"A tense standoff between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen at the Church of the Nativity ended yesterday after 39 days, with 13 suspected militants flown into European exile and 26 released into the Gaza Strip," reported the AP news agency.
"Shaken by this week’s savage bombing, Pakistan’s military government has put its security forces on a war footing to combat it’s newest enemy – the suicide bomber, Gen Rashid Quereshi said yesterday," reported the AP news agency.
"Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad reiterated yesterday Malaysia’s long held policy on the Israeli – Palestinian issue, in a statement to clarify the confusion from his remarks at the recent debate on Palestine," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"US Attorney-General John Ashcroft has “positively endorsed” the significance of the Internal Security Act (ISA) by stating that he understood the relevance, the utilisation and the background of Malaysia having such a law," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Israel shelved a strike into the Gaza Strip amid international pressure yesterday for a respite from violence to give peace diplomacy a chance. Palestinian leaders rejected any handover of the 13, who withstood an Israeli siege of the church along with 26 other militants who were sent to Gaza, saying Israel had no evidence the militants had done anything aside from fighting occupation. The end of the siege at the Church of the Nativity, which Christians regard as sacred as the birthplace of Jesus, and the postponement of any assault on Gaza offered some breathing room for diplomacy to revive the peace process," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The overwhelming stench of urine was the first thing to hit visitors who entered the shrine in Bethlehem revered as the birthplace of Jesus," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Facing criticism over how easily some of the Sept 11 hijackers entered and moved about the United States, Attorney-General John Ashcroft said on Friday, a new Internet-based system will start in July to better track the one million foreign students in the nation," reported the Reuters news agency.
"An apologetic Robert Hanssen, the disgraced former FBI agent considered one of the most damaging spies in US history, was sentenced on Friday to life in prison for selling secrets for two decades to Moscow," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A day after the government vowed to expel Muslim militants from Indonesia’s religious violence-wracked Maluku islands, vice-president Hamzah Haz yesterday urged security forces to first disband a small group of Christian separatists in the region," reported the AP news agency.
"The Philippines will begin integrating Islamic schools into the national education system by expanding curricula to include mainstream subjects such as history and mathematics, a government statement said yesterday," reported the dpa news agency.
"Since news broke that Png, recognised by many as Ah Beng in the Phua Chu Kang sitcom, was donating part of his liver to save his critically ill girlfriend, the couple has not only gained greater popularity locally but also international recognition.Reuters bureau chief Richard Hubbard said the more important reason for reporting the couple’s story was the human drama involved. Here you have two lovers, one of whom is doing his utmost to help the other. It’s a nice human interest story that offsets the violence and bigotry in the news these days," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Soap operas, the staple diet of British television, are showing too much sex and violence to an impressionable audience, Britain’s broadcasting standards watchdog warned yesterday," reported the AFP news service.
"An exchange of gunfire Tuesday between suspected Islamic militants and soldiers at an Indian army base in Kashmir left at least 17 civilians and soldiers dead, police said. The attack came as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca prepared to meet with top Indian officials on Tuesday to urge New Delhi to resume dialogue with Islamabad in an effort to end the six-month standoff between the South Asian nuclear rivals," reported the AP news agency.
"U.S. troops killed five enemy fighters and captured 32 during a raid on a suspected al-Qaida or Taliban compound, the first gunbattle in weeks to involve American forces, a U.S. military spokesman said Monday," reported the AP news agency.
"Malaysia and the United States will sign a declaration to combat international terrorism during Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s visit here which begins today," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"President George W. Bush announced yesterday that he will sign a landmark accord in Moscow this month to dramatically shrink US and Russian nuclear arsenals over 10 years. He said that the treaty will liquidate the legacy of the Cold War," reported the AP news agency.
"The FBI now says one of its agents suggested in advance that a suspect under surveillance was the type of person who might pilot a plane into the World Trade Center, according to a broadcast report yesterday," reported the dpa news agency.
"Australia will soon begin sending home Afghan asylum-seekers, Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said yesterday," reported the AP news agency.
"The European Union’s special envoy to Afghanistan has confronted the country’s powerful Deputy Defence Minister Abdul Rashid Dostam over the conditions in which hundreds of Taliban prisoners are being held, comparing them to Auschwitz. The German diplomat said on Sunday the people have nothing on their bones anymore. They are being treated like cattle, crammed into tents. It’s unbelievable, unbelievable," reported the AFP news service.
"An Indonesian court sentenced a man to death for helping a Malaysian citizen bomb a shopping mall in Jakarta last August, saying that the two men had illegally owned and used explosive material. Clad in dark trousers, white collarless shirt and black kopiah (traditional Muslim cap), Setiono immediately decided to appeal, saying the purpose of the panel was to punish rather than to produce justice. His lawyer Muchtar Luthfi told reporters the verdict was politically motivated, adding that the Indonesian government wanted to show the international community it was taking harsh measures against Muslim activists like Taufik and Setiono," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Israel’s ruling Likud Party dealt a further blow to prospects for Middle East peace talks by voting late on Sunday against any future establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Reacting to the Likud Party vote, the United States said it will continue to support the idea of a Palestinian state. In Ramallah, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said yesterday the vote by Likud party against the creation of a Palestinian state amounts to a destruction of the Oslo autonomy accords. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the vote placed in danger any hope of an agreement. He said it showed the true intentions of Israel and would increase frustrations of Palestinians locked in a violent 19-month-old struggle against Israeli rule," reported the AP news agency.
"Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said Palestinian militants carrying out suicide attacks in Israel were supported by foreign powers, without mentioning their names," reported the Reuters news agency.
"President George W. Bush expressed hope that a shared concern about terror will lift newly thawed relations with Malaysia beyond U.S. worries over democracy and human rights in the Southeast Asian nation. Mahathir spoke, and Bush agreed, about a need to discuss the root causes of terrorism, a hopelessness that leaves young people vulnerable to terrorist recruiters. In a speech to the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council Tuesday night, Mahathir said the Palestinians' situation reflects the overall serious grievances of Muslims worldwide. Overall, he said, the United States should realize that it comes across to the rest of the world as a bully. All that is needed is to be more gentle when faced with recalcitrant nations and people, becuase they tend to respond more positively to the friendly approach than to confrontations. Pushed into a corner, even the weakest will fight," reported the AP news agency.
"Nato foreign ministers met in windswept Iceland yesterday to approve a new partnership with former Cold War foe Russia to boost co-operation on terrorism, arms control and crisis management. Nato Secretary-General George Robertson, in his opening address, stressed the need for Nato to develop new military capabilities to deal with new threats from non-state actors, saying the Sept 11 attacks on the United States had served as a wake-up call," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Monday he had advance warning of the military coup that briefly overthrew him last month and was able secretly to organise loyal military units that put him back in power. The left-wing leader told BBC Television’s Newsnight programme he had a phone call from Opec secretary-general Ali Rodriguez - a Venezuelan - warning that the United States was fomenting a coup. Newsnight said the logic behind the alleged US-sponsored coup was to prevent Venezuela backing a call by Libya and Iraq for an oil embargo to punish the United States for what they said was its support for the Israeli incursions into the West Bank," reported the Reuters news agency.
"UN Security Council unanimously approved an overhaul of sanctions against Iraq on Tuesday in a victory for the United States with backing from Russia, Saddam Hussein’s most important council ally," reported the AP news agency.
"The Philippine military said yesterday guerillas might release a US woman missionary who has been held hostage for almost a year because her health was deteriorating," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Thirty-three people, most of them civilians, were killed yesterday when militants opened fire on a passenger bus in Kashmir and then stormed the residential quarters of a nearby Indian army camp, officials said. The attack, the deadliest on the army in Kashmir in the past year, came just hours after US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca arrived in New Delhi to urge the Indian leadership to cool tempers with Pakistan," reported the AFP news service.
"About 14,000 US and 7,000 Thai troops yesterday launched the 21st annual Cobra Gold military exercise with a focus on anti-terrorism measures," reported the AP news agency.
"More than six out of 10 Israelis support a Palestinian state and strongly favour the current prime minister, Ariel Sharon, over his leading rival, Benjamin Netanyahu, as Israel’s leader, according to an opinion poll released yesterday," reported the AP news agency.
"Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, facing a challenge to his party leadership, yesterday ruled out peace talks with the Palestinians unless they reform Yasser Arafat’s corrupt terror regime. Sharon did not refer directly to a Palestinian state in his speech but said the Palestinian leadership must carry out profound internal reforms to anchor democracy, transparency and an end to militant violence against Israelis. Saeb Erekat, the Palestinians’ chief negotiator, blasted Sharon’s speech, saying that he is using pretexts to block any road that leads to the negotiating table. He is using dictation and not negotiations. He stopped negotiations and continues to try to dictate to Palestinians. He is continuing with his war crimes and with state terrorism, Erekat said," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Malaysia and the United States agree that the effective way to stamp out global terrorism is through military action and simultaneous efforts to address the root causes of the problem," reported the Malaysian Star news agency.
"Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called yesterday for a complete overhaul of his Palestinian Authority and for fresh elections, amid growing Israeli and US pressure for reforms to his leadership," reported the AFP news service.
"A State Department report found no clear evidence that Yasser Arafat or other senior officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization planned or approved of terror attacks on Israel between mid-June and mid-December of last year," reported the AP news agency.
"Israeli troops raided two districts in the Palestinian city of Ramallah yesterday after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he expected a Palestinian state would emerge only after lengthy negotiations. A Palestinian security officer was killed and at least four people were arrested in the West Bank city during the brief raid by Israeli tanks and troops, a Palestinian security source said," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Office workers here were terrified yesterday when they saw what appeared to be a large airliner shadowed by a military jet bank over city skyscrapers. Spokesman Tim Bloomfield said an Australian Hawk trainer jet was flying close to take photos of the US plane, an RC 135 or converted Boeing 707," reported the AFP news service.
"Iraq said yesterday that it accepted a six-month extension of the United Nations oil-for-food deal, but blasted changes to Iraqi sanctions regime approved unanimously by the Security Council. The Baghdad meeting denounced the changes to the sanctions regime and accused the United States of imposing them on Iraq," reported the Reuters news agency.
"In an unprecedented speech broadcast live on Cuban radio and television, former US president Jimmy Carter called on the United States to lift its economic embargo on Cuba and also criticised the lack of political freedoms on the socialist island," reported the dpa news agency.
"President George W. Bush was told in the months before the Sept 11 attacks that Osama bin Laden’s network might hijack US passenger planes, prompting the administration to issue an alert to federal agencies - but not the American public, the White House said on Wednesday. The FBI failed to make a connection between that warning and the August arrest of Zacarias Moussaoui - a French citizen of Moroccan descent detained in Minnesota after raising suspicions among his instructors at a flight school," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has decided to hold presidential and parliamentary elections within six months as part of a broader reform package, a senior adviser, Ahmed Abdel Rahman, said yesterday. Abdel Aziz Rantisi, leader of Arafat’s rival Hamas movement, dismissed elections as cosmetic changes that would simply exchangecorrupt people for other corrupt people," reported the AP news agency.
"A judge yesterday accused Singapore’s government of arrogance and cockiness, but ruled that it could not be sued by an Indonesian Muslim cleric who claimed it slandered him by dubbing him an international terrorist. To the cheers of around 500 of his supporters, many of whom were dressed in green paramilitary uniforms, Bashir told the judge he would appeal," reported the AP news agency.
"Top Indian security officials were meeting yesterday to discuss plans to retaliate for a deadly militant attack in Kashmir that New Delhi has blamed on Pakistan-based militants. The United States is fearful even limited military action by India could escalate into war and derail its fight to root out al-Qaeda militants in Afghanistan," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Three men arrested yesterday in the slaying of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl directed police to the spot where they said he had been buried, and police were 90% sure the body they found there was his, a senior police official said," reported the AP news agency.
"A heat wave has killed 450 people in the past week in the sweltering coastal belt of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, an official said yesterday," reported the AP news agency.
"The officer heading a police investigation into child abuse by priests here has accused the Catholic Church of putting the protection of its clergy and its reputation ahead of victims’ welfare. Police Superintendent Shirley Chu Ming Po, who is heading the investigation into the abuse cases, said her officers were having difficulty obtaining information from the Church, including victims’ identities and the whereabouts of one of the three priests found guilty by the Church of sexually abusing minors in their care," reported the South China Morning Post.
"US President George W. Bush, reacting for the first time to increasing pressure over his handling of intelligence ahead of the Sept 11 hijacked-plane attacks, said yesterday he would have tried to foil them had he known such a threat was possible. House of Representatives Democratic leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri said on Friday inquiries into how much warning the government had of the Sept 11 attacks would include members of Congress as well as the White House.
"He denied any inquiry was politically driven," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Under fire from angry lawmakers, the White House defended its decision not to alert Americans to information before the Sept 11 attacks that Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network wanted to hijack US airplanes. Democrats led angry calls for Bush to hand over the top-secret CIA briefing he received in August about the threats, saying it was important to know what he had learned, and when. Lawmakers also called for the release of an FBI memo before Sept 11 that warned headquarters that many Middle Eastern men were training at at least one US flight school," reported the AP news agency.
"Osama bin Laden is alive and the future of the United States in Afghanistan is “fire, hell and total defeat,’’ fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar was quoted as saying by a pan-Arab newspaper yesterday. Omar was quoted as saying by the London-based Asharq al-Awsat that the battle has not ended in Afghanistan ... the battle has begun and its fires are picking up. These fires will reach the White House, because it is the centre of injustice and tyranny," reported the AP news agency.
"Terror suspects arrested here late last year got the green light from al-Qaeda for a planned attack on US military personnel in the city state in 1997, a government minister said yesterday," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Palestinian President Yasser Arafat sent mixed signals yesterday over his pledge to call new elections, saying a free ballot could be held only after the end of Israeli occupation," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israeli forces pushed back into the Jenin refugee camp in a sweep for suspected Palestinian militants early yesterday, returning to the scene of the fiercest fighting in Israel’s recent West Bank offensive," reported the Reuters news agency.
"As political opponents in Congress demanded more information from US President George W. Bush on how much he knew about a hijacking threat before the Sept 11 attacks, a mixture of sympathy and anger was expressed overseas.
Most newspapers and TV networks across Asia, from the Philippines to Pakistan, gave scant coverage to the growing battle in the United States over what Bush knew and when. But people on the streets were quick to express their concerns," reported the AP news agency.
"Coalition forces deployed 1,000 mostly British troops yesterday to battle a substantial force of enemy fighters in a new combat operation in mountainous eastern Afghanistan, the top British commander in the coalition said," reported the AP news agency.
"A copy of the Muslim holy book kept at a museum in the China’s northwest has been identified as the world’s smallest Quran, said state media yesterday," reported the AFP news service.
