According to the United Nations, a stabilization
force is expected to take over from the interim operation in three months."
-By George Edmonson contributed to by Mark Bixler
-AJC
-
-
-
- Religion
- "Aum
guru gets death." ... "Aum Shinrikyo founder Chizuo
Matsumoto was sentenced to death today for masterminding a deadly reign
of terror that culminated in the 1995 sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway
system." ... "Matsumoto, 48, faced 13 charges involving the deaths of 27
people." ... "The key charges concerned a sarin nerve-gas attack in Matsumoto,
Nagano Prefecture, in 1994 that killed seven people and left hundreds injured;
the slayings of anti-Aum lawyer Tsutsumi Sakamoto, his wife and infant
son in 1989; and the subway attack that killed 12 and sickened thousands."
... "Matsumoto, who went by the name of Shoko Asahara, is the 12th cultist
to receive the death sentence." -Asahi
Shimbun/English
-
-
-
- Anthrax
News
- "Tenet
Warns of Al Qaeda Threat: CIA Chief Says Group Is
Fragmented but Still Dangerous." ... "Despite U.S. success in attacking
al Qaeda's hierarchy, the network is still capable of "catastrophic attacks"
against the United States, and acquiring chemical, biological and radiological
weapons remains a "religious obligation" in Osama bin Laden's eyes, CIA
Director George J. Tenet told the Senate intelligence committee yesterday."
... "The most immediate threats include the possibility of "poison attacks"
and al Qaeda's ongoing effort to produce anthrax material, he said: "Extremists
have widely disseminated assembly instructions for an improvised chemical
weapon using common materials that could cause a large number of casualties
in a crowded, enclosed area."" (1, 2)
-By Dana Priest -WashingtonPost
-
-
-
- "U.N.
Inspectors Report Evidence That Iran Itself Made Fuel That Could Be Used
for A-Bombs." ... "Despite Iranian disavowals, International
Atomic Energy Agency experts in Iran have found evidence of indigenous
production of a concentrated fuel that, if pure enough, can be used to
make nuclear weapons. They said in an inspection report that equipment
made there showed many traces of the fuel, highly enriched uranium." ...
"Iran has consistently argued that any traces of concentrated fuel must
have come from equipment contaminated before it was imported, presumably
from Pakistan. But the report, distributed yesterday to the agency's board,
found the fuel on parts Iranians had made, and "only negligible traces"
on imported parts." (1, 2)
-By William J. Broad and David E. Sanger -NYTimes
via -Google-News
-
- "U.N.
Finds Uranium Enrichment Tools in Iran: Discovery
Renews Doubts On Nation's Nuclear Goals." ... "U.N. inspectors investigating
Iran's nuclear program have uncovered sophisticated uranium enrichment
equipment, renewing doubts about the Iranian government's pledge that its
intentions are peaceful and transparent, diplomatic officials said yesterday."
... "The discovery of several completed gas centrifuges, coupled with last
week's find of blueprints for a previously unknown Iranian enrichment project,
will be part of a critical International Atomic Energy Agency report expected
to detail Iran's recent nuclear shortcomings, according to diplomats and
government experts." -By Peter Slevin and Joby Warrick
-WashingtonPost
-
- Media
- Free-Speech-
"Iran
shuts down reformist papers: Iran's hardline judiciary
has shut two leading newspapers for publishing a letter criticising the
Islamic republic's supreme leader." ... "The letter criticised Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei's decision to exclude thousands of reformist candidates from
Friday's elections." ... "It was written by disgruntled reformist deputies
who've been barred from standing in the general election." ... "Criticising
the supreme leader is regarded as a serious offence." ... "Paris-based
rights group Reporters Without Borders said last year that Iran had more
journalists behind bars than any other country in the Middle East."
-BBC/News
-
- Media
- "Tehran
shuts down papers ahead of election." ... "Neither
the Yas-e No nor the Shargh daily appeared on Thursday after they carried
long extracts of a letter from reformist parliamentary deputies criticising
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, in their editions the previous
day." ... "Saeed Mortazavi, Tehran's general prosecutor, also ordered internet
service providers to block three websites." ... "The judiciary also on
Thursday sealed an office belonging to the Islamic Iran Participation Front,
the leading reformist party, agencies reported." -By
Gareth Smyth and Mohsen Asgari -FT.com
- "Death
Toll Rises to More Than 300 in Iran Train Explosion."
... "The death toll in a fiery train crash in Iran has risen to more than
300 as recovery teams continued to retrieve bodies today from the wreckage
of the freight cars which derailed and exploded near villages in northeastern
Iran." ... "The runaway train, carrying chemicals and fuel, toppled off
the tracks on Wednesday, setting off a fire and then a massive explosion."
-By Nazila Fathi -NYTimes
via -Google-News
-
- "Annan
Is Said to Have Doubt on Iraq Voting." ... "Secretary
General Kofi Annan will endorse the view that the interim Iraqi government
to take office this summer cannot be chosen by direct elections, but he
will not make his recommendation on Iraq's political future for at least
a week, senior United Nations diplomats said Wednesday." ... "The diplomats,
who did not want to be quoted by name, said that Mr. Annan would consult
Thursday with his special envoy to Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi, who is returning
from a weeklong examination of the political situation in the country.
Afterward, Mr. Brahimi is to discuss his findings in a meeting with the
Security Council." -By Warren Hoge -NYTimes
via -Google-News
- "Haitian
Premier Warns of Possible Coup: Haitian Premier Warns
of Impending Coup Amid Fears on Uprising Reaching Cap-Haitien." ... "Haiti's
premier warned of an impending coup amid fears that an uprising that has
left at least 57 people dead may have reached the country's second city,
Cap-Haitien." ... "Police and armed supporters of President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide mounted barricades and patrolled the streets of Cap-Haitien on
Haiti's north coast on Tuesday." ... "[The city of] Hinche, at a strategic
crossroads in Haiti's agriculture-rich Artibonite district, was seized
Monday by some 50 rebels reportedly led by former death squad leader Louis-Jodel
Chamblain." -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
-
- "Pakistan
Opposition Charges Atomic Cover-Up." ... "Opposition
parties accused the military-dominated government of hiding the army's
role in the proliferation scheme; humiliating the scientist, Abdul Qadeer
Khan; appeasing the United States; and bypassing the elected legislators."
-By Salman Masood and David Rohde -NYTimes
via -Google-News
-
-
- "Japan's pride
and joy gets a 'Made in China' label." ... "The qualms
are gone. Now even Japan's pride and joy, its top-end electronics manufacturers,
are coming to China with abandon." ... "They are building immense new plants
and research centers here [in China] to take advantage of abundant Chinese
labor up and down the value chain, doing nearly every kind of job their
Japanese work force does. Cost pressures are driving them to forget old
fears of having their best technology stolen or of harsh publicity at home
over moving high-paying jobs overseas." -Ken Belson
-NYTimes
via -IHT.com
-
- "U.N.
Nuclear Official to Visit Libya." ... "Mohamed ElBaradei,
the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will visit
next Monday and Tuesday, "to review progress in our work," said IAEA spokesman
Mark Gwozdecky." -AP
via -Miami/Herald
-
-
- "U.N.
Envoy Backs Iraqi Vote: In Meetings, Brahimi Says
Elections Are Viable Before Date Set by U.S." ... "A senior U.N. envoy
has indicated to Iraqi leaders that he believes nationwide, direct elections
could be held late this year or early next year, according to several Iraqis
who met with the envoy this week." ... "The envoy, former Algerian foreign
minister Lakhdar Brahimi, was dispatched to resolve disagreements among
Iraqis over the formation of a transitional government. He has suggested
through questions and responses to various proposals that he favors holding
elections sooner than the United States has envisaged but not before a
planned handover of sovereignty this summer, the Iraqis who met with him
said Thursday." (1, 2)
-By Rajiv Chandrasekaran -WashingtonPost
-
- STEM
CELL NEWS - CLONING
NEWS
- "Cloning
of human embryos achieved." ... "South Korean scientists
have succeeded in creating clones of human embryos, a major breakthrough
for the promising field of stem-cell therapy — and for the far more controversial
endeavor of cloning a human being." ... "The achievement, to be published
this week in the journal Science, was hailed by many scientists because
it brings closer the possibility that replacement tissues might one day
be grown to treat medical conditions such as diabetes, spinal-cord injuries
and Parkinson's disease." ... "The study was conducted by a team of scientists
at the Seoul National University, Mizmedi Hospital, Hanyang University,
Gachon Medical School and Sunchun National University." -LAtimes
and -WashingtonPost via
-SeattleTimes.NWsource
-
- STEM
CELL NEWS - CLONING
NEWS
- "Human
cells cloned, South Korean researchers claim." ...
"The researchers, who will publish their work today in the online edition
of the journal Science, placed genetic material from a Korean volunteer
into a human egg cell and coaxed it to develop into a blastocyst, a cluster
of about 100 cells that is substantially more advanced than any embryo
previously known to have been created in a human-cloning experiment." ...
"In another first, the team also extracted embryonic stem cells, powerful
cells with the ability to become any other kind of cell, from the cloned
blastocyst." -By Gareth Cook -Boston/Globe
via -StarTribune.com
-
- STEM
CELL NEWS - CLONING
NEWS
- "South
Korean researchers cull stem cells from cloned human embryo."
... "Researchers in South Korea for the first time have cloned a human
embryo and then culled stem cells from it, marking an important step toward
one day growing patients' own replacement tissue to treat diseases." ...
"This is not cloning to make babies. Instead it's called therapeutic cloning,
in which embryos that are the genetic twins of a particular patient are
grown in a test-tube to supply master stem cells that can grow into any
tissue --without being rejected by that patient's immune system." -By
Lauran Neergaard -AP
via -SFGate.com
-
- "Head
of U.S. Central Command's convoy attacked in Iraq:
Follows 2 bombings that killed more than 100." ... "A convoy carrying Gen.
John Abizaid, the commander of all U.S. forces in the Middle East, was
attacked Thursday during a visit to Iraqi defense forces in Fallujah, U.S.
officials said. No one was injured." ... "The convoy was at a compound
in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, when three rocket-propelled grenades were
fired from rooftops, Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said at a news conference."
-Contributed to by Jane Arraf -CNN
- 
- 
-
-
-
- ELECTION
2004 - "White
House releases Bush's Guard records." ... "Moving
to squelch an election year controversy, the White House yesterday made
public records showing that President Bush attended some Air National Guard
training between mid-1972 and mid-1973 and was paid for it, and said the
records refute reports that Bush did not fulfill his military obligation
during the Vietnam War." ... "But the same records also show that Bush
may not have met the minimum-service requirement expected of most Guard
members, according to National Guard officials. And after releasing the
records, the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, could not explain
why, if Bush appeared for duty on the days listed in the documents, Bush's
superiors wrote on May 2, 1973, that he had not been seen at his Houston
air base for the previous 12 months." -By Walter V.
Robinson and Michael Rezendes -Boston/Globe
-
-
- "At
Least 36 Iraqis Killed in Car Bombing Outside Army Recruiting Center, Day
After Similar Attack." ... "A suicide driver blew
up his explosive-rigged car Wednesday outside an army recruiting center
in central Baghdad where hundreds of Iraqis were lined up to volunteer
for the military, killing at least 36 people, U.S. officials and Iraqi
witnesses said." ... "Iraq's deputy interior minister, Ahmed Ibrahim, said
47 people were killed and 50 injured. He told reporters "this crime" will
"not deter the people's march toward freedom.""
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
- 
-
- "France's
ban on religious symbols in schools gets approval."
... "France's lower house of parliament voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to
ban students from wearing Islamic head scarves and other conspicuous religious
items in public schools." ... "The classroom ban, which also applies to
Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses, was approved 494 to 36. In
early March, the measure will go to the Senate, where there is little opposition."
-By Elaine Ganley -AP
via -StarTribune.com
-
-
-
- "Service
Chiefs Challenge White House on the Budget." ...
"In an unusual public display of differences with the White House, the
top officers of the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force all raised questions
on Tuesday about how the Bush administration plans to pay for operations
in Iraq and Afghanistan after the current financing runs out at the end
of September." ... "Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee,
three of the four chiefs of the armed services expressed concerns about
a financing gap, perhaps of four months, for the two missions, whose combined
cost is about $5 billion a month." -By Eric Schmitt
-NYTimes
-
-
- "Americans
warned against travel to Haiti." ... "With Haiti
wracked by civil unrest, the United States urged Americans Tuesday to leave
the country "if they can do so safely."" ... "Haiti has been wracked by
violence in recent weeks with armed opponents of President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide taking control of several cities." ... "Authorities believe the
rebels are a combination of former paramilitary troops and former supporters
of Aristide, who was ousted in a military coup in 1991 but won a new term
as president in 2000." -CNN
-
- "Car
bomb kills around 50 south of Baghdad." ... "About
50 people were killed and dozens wounded on Tuesday when a car bomb ripped
through a police station south of Baghdad, witnesses and hospital doctors
said." -Reuters
via -Boston/Globe
-
-
-
-
- "Al
Qaeda 'plan civil war in Iraq'." ... "The United
States says an al Qaeda operative is plotting to provoke a civil war in
Iraq as U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed concern over divisions
among Iraqis on a plan to assume power." ... "U.S. officials in Baghdad
said U.S. forces had seized a computer disc that contained a letter outlining
the plan written by Abu Musab Zarqawi, who Washington suspects of links
to Ansar al-Islam -- a Muslim militant group operating in Iraq." -By
Joseph Logan -Reuters
via -Reuters.co.uk
-
-
-
-
- "Pakistan's
Nuclear Ali Baba." ... ""Nobody could touch him,"
says Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, Pakistan's foreign minister. The regret in
his voice is palpable. "Imagine an American government doing this to Charles
Lindbergh, or Albert Einstein, at the height of his popularity. Dr. A.Q.
Khan is that kind of national hero in Pakistan."" ... "Abdul Qadeer Khan,
an accomplished scientist, is also by his own account a thief of Ali Baba
proportions. He became a national hero by stealing the designs of a European
nuclear centrifuge system that enabled Pakistan to explode several nuclear
devices in 1998. Khan's original nuclear larceny, as Kasuri says, "gave
us strategic balance."" -By Jim Hoagland
-WashingtonPost
-
-
- "Gore
Says Bush Betrayed the U.S. by Using 9/11 as a Reason for War in Iraq."
... "In a withering critique of the Bush administration, former Vice President
Al Gore on Sunday accused the president of betraying the country by using
the Sept. 11 attacks as a justification for the invasion of Iraq." ...
""He betrayed this country!" Mr. Gore shouted into the microphone at a
rally of Tennessee Democrats here in a stuffy hotel ballroom. "He played
on our fears. He took America on an ill-conceived foreign adventure dangerous
to our troops, an adventure preordained and planned before 9/11 ever took
place."" -By Katharine Q. Seelye -NYTimes
via -Google-News
- "Challenger
to Putin for Russian Presidency Is Missing." ...
"One of Vladimir V. Putin's challengers in next month's presidential election
is missing, and the police and security services announced today that they
had begun a search for him." ... "Ivan P. Rybkin, a former Parliament speaker
and national security adviser under Boris N. Yeltsin, has not been seen
or heard from since Thursday evening, raising fears among his family and
campaign aides that something dire had happened to him." -NYTimes
via -Google-News
-
- "Iraq's
secular parties try to gain ground in face of Shiite Muslim clerics' political
strength." ... "With Iraq's top Shiite ayatollah
able to bring tens of thousands of marchers out into the streets, seemingly
on a moment's notice, secular politicians can only hope the cleric keeps
his promises not to seek political power." ... "Their parties are still
staggering back from the grave where Saddam Hussein buried them and, as
they jostle for a position in the government to come, may be too weak to
compete with Islamic movements backed by popular clerics." -By
Lee Keath -AP
via -SFGate.com
- "Moscow
Train Station Blast Kills at Least 30; Officials
Investigate if Attack Was Part of Terrorism." ... "An explosion ripped
through a subway car in the Moscow metro during rush hour Friday morning,
killing at least 30 people in what authorities were investigating as the
latest in a series of terrorist attacks." ... "The explosion occurred in
the second car of a subway train after it pulled away from the Avtozavodskaya
station, heading northwest to Paveletskaya station on the city's busy circle
line." -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
-
-
- "CIA
tries to staunch wounds opened by Kay." ... "Mr Tenet
[the director of the Central Intelligence Agency] was disarmingly frank
on Thursday, admitting that while more time was needed to reach definitive
conclusions, the agency's judgments now looked suspect on all the key elements
of Iraq's weapons programmes - its nuclear, chemical and biological capabilities.
He acknowledged that CIA human intelligence was lacking in Iraq, forcing
it to rely on what turned out to be less than accurate sources provided
by other countries." ... ""Our record was mixed," he said. "While we had
voluminous reporting, the major judgments reached were based on a narrower
band of data." But he said that based on Saddam Hussein's history and on
the technical and human intelligence gathered by the agency, "it would
have been difficult for analysts to come to any different conclusions than
the ones we reached"." -By Edward Alden and Mark Huband
with contributions by Salamander Davoudi -FT.com
-
-
-
-
- -
"Musharraf
issues pardon to nuclear scientist." ... "A Pakistani
nuclear scientist whose involvement in international WMD proliferation
was described by the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog as "the tip of an
iceberg" was today pardoned for his part in the trade." ... "Pakistan's
president, Pervez Musharraf, said that he had accepted a written apology
from Abdul Qadeer Khan - known as the father of the country's nuclear bomb
- for selling nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea."
-Guardian.co.uk
-
-
- "Bird
flu 'not under control', says UN." ... "The bird
flu outbreak in Asia is not under control, the UN and the World Health
Authority said today after an emergency meeting in Rome, and called for
targeted vaccination of poultry." ... "The virus, which has killed at least
13 people in Asia after jumping to humans in Thailand and Vietnam, will
spread much further without emergency measures, according to the UN food
and agriculture organisation (FAO), the WHO and the world animal health
organisation (WAHO)." -Guardian.co.uk
-
-
- "Bush
to pick panel for WMD inquiry, official says: Independent
probe of intelligence has bipartisan support." ... "The intelligence to
be reviewed was used to justify the U.S.-led war in Iraq, the first under
Bush's national security strategy calling for pre-emptive attacks against
terrorist groups and nations that possess or are developing weapons of
mass destruction." ... "David Kay, the former U.S. chief weapons inspector
in Iraq, told a Senate panel last week that his group did not find such
weapons and that he didn't believe stockpiles of banned weapons would turn
up either." -CNN
-
-
-
-
- "Pakistani
nuclear scientist confesses to sharing secrets: Abdul
Qadeer Khan confessed Sunday to trading nuclear technology to Iran, Libya,
and North Korea." ... "Pakistan's chief nuclear scientist, Abdul Qadeer
Khan, has confessed to sharing nuclear technology with Iran, Libya, and
North Korea in a 12-page document presented to President Pervez Musharraf,
according to a briefing given by government officials in Islamabad." ...
"News of the confession followed a decision to dismiss Mr. Khan from his
government post on Saturday by the nuclear command authority, a grouping
of top military and political officials supervising the probe." -By
Owais Tohid -CSMonitor
-
-
-
- "Iraqi
Kurds Vow Unity as Blast Toll Reaches 67." ... "U.S.
military officials said the number killed in Sunday's coordinated attacks
had risen to 67 -- from an earlier estimate of 56 -- and those wounded
numbered 247." ... "The attacks, the worst since a suicide car bomb killed
more than 80 outside a mosque in the holy city of Najaf last August, killed
several senior members of the main Kurdish parties --the Patriotic Union
of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party." ... "The attacks were
especially hard on the KDP, which lost its veteran deputy leader, Sami
Abdul-Rahman, whose moderate views carried much weight." (1, 2,
3)
-Reuters
-
-
-
- "Bush
to Establish Panel to Examine U.S. Intelligence."
... "President Bush will establish a bipartisan commission in the next
few days to examine American intelligence operations, including a study
of possible misjudgments about Iraq's unconventional weapons, senior administration
officials said Sunday. They said the panel would also investigate failures
to penetrate secretive governments and stateless groups that could attempt
new attacks on the United States." ... "The pressure to establish such
a panel became irresistible after David A. Kay, the former chief weapons
inspector, told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week that "it
turns out we were all wrong, probably," about the perceived Iraqi threat,
which was the administration's basic justification for the war." ... "The
commission will not report back until after the November elections. Some
former officials who have been approached about taking part say they believe
it may take 18 months or more to reach its conclusions." (1, 2)
-By David E. Sanger -NYTimes
-
- "Uut
and Uup Add Their Atomic Mass to Periodic Table."
... "A team of Russian and American scientists are reporting today that
they have created two new chemical elements, called superheavies because
of their enormous atomic mass. The discoveries fill a gap at the furthest
edge of the periodic table and hint strongly at a weird landscape of undiscovered
elements beyond." ... "Scientists generally do not give permanent names
to elements and write them into textbooks until the discoveries have been
confirmed by another laboratory. By an international convention based on
the numbers, element 113 will be given the temporary name Ununtrium (abbreviated
Uut for the periodic table) and element 115 will be designated Ununpentium
(Uup)." -By James Glanz -NYTimes
- "More
Than 100 Iranian Legislators Resign." ... "More than
a third of the Iranian parliament handed in resignations on Sunday to protest
the decision by hard-liners to disqualify hundreds of would-be legislators
in upcoming elections." ... "A letter of resignation was submitted to parliamentary
speaker Mahdi Karroubi by reformists who said they could not go ahead with
the Feb. 20 elections. It was initially signed by 109 liberal legislators,
but later grew to 117 members." ... "Karroubi said each resignation will
be discussed and put to vote in future sessions of the parliament, but
he did not say how long that process will take. He insisted that the final
decision on the resignations rests with parliament." -By
Ali Akbar Dareini -AP
via -Guardian.co.uk
- "Stampede
Kills 244 at Hajj Pilgrimage: Hajj Pilgrimage in
Saudi Arabia Is Again Marred by Tragedy As 244 Die in Stampede." ... "At
least 244 people were trampled to death and hundreds more hurt Sunday under
the crush of worshippers in one of the deadliest disasters during the annual
Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia." ... "The stampede occurred during the
stoning of the devil, an emotional and notoriously perilous hajj ritual.
Pilgrims frantically throw rocks, shout insults or hurl their shoes at
three stone pillars acts that are supposed to demonstrate their deep disdain
for Satan." -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
-
- -
- "Twin
Bombings in Northern Iraq Kill at Least 56." ...
"The attack took place on the first day of Id al-Adha, or the Feast of
Sacrifice, which commemorates the Koranic account of Ibrahim's willingness
to slay his son for God, and God's mercy in the face of such devotion.
American military officials have said they expect a surge in attacks during
the four-day holiday. This morning, Kurdish party leaders were receiving
hundreds of people in each building as part of the festivities." ... "The
bombings today killed senior officials of both the Kurdistan Democratic
Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which separately govern two
halves of the rugged region called Kurdistan." ... "The bomber at the offices
of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was a woman wearing a belt of explosives,
he [Bakhtiyar Amin, a spokesman for Kurdish representative Mahmoud Othman
of the Iraqi Governing Council] said, while the one at the offices of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party was wearing the robes of a cleric." -By
Edward Wong-NYTimes
via -Google-News
-
-
- -
"Bombs
kill 12 in Iraq, including 3 U.S. soldiers." ...
"Two suicide bombers strapped with explosives have blown themselves up
in the offices of two Kurdish parties aligned with U.S. occupation forces
in northern Iraq, killing at least 56 people and wounding 200." ... "The
Arbil offices of Iraq's two main Kurdish political groups were crowded
with senior officials celebrating the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha when
the bombers struck, killing many top leaders of the two groups." -By
Shamal Aqrawi -Reuters
via -Reuters.co.uk
-
-
-
- "Bombs
kill 12 in Iraq, including 3 U.S. soldiers." ...
"Witnesses in Mosul, Iraq's major northern city, said what appeared to
be a suicide attacker drove through a security barricade in front of the
police station before blowing up his vehicle outside the building. Officials
confirmed a car bomb but wouldn't say if it was a suicide attack." ...
"In Kirkuk, a homemade bomb exploded as a 4th Infantry Division convoy
passed by about 25 miles southwest of the city today, killing the three
soldiers, the U.S. military said. The deaths raised to 522 the number of
U.S. soldiers killed in the Iraq conflict."
-AP via -HoustonChronicle.com
-
-
- "U.N.
Election Team to Go to Iraq Within Days, Annan Says."
... "U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday he would send a team
to Iraq within days to explore the feasibility of holding an early election,
after he received security assurances from U.S.-led occupation forces."
-Reuters via -Wired
-
-
-
- "2
congressional panels echo Kay on Iraqi weaponry."
... "The House and Senate intelligence committees have unearthed a series
of failures in the prewar intelligence on Iraq similar to those identified
by former weapons inspector David Kay, leading them to believe that CIA
analysts and their superiors did not seriously consider the possibility
that Saddam Hussein no longer possessed weapons of mass destruction, according
to congressional officials." ... "The committees, working separately for
the past seven months, have determined that the CIA relied too heavily
on circumstantial, outdated intelligence and became overly dependent on
satellite and spy-plane imagery and communications intercepts." -By
Dana Priest & Walter Pincus -WashingtonPost
via -SFGate.com
-
- "U.S.
military probes blast in Afghanistan." ... "The U.S.
military Friday was investigating whether an explosion at a weapons cache
that killed seven American soldiers and wounded three was an accident or
an attack." ... "Thursday's blast — one of the deadliest for U.S. forces
since they deployed here two years ago — also left another American soldier
missing and wounded an Afghan interpreter."
-AP via -USATODAY
-
-
- "al-Qaida
Said Seeking Presence in Iraq." ... "The arrest of
top al-Qaida operative Hassan Ghul shows that the terrorist network is
seeking to establish a foothold in Iraq, a U.S. commander said Thursday."
-AP via -Miami/Herald
-
-
-
- "Afghan
offensive planned to slow Al-Qaida." ... "The Pentagon
is planning a new offensive in Afghanistan to stop remnants of the Taliban
regime and the Al-Qaida terror network, officials said Wednesday, even
as the second suicide assault in Kabul in two days killed one British soldier
and injured four." -By Pauline Jelinek
-AP via -StarTribune.com
-
-
- "Iraq
roadside attacks kill one and injure 13." ... "A
series of roadside attacks in Iraq have killed a local security officer
and wounded at least 13 other people as insurgents mount fresh strikes
against Iraqis seen as collaborating with U.S. forces." ... "Since May
1 last year, when President George W. Bush declared major combat over in
Iraq, more than 300 Iraqi policemen have been killed in shootings, bombings
or suicide attacks, according to Iraq's interior ministry." -By
Michael Georgy -Reuters
via -Reuters.co.uk
- "Ten
killed in Jerusalem suicide bombing: ·Attack
outside Ariel Sharon's home ·Crowded bus targeted ·Bomb follows
Israeli raid on Gaza." ... "At least ten people were today killed and another
30 wounded in a suicide attack on a bus outside Ariel Sharon's official
residence in Jerusalem." ... "There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The last attack in Israel was a suicide bombing at a bus stop close to
Tel Aviv on December 25 that killed four people. The Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine, a radical PLO faction, claimed responsibility."
... "Palestinian Authority today officials condemned the bombing. "This
vicious cycle can only be broken by renewal of a meaningful peace process,"
said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. "Otherwise, violence will breed
violence, bullets will breed bullets."" -Guardian.co.uk
-
-
- "Army
given OK to temporarily increase its ranks." ...
"The Army's top general said Wednesday that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld,
hoping to quiet critics in Congress, has given him the authority to temporarily
increase the size of the Army by up to 30,000 troops until 2008." ... "Gen.
Peter Schoomaker, the Army's chief of staff, told the House Armed Services
Committee that the temporary increase would ease strains caused by U.S.-led
conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan but not require the billions of dollars
that a permanent troop increase would cost." -By Dave
Moniz -USATODAY
-
-
-
- "Kay
to Testify About Iraqi WMD Search: Kay to Testify
About Search for Iraq's Weapons As Some in Bush Administration Shift Positions."
... "Senators want to speak with the former top U.S. weapons inspector
who said he couldn't find evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons
of mass destruction, a primary justification by President Bush for the
war in Iraq." ... "As special adviser to CIA Director George Tenet, Kay
was chosen last year as the Iraq Survey Group leader in part because he
was convinced weapons would be found. "My suspicions are that we'll find
in the chemical and biological areas, in fact, I think there may be some
surprises coming rather quickly in that area," he said on CNN in June."
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
-
-
-
-
- "BBC
Chairman Resigns After Hutton Criticism." ... "The
chairman of the BBC resigned on Wednesday and the broadcaster apologized
for some of its reporting on the buildup to the war in Iraq after an inquiry
by a senior judge lambasted the corporation." ... "The report by Lord Hutton
criticized journalist Andrew Gilligan, the BBC's management and its supervisory
board of governors, for a radio report saying the government "sexed up"
intelligence in a dossier on Iraqi weapons." -By Adam
Pasick -Reuters
-
- -
-
- "Judicial
Inquiry Clears Blair on Iraq Intelligence Claims:
BBC Blamed for Broadcasting 'Unfounded' Allegations." ... "A judicial inquiry
cleared Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday of allegations aired by
the BBC that he and his aides had exaggerated intelligence claims about
Iraq's access to weapons of mass destruction and drove to suicide a British
weapons expert who raised questions about those claims." ... "While exonerating
Blair, Lord Brian Hutton blamed the BBC for broadcasting what he called
"unfounded" allegations in May of 2003 that the government had published
a "sexed-up" claim that Iraq could launch such weapons within 45 minutes
of an order despite knowing it was probably wrong." -By
Glenn Frankel -WashingtonPost
-
-
- "Truck
bomb detonates outside Baghdad hotel: Blast comes
day after 13 killed in attacks." ... "At least four other people -- all
Iraqis --were injured in the blast." ... "According to Gen. Mark Hertling,
the explosion happened at about 7:15 a.m. (11:15 p.m. Tuesday ET) in front
of the Shaheen Hotel in the Karada section of the Iraqi capital, battering
the front of the hotel and leaving a large crater in the road." ... "The
five attacks Tuesday killed six U.S. soldiers, two CNN employees, four
Iraqi policemen and an Iraqi civilian, according to police and military
sources." -CNN
-
-
- "UN
team begins Iraq poll mission: A United Nations security
team has arrived in Iraq to see if it is safe enough to send election experts."
... "The US and Iraq had asked the world body to send experts to investigate
the chance of a vote by the end of June." ... "UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan agreed to the request, but said he had to be convinced the mission
was safe." -BBC/News
-
-
- "U.N.
envoy warns against premature polls in Iraq." ...
"U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said on Tuesday premature elections in Iraq
could do more harm than good and signaled he would not play the kind of
leadership role there that Washington wanted him to play." ... "Annan said
earlier in Paris that, security permitting, he would send a team to Iraq
to see if early elections were feasible." ... "Annan said he would send
a mission to assess whether direct polls would be possible before the U.S.
hands back power to Iraqis mid-year, as the influential Shi'ite cleric,
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has demanded." -Reuters
-
-
- "Libya
Nuclear Components Arrive in U.S.: Plane Carrying
Components of Libya's Nuclear Weapons Program Arrives in U.S., White House
Says." ... "Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, following up a promise to end
his pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, has shipped some 55,000 pounds
of nuclear and missile components to the United States in a bid to break
out of diplomatic isolation." ... "Bush administration officials indicated
Gadhafi could expect some easing of economic pressure in return if he continued
on a cooperative track. But one official told The Associated Press that
Libya had not proved it no longer supported terrorism."
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
-
-
-
-
-
- "From
Iraq to Libya, US knew little on weapons: Doubts
that Hussein had WMD raise questions about war's rationale and intelligence
reliability." ... "When it comes to unconventional weapons, Iraq may have
been far from the most dangerous country in the world after all. In recent
days a string of surprising revelations has scrambled the world's proliferation
threat assessments." ... "Iraq's weapons programs were apparently in shambles,
for instance, while Libya's were surprisingly advanced. Pakistan's nuclear
scientists might have been rogue agents, proffering secrets for cash. And
it appears that North Korea may be the most advanced rogue nuclear nation
of all, with an advanced capacity to produce fissile material." -By
Peter Grier -CSMonitor
- "Iranian
Cabinet warns it would scrap election." ... "Iran's
reform-minded Cabinet on Monday threatened to scrap upcoming parliamentary
elections if the hard-line Guardian Council doesn't change course and allow
hundreds of reformist candidates to run." ... "The warning deepened Iran's
worst political crisis in years and raised the possibility of mass government
resignations. The government can only stop an election by stepping down
or sending a bill to parliament, which the Guardian Council would almost
certainly veto." -By Ali Akbar Dareini
-AP via -SFGate.com
- "Karzai
signs Afghan constitution: The President of Afghanistan's
transitional government, Hamid Karzai, has signed the country's new constitution
at a ceremony in Kabul." ... "The document was agreed earlier this month
at a grand assembly, or loya jirga, of regional representatives." ... "It
is intended to pave the way for elections later this year." ... "However,
doubts remain about the chances of holding those polls because of continuing
insecurity in large parts of Afghanistan."
-BBC/News
-
-
- "Japan's
defense chief issues dispatch order for bulk of ground troops to Iraq."
... "Japan's defense chief issued a dispatch order Monday for the bulk
of the ground troops Japan is sending to Iraq, moving ahead with the humanitarian
mission despite concerns about the soldiers' safety." ... "Defense Agency
Director Shigeru Ishiba announced the order after the ruling Liberal Democrats
won backing from coalition partner the New Komeito Party, which had expressed
reservations about the deployment." -By Mari Yamaguchi
-AP via -Boston/Globe
-
-
- "Iraqi council
splitting under Shiite pressure: Many defer to cleric
on election format." ... "A powerful cleric's demand for quick elections
has delayed the drafting of an interim constitution and has created a serious
new split in the Iraqi Governing Council, officials said, further undermining
the Bush administration's troubled plan for a political transition in Iraq."
... "Without an interim constitution, which is supposed to be completed
in less than five weeks, the entire timetable for a U.S. transfer of power
to an Iraqi government by June 30 could be disrupted. And the divide in"
-By Edward Wong -NYTimes
via -IHT.com
-
- "Syria
denies hiding Iraq's WMDs." ... "An article in London's
Sunday Telegraph quoted David Kay, the outgoing leader of a U.S. weapons
search team in Iraq, as saying that part of Iraq's secret weapons program
had been hidden in Syria." ... "But in an interview aired later Sunday
on National Public Radio, Kay said it is difficult to determine whether
shipments to Syria included weapons, in part because Syria has refused
to cooperate in this part of the weapons investigation."
-CNN
-
- "Toyota
surpasses Ford as No. 2 automaker." ... "Toyota confirmed
the tally it gave last Friday for worldwide sales for 2003 of 6.78 million
vehicles, up 9.9 percent from 6.17 million the previous year. Last week,
Ford said its 2003 sales slipped to 6.72 million vehicles, down 3.6 percent
from 6.97 million the year before." -AP
via -SeattlePI.NWsource
-
-
- "Iraq's
Path Hinges on Words of Enigmatic Cleric." ... "An
austere home in a dusty alleyway here [Najaf, Iraq] has become a center
of power rivaling the American occupation headquarters in Baghdad — and
the scene of fierce inner struggles for one man's ear." ... "Grand Ayatollah
Ali al-Sistani, a reclusive 73-year-old cleric revered by many of Iraq's
15 million Shiites, hears arguments and requests here from the country's
most senior politicians, occasionally issuing decrees through them that
thwart the plans of the world's sole superpower." ... "The ayatollah's
secular power is clear: his insistence on direct elections for a transitional
national assembly before Iraqi sovereignty in June drew up to 100,000 supporters
to Baghdad's streets on Monday and left the Bush administration scrambling
to salvage plans for a caucus-style selection." (1, 2)
-By Edward Wong -NYTimes
via -Google-News
-
-
-
-
- "WMD
hunter: No stockpiles in Iraq." ... "The man who
has led Washington's search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, David
Kay, says he doesn't think large weapons stockpiles existed there past
the mid-1990s." ... "Kay quit his post as the CIA's chief weapons hunter
in Iraq and will be replaced by Charles Duelfer -- a former official with
the U.N.'s inspection team in Iraq." ... "Though Kay has said new information
has been uncovered about Iraq's programs --particularly its efforts to
build missiles --he has since concluded there are no weapons stockpiles
to be found." -CNN
-
-
- "Japan's
Diet to consider bill to change constitution." ...
"Most attention will focus on article 9, which renounces Japan's right
to belligerency. Many in the LDP want to amend the constitution to make
it easier for Japan to participate in international operations, such as
that in Iraq." ... "There is also an intention to normalise the status
of Self Defence Forces, Japan's armed forces-equivalent, whose status sits
uneasily with the constitutional ban on maintaining land, sea and air forces."
-By David Pilling -FT.com
-
-
-
- "Pakistan
Chief Says It Appears Scientists Sold Nuclear Data."
... "Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, acknowledged Friday that
scientists from his country appeared to have sold nuclear designs to other
nations probably "for personal financial gain." He denied that the Pakistan
government knew of any sales at the time but vowed that suspects would
be dealt with "as antistate elements."" ... "General Musharraf's statement
at a global economic forum here came after weeks of delicate efforts to
force Pakistan to deal with the scientists, according to diplomats and
American officials. Technical documents recently obtained from Libya on
its nuclear program, as well as documents relating to Iran's nuclear activities,
undercut years of Pakistani denials and appeared to force General Musharraf's
hand, diplomats and American officials said." (1, 2)
-By Mark Landler and David E. Sanger -NYTimesvia
-Google-News
-
-
- "Two
U.S. pilots die when chopper comes down in northern Iraq."
... "A statement said the Kiowa helicopter came down at about 8:30 p.m.
(1730 GMT) northwest of Qayara, but that the cause of the crash was not
known and an accompanying helicopter did not mention any hostile activity."
-Reuters
-
- "Libya
Gives U.N. Inspectors Nuke Drawings." ... "Libya
gave U.N. inspectors drawings of a nuclear weapon, the International Atomic
Energy Agency said Friday, the clearest sign yet that Libya was at some
point serious about building such arms." ... ""We have put those drawings
under our seal, and they are secure," Mark Gwozdecky, chief spokesman for
the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, said without elaborating." -By
George Jahn -AP
via -Miami/Herald
-
-
-
-
- "US
business urging Bush to drop Libya sanctions soon."
... "U.S. oil companies and other corporations eager to do business in
Libya have urged the Bush administration to remove sanctions on that country
by an April 23 deadline set by Tripoli and families of the 1988 Lockerbie
bombing victims, senior industry officials said Friday." ... "Tripoli appears
eager to restore normal diplomatic and trade relations with the United
States, which banned Libyan oil imports in 1982 and imposed additional
economic sanctions in 1986 against the country it accused of sponsoring
terrorism." -By Doug Palmer
-Reuters via -Forbes
-
- 
- "Halliburton
acknowledges kickback allegations in Iraq contract."
... "Halliburton has fired employees who allegedly took kickbacks from
a Kuwaiti subcontractor helping to supply U.S. troops in Iraq, the company
said." ... "The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that two employees
of Halliburton subsidiary KBR accepted up to $6 million in kickbacks from
the unnamed Kuwaiti firm." -By Matt Kelley
-AP via -Boston/Globe
-
- "Assailants
Kill 4 Iraqi Women Working for U.S.: Gunmen Follow
Van Carrying Laundry Employees." ... "The shooting deaths of four Iraqi
women, who were being driven late Wednesday to their jobs as cleaners at
a U.S. military base, have heightened official concerns about attacks against
Iraqis who cooperate with or are employed by U.S.-led occupation forces."
... "The attack on Wednesday marked the first time attackers appeared to
deliberately target women after months of recurrent violent assaults against
U.S.-led troops, Iraqi police and other security forces." -By
Pamela Constable -WashingtonPost
-
- "Saudis
'ready to cut Iraq's debt'." ... "Saudi Arabia has
said it is prepared to negotiate a "substantial" reduction of Iraq's debt
to the kingdom." ... "The statement did not say how much of Iraq's estimated
$30 billion debt the Saudis might forego."
-BBC/News
- "Iran's
Khatami rules out quitting over vote row." ... "Iranian
President Mohammad Khatami on Wednesday ruled out resigning over a ban
on liberal candidates standing in parliamentary elections and said he would
do all he could to ensure a free and fair vote next month." ... ""I have
the intention to continue my task and my service to the people," Khatami
said in an interview with Swiss TV SF DRS's Tageschau news bulletin, which
provided a transcript of his comments translated into German." -By
Parinoosh Arami and Parisa Hafezi with contributions by Tom Armitage and
Louis Charbonneau -Reuters
- "'Ministers
quit' in Iran poll row." ... "Iran's Vice President
Mohammad Ali Abtahi says a number of ministers have tendered their resignations
in an ongoing dispute over the disqualification of hundreds of pro-reform
candidates." ... "But with the Iranian President Mohammad Khatami at the
World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the ministers will have to
wait for Khatami to accept or turn down the resignations." -Contributed
to by Shirzad Bozorgmehr -CNN
-
-
-
- "Annan
Meets With U.S., U.K. on Iraq Role." ... "Secretary-General
Kofi Annan sought ``greater clarity'' about a possible U.N. role in Iraq,
meeting on Monday with U.S. and Iraqi officials as the Bush administration
faced a dispute with a prominent Shiite cleric over choosing a provisional
government." ... "The U.S.-led coalition wants to keep its June 30 timetable
for the handover of power to an interim Iraqi government. But its plan
for caucuses to choose a provisional assembly has been attacked by the
country's most prominent Shiite leader, Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani,
who has demanded direct elections." -By Edith M. Lederer
-AP via -AJC
-
-
-
- "Pakistan
Expands Nuclear Investigation." ... "Pakistan has
expanded an investigation of its premier nuclear weapons laboratory, detaining
as many as seven scientists and administrators amid allegations sensitive
technology may have spread to countries such as Iran, North Korea and Libya,
officials said Sunday." ... "Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said
over the past few days between five and seven personnel at the Khan Research
Laboratories were taken in for questioning. But he said the detained men
were not "necessarily involved in something or have allegations against
them."" -By Matthew Pennington
-AP via -Miami/Herald
-
- "After
10 Months in Iraq, U.S. Marks 500th Military Death:
Blast Outside Occupation Headquarters Kills at Least 12." ... "The U.S.
military death toll after 10 months of engagement in Iraq reached 500 yesterday,
roughly matching the number of U.S. military personnel who died in the
first four years of the U.S. military engagement in Vietnam." ... "The
cumulative toll of 500 U.S. deaths was reached in Vietnam in 1965, the
year when the U.S. deployment there rose from 23,300 to 184,300 troops.
In Iraq, in contrast, the United States is rotating forces with the goal
of reducing the total from 130,000 to 105,000 by June and also sharply
scaling back its military presence in Baghdad." -By
R. Jeffrey Smith -WashingtonPost
-
-
- "Blast
kills at least 20 outside coalition headquarters in Iraq."
... "A suicide bomber blew up a pickup truck packed with 1,000 pounds of
explosives outside the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition Sunday, killing
at about 20 people and injuring more than 60 — most of them Iraqis." ...
"The attack on a chill, foggy morning in the heart of Baghdad was the deadliest
in Iraq since the capture of Saddam Hussein on Dec. 13 near his hometown
of Tikrit. The blast occurred a day before the top U.S. civil administrator
in Iraq was to meet with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to ask for the
world body's help in rebuilding the country."
-AP via -USATODAY
-
-
- "Libya's
black market deals shock nuclear inspectors." ...
"Colonel Muammar Gadafy of Libya has been buying complete sets of uranium
enrichment centrifuges on the international black market as the central
element in his secret nuclear bomb programme, according to United Nations
nuclear inspectors." ... "The ease with which the complex bomb-making equipment
was acquired has stunned experienced international inspectors. The scale
and the sophistication of the networks supplying so-called rogue states
seeking nuclear weapons are considerably more extensive than previously
believed." -By Ian Traynor
-Guardian.co.uk
-
-
- "Bremer will
press UN on larger role: U.S. aide and Iraqis expected
to seek support for plan on power transfer." ... "L. Paul Bremer 3rd, the
administrator of the occupying authority in Iraq, was leaving Thursday
for Washington to consult with the White House before a meeting on Monday
at the United Nations. There, both the United States and the Iraqis it
has temporarily installed in office will press for a significant United
Nations role in support of their plan for a rapid handover of sovereignty.
The meeting, called by Secretary General Kofi Annan and attended by leaders
of the American-backed interim Iraqi Governing Council as well as the Americans,
will be the first significant, high-level negotiations between the parties
to discuss the mechanics of selecting a new legislative body for Iraq by
this summer." -By John H. Cushman Jr.-NYTimes
via -IHT.com
-
-
- "Japanese
sends first troops out to war zone since 1945." ...
"As an advanced team of Self-Defense Forces prepared to leave Friday for
Iraq, the first Japanese troops to be deployed since World War II to a
country with ongoing combat continued their training at their snow-covered
base here in northern Japan [Asahikawa]." ... "The troops have taken Arabic
lessons, and learned about the Koran and Ramadan. They have focused, above
all, on mastering their rules of engagement, the way in which they would
respond to a hostile situation in southern Iraq. While the details are
kept secret, the rules are said to be more muscular than the guidelines
under which the forces have operated in the past." -By
Norimitsu Onishi-NYTimes
via -IHT.com
-
- "Libya
Ratifies the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty." ... "Libya
has ratified the nuclear test ban treaty, a United Nations agency said
Wednesday, less than three weeks after Libya publicly renounced its plans
to develop outlawed weapons." ... "Libya's nuclear program was nowhere
near producing a weapon. Still, the announcement appeared to be a further
sign of commitment by its leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, to give up the
program." -AP
via -NYTimes
-
- "Iranian
Cleric Rules in Favor of Some Reformist Candidates."
... "Iran's supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, broke his
silence Wednesday on the barring of reformist candidates from parliamentary
races, saying the incumbents among them should be allowed to run." ...
"Ayatollah Khamenei, meeting with members of the anti-reformist Guardian
Council on Wednesday evening, also said nonincumbent candidates should
be considered on their merits rather than rejected out of hand." ... "Ayatollah
Khamenei has the final word over all state matters, and his intervention
is expected to ease the mounting political confrontation." -By
Nazila Fathi -NYTimes
via -Google-News
- "China's
Web surfers rise to 79.5 million people." ... "The
number of Internet surfers in China grew to 79.5 million people at the
end of 2003, up an annual 34.5 percent, a semi-official research centre
says." ... "China, which already had the world's second-largest Web population
after the United States, added 20.4 million new online users during the
year, the China Internet Network Information Centre said on its Web site
www.cnnic.com.cn." -Reuters
via -Reuters.co.uk
-
-
-
- "Cuba
detainees seek right to appeal." ... "The Bush administration's
plan to use military tribunals to try foreign terrorism suspects should
allow appeals to civilian courts, five military lawyers assigned to suspects
held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said Wednesday in papers filed with the Supreme
Court." ... ""The Constitution cannot countenance an open-ended presidential
power, with no civilian review whatsoever, to try anyone the president
deems is subject to a military tribunal," the five officers argued." -By
Richard Willing -USATODAY
-
-
-
-
- "Kennedy
Hits Bush On War." ... "President Bush marketed the
war on Iraq as a "political product" to influence the 2002 elections and
is doing so again this year, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) charged yesterday
in a scathing speech accusing Bush of putting politics ahead of national
security." ... ""No president of the United States should employ misguided
ideology and distortion of the truth to take the nation to war," he said.
"In doing so, the president broke the basic bond of trust between the government
and the people. If Congress and the American people knew the whole truth,
America would never have gone to war."" -By Helen
Dewar -WashingtonPost
-
-
- "U.S.
Envoy in Manila to Head Iraq Democracy Effort." ...
"Francis Ricciardone, the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines and a Middle
East expert, said on Wednesday he is returning to Washington for several
months to oversee efforts to bring democracy to post-war Iraq." ... "Secretary
of State Colin Powell informed Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
of Ricciardone's absence on Wednesday. Joseph Mussomeli, the deputy chief
of mission, will run the embassy while the ambassador is away." (1, 2)
-By John O'Callaghan -Reuters
-
- "Polio
on rise as Nigerian clerics block vaccinations."
... "The World Health Organization has confirmed new outbreaks of polio
in two African countries that were polio-free -- just as the global effort
to eradicate the disease was believed to be on the brink of success." ...
"New cases have been confirmed in Cameroon and Benin, and both were caused
by a strain from Nigeria that is spreading after Muslim leaders in the
north of that country blocked vaccination efforts, saying they were part
of a U.S. plot to make Muslim women infertile." -By
Stephanie Nolen -GlobeAndMail
-
- "China
firms buy $2.3B worth of U.S. high technology: Motorola
and Lucent win large telecommunications deals at trade seminar." ... "Motorola
Inc. won two large mobile telephony deals: a $556 million contract with
China United Telecommunication Corp. (China Unicom) to expand its CDMA
(Code Division Multiple Access) mobile networks in Beijing and 12 other
provinces; and a $510 million contract with China Mobile Communications
Corp. to expand its GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) network
and improve data services in Beijing and 13 provinces, Motorola said in
statements." -By David Legard
-IDG.net
via -InfoWorld
- "Reformists
reject Iranian president's request to end their sit-in."
... "Iranian lawmakers vowed to continue a sit-in protest Wednesday as
President Mohammad Khatami struggled to resolve a crisis over the disqualification
of reformist candidates in next month's election." ... "About 90 lawmakers
have gathered in the lobby of the legislature for five hours daily since
Sunday in a sit-in demonstration against the council's move." -By
Ali Akbar Dareini -AP
via -SFGate.com
-
- "Hamas
uses woman suicide bomber: The Islamic militant group
Hamas has used a female bomber for the first time in a suicide attack which
killed four Israelis on the border with Gaza." ... "Hamas vowed to intensify
attacks against Israel following the bombing at the main Erez crossing."
... "Until now, only secular Palestinian groups have deployed women in
suicide attacks against Israeli targets." ... "Militants identified the
bomber as Hamas member Reem Raiyshi, a mother-of-two in her early 20s,
from Gaza." ... "Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, which is linked
to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction, said the attack in
Erez was a joint operation." -BBC/News
-
- "Nephews
of Saddam official captured." ... "[Also,] In Ramadi,
west of Baghdad, U.S. troops captured Khamis Sirhan al-Muhammad, a former
regional Baath Party chairman and militia commander who was No. 54 on the
list of 55 most-wanted figures, the military said Wednesday." ... "Two
of the nephews arrested Wednesday are suspected of helping to hide their
uncle, former Iraqi Vice President Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri. Al-Douri has
a $10 million bounty on his head and is suspected to have been orchestrating
insurgent attacks on U.S.-led coalition forces." ... "Al-Douri, a former
Revolutionary Command Council vice chairman, is No. 6 on the U.S. list
of 55 most-wanted Iraqis. The top five on the list have either been captured
or killed." -By Paul Garwood with contributions by
Sameer N. Yacoub -AP
via -Salon/news/wire
-
-
- 
- "U.S.
to Send India Nuclear, Space Technology: New Delhi
Pledges to Pursue Peaceful Purposes and Help Block Spread of Weapons."
... "President Bush pledged yesterday to help India with its nuclear energy
and space technology in return for India's promise to use the assistance
for peaceful purposes and to help block the spread of dangerous weapons."
... "U.S. officials asserted that India will receive no substantial technology
until the New Delhi government enacts tougher export controls to prevent
the spread of sophisticated science. The Bush administration said the principal
goal is nonproliferation at a time when the administration is stepping
up its efforts to deny weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups
and pariah governments." -By Peter Slevin
-WashingtonPost
-
-
- "U.S.
Hails Mongolia's Troops in Iraq." ... "In Iraq, a
contingent of 173 Mongolian soldiers began serving under a Polish-led multinational
force last fall. They are operating around Hillah, in the southern part
of the country." ... "They amount to a drop in the bucket compared with
the thousands of U.S. and British troops occupying Iraq. But their presence
shows the former Soviet satellite state's efforts to refashion a portion
of its military into one available for peacekeeping missions worldwide."
-By John J. Lumpkin -AP
via -Miami/Herald
-
-
-
- "Pakistan
may have supplied nuclear info." ... "Libya pledged
to name its suppliers when it announced last month it was giving up its
nuclear, biological and chemical weapons programs." ... "Officials say
many of the names probably will be Pakistani. They say evidence points
to Pakistani nuclear experts as the source of at least some technology
Libya used in its nuclear weapons program. Similar reports have arisen
about probable Pakistani assistance to Iran and North Korea, countries
President Bush said comprised an ``axis of evil'' with Saddam Hussein's
Iraq." -By Matt Kelley
-AP via -Salon/news/wire
-
-
-
-
-
- "Bush:
Canada eligible in Iraq reconstruction contracts."
... "President Bush moved to ease tensions with Canada Tuesday by reversing
course and declaring Canadian companies eligible to bid on a second round
of U.S.-financed prime reconstruction contracts in Iraq." ... "The reversal
was seen as a goodwill gesture toward Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin,
who took office last month." ... "The White House indicated that other
opponents of the war, including France and Germany, might be able to join
the next round of bidding." -By Richard Benedetto
with contributions by James Cox -USATODAY
- "Iran
officials ready to quit in election row." ... "About
12 top Iranian government officials are ready to quit if powerful hardliners
do not overturn a decision barring hundreds of reformists from running
in parliamentary elections, reformist MPs say." ... "The MPs, who declined
to be identified, told Reuters on Tuesday the list of those prepared to
resign included four of Iran's six vice-presidents and six ministers."
... "Blocked at almost every turn by hardliners, liberal MPs and Khatami
have made repeated threats to resign in recent years." ... "But the threats
have so far not been carried out, devaluing their impact." -By
Parisa Hafezi and Paul Hughes -Reuters
via -Reuters.co.uk
- -
-
- "Army
War College article says invasion of Iraq was 'strategic error'."
... "A report published by the Army War College calls the Bush administration's
war on terrorism unfocused and says the invasion of Iraq was "a strategic
error."" ... "The research paper by Jeffrey Record, a professor at the
Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, said the president's
strategy "promises much more than it can deliver" and threatens to spread
U.S. military resources too thin. Record also wrote that Saddam Hussein's
Iraq did not present a threat to the United States and was a distraction
from the war on terrorism." -By Bob Johnson
-AP via -SFGate.com
-
"Iran
reformists' protest continues." ... "Dozens of Iranian
legislators are reported to have resumed their protest in parliament over
a hard-line commission's disqualification of moderate election candidates."
... "The head of parliament's national security and foreign policy commission,
Mohsen Mirdamadi -- who was rejected by the council -- described the rejections
"a civilian coup d'etat," IRNA said." ... ""They have barred certain individuals
in every electoral constituency in order to clear the way for their favorite
candidates," he said. "By doing so, they have practically specified the
make-up of the seventh parliament from now, and this is not an election,
but a selection."" -CNN
-
-
- "Pakistan
vows to beef up security on Afghan border." ... "Pakistan's
prime minister vowed on Monday to beef up security along the border with
Afghanistan, where Islamic militants are active, as part of the neighbours'
joint fight against terrorism." ... "Zafarullah Khan Jamali also offered
to donate 100 buses and 200 trucks to Pakistan's war-torn neighbour and
pledged to build a railway and repair a road in two Afghan border provinces."
-By Sayed Salahuddin -Reuters
-
-
- "Top
Shiite Cleric Hardens Call for Early Iraqi Vote:
Sistani Reiterates Opposition to U.S. Plan." ... "The cleric, Grand Ayatollah
Ali Sistani, rebuffed delegates from the U.S.-appointed Governing Council
who visited the holy city of Najaf in an effort to convince him that regional
caucuses should choose a new assembly. The assembly would in turn choose
a transitional government. The U.S.-backed plan would culminate in a new
ratified constitution and a new elected government by the end of 2005."
... "Sistani insisted, as he has since November, on direct elections this
year that would give the country's majority Shiite population a chance
to flex its electoral muscle." -By Daniel Williams
-WashingtonPost
-
- "U.S.
soldier killed in bombing; blasts rock central Baghdad."
... "Ukrainian soldiers fired into the air Monday to disperse hundreds
of Iraqis who rioted for jobs and food as a second southern Shiite Muslim
city [Kut, Iraq] was rocked by unrest — a barometer of rising frustration
with the U.S. led-occupation in a region of Iraq considered friendly to
the Americans." ... "Also Monday, a roadside bomb in the capital killed
one American soldier and wounded two, bringing the U.S. death toll in the
Iraqi conflict to 495. Large explosions rocked central Baghdad later in
the day, but officials reported no casualties."
-AP via -USATODAY
-
-
-
-
- "In first
visit by outsiders in a year, U.S. experts tour Korea nuclear site."
... "North Korea declared Saturday that it had shown what it called a "nuclear
deterrent" to the unofficial delegation, but officials familiar with their
visit to the North's main nuclear site said they had seen the facilities
to produce bomb fuel rather than an actual weapon." ... "The members of
the delegation declined to give a description of the facilities they inspected
until they had a chance to brief the Bush administration. But officials
who have received sketchy reports say the tour was clearly intended to
signal to the United States that President George W. Bush's efforts to
dissuade North Korea from moving forward with its nuclear program had failed,
and that officials in Washington should accept that North Korea is an undeclared
nuclear power, much as it accepts that Pakistan and Israel are nuclear-weapons
nations." -AP,
-Reuters, & -NYTimes
via -IHT.com
- "Liberal candidates
are barred in Iran: Khatami vows to fight 'senseless'
ruling." ... "Dozens of reformist lawmakers held a sit-in protest at the
Parliament building Sunday after a watchdog group barred thousands of liberal
candidates — including more than 80 members of the current Parliament —
from running in parliamentary elections next month." ... "The Guardian
Council disqualified nearly half of 8,200 candidates who had registered
to run for 290 seats in the elections on Feb. 20." ... "The supreme religious
leader [Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei] appoints six members of the Guardian
Council and six other members are appointed by the judiciary. The head
of the judiciary is also appointed by Khamenei. The council is responsible
for vetting electoral candidates and approving laws to make sure they are
compatible with Islamic law and the constitution." -By
Nazila Fathi -NYTimes
via -IHT.com
-
- "US
puts Baathists 'on parole': An experiment in an Iraqi
region is using new methods to disarm potential insurgents." ... "It's
one of the US military's most innovative efforts to deal with Iraq's postwar
insurgency." ... "Last Monday, after weeks of talks, the 12 senior Baathists
in the Talafar region, about 210 miles northwest of Baghdad, met with US
officers. They denounced the Baath Party in a ceremony broadcast on radio
and arranged to hand over of more than 522 AK-47s, dozens of rocket-propelled
grenades, and nearly 100 mortar rounds and the tools to fire them." ...
"What's in it for these leaders is the prospect of reducing the threat
of arrest -as well as eventual rehabilitation in their communities and
a chance at getting back jobs they lost after the invasion." -By
Dan Murphy -CSMonitor
-
-
-
- "Bush
began Iraq plan pre-9/11, O'Neill says." ... "President
Bush and his senior aides began plotting the invasion of Iraq just days
after he took office in January 2001 and not, as the administration has
indicated, after terrorists struck against the United States eight months
later, according to former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, who was forced
from his post in December 2002." ... "In an interview scheduled to air
tonight on CBS News' "60 Minutes," O'Neill derided what he considered the
administration's intent from the start to remove Saddam Hussein by force."
... ""From the very beginning, there was a conviction that Saddam Hussein
was a bad person and that he needed to go," O'Neill told the news program,
according to excerpts released yesterday. "For me, the notion of preemption,
that the US has the unilateral right to do whatever we decide to do, is
a really huge leap."" -By Bryan Bender-Boston/Globe
-
- "Cuba
cracks down on internet use: A new law has been passed
in Cuba which will make access to the internet more difficult for Cubans."
... "Only those authorised to use the internet from home like civil servants,
party officials and doctors will be able to do so on a regular phone line."
... "The bill says the state telephone company Etecsa will use technical
means to detect and impede access." -BBC/News
-
-
- "Hussein
declared to be a POW: The general counsel office
in the Pentagon has determined that Saddam Hussein is a prisoner of war
because of his status as former commander in chief of Iraq's military."
... "Pentagon lawyers have determined that Saddam Hussein has been a prisoner
of war since American forces captured him Dec. 13, a Defense Department
spokesman said Friday." ... "Despite that determination, aides to Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld were grappling Friday with what to say publicly
about the issue. A senior defense official who insisted he not be named
said Hussein's legal status was still under review." ... "Similarly, Secretary
of State Colin Powell told CBS News: ''I don't know that he has been formally
declared a prisoner of war.'' It was up to the Pentagon, Powell said."
-By Matt Kelley-APvia
-Miami/Herald
-
-
-
- "Libya
signs $170M deal for for '89 French passenger jet bombing."
... "Libya on Friday signed a compensation accord worth $170 million with
families of victims of a 1989 French passenger jet bombing, bringing closure
to years of grief." ... "The deal, which came 14 years after the bombing
of the French UTA passenger plane over the Niger desert that killed 170
people, also was expected to open the way to a new era of ties between
Tripoli and Paris." -AP
via -USATODAY
-
-
- "Report:
U.S. will release British detainees only if they are prevented from terrorist
activity." ... "The United States will allow British
detainees at Guantanamo Bay to return home only if they are prevented from
engaging in terrorist activity, an American official was reported as saying
Friday." ... "Pierre-Richard Prosper, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for
war crime issues, said the nine Britons being held at the naval base in
Cuba posed a serious or medium threat, The Times of London reported." ...
"Prosper was quoted as saying they would have to be "detained and investigated,
and-or prosecuted" if they came back to Britain." -By
Michael McDonough with contributions by Stevenson Jacobs -AP
via -SFGate.com
-
- "Hong
Kong Postpones Timetable For Reforms: Beijing's Request
for Talks Forced Delay, Officials Say." ... "Hong Kong's chief executive,
Tung Chee-hwa, indefinitely postponed plans Wednesday to set a timetable
for democratic reform, breaking a promise made after huge street demonstrations
last summer. Senior aides blamed the delay on a last-minute request from
Chinese leaders for consultations on "matters of principle and legislative
process."" ... "By requesting the delay and asking for talks just before
preliminary discussions about political reform were to be scheduled in
Hong Kong, China's Communist leaders signaled a new willingness to intervene
openly and directly in the affairs of the former British colony, which
was promised a high degree of autonomy after its handover to Chinese rule
in 1997." -By Philip P. Pan
-WashingtonPost
-
-
- "U.S.
Withdraws a Team of Weapons Hunters From Iraq." ...
"The Bush administration has quietly withdrawn from Iraq a 400-member military
team [the Joint Captured Matériel Exploitation Group] whose job
was to scour the country for military equipment, according to senior government
officials." ... "The step was described by some military officials as a
sign that the administration might have lowered its sights and no longer
expected to uncover the caches of chemical and biological weapons that
the White House cited as a principal reason for going to war last March."
... "A separate military team that specializes in disposing of chemical
and biological weapons remains part of the 1,400-member Iraq Survey Group,
which has been searching Iraq for more that seven months at a cost of hundreds
of millions of dollars." (1, 2)
-By Douglas Jehl -NYTimes
via -Google-News
-
-
- "US
releases 60 Iraqi prisoners." ... "The US army freed
about 60 prisoners from the feared Abu Ghraib prison west of Baghdad today,
the first detainees to be released under a new amnesty introduced by the
coalition provisional authority (CPA)." ... "Paul Bremer, the heed of the
CPA in Iraq, announced the amnesty for low-threat detainees yesterday[.]"
... "As part of wider US efforts to bring about reconciliation in Iraq,
the military will release around 500 prisoners in total. Around 9,000 Iraqis
have been detained in the eight months since the overthrow of the Saddam
regime." -Guardian.co.uk
-
-
- "U.S.
helicopter goes down near Fallujah; nine killed."
... "A U.S. Black Hawk medivac helicopter crashed Thursday near a stronghold
of the anti-American insurgency, killing all nine soldiers aboard, the
U.S. military said." ... "Also Thursday, a U.S. soldier died of injuries
suffered in a mortar attack a day earlier that wounded 33 other troops
and a civilian west of Baghdad." -AP
via -USATODAY
-
-
- "IMF
Researchers: US Budget Gaps Endanger Global Economy."
... "Economists at the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday expressed
alarm at growing U.S. budget deficits, saying continued deficits could
hurt the global economy by roiling currency markets and driving up interest
rates." ... "In a report on U.S. budget outlook, IMF researchers described
the state of government finances as "perilous" in the long run and urged
Congress and the White House to take steps to quickly rein in the deficits.
Although federal tax cuts and spending increases since 2001 bolstered the
global economy in the short run, the report said "large U.S. fiscal deficits
also pose significant risks for the rest of the world."" -By
Joseph Rebello -WSJ.com
-DJ via -Quicken.com
-
- "35
GIs Injured in Mortar Attack at Base Near Baghad, Military Says."
... "Six mortar rounds impacted about 6:45 p.m. at Logistical Base Seitz,
the military said in a statement." -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
-
-
-
-
- ELECTION
2004 - "Many
see Bush immigration proposals as non-starter." ...
"President Bush dived into a heated political debate on Wednesday by proposing
to create a class of legal "guest workers" in the United States, but analysts
said it was doubtful the blueprint could gain congressional approval in
this election year." ... "In a carefully balanced speech, Bush proposed
giving some of the estimated 8 million to 14 million illegal immigrants
in the country a way to gain three-year temporary work permits, but offered
them no clear path to becoming U.S. citizens." ... "The proposal seemed
calculated to win Bush Hispanic support ahead of the November presidential
election while pleasing employers looking for workers to fill mainly manual,
agricultural or low paid service jobs." -By Alan Elsner
-Reuters via -Forbes
-
-
- "S
Korea welcomes North's nuclear offer." ... "South
Korea's foreign minister on Wednesday welcomed North Korea's offer to freeze
its nuclear programme in return for economic aid and diplomatic concessions,
saying it would help the US and other countries resume six-way talks on
the nuclear crisis." ... "North Korea specified that it was willing to
"refrain from test and production of nuclear weapons and stop even operating
the nuclear power industry for a peaceful purpose as first-phase measures
of the package solution". In exchange, North Korea demanded that the US
lift political, economic and other sanctions." -By
Song Jung-a in Seoul and Guy Dinmore -FT.com
- "8
Children Among 17 Killed in Afghan Blast." ... "As
many as 17 people were killed and dozens injured, many of them children,
in a double bomb blast in the southern city of Kandahar on Tuesday, local
officials said. The bombing came just one day after the country triumphantly
adopted a new Constitution." ... "The governor of Kandahar, Yousuf Pashtun,
blamed the Taliban movement for the explosions, which took place in the
middle of the day within minutes of each other." -By
Carlotta Gall -NYTimes
-
-
-
- "U.S.
Opens Bidding for New Iraq Work." ... "The United
States opened up bidding on Wednesday for $5 billion in new contracts to
rebuild Iraq, the first in a string of lucrative deals funded by $18.6
billion appropriated by the U.S. Congress but barred to those nations who
opposed the Iraq war." ... "After more than a month's delay, the Pentagon-run
Program Management Office kicked off bidding by issuing solicitations overnight
for 17 major construction contracts and project management deals to oversee
the work." (1, 2)
-By Sue Pleming -Reuters
-
-
- "Militants
to fight on in Kashmir: Islamic militants have vowed
to continue fighting against Indian forces in the disputed region of Kashmir."
... "The pledge came after India and Pakistan agreed to hold historic talks
to try to resolve their long and bitter dispute over the region." ... "Jaish-e-Mohammad
spokesman Mohammad Hassan Burki told the BBC by mobile phone that his group
would keep up its jihad, or holy war, until Kashmir was freed from Indian
control." ... "Syed Salahuddin, the chief of Kashmir's largest militant
group, the Hizbul Mujahideen, also said its military operations would continue."
-BBC/News
- Egypt
- Water
- "
