"A blurry videotape of the moments before a controversial police beating of a handcuffed black teenager was aired on television on Friday, the day after two officers pleaded innocent to charges in the incident that renewed racial tensions across Los Angeles. A brief excerpt from the videotape taken by security cameras at the suburban Inglewood gas station where Donovan Jackson was roughed up on July 6 showed grainy images of a person on the ground, struggling with another man, and then being subdued by several other people," reported the Reuters news agency.
"US officials have arrested a Jordanian-born man alleged to have US$12mil in fake cashier’s checks and said they suspected he trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan. Officials said 47-year-old Omar Shishani was detained on Wednesday when he arrived at Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israeli and Palestinian officials were set to hold talks yesterday evening that Israel postponed after two deadly attacks earlier in the week. Seeking to deter further suicide bombings, Israel on Friday set terms for the possible deportation of relatives of Palestinian militants who provided a supportive environment for suicide bombings. Erekat, a Palestinian Cabinet minister, branded the proposed exile, which Israel used against suspected militants in the 1987-93 Palestinian uprising, as a crime against humanity. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned that destroying Palestinian homes and deporting relatives of suicide bombers amounted to collective punishments of Palestinians," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A provincial governor and three other people were wounded when fighters of the Abu Sayyaf Muslim kidnapping group ambushed them in the southern Philippines yesterday," reported the AFP news service.
"The US air campaign to dislodge al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan has claimed hundreds of civilian lives through a tragic pattern of mistakes. The report was based on reviews conducted over a six-month period of 11 locations where air strikes killed as many as 400 civilians. The reviews found that even when genuine military targets were identified, civilians were sometimes killed as a result of the Pentagon’s use of overwhelming force. Afghan officials are beginning to demand a greater say in the choice of US targets. Abdullah Abdullah, the Afghan foreign minister, said if things do not improve, he will certainly pray for the Americans and wish them success, but he will no longer be able to take part in this," reported the AFP news service.
"Thousands of New Yorkers voiced their opposition on Saturday to preliminary plans to redevelop the World Trade Centre," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Government records show that President George W. Bush while in private business had confidential information in 1990 about financial problems facing a Texas oil company just months before he sold stock in the firm. In recent weeks, Bush has been confronted with renewed questions from reporters about circumstances surrounding his sale of Harken Energy Corp stock in 1990. Bush was an outside director of Harken at the time of the sale. The White House has also been fending off questions surrounding Vice-President Dick Cheney’s actions while serving as chief executive of Halliburton Co, a Texas-based oil services company," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Firefighters in Germany had to bring in a crane to hoist a man weighing 300kg out of his flat in Stuttgart Saturday. Paramedics summoned firefighters when they found the man was too large to squeeze through the door and down the stairs of his apartment house," reported the dpa news agency.
"The partner of a white policeman who was videotaped punching a handcuffed black teenager has been removed from active duty after acknowledging that he too struck the youth," reported the AP news agency.
"A bomb exploded under an Israeli rush-hour passenger train yesterday, but its wounded driver was the only casualty of the suspected Palestinian attack that followed high-level Israeli-Palestinian talks. The blast at the start of the Israeli work week occurred only hours after Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told Palestinian leaders that Palestinian violence was delaying steps to relieve civilian suffering in West Bank cities reoccupied by Israel," reported the Reuters news agency.
"An Israeli warplane attacked a house in a crowded, rundown Gaza City neighborhood early Tuesday, aiming at a leading Hamas militant but killing at least 11 people, including women and children, and burying efforts to reduce Mideast tensions. It was not clear if the militant was killed. Ranaan Gissin, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said Israel wouldn't make any concessions before the Palestinians moved to end attacks. Palestinian officials have demanded Israel withdraw from the towns, saying they can't prevent attacks against Israelis as long as the army is in place, enforcing curfews and hunting down militants," reported the AP news agency.
"The federal judge overseeing the WorldCom bankruptcy case approved a Justice Department request Monday to allow the appointment of an independent examiner to investigate for mismanagement, irregularities and fraud," reported the AP news agency.
"Nearly two decades after one of the world’s most devastating famines in Africa, scientists are pointing a finger at pollution from industrial nations as one of the possible causes. Now, a group of scientists in Australia and Canada say that drought may have been triggered by tiny particles of sulfur dioxide spewed by factories and power plants thousands of miles away in North America, Europe and Asia," reported the AP news agency.
"Stone-throwing Filipinos clashed with police yesterday as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo told a new session of Congress that her government would eradicate poverty and clamp down on crime. Thousands of mostly left-wing activists marched to within 400m of the legislature before some 500 anti-riot police blocked their path. Chanting Gloria resign and US puppet, the protesters tried to tear down a steel barrier. Police charged with batons and used water canon to keep them away and were met with a volley of stones," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israel said yesterday that it had released some tax receipts owed to Palestinians for the first time since shortly after a Palestinian uprising flared in 2000 and more could be transferred if the funds are not misused. The gesture, together with a government decision to lift a much-criticised shutdown of an eminent Palestinian moderate’s offices, could precede steps to ease the hardships of Palestinians in West Bank cities reoccupied by the Israeli army," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Iraq and Iran exchanged on Sunday the remains of more than 1,700 soldiers who died in the two countries’ prisons after being captured in their 1980-88 war. The exchange is part of efforts by the neighbours, branded by the United States as part of an axis of evil, to normalise relations," reported the Reuters news agency.
"An Augustinian priest in this central Philippine city has been accused of molesting four teenage altar boys in the latest sex scandal to rock this predominantly Roman Catholic country, church records showed yesterday," reported the Asia News Network.
"Asean countries will sign an anti-terrorism agreement with the United States during their annual post-ministerial conference (PMC) in Brunei next week. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said the contents of this pact would be “inspired and based” on those contained in a similar agreement signed between Malaysia and the US during the Prime Minister’s visit to Washington in May," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Wall Street staggered through another volatile session Tuesday, with the Dow Jones industrials bouncing between gains and losses before surrendering in late afternoon and closing with their fourth straight loss. Tech stocks suffered even sharper losses after AT&T and Lucent issued disappointing earnings reports. And financial stocks were hit hard by questions about bankers' possible role in the collapse of Enron," reported the AP news agency.
"Tokyo stocks declined early Wednesday, after another volatile day on Wall Street. The U.S. dollar was slightly higher against the yen," reported the AP news agency.
"Shares fell Tuesday in a volatile day of trading on the London Stock Exchange," reported the AP news agency.
"Major investment banks gave Enron Corp. multimillion-dollar loans that helped the now-bankrupt company disguise its true financial condition and, in some cases, they knew that Enron was using deceptive accounting for the loans," reported the AP news agency.
"European stocks had another bad day Tuesday, as investors reacted to wobbling on Wall Street and the Belgian-Dutch banking and insurance company Fortis warned that it probably wouldn't meet its most recent guidance for 2002 profit," reported the AP news agency.
"Israel’s air strike on the Gaza Strip was universally condemned by world leaders, including US President George W. Bush," reported the AFP news service.
"Radical Syrian-based Palestinian groups vowed revenge yesterday for Israel’s late night strike on Gaza City," reported the AFP news service.
"The United States and Europe locked horns yesterday in the battle to convince air forces around the world that they have the best fighter for the 21st century. The stakes are high for plane manufacturers. The Sept 11 attacks sent civil aviation into a financial tailspin and for the beleaguered industry, defence is now the one bright spot in turbulent skies as governments boost spending," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A terrorist suspect said to have been arrested in Oman with links to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network was the mastermind of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) group’s bombing plans here," reported the Asia News Network.
"An Israeli missile smashed into a crowded Gaza City neighbourhood yesterday killing at least 15 Palestinians, including nine children and its target, the commander of the military wing of Hamas. The overnight strike, defended by Israel as an unavoidable step to protect its citizens from suicide bombers was condemned by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan for exacting high casualties among civilians. Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassine promised action against Israeli after the air strike," reported the news agencies.
"Afghan President Hamid Karzai has asked for American bodyguards to help reinforce his security," reported the BBC news agency.
"The US has filed murder charges against five rebel leaders of the Philippines' Abu Sayyaf guerrilla movement for the kidnap and murder of US nationals. Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson said The United States sends a signal that they will work to track down and prosecute all those who commit barbaric acts of terrorism there at home and abroad," reported the BBC news agency.
"Iranian President Mohammed Khatami has accused the United States of warmongering and warned that any prospective military action against Iraq could seriously threaten regional stability," reported the BBC news agency.
"Israel braced yesterday for revenge attacks as its leadership tried to back away from its deadly air strike in Gaza City that triggered a barrage of condemnation from around the world. Senior Israeli military officialssaid they did not expect the surrounding buildings to suffer the kind of damage that would result in deaths," reported the AFP news service.
"The FBI said on Tuesday that it had opened a preliminary probe into charges that federal agents scrawled anti-Muslim graffiti in the home of an Arab-American man arrested in Detroit for allegedly possessing US$12mil in fake cashier’s cheques," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A raging wildfire threatened some of America’s giant sequoias and the Forest Service called in more than 1,000 firefighters in an all-out effort to save the towering symbols of the West," reported the AP news agency.
"With the US stock market plummeting and corporate scandals blooming, a spate of recent polls shows a dramatic increase in public concern about the country’s direction, creating possible new opportunities for Democrats in November. While President George W. Bush’s personal approval ratings remain high and congressional preferences are largely even between the two parties, gauges of the national mood show increasing public uneasiness, with more Americans saying the country is headed down the wrong track," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Congress overwhelmingly approved a compromise $28.9 billion anti-terrorism bill on Wednesday after a four-month struggle with President Bush over how much the latest response to the Sept. 11 attacks should cost. The Senate debated less than a half-hour before voting 92-7 to endorse the package, which provides money for the Pentagon, rebuilding New York, better FBI computers and improved food inspections. The House signed off on the measure by 397-32 on Tuesday," reported the AP news agency.
"The White House on Wednesday defended President Bush's plans for a nearly monthlong vacation in August, suggesting that the base of operations for presidential duties would merely move from Washington to Bush's Texas ranch. He derided as merely partisan any criticism of the president's decision to take a summer vacation in the midst of mounting economic uncertainty," reported the AP news agency.
"Next month the United States plans to introduce a highly controversial plan which involves recruiting one million volunteers in 10 cities across the country to be on the lookout for suspicious terrorism-related activities. The spying programme will target people who, by the nature of their work, like cable installers or utility technicians, are well positioned to recognise unusual events. For a freedom-loving country, which sees itself as a model democracy for others to emulate, this spying game will put fear into people. While the postal workers may be against the plan, there are others who think the spying game is good," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Israel's deadly air strike on Gaza City was a war crime which falls within the jurisdiction of the world's new criminal court, the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations says. In a letter to the head of the UN Security Council, Nasser al-Kidwa said the killings of 15 Palestinians on Monday was the first war crime to have been committed since the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened on 1 July. The Palestinian Authority (PA) itself would not be able to file a case, as the ICC can only investigate cases brought forward by states, which the PA is not. However, the court is allowed to investigate cases referred to it by the Security Council. Its jurisdiction began on 1 July, but no cases have yet been brought to it, and Israel is one of several countries which have refused to ratify its 1998 founding treaty," reported the BBC news agency.
"The United States has failed to block a United Nations treaty on preventing torture, but the country is under no obligation to adopt the new convention at home. The US hostility to a convention which it would not have to subscribe to is being seen as a sign of its deep, ideological opposition to multilateral treaties which it believes would impinge on its sovereignty," reported the BBC news agency.
"George Soros, the billionaire financier, has warned that the US dollar could lose one-third of its value over the next few years. On the currency markets, meanwhile, allegations of yet another accounting scandal - this time at office equipment firm Xerox - made investors dump the US dollar and push it within a quarter of a cent of parity with the euro.Mr Soros also warned stock markets could fall "much lower" if consumer confidence and growth faltered in the United States," reported the BBC news agency.
"Drawing on the CIA's expertise, the FBI has formed a new unit of intelligence analysts who already have prompted three recent terror warnings and focused investigative efforts on midlevel al-Qaida members," reported the AP news agency.
"Wall Street tried to extend its big rally Thursday but failed amid concerns about a slump in the semiconductor industry. Another accounting investigation, this time at AOL Time Warner, also reminded investors of their misgivings about corporate ethics," reported the AP news agency.
"European markets rose Thursday as investors welcomed a big rally on Wall Street a day earlier," reported the AP news agency.
"Israel yesterday faced fierce criticism in the United Nations action Security Council over an air strike that killed 15 Palestinians including a top Hamas commander and nine children in Gaza City. Nation after nation said during a late-night debate that Tuesday’s attack was unacceptable and unwarranted. But US officials said Washington, Israel’s closest ally, would oppose a draft resolution condemning the attack if it were put to a vote. The US decision meant Israel was unlikely to suffer anything more than a tongue-lashing in the Security Council as it tries to limit the damage done to its image by the civilian deaths in the attack on the militant’s home in a crowded area," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The United States failed to block a UN vote on a plan to enforce a treaty on torture, and its attempts to do so were widely criticised by European and Latin American allies. Among US concerns was language that could allow for international and independent visits to US prisons and to terror suspects being held by the US military at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba," reported the AP news agency.
"British police raided a mosque yesterday where an Afghan family of illegal immigrants had taken refuge. They entered the mosque near Stourbridge in the West Midlands in the early morning to remove Farid and Feriba Ahmadi, and their two children," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Wednesday Britain was launching a new clampdown on Northern Ireland paramilitaries because of an upsurge of violence which has threatened the province’s peace process. But Protestants who are demanding sanctions against Catholic republicans said they were not reassured. In a reminder of the simmering sectarian tensions in the province, police said a bomb had exploded near the Northern Ireland estate of Lord Alan Brookeborough, a Protestant Unionist member of Britain’s House of Lords, but no one was injured," reported the AFP news service.
"An asteroid that could hit Earth in 17 years should be blown from its present trajectory with a nuclear weapon, an Australian astronomer said yesterday. Dr Vince Ford, an astronomer at the government-run Stromlo Observatory near Canberra, warned that without action the asteroid could plummet to Earth, causing tidal waves and massive destruction," reported the dpa news agency.
"A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, better known as missile man for his close association with nuclear and space industries, was sworn in as India’s 12th president yesterday. He immediately set elimination of poverty as one of his priorities. He warned that India would not be able to reach the goal if it did not learn to transact with speed," reported the AFP news service.
"United States Secretary of State Colin Powell plans to be on a listening mode when he makes his first trip to Malaysia and other countries in the region to assess regional security and efforts to combat terrorism. Powell, who will make his stop in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, said he is anxious to exchange views on the situation in the region, their campaign against terrorism, and what opportunities might exist for more trade and investment," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"The international money order service between Malaysia and the United States will be terminated from Aug 9 under moves by the US government to curb money laundering. According to the letter signed by USPD international director Michael J. Regan, the termination of the service was necessary in the light of recent terrorist activities, especially the Sept 11 attacks on the US. In Kuala Lumpur, US Embassy press officer Frank J. Whitaker said the embassy would contact USPD to verify the matter as it had not been informed of any termination of the services between both countries," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Israel pressed its military operations here yesterday, storming a southern town and blowing up alleged rocket factories while fending off new criticism of its bloody air strike on Monday. Israel also renewed its offer to resume a dialogue with the Palestinians, who remained sceptical, while militants vowed to avenge the aerial bombing of a teeming Gaza City neighbourhood that killed 15 people, including nine children. Peres called the devastating bombing a mistake, although Sharon, who personally approved the raid, called it one of the air force’s most successful operations," reported the AFP news service.
"French national Zacarias Moussaoui, the only man charged in the Sept 11 attacks, finally pleaded not guilty in a chaotic court appearance here after first saying he wanted to admit his guilt," reported the AFP News service.
"The US military’s Central Command yesterday denied a television report from Abu Dhabi that seven American soldiers had been killed and 14 injured in an ambush in eastern Afghanistan," reported the Reuters news agency.
