"The United States and its loyal ally Britain began a feverish round of consultations with international leaders on Friday to overcome opposition to a possible war on Iraq. But US "President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair met resistance from France and Russia – key United Nations Security Council members – to a possible military attack to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, accused by Washington of developing weapons of mass destruction. US Congressional leaders said Bush had to offer more evidence to support his claim that Iraq presents an immediate threat to the United States before they could agree to war. Bush, who is due to set out his case against Iraq in a speech to the United Nations next Thursday, says he has taken no decision on military action," reported the news Agencies.
"In a sign of jitters over war talk, oil prices surged by more than a dollar, and a British newspaper reported that 100 US and British warplanes conducted a major air raid against an airfield in western Iraq on Thursday that could be a prelude to war. The belief that war in the Middle East was becoming inevitable sent oil prices to their highest level in a year. The White House said Bush’s decision on whether to use military force would not be influenced by the effect it would have on the price of oil or on the American economy," reported the news Agencies.
"Malaysia and the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) countries would lodge a joint protest against the United States and British air strikes on Iraq. Malaysian PM, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad who expressed sadness over the strikes, said the attacks would seriously hamper international efforts to fight terrorism and raise anger against the US," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"With a US attack on Iraq imminent, views were varied on this issue at the Asian Global Leadership Forum in Pangkor, Malaysia. Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes Inc, speaking out against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein said the United States had the right to protect itself and that Saddam’s record of aggression was huge and incorrigible. He asserted that some things need to be done even if it means going it unilaterally. But lawyer Paul Reichler, who is the managing partner of US-based Foley Hoag and Elliot said unilaterally launching an unprovoked military attack on Iraq is a violation of the fundamental precepts of international law and the United Nations charter. Reichler said an attack on Iraq would only give the Muslims another reason to hate us (US). He explained that they (muslims) hate us (US) not because of our (American) values but because they believe we (US) subvert the will of the people in the Middle East. Thus, he further suggested US to make a change in attitude and awareness and a new set of policies that supported the people who were unjustly abused, pressed or humiliated," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"The United States is intensifying air operations over Iraq in a war of nerves which military experts said yesterday appears designed to show resolve and confuse Baghdad over a strike date," reported the Reuters news agency.
"With the anniversary approaching of the Sept 11 attacks on America, the US military has resumed 24-hour air patrols by fighter jets over here and New York, US officials said on Friday. The officials, who asked not to be identified, said that the patrols – designed to prevent hijack attacks like the ones that destroyed New York’s World Trade Centre and heavily damaged the Pentagon – resumed on Thursday," reported the Reuters news agency.
"An American airstrike that killed dozens of Afghan civilians at a wedding party was justified because the plane retaliated after coming under fire from the ground, a US military investigation concluded. A summary of the investigation report, released late on Friday, said those who were firing at US aircraft were to blame, not the Americans who fired back. The report said while the
coalition regrets the loss of innocent lives,
the responsibility for that loss rests with
those that knowingly directed hostile fire
at coalition forces," reported the AP news agency.
"Dozens of women who gave birth after their husbands died in the Sept 11 attacks were given a baby shower on Friday, a bittersweet gathering in which memories of tragedy mingled with the laughter of newborns," reported the AP news agency.
"The United States has yet to catch Osama bin Laden and other senior al-Qaeda leaders, and the terrorist network responsible for the Sept 11 attacks remains a threat despite 20,000 American bombs dropped on Afghanistan in a war now costing US$2bil a month. Experts are questioning how well the campaign is proceeding, 11 months into a military action that has cost more than US$15bil (RM57bil) and taken the lives of 39 US soldiers and hundreds of Afghan civilians," reported the AP news agency.
"Lone bombers and gunmen unconnected to the al-Qaeda terrorist network could use the Sept 11 anniversary as a world stage to launch an attack for their own causes. In France, a terrorism expert said Osama bin Laden’s network could be preparing another major attack on a target in the United States or Europe as soon as the end of this year," reported the AP news agency.
"A 47-year-old homeless man from Seattle was held as a sex slave for eight days in a middle-class home equipped with a torture chamber. Shackled hand and foot, the man escaped on Thursday by climbing out a window and running to neighbours for help, he told Clark County sheriff’s officers," reported the AP news agency.
"A judge ruled prison inmates can choose to starve themselves rather than endure years of solitary confinement and that right outweighs the state’s duty to keep them alive," reported the AP news agency.
"Israeli troops seized a Palestinian militant leader and demolished four alleged bomb factories in a Gaza Strip raid yesterday and police in Israel were on high alert for possible attacks on the Jewish New Year holiday," reported the Reuters news agency.
"While some news organisations have tried to sneak material through airport screeners, ABC News thought bigger: the television network smuggled depleted uranium into New York. ABC conducted its operation to test how authorities are guarding against the possibility of a nuclear dirty bomb attack. Correspondent Brian Ross’ investigation will air as part of ABC’s Sept 11 anniversary coverage next week. Paul Friedman, executive vice-president of ABC News, said the press plays an important role in testing how well government is protecting its citizens," reported the AP news agency.
"A Chinese boy who left school aged seven to pursue a writing career has become one of China’s most controversial figures, assailed by critics worried about the perils of prodigy. In his short life as a literary sensation, Dou Kou has been both celebrated and vilified. A third book is promised in which Dou Kou will answer his critics by examining the pressures of handling fame at an early age," reported The Daily Telegraph news agency.
"The main entrance of Singapore General Hospital’s (SGH) Emergency Medicine block looks like any other porch. But in the event of a chemical spill or biological attack, it transforms into a decontamination station at the touch of a button. On why the hospital went about designing its own facility, Associate Professor V. Anantharaman, head of the emergency medicine department, said
after Sept 11 last year, awareness of
chemical agents as possible tools of terrorism has gone up tremendously," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Saddam Hussein is aggressively seeking nuclear and biological weapons and the
United States may well become the target of an attack, Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday as the Bush administration pressed its case for toppling the Iraqi leader. Cheney said he did not know for sure whether Saddam already has a nuclear weapon. Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he did not think so. Bush will address the United Nations on Thursday to build his case for action against Iraq. But Secretary of State Colin Powell said whatever the United Nations decides, Bush will reserve the right to go it alone against Iraq. As a respon, Taha Yassin Ramadan, speaking to reporters in Baghdad, charged that the United States and Britain are seeking an excuse to attack Iraq, saying that they are telling lies and lies to make
others believe them," reported the AP news agency.
"There will be no end to Muslim terrorism if the West is bent on revenge and refuses to acknowledge that terrorists cannot be militarily defeated, Malaysian PM Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said. Calling for the end to the arrogance of power, the Prime Minister said no effort had been made to win the hearts and minds of Muslims. He criticised the West, saying that it does not care to find out the causes of terrorism and remove them and the faint voices protesting among them are ignored as well. Responding the issue of Palestine, he said no one helped the Palestinians restrain their enemies while the Israelis were being financed and armed to the teeth, all in the name of self-defence. He said Samuel Huntington’s forecast about the Clash of Civilisations had come true, as there was now a clash of the West against the Islamic civilisation and typically, the Western solution is to physically fight against the enemy, the Islamic civilisation, the Muslims," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed concern on Saturday about Iraq’s alleged development of nuclear weapons and said there was enough evidence to take action. Bush said he had a
lot of support and urged reporters to listen to his speech on Thursday. US officials said the president would challenge the United Nations to take quick, tough action to disarm Iraq or face the possibility of the United States acting alone to remove Saddam," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Iraq has said it is not frightened by threats of military action, which US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair expect to win broad international support for once they have presented evidence Saddam Hussein is developing weapons of mass destruction. Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, during a meeting late on Saturday with Kurdish officials loyal to Saddam’s regime, said the Iraqi people know well the
evil intentions of the United States against their country and they are totally ready to confront any US-Zionist attack," reported the AFP news service.
"British peace protesters plan to go to Baghdad to act as voluntary human shields during a war against Iraq. The activists, who have received President Saddam Hussein’s blessing for the mission, want to try to deter attacks by
showing solidarity with the Iraqi people and witnessing their suffering. The Iraq peace team, from the group Voices in the Wilderness, intends to go to Iraq as early as this month alongside volunteers from the United States," reported The Sunday Telegraph news agency.
"Speaking almost at the same moment as a US-British summit convened at Camp David on action over Iraq, the leaders of France and Germany declared their opposition on Saturday to any unilateral action against Baghdad," reported the dpa news agency.
"Scott Ritter, a former UN arms inspector who rejects US charges that Baghdad is developing weapons of mass destruction, said in Iraq yesterday it would be a “historical mistake” for Washington to attack. The US national, who arrived on Saturday on a visit he arranged hoping to help stop any US-led war, defied his government to substantiate its claim that Baghdad was producing prohibited weapons and posed a threat to its neighbours," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Al-Qaeda initially planned to hit US nuclear power stations, before it decided to go ahead with Sept 11 strikes on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, investigative journalist Yosri Fuda of Gulf-based Al-Jazeera television said yesterday. Describing his interview last June with two aides of Osama bin Laden, Fuda also said he was told that the fourth target of the Sept 11 attacks was supposed to be Capitol Hill in Washington, and not the White House. Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based Arabic satellite news channel, said last Friday that it would be telecasting the first direct confession by al-Qaeda of its responsibility for the Sept 11 attacks," reported the AFP news service.
"Dr Luay Qasha, head physician of a children’s cancer hospital here, was preparing for an attack, turning the hospital basement into a bomb shelter stocked with food, medicine and water for some 500 people. The confidence echoed in the words of a young medical student, Ghassan Gilian, saying they’re not afraid of America, because they’re trained as soldiers before training to be a doctor and thus if their country needs them as a soldier, they'll be a soldier," reported the AP news agency.
"A huge security clampdown was in force here yesterday before a ceremony marking the anniversary of the assassination of national hero Ahmad Shah Masood. Investigations were continuing into a bid to kill President Hamid Karzai on Thursday and into a car bombing the same day in the capital which killed 30 people. In a further sign of the unstable security situation, 12 people were reportedly injured by a bomb in the southeastern city of Khost yesterday," reported the AFP news service.
"It was about 2am when one of Afghanistan’s most powerful military commanders took an inaugural dip in his new indoor swimming pool, which cost about US$50,000. A few US Special Forces soldiers joined him. Gen Abdul Rashid Dostum and his guests swam in private, according to Ghulam Sakhi, who designed the gaudy pool house. The pool building, a symbol of great wealth in a poor land, stands in astonishing contrast to the dust, desert heat and crumbling dwellings and wreckage of battles scattered along Afghanistan’s potholed roads," reported the AP news agency.
"South Africa’s Secret Service foiled a bomb attack planned by a right-wing extremist group against the UN Earth Summit, which ended in Johannesburg last week," reported the AFP news service.
"The Philippines is monitoring the situation in Iraq amid a possible military strike by the United States and has prepared contingency plans to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Filipinos working in the Middle East," reported the AFP news service.
"Border tensions flared again between India and Pakistan yesterday, as a night-long barrage of artillery fire hit an Indian army garrison, killed one civilian and terrified people along the war-weary Himalayan frontier. Security officials and civilians alleged that the firing was an attempt by Pakistan to sabotage upcoming state elections in Jammu-Kashmir. Pakistan said the exchange of artillery fire was routine and denied it was interfering in the elections, slated for September and October," reported the AP news agency.
"President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair will give the United Nations a last chance to resolve the Iraqi problem peacefully, the British press reported yesterday following a weekend Camp David summit between the two leaders," reported the AFP news service.
"The International Atomic Energy Agency has no evidence that Iraq is developing nuclear weapons at a former site previously destroyed by UN inspectors, despite claims made over the weekend by Tony Blair, western diplomatic sources said. Scott Ritter, former US marine and member of the UN inspectors team, said yesterday that Iraq was incapable of producing weapons of mass destruction and should prove it by allowing in inspectors. He added that the truth is Iraq is not a threat to its neighbours and it is not acting in a manner which threatens anyone outside its borders and thus military action against Iraq cannot be justified. It also appears the Bush administration is itself unsure as to how close President Saddam is to acquiring nuclear weapons," reported the Guardian news agency.
"US President George W. Bush’s approval ratings continue to slide, down more than 20-points from their record 92% high immediately after the Sept 11 terror attacks, polls published on Sunday showed. A planned speech on Thursday in front of the UN General Assembly will be crucial for Bush to explain why military action to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is warranted, the Times poll concluded, as 64% said the administration’s position remained unclear," reported the AFP news service.
"Iraqi President Saddam Hussein met Osama bin Laden on two occasions and gave money to the al-Qaeda leader in 1996, Parisoula Lampsos, a woman who claims to be a long-time mistress of the Iraqi leader told ABC News. Lampsos told ABC she saw Saddam on nearly a daily basis and provided details of his habits and personal life," reported the Reuters news agency.
"French President Jacques Chirac said in an interview published yesterday that he would like to see a new government in Iraq but warned against ousting Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein without UN backing. Chirac said the Bush administration’s doctrine of a pre- emptive military strike was extraordinarily dangerous, because as soon as one nation claims the right to take preventive action, other countries will naturally do the same. The New York Times quoted him as saying it’s not Schroeder and he on one side, and Bush and Blair on the other; it’s Bush and Blair on one side and all the others on the other side," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks, already heralded by an attempt to assassinate the US-backed Afghan president, has prompted heightened security in many parts of the world. Whilst homeland security in the United States will be extremely tight – with, for example, fighter jets resuming 24-hour air patrols over Washington and New York – much of the rest of the globe is also on alert," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A spokesman said television advertisements promoting anniversary specials about Sept 11 had revived fears that major Australian cities could be targeted for attack because of Australia’s role in the US-led war against terrorism," reported the AFP news service.
"Fifty-one small planes, each representing a US state and bearing its flags, flew over Ground Zero on Sunday to pay homage to the victims of last year’s terror attacks on the United States. The planes, which had flown across the United States in their Flight Across America tour to commemorate the Sept 11 attacks, took off from Fairfield airdrome, New Jersey on Sunday," reported the AFP news service.
"Peter Mullan’s The Magdalene Sisters, an unflinching look at abuse and cruelty inside one of Ireland’s Catholic charitable institutions, won the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion on Sunday. The movie, denounced by the Vatican newspaper, tells the true story of four supposedly promiscuous girls interned in the Magdalene Asylums in the 1960s, forced to work as virtual slaves in laundries and abused by the Sisters of Mercy. The Vatican L’Osservatore Romano called it an angry and rancorous provocation that misrepresented religious leaders," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Yasser Arafat told the Palestinian parliament yesterday that he condemned every act
of terror against Israeli civiliansand that he was willing to give up executive powers if asked. It was not immediately clear whether he was seriously proposing stepping down or merely mocking his critics," reported the AP news agency.
"The Palestinian parliament prepared for a rare meeting yesterday and the first policy speech by President Yasser Arafat since his top security official called for an end to all violence against Israelis. On the eve of the session under Israeli guns here, Israel armour and infantry raided the central Gaza Strip, destroying a suspected militant’s home and an alleged weapons factory before withdrawing hours later," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israel has authorised the United States to stockpile military hardware at its army bases, in view of a possible US-led offensive against Iraq. The quantities of arms which have already been shipped to Israel are enormous because Israel is the only country in which we have such confidence," reported the AFP news service.
"Thousands gathered in Afghanistan’s main stadium here yesterday to pay homage to national hero Ahmad Shah Masood, a year after his assassination by suspected al-Qaeda extremists," reported the AFP news service.
"The two Kurdish groups that control northern Iraq agreed over the weekend to bury historic rivalry and form a united front to grasp the opportunity they see in US-led efforts to oust President Saddam Hussein. The Kurds, for their part, said they seek only autonomy within a federated Iraq and have no aspirations of statehood," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A man armed with a knife tried to hijack an Air Seychelles Boeing 737 in mid-air yesterday, but he was overpowered by cabin crew and arrested when the plane landed in the Maldives. The incident came just two days before the anniversary of the Sept 11 hijackings in the United States, and Air Seychelles immediately called for an investigation into security at Bombay airport where the flight began," reported the AFP news service.
"Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday accused India of stockpiling billions of dollars worth of conventional weapons, creating a dangerous situation for his country," reported the AP news agency.
"Investors in US bought stocks tentatively Tuesday, looking for bargains but anxious about the anniversary of the terror attacks. Prices were only modestly higher after the government raised the nation's terror alert level," reported the AP news agency.
"With fighter jets patrolling the skies, Americans prepare to commemorate the worst terror attacks in their history with a day of solemn events and prayers set to culminate in an address by President George W. Bush. Special religious and memorial services will mark the day along with broadcasts replaying the horrific footage of the landmark World Trade Centre ablaze, then collapsing," reported the AFP news service.
"People across Europe will show solidarity with the United States on the first anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks with a wave of concerts, prayers and candlelight vigils, which take on added poignancy amid fears of a war with Iraq," reported the AFP news service.
"President George W. Bush opened a high-emotion, high-security week of remembrance with a tribute to the victims of Sept 11 and a declaration to leave a legacy of
freedom behind for their children and their grandchildren. The president said at the show one year ago, they were attacked because
of who they are and what they believe. But out
of the evil done that day has come good," reported the AP news agency.
"US author Gore Vidal denounced President George W. Bush yesterday as wanting the war on terror to go on forever and said some Americans were delighted that the Sept 11 attacks had singled out Muslims as the enemy. Remembering the attacks and the suffering they brought had become something of a
new religion for Americans, Vidal, one of America’s most prolific and harshest critics, said in the East Asia Today programme broadcast on the BBC World Service," reported the Reuters news agency.
"As the world remembers the assault on the United States, Saudi Arabia is still wrestling with its responsibility for the Sept 11 attacks carried out mainly by fanatics born and bred in the kingdom. Defence Minister Sultan Abdul Aziz insisted yesterday the blame must be borne by individuals and not the state for the dramatic day when innocents were killed. Okaz newspaper urged Saudis to examine themselves on the first anniversary. Its editorialist Khaled Taha said this is a difficult month for them, as it has put them into a corner from where they observe the world while they remain in a state of confusion and perplexity at what is
happening around them," reported the AFP news service.
"Thomas Friedman, the New York Times columnist, wrote an article this week calling for moral clarity in what American schools teach their pupils about Sept 11. According to Friedman, the first lesson that schoolchildren should be taught is that they are good and the terrorists are evil. The second lesson should be that America’s democratic system is the
best on earth. The third lesson should involve some acknowledgement of errors that America has made in its foreign policy. Unfortunately, the first two lessons seem a good deal easier for most Americans to digest than the last one," reported The Daily Telegraph news agency.
"Despite a redoubled effort, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been unable to find hard evidence linking the Iraqi leader to global terrorists, the Washington Post said, quoting senior intelligence officials and outside experts with knowledge of discussions within the US government. In his speech tomorrow to the United Nations, US President George W. Bush is expected to stress Iraq’s alleged efforts to develop nuclear, biological and chemical weapons – rather than any links to terrorism – as justification for a possible military attack against Baghdad," reported the AFP news service.
"Senior members of the British parliament served notice on Tony Blair that he must produce better evidence – and inform parliament – about the dangers posed by Saddam Hussein if he is to convince them of the case for military action. They were responding to a dossier published by the respected International Institute of Strategic Studies which, by its own admission, contained little new evidence but prompted headlines claiming that Iraq was within months of possessing nuclear weapons," reported the AP news agency.
"Iraq accused the United States and Britain on Monday of lying to justify attacking, taking reporters on two tours in an attempt to refute accusations President Saddam Hussein is rebuilding sites linked to past nuclear efforts and training terrorists," reported the AP news agency.
"US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan have launched a massive operation in the southwest of the country against al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants. Spokesman Lt Col Roger King said hundreds of troops have been deployed as part of Operation Champion Strike in the Bermel Valley in Paktika province, close to the border with Pakistan," reported the AFP news service.
"Three Palestinians have been arrested on suspicion of planning to poison food at a cafe here frequented by Israelis," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Rome conferred honorary citizenship yesterday on a Nigerian woman who was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery in her country but was acquitted on appeal following an international outcry," reported the AP news agency.
"Punters are trying to cash in on the Sept 11 terrorist attacks against the United States. Already, two sets of hot numbers – 0911 and 1109 – have been sold out for the 4-D draw today, the anniversary of the attacks," reported the Asia News Network.
"Wall Street marked the first anniversary of the terror attacks Wednesday with remembrances of those who died and subdued trading. Stocks closed lower on very low volume," reported the AP news agency.
"About 1,000 people sued the two-state agency that owns the World Trade Centre on Tuesday, claiming that family members who died in the Sept 11 attacks may have lived but for structural problems and poor evacuation procedures. The rush of suits against the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey were filed in a federal court in Manhattan on the eve of the first anniversary of the horrific strikes that destroyed the World Trade Centre," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A year on from the al-Qaeda attacks, the stunning blow suffered by the United States provokes instinctive sympathy, but that support is tempered by growing alarm about Washington’s post-Sept 11 foreign policy. Outside the United States, the official ceremonies of remembrance remained largely just that – official – as in most of Europe, Asia and Africa, attitudes are torn between heartfelt horror at the memory of the attacks and disquiet at the looming prospect of war. Perhaps, the most respected international figure of the age – former South African president Nelson Mandela – expressed this ambivalence in a surprisingly bitter attack on the United States in Newsweek magazine, in which he described America’s current policy as a threat to world peace," reported the AFP news service.
"US President George W. Bush said on Tuesday that he would take a message to the United Nations this week that we must work together to deal with Iraq, and a senior US official vowed Bush would make clear failing to act was not an option. Bush, in a speech he has been practising, is expected to challenge the United Nations today to enforce post-Gulf war resolutions demanding Iraq disarm. The United States believes Iraq is developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Implicit in his message is that the United States may be forced to act on its own, but aides involved in preparing the speech said he would not be delivering an ultimatum, essentially giving the United Nations a last chance to act," reported the Reuters news agency.
"China has them. The United States, Britain, France and Russia have them. So do India and Pakistan. Israel likely does, and North Korea may be trying to get them. Nuclear weapons abound, in friendly and unfriendly hands. So why is Washington singling out Iraq in its post-Sept 11 crusade to purge the world of the threat? The obvious explanation: Saddam Hussein – who has used chemical weapons against neighbouring Iran and his own people – refuses to let UN weapons inspectors return to check intelligence reports that he may be trying to build a nuclear bomb. But as US President George W. Bush ratchets up his quest for support for an invasion of Iraq, agencies monitoring the global proliferation of weapons of mass destruction say a regime change in Baghdad won’t eliminate the menace posed by other unpredictable governments. David Albright, a former Iraq weapons inspector, said there’s always a worry when one country is focused on that others will be ignored, and that’s a mistake," reported the AP news agency.
"A year after he became the most wanted man on the planet, Osama bin Laden seems to have become its most elusive. If he is still alive, it would be a disappearing act that even Houdini would have been proud of. Slipping through a US dragnet as it appeared to be closing in last year, Osama seems to have vanished into thin air. Is he alive or dead? No one but God and a few close associates probably know for sure. If Osama is alive, most analysts agree he sits at the head of a sharply weakened organisation, whose members have been scattered through Pakistan and the rest of the world. But it is an organisation still capable of springing a gory surprise," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday accused India of stockpiling billions of dollars worth of conventional weapons, creating a dangerous situation for his country. Musharraf claimed India was importing US$4.5bil worth of high-tech weapons a year. During the same three-year period, he said, Pakistan’s defence budget had not increased," reported the AP news agency.
"Florida’s first big test of its new elections system turned into a nightmare as polling stations opened late and problems cropped up with the touch-screen voting machines brought in after the 2000 debacle. Hundreds of would-be voters were turned away," reported the AP news agency.
"Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s daughter was on Monday found in possession of a small quantity of cocaine at a drug rehabilitation centre where she was being treated, a police spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Governor Bush, the brother of President George W. Bush, was visibly affected when he spoke to reporters," reported the AFP news service.
"The Philippines ordered yesterday the immediate evacuation of its citizens, including non-essential embassy staff and their families, from Iraq amidmounting signs of a US attack," reported the AFP news service.
"Pakistani police killed two gunmen and arrested five after a fierce firefight in the port city of Karachi yesterday, officials said. A girl aged four was also killed in the clash, which erupted after police raided a suspected terrorist hideout in the fashionable Defence Society neighbourhood," reported the AFP news service.
"Palestinian President Yasser Arafat yesterday called presidential and legislative elections for Jan 20 under international and domestic pressure to reform his government. The move, announced by the parliamentary speaker, turned Arafat’s administration into a transitional government and some Palestinian officials said it would avert a parliamentary vote of confidence in his Cabinet," reported the Reuters news service.
"Wall Street fell sharply Thursday, pressured by two disappointing economic reports and a strong speech by President Bush to the United Nations demanding action against Iraq. The Dow Jones industrials dropped more than 200 points," reported the AP news agency.
"Iraq’s UN ambassador criticised President George W. Bush’s speech to the General Assembly yesterday, saying it lacked credibility and was motivated by revenge and political ambition. The said Iraqi reaction would come when Iraq had its turn at addressing the assembly later in the week," reported the AP news agency.
"Senior European officials reacted positively to US President George W. Bush’s call yesterday for Iraq to comply with UN resolutions or face the consequences. But in an interview with ABC TV’s Good Morning America, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he was worried American involvement in Iraq could diminish attention that was needed to continue eradicating the Taliban and al-Qaeda from his country and rebuilding its defences and infrastructure. Karzai, who spoke before Bush’s address, said he wanted a better life for the Iraqi people but said any action by the United States should be done with the agreement and participation of the Arab world," reported the AP news agency.
"US President George W. Bush is urging the United Nations to compel Iraq to disarm, backing his appeal with a hefty document accusing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of a decade of deception and defiance of 16 UN resolutions. Bush was making his case against the backdrop of widespread disinclination among US allies to use force against Baghdad and a caution from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the United States should not take action against Saddam without UN Security Council backing. The Bush administration has made clear it feels justified in going it alone if necessary and contends it does not need new legal authority to use force to oust Saddam," reported the AP news agency.
"The US military’s Central Command will move up to 600 members of its headquarters staff from Florida to Qatar near Iraq for an exercise in November and is considering making that shift permanent, defence officials said on Wednesday. The decision by command chief Army Gen Tommy Franks, who will take part in the three-week deployment, comes amid growing speculation that the United States might invade Baghdad to overthrow President Saddam Hussein," reported the Reuters news agency.
"British radical Muslims blasted US foreign policy on Wednesday and urged Muslims in the east to resist Washington’s arrogant oppression by whatever means possible. After a meeting in Finsbury Park mosque in north London, the so-called Islamic conference, entitled “Sept 11: A Towering Day in History issued a six-point statement. One of the statements said that the clear message from the USA is that America is the strongest, above any other, and that it will do whatever it pleases so long as that serves its interests," reported the AFP news service.
"Jordanian officials and experts have warned that a drawn-out US war on Iraq will have negative repercussions on Jordan which looks to Baghdad as its main export market and sole oil supplier. The country’s tourism industry, which is still reeling from the repercussions of the Sept 11 terror attacks, is also expected to be hurt by a US attack on Iraq," reported the AFP news service.
"The Iraqi government sent condolences on Wednesday to the victims of the Sept 11 attacks, but reminded Americans that the first anniversary coincided with US plans to launch a military aggression on Iraq," reported the dpa news agency.
"The United States wants Israel to stay out of any military operation against Iraq. The army chief, Lt Gen. Moshe Yaalon told a conference on Wednesday that America would be very happy if Israel is not involved in this attack, at least at this stage," reported the AFP news service.
"Israel’s famous musician crossed the Green Line and played Beethoven to a hundred young fans in a school here on Tuesday to stretch a hand and share music, to silence the hatred. Daniel Barenboim, an Argentine-born Jew who holds Israeli citizenship but resides in Germany, was slated to play here last March but was barred access to the West Bank by the Israeli authorities for security reasons," reported the AFP news service.
"Yasser Arafat’s cabinet quit on Wednesday after he called elections for Jan 20, in a move that avoided a showdown over a confidence vote the Palestinian president risked losing. Abbas Zaki, a legislator who said he would have voted against the government, called its resignation the beginning of a new era of respect for transparency, accountability and separation of power," reported the Reuters news agency.
"American researchers say they have grown penis parts in a lab dish, offering hope for men who are less than well endowed, New Scientist reports. The technique has only been tested on rabbits, and it will be a while before it can be tried with human tissue," reported the AFP news service.
"For Aisha Abdullah, one of 25 Saudi women getting married in a mass wedding, this was the day she would shed what in Saudi Arabia is still considered a serious stigma – being 40 and single. As reduced oil revenues lower living standards across the Arab world, couples are finding it harder to marry young. Some Saudis blame women for wanting to get a university education and work for a few years, taking them past the desired marriage age of 20. Others feel that Saudi men are influenced in their notion of the ideal woman by the stars they have been seeing on satellite TV in the decade it has been legal there," reported the AP news agency.
"Beijing yesterday hailed a UN decision to list as a terrorist-linked group a separatist organisation fighting Chinese rule in Xinjiang. The little-known East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) was now on a list compiled by the UN Security Council committee on sanctions against al-Qaeda. According to some observers, such moves add legitimacy to a Chinese crackdown against the ethnic Uighur population of Xinjiang, one which many human rights groups say uses anti-terrorism as an excuse to repress all forms of dissent. However, the precise crimes for which the ETIM has been blamed remain uncertain, and according to critics the US evidence presented so far appears little more than a re-hash of Chinese allegations," reported the AFP news service.
"A day after the world mourned the victims of last year’s attacks on US cities, Asian commentators said an attack on Iraq would only reinforce the view that the United States is arrogant and disregards world opinion. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, in a commentary marking the first anniversary of the suicide hijack attacks on New York and Washington, said the United States was not listening to world opinion about a strike on Iraq. The United States has constantly displayed what Norman Mailer termed as arrogance – indeed, a superpower’s arrogance to act against the better angels of world opinion," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The British cloning expert who helped create Dolly the sheep and was lured here to bolster its biotechnology sector said yesterday he was finding it difficult to raise the money needed for research. Colman, who moved there after 14 years with Scottish firm PPL Therapeutics, said he felt Singapore’s drive to be a major centre for biotechnology research and development needs to be more focused if it is to be successful," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Speaking at the 57th session of the UN General Assembly in New York yesterday, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Malaysia remains concerned that targeting Iraq outside the framework of the UN and in contravention of international law would not only be wrong but would result in a more volatile world order. Abdullah, who is Home Minister, said Malaysia’s concern was the apparent lack of urgency in addressing the underlying factors that caused terrorism," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Advance parties of British troops will begin deploying to Kuwait within two weeks in preparation for a possible attack on Iraq, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported yesterday. Britain’s Ministry of Defence described the report as highly speculative, saying that any decision on sending troops to the Gulf would be dependent on the response the United Nations gives to Thursday’s demand for action from US President George W. Bush," reported the Reuters news agency.
"An Arab satellite station carried a statement allegedly from the vanished Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar in which he vows to drive US forces from Afghanistan. Qatar-based al-Jazeera as well as a prominent Islamic Internet site – both known for obtaining materials linked to Islamic militants – carried the statement, which was dated to coincide with the Sept 11 terror attacks anniversary but first appeared on Thursday," reported the AP news agency.
"Israeli tanks backed by helicopter gunships rolled into two Palestinian refugee camps in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday in a sweep for militants, prompting gunbattles in which troops shot dead a Palestinian. Israel accuses Arafat and his security services of failing to rein in militants behind bomb and gun attacks. The Palestinians say Israel’s reoccupation of West Bank cities and other measures such as military blockades make a crackdown on militants impossible," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Australia’s Catholic leader, this city’s Archbishop George Pell, has won an award for the most sexist remark of the year for an infamous comment that abortion was worse than paedophilia. Although he did not attend the Thursday ceremony to receive the 10th annual golden Ernie, he was judged runaway winner by a panel of 400 raucous women who gave him a loud chorus of catcalls and jeers every time his name was mentioned," reported the AFP news service.
"The fibreglass Madonna has been attracting pilgrims by the thousands to Our Lady of Lourdes Church in the suburb of Rockingham since its owner revealed it had started to weep fragrant tears. Tests have failed to find the source of tears flowing from the eyes of a statue of the Virgin Mary now on exhibition at the Catholic church, two experts said yesterday. Father Walsh said the source of the tears would likely remain a mystery because Powell would not submit the statue for any more tests," reported the AFP news service.
"Indonesian demonstrators yesterday set fire to an effigy of US President George Bush and urged the United Nations not to support Washington's plan to disarm Iraq. Some 15 protesters from the Islamic Youth Movement carried placards reading Bush must die and America is the great Satan. A leader of the protesters, Hadriansyah, called for the United Nations to be neutral and wise and stop Washington from attacking Iraq," reported the AFP news service.
"Bush’s speech in which he warned US military action against Baghdad was unavoidable unless the United Nations disarmed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, was full of lies and slander, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz told reporters. He also said that Baghdad would teach (the Americans) a lesson if they attacked and Iraq did not accept Bush’s conditions. Other Iraqi officials were no more conciliatory, with Trade Minister Mohammed Mahdi Saleh warning in a press interview that Baghdad would strike the Jewish state if it played any part in US war plans. The Tel Aviv daily Maariv reported that Washington had asked Israel to keep a low profile out of concern that its support could harm US efforts to secure international endorsement of military action against Iraq," reported the AFP news service.
"A Pakistani election tribunal yesterday dismissed appeals by former premier Benazir Bhutto against the rejection of two of her three bids to contest the Oct 10 polls, her lawyer said. The supporters, followers of Benazir’s Pakistan People’s Party blocked the road in front, shouting and carrying placards bearing slogans against President Pervez Musharraf," reported the AFP news service.
"China will welcome US President George W. Bush’s pledge to seek a last-ditch UN effort to disarm Iraq, but will find it hard to lend vital support for a possible UN ultimatum against Baghdad, analysts said yesterday. This is despite recent US support for Beijing’s controversial crackdown on Islamic separatists in its westernmost Xinjiang region," reported the AFP news service.
"Railway officials planted evidence at the site of Monday’s Rajdhani Express train accident in the eastern Indian state of Bihar to make it look like sabotage caused the train to derail, a newspaper report said yesterday. The Asian Age quoted a senior railway official, who did not want to be named, that the first relief train to the accident site was delayed for more than three hours so that employees of the railway engineering service could plant an extra track and some fishplates to give the impression that it was sabotage. If providing relief had been the first priority instead of covering up, several more lives might have been saved. Such a cover-up was not possible without clearance from high-ranking authorities," reported the dpa news agency.
