"At least 40 people were killed and 100 wounded in suicide bomb attacks in Morocco's biggest city, diplomatic sources said, hours after the United States said that al-Qaeda was poised to strike again. A Jewish centre and Spanish club were among the targets of Friday night's second major attack within a week on an Arab state with historically close ties to the United States, following multiple suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia," reported the Reuters news agency
"Alarmed by a huge increase in intercepted communications indicating that al-Qaeda-related attacks may be imminent, western countries put their citizens on alert in the Middle East, East Africa and South-East Asia. The fears were made all the more real by a string of bombings in Casablanca, Morocco, late on Friday that killed at least 39 people and injured dozens more at sites frequented by foreigners," reported the AFP news service.
"Saudi Arabia on Friday reiterated its intention to work closely with the United States to fight terrorism, and hit out at critics seeking to blame Riyadh for recent suicide attacks," reported the AFP news service.
"Belgium said yesterday it did not believe a bomb that went off near its consulate in Casablanca actually targeted the mission, as the death toll rose to 39 from the carnage in the Moroccan city," reported the AFP news service.
"The US-led administration in Iraq banned senior members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party from returning to government posts but after talks with Iraqi leaders appeared to back away from a looming deadline to form new democratic institutions to take its place," reported the AFP news service.
"Senator Joseph Lieberman, senior Democrat on the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, has urged that hearings be conducted on the Bush administration's limited competition for contracts on reconstruction work in Iraq. The Army Corps of Engineers separately awarded a contract to a subsidiary of Halliburton Co, of Houston, to revive Iraq's oil production. There was no competition," reported the AP news agency.
"Saddam Hussein was in excellent health while he was Iraqi president and has the experience and brains to remain in hiding for years, according to his most trusted doctors. The doctors, who refused to be identified, said Saddam, born in 1937, expected to live over 90 years and was not the sort who would contemplate suicide, even if he was about to be captured," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A mass grave thought to contain up to 600 Kuwaiti prisoners of war executed in 1991 has been discovered in a former security camp west of Baghdad and awaits forensic testing," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A former top official of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard, and cousin of the deposed leader, Gen Kamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan al-Tikriti, the No. 10 on the American Iraqi Top 55 listsurrendered to coalition forces in Baghdad yesterday," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A double-decker German tour bus overturned on a highway in heavy rain in south-eastern France early yesterday, killing at least 28 of the 74 people on board," reported the AP news agency.
"Thousands of people gathered to mourn anti-apartheid hero Walter Sisulu at a special funeral led by his comrade and Nobel Laureate Nelson Mandela yesterday. Crowds lined the streets to catch a glimpse of Sisulu's coffin, draped in the South African flag, as the hearse made its way to Orlando Stadium from his home," reported the Reuters news agency.
"In an effort to further thwart terrorism, the United States will require nearly all visa applicants to be interviewed in person by diplomats, a move that will complicate an already laborious process. The change has sparked concerns and raised eyebrows at the State Department which, officials said, did not currently have the manpower to implement the new policy effectively," reported the AFP news service.
"Survivors of the Bali bombing, including some in urgent need of financial help, are still waiting to see some of the millions of dollars raised after the blast through public donations, it was reported yesterday," reported the AFP news service.
"Marking the first year of independence, the president of East Timor on Friday urged his impoverished countrymen to be patient, saying the government must focus on the economy and calling the past 12 months a good lesson for the future. President Xanana Gusmao, a chain-smoking ex-independence fighter, said East Timor was going in the right direction but acknowledged widespread discontent," reported the AP news agency.
"Three college students were arrested for allegedly staging a kidnapping as part of a psychology experiment to see how bystanders would react. Police initially feared the kidnapping was related to a series of crimes believed to be the work of gangs. The students are due in court on Wednesday," reported the AP news agency.
"Matrix Reloaded, the second round in brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski's sci-fi trilogy, grossed a record US$42.5mil in its nationwide premier on Thursday," reported the AFP news service.
"US prosecutors charged 15 high school students with battery on Friday in connection with a raucous initiation ceremony that spun out of control landing five girls in the hospital. Cook county state's attorney announced the misdemeanour battery charges against 12 girls and three boys from a suburban high school here in a press conference in which he said the May 4 incident was anything but a harmless prank," reported the AFP news service.
"The United States told China on Friday that new laws which include the death penalty for quarantine violations would not significantly check the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and would further stigmatise victims," reported the AFP news service.
"A weekend of flash floods and landslides killed 141 people in south-central Sri Lanka, state media reported Monday, and meteorology officials warned more rain was on its way. The state-run Daily News, quoting state officials, put the death toll at 141," reported the AP news agency.
"L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq, traveled to Mosul to meet with a U.S.-installed city council in the turbulent city and to consider the challenges of restoring order to the ethnically volatile and oil-rich region," reported the AP news agency.
"The Iraqi agency responsible for paying pensioners handed out emergency cash for the first time, triggering hours of chaos as retirees and their families struggled to force their way into the Baghdad office building while U.S. troops tried to maintain order," reported the AP news agency.
"The U.N. children's fund warned that Iraq could slip into a major crisis without quick action to meet its urgent humanitarian needs, including getting children back to school and removing lethal ordnance left over from the war," reported the AP news agency.
"Germany's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer wants the United Nations to have the final say in declaring Iraq free of weapons of mass destruction. But he stopped short of linking German approval for lifting sanctions to the return of U.N. weapons inspectors who Washington says are not needed," reported the AP news agency.
"Dozens of Iraqis chanting anti-Baath Party slogans toppled a statue of Saddam Hussein's predecessor, former President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, in Baghdad," reported the AP news agency.
"A plane loaded with some 50 tons (45 metric tons) of Italian humanitarian aid, including medicine and food, arrived Sunday in Jordan en route to Iraq," reported the AP news agency.
"Some of the 13 suicide bombers who killed 28 people in Casablanca are Moroccans linked to a little-known local radical Islamist group and came from abroad, Morocco's Justice Minister said yesterday. The bombings on Friday prompted fresh warnings from US President George W. Bush that al-Qaeda remained a threat," reported the Reuters news agency
"Bush said the attacks in Casablanca and the Saudi capital Riyadh demonstrate that the war against terror goes on, and offered Morocco US support in hunting the perpetrators," reported the Reuters news agency.
"While Friday's suicide bombings herebore the hallmarks of the al-Qaeda network, many ordinary residents of the Moroccan economic capital place the ultimate blame on US foreign policy. Noting that most of the suicide bombers were Moroccans, businessman Isham Slaoui warned: It can't go on like this. One day the anger erupts. This is only the beginning," reported the AFP news service.
"US officials believe Saif al-Adel, an Egyptian al-Qaeda leader they say is hiding in Iran, helped organise the triple bombings in Riyadh that killed 34 people last week," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The World Health Organisation (WHO), pleased with its work in tackling SARS, aims to land another blow against disease when member states approve an anti-smoking pact at annual talks opening today. If adopted, it would be opened for signature on June 16 and come into force after 40 countries have ratified it," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Part-time soldiers will be used to guard major landmarks like the Sydney Opera House as Australia steps up its defence spending and its level of vigilance against potential terror attacks," reported the Reutersnews agency.
"Pope John Paul celebrated his 83rd birthday yesterday carrying out one of his favourite tasks – creating new saints as role models for members of the Roman Catholic Church. Before thousands of faithful in St Peters Square, the pontiff elevated two fellow Poles and two Italians – all founders of religious orders – to sainthood," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The United Nations children's fund Unicef called yesterday for a quick return to school for Iraq's children, despite the humanitarian and security crisis," reported the AFP news service," reported the Reuters news agency.
"It's official. After intensive research, scientists have concluded that politicians lie. In a study described in Britain's Observer newspaper, Glen Newey, a political scientist at Britain's University of Strathclyde, concluded that lying is an important part of politics in the modern democracy," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Newey said lying by politicians can occasionally be entirely justified, such as when national security is at risk, and the public even has a right to be lied to in cases where they do not expect to be told the whole truth, such as during a war. But the main cause of lying is increased probing by the public into areas that the government would rather not discuss candidly. If voters only asked fewer questions, politicians would tell them fewer lies," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Saudi authorities have identified five men involved in the triple suicide bombings that killed 34 people in Riyadh, and arrested four people allegedly linked to the attacks. Teams from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and British police were here only to inspect (the sites of the bombings) and would not take part in the investigation being conducted by Saudi Arabia," reported the AFP news service.
"Senior US military officials acknowledged on Saturday they have encountered unexpected obstacles to restoring security in Baghdad, including the dilemma of who should be in custody and who should not. Six weeks after the fall of Baghdad, the city of five million remained a dangerous place where looters and criminal gangs roamed freely, but the military said it was pushing to change that," reported the AP news agency.
"A Palestinian suicide bomber disguised as a religious Jew killed seven people on a Jerusalem bus yesterday, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to put off a White House trip to discuss a US-backed peace plan. Another suicide bomber struck soon afterwards at a nearby roadblock but killed only himself," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Share prices were lower on the London Stock Exchange Monday. Wall Street suffered its biggest decline in nearly two months Monday as investors grew nervous that a declining dollar would dampen foreign investment in the United States," reported the AP news agency.
"WorldCom Inc. has agreed to pay investors a record $500 million to settle civil fraud charges over its $11 billion accounting scandal, which was the biggest in U.S. corporate history, lawyers for the company and the federal government announced Monday. The fine would be by far the largest the Securities and Exchange Commission has ever imposed in connection with a financial fraud," reported the AP news agency.
"Thousands of Shi’ite Muslims rallied here yesterday to protest plans for a US-installed regime, a day after Iraq's top American official vowed to press ahead with the establishment of an interim national government. Up to 10,000 people staged yesterday's peaceful march against what they said were plans to create a puppet government. It was one of the biggest demonstrations against the US presence since the ouster of former dictator Saddam Hussein last month," reported the AP news agency.
"An Australian missionary with the Seventh Day Adventist Church was beheaded over the weekend in the Solomon Islands. The Australian Associated Press, quoting sources on the island, reported that he was killed at a church mission building site and that there may have been a land dispute concerning the project," reported the AFP news service.
"The number of children suffering from autism has doubled in California in the past four years, according to a new study which has fuelled worldwide concerns that an environmental factor may be making them susceptible to the condition. British doctors have reacted with alarm to the research, and the findings will be seized on by campaigners who believe that the triple MMR vaccine is causing bowel disease and autism in children. Such claims have consistently been denied by Britain’s Department of Health," reported the Sunday Telegraph.
"A suspected Palestinian suicide bomber struck an Israeli shopping mall yesterday, killing at least two people and extending a new wave of bloodshed that has dimmed hopes for a US-backed peace plan," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A Palestinian riding a bicycle blew himself up near an Israeli army jeep yesterday in the fourth Hamas suicide bombing in two days, while Israel decided to deepen Yasser Arafat's isolation in response to the latest violence. Three soldiers were lightly hurt in the bombing in the Gaza Strip," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Al-Qaeda has promoted Osama bin Laden's personal security expert to be the terrorist organisation's new military chief, an international terrorism expert said yesterday. Egyptian Saif al-Adel has replaced Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, al-Qaeda's number three, said Rohan Gunaratna, a world authority on the shadowy terror network," reported the AFP news service.
"Moroccan police sources yesterday said they have identified eight of the 14 suicide bombers who killed 41 and injured 100 people in Casablanca on Friday. Police said the eight Moroccans belonged to two small Islamic extremist groups called the Right Way and Immigration. King Mohammed VI earlier linked the attacks to an international terrorist organisation without naming al-Qaeda," reported the dpa news agency.
"A second group of European tourists held hostage for up to three months in Algeria's Sahara Desert has been released. They are on their way to the capital Algiers," reported the AFP news service.
"The European Union was set yesterday to declare its fledgling rapid reaction force ready for tasks from peacekeeping to peacemaking, but conceded it would not actually be rapid or capable of risky missions just yet. A draft of the declaration, to be agreed by defence ministers meeting here, said that thanks to fresh contributions to a common pool of military kit and forces, the EU could now tackle crises across the full range of Petersberg Tasks," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Australia's top policeman said yesterday his force had helped thwart new terrorist attacks in South-East Asia and hoped to maintain an indefinite overseas counter-terrorism presence in the region," reported the AFP news service.
"Police said yesterday they were alarmed at a spate of major drug hauls in the past week that have raised fears that international traffickers are targeting Australia," reported the AP news agency.
"People who often suffer from headaches are also likely to snore, researchers have found. A study of more than 700 people looked at links between chronic or occasional headaches and snoring. The findings showed that these people were more than twice as likely to be chronic snorers as those who had occasional headaches," reported the dpa news agency.
"With St Peter's turned into a Polish square, Pope John Paul II told his countrymen yesterday that his judgment day is drawing near. The ailing pontiff had spoken increasingly about his own mortality, but had brushed aside any suggestion he should step down," reported the AP news agency.
"One of the attractions of The Matrix, the film whose sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, opens in Britain next week, was its blending of fantasy and reality. A series of murders in the United States suggests some people have been unable to distinguish between the two," reported the Guardian.
"A primary school in Birmingham in the English Midlands has banned parents from attending the annual school sports day in order to spare children the embarrassment of losing in front of their mothers and fathers," reported the Daily Telegraph.
"US Vice-President Richard Cheney on Sunday extolled the United States as a country of second chances that people will always need to correct their failures. Cheney, who abandoned a lucrative business career to become Bush's running mate in the 2000 election, advised young men and women to be flexible with their plans for the future," reported the AFP news service.
"Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt was set to form a new centre-left government after the ruling Liberals and Socialists won a general election that also produced big gains for a far-right party," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Australia’s top kidney specialist helped doctors in New Zealand carry out a delicate operation yesterday without leaving his office, in what is believed to be the first remote surgical procedure of its kind carried out across international borders," reported the AFP news service.
"Indonesian troops parachuted into Aceh and warplanes bombed rebel bases as the military launched a major offensive just hours after martial law was declared in the troubled province. The war in Aceh could be a vote-winner for Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri if it is short, successful and free of the gross military abuses which stained previous campaigns," reported the AFP news service.
"The ThaiGovernment launched its war against Mafia-style rackets led by influential people yesterday, amid heightened security for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra following a death threat," reported the Asia News Network.
"It seems Cambodia's royal oxen may have also heard the rumour that recently spread through the country that eating specially-prepared mung beans can ward off the deadly SARS virus," reported the dpa news agency.
"Seventeen ancient tombs, dating from 206BC to 1644AD, were discovered in Shangluo City of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province early this month. The tombs were all located in an area of 2,000 sq metres," reported the Asia News Network.
"The United States and Britain said yesterday they were closing their embassies and other missions in Saudi Arabia today due to the risk of attacks following suicide bombings in Riyadh last week," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A bomb exploded at a central cafe in Turkey's capital during morning rush hour yesterday, killing a woman and wounding another person," reported the AP news agency.
"Saudi Arabia said yesterday it was stepping up measures to prevent terror attacks after devastating suicide bombings here last week that killed at least 34 people, mainly foreigners," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The young suicide bombers who killed at least 29 people in Casablanca last week were linked to international terrorism," reported the Reuters news agency.
"To thwart terrorists, the Pentagon is developing a computer surveillance system that would give US agents fingertip access to government and commercial records from around the world that could fill the Library of Congress more than 50 times," reported the AP news agency.
"The US Justice Department was accused of using half truths and deception on Monday in its bid to win convictions in the first terrorism-related trial stemming from arrests made by federal officials after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on the United States," reported the Reuters news agency.
"In hopes of getting strong UN support, the United States made some concessions in its quest to lift 13-year-old trade sanctions against Iraq, somewhat enhancing the role of the United Nations and opening the door for the return of UN arms inspectors. But the resolution, expected to be adopted by Friday, still gives the United States and Britain wide-ranging powers to run Iraq and control its oil industry until a permanent government is established, which could take years," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israel, acting despite a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings, relaxed its military grip yesterday from a Gaza Strip area where first steps could be taken in a US-backed peace plan," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Australia's hardline immigration minister faced calls to resign yesterday as police launched an investigation into alleged fraud and child sexual abuse at one of the country's controversial detention camps for asylum-seekers," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Scientists believe an effective AIDS vaccine might be a step closer after studying an unexpected response to the HIV virus in individuals in Uganda who appear immune to infection," reported the Guardian.
"A schoolboy has been expelled for wearing his hair like soccer star David Beckham. The newspaper also quoted a hairdresser who warned that blond hair may be too fine to keep in ultra-tight cornrows without breaking the follicles, and that white men who wear the style could risk going prematurely bald. The boy's father, Don Jamieson, told the paper he would fight the expulsion of his son," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A Sydney traffic controller sued his former employer for unfair dismissal yesterday, claiming he was sacked via mobile phone text message from a company director," reported the AP news agency.
"Two men convicted in the bombing of a Jakarta shopping mall testified yesterday in the trial of alleged Indonesian terror chief Abubakar Ba'asyir, but – in a possible blow to the prosecution – said the defendant had nothing to do with the attack. Ba'asyir has not been named a suspect in the Bali attack and has denied all wrongdoing. His lawyers say the case against him is weak and that his arrest was due to pressure from foreign governments," reported the AP news agency.
"East Timor President Xanana Gusmao delivered a sobering message to the tiny nation on its first anniversary of independence yesterday, saying people were enjoying freedom but not making good use of democracy. The former rebel leader reeled off a list of problems plaguing Asia's poorest nation and said politicians were especially to blame, failing to make any laws," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A powerful earthquake shook the Algerian capital region Wednesday night, killing at least 509 people and injuring more than 4,700," reported the AP news agency.
"The United States, Germany and Britain closed their embassies to the public from yesterday, fearing new terror strikes in Saudi Arabia as the hunt for Islamic extremists stepped up," reported the AFP news service.
"The United States ordered increased vigilance against terror attacks on Tuesday in case suicide bombings that killed 75 people in Morocco and Saudi Arabia presaged attempts to strike on American soil," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Australian police denied yesterday reports that it planned to deploy flying squads of counter-terrorism agents in South-East Asia. The denial came a day after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad warned Australia that its policemen would not be welcomed in Malaysia," reported the AFP news service.
"Israeli tanks forced the Palestinian prime minister to scrap a tour in the Gaza Strip yesterday amid reports that US President George W. Bush may visit the Middle East to try to rescue a peace plan," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Babies exposed to cockroaches, pesticides and a range of other substances in the first year of life appear to have a higher risk of developing asthma later in childhood," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A woman was accused on Tuesday of murdering three of her children and keeping the bodies for a decade or more before leaving them in a rented storage unit in Arizona, where they were discovered last week," reported the AP news agency.
"A former member of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party and number 50 on Washington's list of most wanted Iraqis, Ugla Abid Sighar al-Kubeiysi, is in the custody of US-led forces in Iraq," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Intrigue, sex, abuse of power and even witchcraft are the ingredients of a contentious new book The Boss Lady that breaks taboos by delving deep into the private lives of Mexico's president and first lady," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Anti-tobacco groups were fuming with Oscar-winning Australian actress Nicole Kidman yesterday after she publicly lit up during a press conference at the Cannes film festival," reported the AFP news service.
"The World Health Organisation (WHO) adopted a historic anti-tobacco treaty yesterday to try to stem the rising toll from smoking-related deaths. The WHO's policy-making assembly adopted the accord without a vote amid thunderous applause," reported the AP news agency.
"The United States has again gone back to the drawing board in an effort to win broad UN support for its draft Security Council resolution ending international sanctions on Iraq. Rather than bring the measure to a vote yesterday, as it initially had hoped, Washington put off the vote until today, at the earliest, after members of the 15-nation Security Council suggested dozens of changes in the 12-page draft during a four-hour closed-door debate on Tuesday," reported the Reuters news agency.
"US administrator Paul Bremer said yesterday an Iraqi national conference to choose an interim authority will most likely be held in July, more than a month later than originally planned. The delay was announced after differences emerged between Bremer and Iraqi political leaders who wanted a swift handover of power to a full-fledged Iraqi government," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Billionaire investor George Soros said on Tuesday he was setting up a watchdog group to guard against any abuses in how the United States manages Iraq's oil resources while it occupies Baghdad. Citing reports that a handful of US corporations were winning huge reconstruction contracts from Washington without competitive bidding, Soros said many people around the world feared that the United States might abuse its authority while it and close ally Britain occupied post-war Iraq," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The SARS virus has infected chains of up to 15 people and it appears to be just as hardy in its last victim as in its first one, disease experts say, suggesting its ability to spread isn't weakening," reported the AP news agency.
"Rescue workers scrabbled at mounds of rubble yesterday morning to find survivors of an earthquake in the Algerian capital and nearby towns that killed over 640 people and injured nearly 5,000," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A suspected gas explosion at a snack bar here yesterday killed one person and injured seven others, police said. The exact cause of the blast – so powerful that it blew refrigerators out of the snack bar – was still under investigation, but Mayor Mustafa Sarigul said a leak from a gas canister was the most likely cause," reported the AP news agency.
"Saudi police have arrested four more suspects linked to an al-Qaeda ring as they continue a crackdown on extremists following the Riyadh suicide bombings," reported the AP news agency.
"An explosive device went off in an empty classroom at the Yale University law school, sending debris flying and students scrambling for safety. No injuries were reported and the damage was minor," reported the AP news agency.
"Dust-covered but alive, a two-year-old girl was pulled from the rubble of Algeria's earthquake, a moment of joy for rescuers as the stench of decaying bodies drowned out hopes of finding many others alive," reported the AP news agency.
"FBI agents arrested a man at an airport near the Canadian border Friday, saying he showed security screeners two pocket knives he was carrying and had packed a small bomb in his luggage. Authorities said it did not appear that Ricky Reed, 43, had any plans to damage a plane," reported the AP news agency.
"The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday withdrew warnings against travel to Hong Kong and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, saying the SARS outbreaks there were under control," reported the Reuters news agency.
"SARS may have come from space, according to a novel theory aired by a trio of astrobiologists in Britain and India. In a letter in today's issue of the British medical weekly The Lancet, they said the idea for this came from experiments, carried out in January 2001, in which a tethered, sterile balloon collected samples from the stratosphere," reported the AFP news service.
"The US administrator in Iraq acted swiftly on America's overwhelming victory at the United Nations over its plans to rebuild the oil-rich country, dissolving several key Baathist ministries and bodies yesterday," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The US general who led the American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Tommy Franks, has decided to retire, US television reported on Thursday. The Pentagon investigated and eventually cleared Franks of accusations this year that he abused his authority. But the inquiry also found he broke rules by allowing his wife to sit in on secret briefings. He was not punished, however, because it was determined the actions did not harm national security," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A top expert on the psychology of terrorism who spent two decades in the CIA said on Thursday suicide bombers are not crazy and are often seen as models of exemplary behaviour in their societies. Jerrold Post, who founded the Central Intelligence Agency's Centre for the Analysis of Personality and Political Behaviour, presented his findings after interviewing 21 radical Islamic extremists in Israeli and Palestinian prisons," reported the Reuters news agency.
