"The increasing gap between the world's rich and poor can fuel acts of terrorism, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Monday," reported the Associated Press news agency.
"A Palestinian suicide bomber killed at least 14 people as well as himself in Israel yesterday, making good on a vow to make the Jewish state pay for its siege of Yasser Arafat as the Middle East edged closer to all-out chaos. Israel meanwhile did not rule out the Palestinian leader being killed accidentally in clashes with its troops at his shattered headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah," reported the Associated Press news agency.
"Arab countries said yesterday they were considering unspecified measures to end Israel’s three-day siege of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and furiously condemned Washington’s inaction during the crisis," reported the AFP news service.
"Jordan threatened to take unspecified measures in its ties with Israel to protest Israeli attacks on the headquarters of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat yesterday, a Cabinet official said," reported the Associated Press news agency.
"Palestinian officials and Arab supporters voiced their growing anger yesterday at the United States, accusing it of giving a tacit green light to the Israeli siege of Yasser Arafat. The United States has said it understood Israel’s need to defend itself against Palestinian attacks on its people. Washington has made no explicit call for an Israeli withdrawal but has sought assurances Palestinian President Arafat won’t be harmed. But newspapers in the Jewish state were full of praise for the American stand. Several papers ran variations on the banner headline carried by the Jerusalem Post: Bush: I Fully Understand Israel," reported the AFP news service.
"An unmanned US spy plane crashed at sea yesterday in the southern Philippines, where it has been used for aerial reconnaissance in US-backed counter terrorism operations, military officials said," reported the Associated Press news agency.
"Pakistan’s military ruler is expected to announce a national referendum in the coming week in an effort to stay in power for another five years. President Gen Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in October 1999, told a selected group of Pakistani reporters on Saturday that the referendum would tell the world that Pakistanis need him," reported the Associated Press news agency.
"Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is refusing all contact with the outside world, to protest Arab silence in the face of Israeli massacres of Palestinians. according to an official statement yesterday. Yemen, along with Libya, has demanded that the Arab League convene an extraordinary summit on the Israeli army’s offensive in the Palestinian territories," reported the AFP news service.
"Serbia woke up yesterday to find around US$40mil (RM152mil) in financial aid from Washington frozen after it failed to hand over suspects to the UN war crimes tribunal before a deadline set by the United States," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Former US president Bill Clinton said suspected terror mastermind Osama bin Laden was conspiring to kill him and was training hit men for that purpose. Clinton said that in the fall of 2000, US intelligence had learned with a certain degree of accuracy where Osama would spend the night. But, he said he had opted against a military strike on the location to avoid civilian casualties," reported the AFP news service.
"US authorities are holding a man captured in Pakistan who is believed to be a key deputy of suspected terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, a senior US official said on Sunday," reported the AFP news service.
"The Israeli army codenamed its occupation of the Palestinian city of Ramallah and the encircling of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in his headquarters Operation Rampart, a military source said yesterday," reported the AFP news service.
"The United Nations has called for Israel to withdraw troops from Ramallah and other West Bank cities. The army said troops had stopped 50 foreigners, mostly Italians, from entering Ramallah, where they had planned to join others who reached Arafat’s headquarters on Sunday. In Beit Jala on the West Bank, five foreign peace marchers and a Palestinian television cameraman were injured by shrapnel when Israeli soldiers fired at their feet, witnesses said. Firing started when about 100 demonstrators, including Palestinians and foreigners, marched near a church carrying a sign saying: we want peace not war," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Abu Zubaydah was drawn to Osama bin Laden's organization as a teenager whose religious fervor and radical Islamic ideology brought him to the training camps of Afghanistan. Abu Zubaydah's name doesn't appear on the FBI's list of top wanted terrorists but he was wanted nonetheless. He is in U.S. custody, but it's unclear where. U.S. officials would only promised a lengthy interrogation of the man believed to be able to identify names, faces and locations of al-Qaida operatives the world over," reported the Associated Press news agency.
"Israeli soldiers foiled a suicide bombing by shooting at explosives strapped to the attacker's chest, detonating the bomb and killing the man before he could get close enough to harm others, the military said Wednesday," reported the Associated Press news agency.
"The BBC’s failure to order its presenters to wear mourning black when reporting on the death of the Queen Mother and the way it covered her death has provoked conflict with Prince Charles who responded by snubbing the national broadcaster when he delivered a tribute to his grandmother. Some people criticised them because they thought we did too much when Diana was killed," reported the dpa news agency.
"The Enron scandal is going to need a cold shower soon. Playgirl magazine on Monday said it is seeking current or former male employees of ruined energy trader Enron Corp. to pose in the nude for an upcoming Men of Enron pictorial. Playgirl editor-in-chief Michele Zipp said in an interview that it’s totally about wanting to give the men of Enron an equal chance, and they’re the only magazine of that kind which can showcase the men of Enron," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Secretary of State Colin Powell indefinitely postponed a decision to certify Yugoslavia’s co-operation with a UN war crimes tribunal on Monday, a move that keeps millions of dollars in much-needed assistance to Belgrade frozen," reported the AFP news service.
"Indonesia’s highest Islamic authority is investigating reports that a boarding school is teaching a deviant version of the religion and is linked to a shadowy group campaigning for an Islamic state, an official said yesterday. Religious Affairs Minister Said Agiel Munawar said over the weekend he would not hesitate to close the school if it were found to have distorted Islamic teachings," reported the AFP news service.
Pakistan and Afghanistan yesterday pledged to cooperate on wiping out “terrorist sanctuaries” in the region as Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf made his first visit to Kabul. Asked where he thought Saudi-born Osama may be hiding, Musharraf said he did not know whether he was even dead or alive," reported the AFP news service.
"Israeli troops yesterday seized control of this biblical city, Bethlehem, in their drive against Palestinian towns, reportedly shooting dead a Catholic priest and wounding at least six nuns in a church .It was the fifth town taken as Israeli troops swept the West Bank hunting for Palestinian militants after laying siege to Palestinian chief Yasser Arafat’s headquarters in the city of Ramallah on Friday," reported the AFP news service.
"Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said yesterday that Yasser Arafat could be allowed to leave his besieged West Bank headquarters but only on a one-way ticket, an offer turned down immediately by the Palestinian leadership. Sharon laid down the three conditions during a tour of army positions in the West Bank. One, he has first to bring it to the Cabinet to be approved. Second, Arafat cannot take anyone with him because there are wanted (men) and murderers surrounding him there. The third thing, it’s going to be a one-way ticket. He would not be able to return," reported the AFP news service.
"The issue of terrorism, discussed at a successful meeting of Muslim nations here for three days, will be carried to the international forum for further discussion and action. This follows the adoption of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration of International Terrorism by delegates of the Special Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM), which ended at the Palace of Golden Horses here yesterday. The article 1 stated: Terrorism means any act of violence or threat thereof notwithstanding its motives or intentions perpetrated to carry out an individual or collective criminal plan with the aim of terrorising people or threatening to harm them or imperiling their lives, honour, freedoms, security or rights or exposing the environment or any facility or public or private property to hazards or occupying or seizing them, or endangering a national resource, or international facilities, or threatening the stability, territorial integrity, political unity or sovereignty of independent states," reported the Malaysian Star news agency.
"The newly-set up Organisation of Islamic Conference ministerial committee on international terrorism will meet in two months to enable the OIC to co-operate with international bodies to combat terrorism," reported the Malaysian Star news agency.
"Foreign Ministers from countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) ended their three-day special session here yesterday with a declaration to take strong measures against terrorism worldwide. It also: (1) CONDEMNS acts of international terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism, irrespective of motives, perpetrators and victims; (2) REJECTS any action taken against any Islamic country under the pretext of combating international terrorism, as this would undermine global co-operation against acts of terror; (3) EMPHASISES the importance of addressing the root causes of international terrorism as the war against terrorism would not succeed if the environment that breeds terrorism is allowed to thrive; (4) REAFFIRMS its commitment to international action in combating this problem undertaken in conformity with the principles of the UN charter; (5) PLANS to work towards an early conclusion of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism and a convening of an international conference under the United Nations to formulate a joint organised response of the international community to terrorism," reported the Malaysian Star news agency.
"The Palestinian Authority has called on US President George W. Bush to change his country’s foreign policy to prevent the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians from getting worse. Palestinian ambassador to Malaysia Ahmad El-Farra said Bush did not have a clear picture about Palestine," reported the Malaysian Star news agency.
"Delegates at the special session issued a statement strongly condemning military actions against the Palestinians. Meeting chairman Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said that they condemn the Israeli military action against the Palestinians, including the storming of cities and villages which they consider as violations of the norms of international law," reported the Malaysian Star news agency.
"Countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference want the international community to start their deliberations and negotiations for a universally recognised definition of terrorism," reported the Malaysian Star news agency.
"US President George W. Bush has invited Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad for a visit to Washington from May 12-14, according to a diplomatic source. Bush can expect Dr Mahathir to tell him to change US policy toward the Middle East, diplomats said," reported the Malaysian Star news agency.
"The Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) is hosting a dialogue on the islamic state in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, its chairman, Tan Sri Musa Hitam, said. If the same constitution is considered secular by some groups, and Islamic by other groups, then clearly there is an urgent need to have a national dialogue on the meanings of secular and Islamic," reported the Malaysian Star news agency.
"Secretary of State Colin Powell dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s suggestion that Yasser Arafat be exiled, saying that the Palestinian leader still plays a key role in the Middle East peace process. Bush lamented the Mideast impasse, saying on Tuesday that Israel has a right to exist and Palestinians have a right to live in their own state one day," reported the Associated Press news agency.
"Arab-Americans bombarded the White House with e-mail on Tuesday, in protest of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian-controlled territories in the West Bank. The initiative comes on the heels of protests in Washington, Los Angeles and Detroit, and precedes a town-hall meeting between community leaders and US Secretary of State Colin Powell," reported the AFP news service.
"A Sikh family here will soon test in court the line between religious tolerance and school security in their fight to allow their 12-year-old son to wear his kirpan - a spiritually significant dagger - to class," reported the AFP news service.
"Ugly Americans are everywhere, and in greater numbers than before - so say Americans themselves. The survey - Aggravating Circumstances - A Status Report on Rudeness in America - said 73% of those polled thought Americans treated each other with greater respect in the past, although 21% called that idea false nostalgia. It’s about the daily assault of selfish, inconsiderate behaviour that gets under their skin on the highways, in the office, on TV, in stores and the myriad other settings where they encounter fellow-Americans. A solid majority felt Americans had become more thoughtful and caring after the Sept 11 attacks, but far fewer thought the good feeling would persist. And just over half of respondents said they believed the money donated to Sept 11 victims would be misused or misdirected," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The top security minister yesterday warned Indonesian Muslims not to try to go to the West Bank to fight alongside Palestinians as anti-Israeli protests broke out at the US embassy in Jakarta and in three other cities. Yudhoyono said the government favours allowing the United Nations to settle the problems in the Middle East, including by sending peacekeeping forces there," reported the AFP news service.
Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the world has the power, if it wants, to put a stop to state terrorism committed by "Israel against the Palestinians as demonstrated by its ability to end the massacres perpetrated against Bosnians by the Serbs. Bernama quoted Dr Mahathir as saying that the world community did not seem to see the Palestinian problem as something relevant to them as compared to the Sept 11 terror attacks which prompted immediate action on their part," reported the Malaysian Star news agency.
"Israel vowed yesterday to keep Yasser Arafat in total isolation as it stepped up a seven-day army blitz across the West Bank, bringing more Palestinian towns under its heel. A European peace mission is headed for Jerusalem in a bid to quell the bloodshed but Israel dismissed its plea to meet with Arafat, who has been trapped in his West Bank headquarters since last Friday," reported the Associated Press news agency.
"President George W. Bush yesterday called on Israel to begin withdrawal from Palestinian-controlled cities and directed Secretary of State Colin Powell to go to the region to revive attempts at a ceasefire. Bush said the storms of violence cannot go on, adding that enough is enough," reported the Associated Press news agency.
"Israel threw down the gauntlet to Lebanon’s Hizbollah guerillas yesterday, threatening fierce retaliation next time the Iranian-backed organisation launches an attack on northern Israe," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The private doctor of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Ashraf al-Kurdi, said on Wednesday that Arafat must be lacking his regular medication because of the Israeli army blockade of his office," reported the AFP news service.
"Afghan authorities said yesterday they had foiled a plot to kill interim leader Hamid Karzai and former king Zahir Shah in a campaign of bombings also directed against US troops and international peacekeepers," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee yesterday expressed shame and chastised his Hindu-nationalist allies ruling riot-torn Gujarat as he visited for the first time thousands of Muslims made homeless by the violence," reported the AFP news service.
"Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces are offering US$100,000 (RM380,000) bounties for the capture of coalition soldiers in Afghanistan, a US military spokesman said yesterday," reported the AFP news service.
"Leaders of the radical Islamic movement Hamas have watched safely from the sidelines of this city as Israel conducts a manhunt for Palestinian militants, but analysts warn it is only a matter of time before the net widens," reported the AFP news service.
"Renewing a truce mission, a US mediator met with Yasser Arafat at the Palestinian leader’ besieged headquarters yesterday as Israel pressed ahead with its offensive against Palestinian militants despite US demands that troops halt incursions and withdraw from West Bank cities," reported the AFP news service.
"An overwhelming majority of Israelis support waging wide-scale war in the West Bank, and the launch of a major army offensive has boosted support for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, opinion polls showed yesterday," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Islamic oil-producing countries yesterday to suspend their exports to Western countries and those with relations with Israel for a symbolic period of one month. Khamenei urged Palestinians to reject a negotiated settlement with Israel and pleaded for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, pinned down by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Ramallah since last Friday, to remain steadfast," reported the AFP news service.
"Israeli troops threw stun grenades to turn back foreign journalists on their way to cover a US envoy’s meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the West Bank yesterday. As the convoy turned back, some of the journalists got out and fled on foot. Israeli border police gave chase, confiscating the identification cards of some of the journalists. A bullet hole was later discovered in the car used by the CNN crew," reported the Reuters news agency.
"President General Pervez Musharraf said yesterday voters will be asked in the first week of May to declare whether they want him to remain in office after the restoration of democracy set for October," reported the Associated Press news agency.
"Forcing out Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has become a tricky proposition for the United States because of the war on the West Bank. Just weeks ago, the Bush administration was talking as though Saddam was a new target in the war on terrorism, and military action was an imminent possibility. But the violence between Israelis and Palestinians has thrown the region into turmoil and further polarised the Arabs, which makes an American military move against Iraq politically more unlikely, said many analysts," reported the Associated Press news agency.
"An ambitious programme designed to destroy Afghanistan’s opium crop, the source of most of the heroin reaching Deadly battles raged through the West Bank yesterday, with 54 people reported killed as Israel scorned US calls to withdraw and pressed ahead with an army assault on the Palestinians. The Palestinians charged Israel was using the time before the arrival of US Secretary of State Colin Powell to unleash massacres of its people, and called for urgent help from world leaders to stop the onslaught. Sharon’s popularity in Israel had been plummeting in the face of the deadly terror attacks but a new poll this week showed overwhelming support for the offensive," reproted the AFP news service.
"Palestinian militants are reportedly handing out explosives-packed belts to residents willing to strap them on and challenge Israeli soldiers," reported the Associated Press news agency.
"Sri Lanka’s main minority Muslim party accepted talks with Tamil Tiger rebels, who have apologised for the ethnic cleansing of thousands of Muslims in their bid to create a separate state, yesterday," reproted the AFP news service.
"Julio Ribeiro, known as India’s “super cop” for his success in quelling religious riots, battling militants and fighting crime, says he has never seen communal hatred on the scale that exists in riot-hit Gujarat. He said in an interview on Friday that they (Hindu hardline groups) have brainwashed people. Even children of four go around with (symbolic Hindu) tridents saying they’ve got to kill the Muslims. This time, though, he said problems plaguing Gujarat, known for its history of religious violence, were far tougher to cure. Both governments have been accused of turning a blind eye to the violence when it was at its peak - charges they have denied," reported the Reuters news agency.
"General Pervez Musharraf’s plans to extend his term as president through a referendum received a mixed response at home and only muted criticism from abroad. While most ordinary Pakistanis shrugged off Musharraf’s widely expected announcement, political and religious parties said they were planning to mobilise supporters to boycott the vote, scheduled next month," reproted the AFP news service.
"China has asked the United States for an explanation on why US President George W. Bush referred to Taiwan as a country during a speech last week in Washington, a Foreign Ministry official said yesterday. Reports in Taiwanese newspapers on Friday said Bush called the island the Republic of Taiwan and a country in an apparent slip of the tongue during a speech to diplomats and business executives on Thursday," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Europe’s streets, will be launched tomorrow with the support of the European Union and the United States. Hamid Karzai’s interim administration agreed unanimously this week to a decree that offers Afghan farmers US$250 (RM950) for every jerib (about two square kilometres) of opium poppies they destroy," reported the Guardian News Service.
"Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, The head of the United States’ largest Catholic diocese, said in a letter faxed to media that he had been accused of sexual misconduct by a woman who was a student at a Catholic high school in central Califor- nia in 1970. But the cardinal vigorously denied the allegation and said he had called on law enforcement and church officials to investigate it," reported the AFP news service.
"A woman is eight weeks pregnant with a cloned embryo, the Italian fertility specialist Severino Antinori has told an Arab newspaper. Rudolf Jaenisch, professor of biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of the world’s leading specialists in cloning, said yesterday that there are no normal clones in existence. The lucky ones die early. The ones who survive are unlucky because the prediction is that they will be abnormal. He then argued that those people need to be stopped, as what they did is evil," reported the Guardian News Service.
