"President George W. Bush rallied US troops at the largest US Army base, telling soldiers who might see action against Iraq: We are ready, we are prepared. You'll be fighting not to conquer anybody but to liberate people, should force be required in the Gulf, Bush said. His voice swelling with emotion, the president quickly added that force remains a last choice. A senior Iraqi official, Gen Hussam Mohammad Amin, said on Thursday UN inspectors had visited 230 sites since they returned to the country on Nov 27 and had found nothing incriminating," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Security problems and poor living conditions mean it is still unsafe for many of the more than four million Afghan refugees to return to their homes. The United Nations refugee agency cited security problems, ethnic conflict and Afghanistan's fragile infrastructure as reasons for keeping refugees out of the country. The agency said some newly repatriated refugees might leave the country again if more was not done soon," reported the AP news agency.
"A South Korea envoy flew here yesterday hoping to persuade Russia to use its influence and warming ties with North Korea to try to end the brinkmanship with the United States over Pyongyang's nuclear programme. Russia, by reviving ties with North Korea after years of cool relations, has become a key player in a possible solution. Russian officials yesterday continued to oppose proposals to escalate the crisis by taking the issue to the United Nations and emphasised the need for intensified diplomatic efforts," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The guru of a sect that claims to have cloned the first human baby said on Friday he would ignore a Florida court’s summons that he appear at a hearing to decide whether to place the cloned infant under the court’s protection," reported the AFP news service.
"Israeli officials were preparing yesterday to head for Washington in a bid to secure US$12bil in emergency aid ahead of an anticipated war on Iraq, as the United States again criticised its ally for its actions in the Palestinian territories. US President George W. Bush has made it very clear he was going to support the Israeli economy because he knows it's a strong economy," reported the AFP news service.
"U.S. military instructors will arrive in the Philippines next week to prepare for large-scale counterterrorism training exercises with Philippine soldiers. Unlike last year's exercise, the training starting in February will involve no military operations and will focus on group and leadership skills and night flying," reported the AP news agency.
"Fighter jets from the US-British coalition bombed three Iraqi air defence sites in response to hostile fire Saturday, and dropped leaflets urging Iraqis to tune in to coalition radio broadcasts," reported the AFP news service.
"Britain will begin deploying its troops to the Gulf on Jan 15, the Sunday Times newspaper reported, giving the first firm date for a deployment by Washington's closest ally for possible war in Iraq," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Two suicide bombers blew themselves up minutes apart Sunday in a central Tel Aviv area crowded with foreign workers, killing at least 15 bystanders and wounding nearly 40 in the first such attack since November," reported the AP news agency.
"Israeli police are to question Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's son and a minister from his Likud party as part of a widening probe into allegations of internal party corruption. The top-selling daily Yediot Aharonot on Friday also published an article on Sharon's other son Gilad, accusing him of involvement in another corruption affair," reported the AFP news service.
"A man hijacked a light aircraft and threatened to crash into the European Central Bank tower in Germany’s financial capital Frankfurt yesterday before landing the plane and being arrested. A spokesman for Germany’s air traffic control authority said he did not believe there was a terrorist link to yesterday’s incident," reported the Reuters news agency.
"About 40% of nuns in US have been sexually abused, often at the hands of a priest or another nun, according to an independent study detailed yesterday in the St Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said the survey, completed in 1996, was kept under wraps because some Catholic officials feared it would create a scandal. The findings show 34,000 nuns may have suffered some form of sexual abuse," reported the AFP news service.
"Gun crime in Britain has almost doubled over the past five years with gangland warfare erupting in drug-fuelled turf wars. It is a far cry from US gun culture but Britain has lost its image as a tranquil land, where unarmed police officers, or bobbiesonce patrolled the streets and murders were rare enough to be front page news," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Assailants shot to death a mayor and his top aide, part of a surge in violence this weekend by Algeria's Islamic militants, national radio reported Monday. Without citing sources or providing further details, the newspaper said several foreigners affiliated with al-Qaida had been working with the group," reported the AP news agency.
"Israel on Monday barred a Palestinian delegation from attending a Mideast conference in London and decided to close three Palestinian universities - a relatively muted response to the deadliest suicide attack in nearly a year. Officials at both universities said they have not received closure orders," reported the AP news agency.
"The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Monday that it was too early to say whether Iraq was working on atomic weapons, despite more than one month of all-out searches by his inspectors. Mohamed ElBaradei, when asked by reporters whether North Korea or Iraq posed the greatest threat, said that North Korea (clearly) has a nuclear capability, a (nuclear) reprocessing plant, so it has advanced capability, probably more than Iraq," reported the AP news agency.
"North Korea's nuclear threat needs to be tackled, lawmakers and experts said on Sunday, despite President George W. Bush's determination to focus on Iraq. senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee Carl Levin said Bush has changed policy without consulting South Korea. Former president Bill Clinton's secretary of state Warren Christopher said Bush's priorities are wrong, arguing that The United States cannot mount a war against Iraq and still maintain the necessary policy focus on North Korea and international terrorism," reported the AFP news service.
"A day after his bizarre hijacking of a motorised glider over Frankfurt, the 31-year-old male suspect was scheduled to go before a judge yesterday. Police arrested the man, believed to be mentally deranged, on Sunday after he landed the small plane he allegedly stole at gunpoint at the city’s international airport," reported the dpa news agency.
"Palestinian security forces detained a correspondent for the Arabic television station Al-Jazeera yesterday for refusing to disclose his source in a militant group that claimed two suicide bombings in Tel Aviv. The Gaza-based Al-Mezan Association for Human Rights said in a statement that intelligence officers had denied their lawyers access to him," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A diplomatic row broke out between Israel and Britain yesterday over an Israeli decision to bar Palestinians from attending talks on Middle East peace after suicide bombers killed 22 people in Tel Aviv. Israel’s hawkish Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw sparred in a telephone call in which Netanyahu rejected Britain’s request to reconsider the ban, a transcript provided by Israel’s Foreign Ministry showed. Netanyahu, according to his office, told Straw that the attack ruled out business as usual and urged Britain to adopt US President Bush’s position that leaders compromised by terror cannot be partners for peace," reported the Reuters news agency.
"In response to twin suicide bombings by Palestinian militants, Israel decided yesterday to close three Palestinian universities, intensify raids against suspected militants and bar Palestinian officials from holding key meetings in the West Bank and abroad. Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said the Israeli government’s decisions would only add fuel to the fire," reported the AP news agency.
"US officials are employing 21st century technology to help rebuild America's most recognisable landmarks in case they are ever damaged or destroyed by terrorist attacks. Using cutting-edge laser technology, the interior and exteriors of the landmarks are thoroughly scanned, yielding geometric maps that can be stored in digital archives and computerised databases," reported the AFP news service.
"Some Australian farmers have resorted to eating kangaroos as a devastating drought saps their incomes. Many parts of Australia have had no significant rain for 12 months in what experts call the worst drought in more than 100 years," reported the AP news agency.
"President Saddam Hussein accused UN inspectors of engaging in intelligence work, such as collecting lists of the names of Iraqi scientists and asking certain questions irrelevant to their stated aims and became interested in army camps and unrestricted military production and other issues, which is all or mostly purely intelligence work, instead of searching for nuclear, chemical and biological weapons Iraq has denied it is hiding," reported the AP news agency.
"The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday unveiled its first detailed plan for creating a global bankruptcy system for nations unable to meet their debt obligations. In a 76-page document spelling out how the system might work, the IMF dropped one proposed feature that had particularly vexed private creditors: a provision forbidding individual creditors from suing a borrower government for 90 days after it initiated the bankruptcy process," reported the AP news agency.
"Police said Tuesday they have found traces of the deadly poison ricin in a north London apartment and arrested six men of North African origin, fueling fears about a new brand of terrorism in a capital long accustomed to the threat of more conventional attacks. Police did not publicly identify the men and refused to specify what country or countries they were from, saying only that they were in their late teens, 20s and 30s. They were not immediately charged with a crime," reported the AP news agency.
"The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said on Monday its inspectors had found nothing suspicious in Iraq so far, but added that it was too early to draw conclusions," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Britain said yesterday that upcoming talks here to discuss reforms of the Palestinian Authority might have to be cancelled after Israel’s decision to ban authority representatives from attending. But a Downing Street spokesman denied a report in The Times daily that the talks had been postponed indefinitely after Israel’s move, which came after weekend suicide bombings killed 22 in Tel Aviv," reported the AFP news service.
"The United Nation’s nuclear watchdog gave North Korea one last chance on Monday to readmit inspectors expelled a week ago, as the reclusive communist state defiantly accused the United States of plotting atomic war. If North Korea is reported to the Security Council, the body has the power to authorise military action. But Washington - in contrast with its stance over Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction - has been at pains to emphasise it sought a diplomatic solution in the crisis with Pyongyang. Voicing defiance before the IAEA decision, North Korea threatened the United States with destruction if it launched a nuclear attack over Pyongyang’s suspected atomic weapons programme," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The spiritual leader of Australia’s 400,000 Muslims was arrested after a minor traffic infringement turned into a roadside confrontation between police and members of the Islamic cleric’s congregation. Keysar Trad, spokesman for Mufti Sheikh Taj Aldin Alhilali, said the mufti was stopped on Monday by a policeman because he had building materials sticking out of his car, but the incident turned ugly when the officer insisted on searching him. Trad said many people get pulled over for something like that and they’re usually fined. They're not subjected to humiliating searches in public, especially not 62-year-old people," reported the Reuters news agency.
"US journalist Michael Guillen, who was trying to verify claims that a human clone baby had been born, said Monday that he had suspended the verification process and that the claims could be an elaborate hoax by the Raelian sect," reported the AFP news service.
"Canada's immigration minister on Wednesday said U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton should apologize for speculating on a Canadian link to terrorism, after reports that five terrorist suspects entered the United States from its northern neighbor turned out to be false. Immigration Minister Denis Coderre said the United States is our friend, not our boss. We have to have a balanced approach between vigilance and openness. I won't consider everyone who comes to Canada a potential terrorist," reported the AP news agency.
"Developing nations, led by South Africa, requested on Tuesday that UN arms inspectors present their pivotal report on Iraq in a public rather than closed meeting, a session that could bring a chorus of opposition to any military action," reported the Reuters news agency.
"As the United States is consumed with proliferation crises in Iraq and North Korea, other countries such as Libya, Syria and possibly Sudan are quietly trying to acquire or expand secret arsenals of weapons of mass destruction," reported the AFP news service.
"Britons, readying for possible war with Iraq as reserve troops were mobilised, were troubled by fears of a battle at home yesterday after the seizure of the deadly toxin ricin sparked fears of a looming terror campaign" reported the Reuters news agency.
"A senior Bush administration official, outlining plans to strengthen foreign aid as an instrument of US security policy, on Tuesday voiced a tough line against economic assistance to countries that do not enact democratic and economic reforms. In situations where people are dying from famine or disease, humanitarian assistance will be provided. But in terms of economic investment in sectors that lead to growth, we have to have evidence of national political leadership that is already willing to make reforms and has made them on their own," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The United States announced its new position as North Korea ratcheted up its rhetoric by saying economic sanctions over its nuclear programme would mean war. US President George W. Bush hinted at the US change in position on Monday, saying, we’ll have dialogue without setting any preconditions," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The United States threatened to look for other oil suppliers unless Venezuela’s government and foes of President Hugo Chavez found a way to end quickly a 37-day protest strike that has crippled the nation’s oil exports," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Libya has named a US beauty contest participant as its honorary consul to Washington at a ceremony here, just days after US President George W. Bush extended crippling economic sanctions against Tripoli," reported the AFP news service.
"The parents of a baby known as Eve, who a religious group claims is the world’s first clone of a human, will not allow genetic tests to verify the claim," reported the AFP news service.
"Britain ratcheted up pressure on Israel on Tuesday to reverse its decision to bar Palestinians from attending talks in London, as Israeli forces imposed new travel bans in the West Bank and Gaza Strip" reported the Reuters news agency.
"Chief UN inspector Hans Blix said yesterday his arms teams had not found any smoking guns in Iraq during their search for weapons of mass destruction but re-affirmed Iraq's 12,000-page arms declaration was flawed," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has no plans to resign and seek exile in a country like Russia despite strong hints from the US administration that such a move could avert war. Abbas Khalaf, Baghdad’s ambassador to Moscow, called the US suggestions completely absurd, and maintained that US officials had launched this canard after failing in their attempts to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq," reported the AFP news service.
"A provocative new US ad campaign claimed that filling up gas-guzzling sports utility vehicle (SUV) does more than simply damage the environment - it also encourages terrorism. Co-founder of the Detroit Project group, Lawrence Bender, said we want to point out how our (American) driving habits are fuelling oil money to Saudi Arabia - which funnels some of that wealth to support charities and religious zealots with ties to terrorist activity," reported the AFP news service.
"Three US strategic B1 bombers headed for southwest Asia on Wednesday amid fresh strikes by allied warplanes on Iraqi communications facilities. The deployment came as the United States continued its military build-up in the region in anticipation of a possible war," reported the AFP news service.
"A commuter plane crashed and exploded on Wednesday shortly after takeoff from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport here, killing all 21 people on board. FBI investigators were at the scene to assess any link to terrorism but at this point there is no preliminary indication of any terrorist incident," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A Turkish Airlines flight crashed and split apart in flames as it landed short of a runway in heavy fog, killing 75 people and injuring five. Prime Minister Abdullah Gul ruled out a terrorist attack, saying the cause of Wednesday’s crash appeared to be the heavy fog that had enshrouded the city of Diyarbakir for several days," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Bitter winter weather claimed more lives in Europe as ice, snow and whipping winds continued to wreak chaos on travel and transport yesterday, disrupting the routines of millions across the continent," reported the AFP news service.
"Britain's poet laureate Andrew Motion has questioned the motives behind a potential war with Iraq in a new poem published yesterday. Motion published Causa Belli, a 30-word, four-line poem, in the Guardian newspaper, which reads:They read good books, and quote, but never learn a language other than the scream of rocket-burn. Our straighter talk is drowned but ironclad: elections, money, empire, oil and Dad," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Lighting candles and singing songs of peace, relatives of victims of the Sept 11 attacks on Wednesday visited a shelter in Badgdad bombed during the Gulf War. Terry Rockefeller of Massachusetts, who also lost a sister, said Americans did not realise how much they had in common with the Iraqi people," reported the Reuters news agency.
"UN weapons inspectors plan to ask Iraqi scientists to leave Iraq soon to be interviewed in Cyprus about prohibited weapons. Chief UN inspector Hans Blix said on Thursday his teams would interview scientists within a week or so to get more information. But he did not say whether the Iraqis would be taken out of the country, as the United States had demanded," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Prime Minister John Howard yesterday announced that Australian forces could be deployed to the Middle East within weeks in preparation for a possible war with Iraq," reported the AFP news service.
"Film director Martin Scorsese took time out from promoting his latest movie Gangs of New York on Thursday to join a growing list of celebrities opposing a possible US-led war on Iraq," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Gun crime in England and Wales - one of the country’s most pressing social issues - shot up by 35% last year, official figures showed. The sharp increase would reinforce calls for tighter gun laws following the New Year’s Eve murder of two black teenage girls, cut down in the crossfire of a suspected gangland battle," reported the Reuters news agency.
"President George W. Bush is very concerned about US job losses and urges the US Congress to pass his US$674bil tax cut plan to boost economic growth. The US labour market took a turn for the worse in December as the economy lost 101,000 jobs," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The United States Thursday launched a last-ditch campaign to prevent Libya from assuming the chairmanship of the UN Commission on Human Rights later this month. Diplomats, who began making representations to their host governments Thursday, were believed to have asked the other commission members to join US in calling for a formal ballot on the chairmanship and then voting against Libya. The tactic is likely to spark a furore in the body, which usually decides such matters by acclamation," reported the AFP news service.
"A white supremacist group whose leader is accused of trying to have a federal judge murdered said on Thursday it will proceed with plans to protest against an invasion of this New England college community by Somali immigrants," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A conference on Palestinian reform will go ahead in London next week, despite Israel's refusal to let Palestinian representatives travel. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he and Prime Minister Tony Blair would meet with representatives of the European Union, the United States, Russia and the United Nations in London on Tuesday. Palestinian delegates would take part via a telephone conference call," reported the AP news agency.
"German authorities arrested two Yemeni men yesterday on suspicion of belonging to high-ranking Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda organisation," reported the AP news agency.
"Thousands of US colleges and universities must soon begin supplying information about their foreign students to a new, online INS tracking system. The system troubles some students and school administrators, who worry that it will harm the thousands of students who come to the United States legally and without ill intent," reported the AP news agency.
"North Korea, warning of a Third World War,withdrew from the global treaty that bars it from making nuclear weapons but said yesterday it was willing to talk to Washington to end the escalating crisis. US President George W. Bush talked by phone yesterday with Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who voiced disappointment and concern," reported the AP news agency.
"South Korean president-elect Roh Moo-hyun has suggested that the 37,000 US troops still in the country half a century after the 1950-53 Korean War can be gone within a decade, making Seoul responsible for its own defence," reported the Reuters news agency.
