"The United States and Britain are proposing that the United Nations set a seven-day deadline for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to agree to disarm and then open his palaces to weapons inspectors, a Bush administration official and UN diplomats said on Friday. Meanwhile in Baghdad, Iraq yesterday rejected as unacceptable a draft UN Security Council resolution by the United States and Britain proposing a seven-day deadline for President Saddam Hussein to agree to disarm and then open his palaces to weapons inspectors," reported the news Agencies.
"In making the case for war, the Bush administration has delivered a bill of particulars against Saddam Hussein that includes al-Qaeda terrorist links yet to be demonstrated and weapons he may or may not have within reach. Charles Duelfer, who was deputy chairman of the UN inspection agency in 1998, doesn’t make much of the mischaracterisation of his inspection team’s pullout in Dec 1998, noting that while Iraq did not eject the inspectors, it had stopped dealing with them and then would not let them back in," reported the AP news agency.
"The United States will suffer losses they have never sustained for decades, if Iraq is attacked, Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz warned Saturday. Iraq has not supplied the Palestinians with weapons of mass destruction but money to rebuild houses (destroyed by Israel), to live on and to fight the occupation, Aziz went on. He then said this is the weapon of mass destruction that American wants to deprive Iraq of, and not chemical, biological or nuclear weapons because we do not possess them, contrary to their allegations," reported the AFP news service.
"Germans wave goodbye to US. Andrew Gimson in Berlin explains why Britain should welcome Germany’s growing self-confidence, even the decision to go its own way on Iraq. Gerhard Schroeder has won another four years as chancellor by campaigning against President George W. Bush. He was not just rude to the Americans; he was treacherous. After the attack on the World Trade Centre, he promised them Germany’s “unconditional solidarity”, yet barely a year later they found him breezily announcing that, in case of war - even a war sanctioned by the UN - the German armoured vehicles in Kuwait will be withdrawn," reported The Daily Telegraph news agency.
"Thousands of Palestinians marked the second anniversary of their uprising against Israel with marches and rallies yesterday and a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli army fire in a Gaza Strip refugee camp. A senior Palestinian leader, Marwan Barghouti, said in a message from an Israeli prison that the fighting would continue and become an expensive project for the occupiers on all levels," reported the AP news agency.
"A retired Roman Catholic priest accused of molesting seven girls over three decades in California was arrested in Alaska while on a world cruise," reported the AP news agency.
"Police took a hard line on Friday in Washington against anti-globalisation protesters here during meetings of the world’s leading finance policy-makers, arresting hundreds of people and largely foiling efforts to disrupt the city," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A 35-year-old New Yorker was sentenced to three months’ jail for pretending her husband died in the strikes on the World Trade Centre so she could receive financial assistance," reported the AFP news service.
"Portugal’s Foreign Minister refused to accompany President Jorge Sampaio on an official visit to Bulgaria because he was unhappy with the plane selected for the journey," reported the AFP news service.
"Blowing kisses and making a V-for-Victory sign, Yasser Arafat emerged from his battered compound yesterday after Israeli forces retreated under US pressure to lift an internationally condemned siege. The pullback was an embarrassing climbdown by Israel, which had vowed to end the siege only when the Palesti- nian president surrendered some 50 suspected militants holed up with him. But in earlier comments to reporters inside his office, he said the Israelis had not complied with a Sept 24 UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate end to the siege and expeditious withdrawal … from Palestinian cities," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Just after Israeli tanks left Yasser Arafat’s wrecked compound yesterday, the Palestinian president’s bodyguards emerged for emotional reunions with loved ones some thought they would never see again," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Responding to US pressure, Israel began to withdraw forces from Yasser Arafat’s headquarters compound yesterday, but officials said they would continue the 11-day hunt for wanted Palestinians inside from a distance," reported the AP news agency.
"Nabil Abu Rdeneh, A spokesman for Arafat, said Israel is trying to skirt the (Security Council) decision by misleading the public opinion when talking about a withdrawal from the compound, while at the same time maintaining the siege around Arafat and the compound. Yossi Sarid, Israel’s dovish opposition leader, welcomed yesterday’s decision but added that it amounted to a capitulation by a foolish government that can’t see two steps ahead. Hawkish legislator Avigdor Lieberman said the protracted siege was a mistake and interfered with the US efforts on Iraq," reported the AP news agency.
"British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein faced a clear choice – either to disarm or face further action against him. Blair said the United Nations should be the route via which the international community should tackle Saddam and force him to dismantle the weapons of mass destruction it suspects he has. But he refused to rule out joining a US-led attack on Iraq if that failed and the United Nations refused to sanction military action. Meanwhile in Baghdad, Iraq’s ruling Baath party hit out yesterday at the dictatorial language and hysteria whipped up by Washington to bully the United Nations into agreeing to launch a war to enforce disarmament," reported the news Agencies.
"US aircraft attacked yesterday the international airport at Basra in southern Iraq for the second time in a week, Iraq announced. A transport ministry spokesman told the official satellite television channe that the evil American crows have struck and destroyed the civilian radar system at the airport," reported the AFP news service.
"A powerful explosion rocked a residential block near the US embassy in Kabul just hours before a scheduled visit yesterday by a senior US defence official. At least four people suffered minor injuries in the blast late Saturday about half a kilometre from the embassy, a day before US Defence Undersecretary Douglas Feith was due to arrive from Pakistan," reported the AFP news service.
"Streets were blocked off around a two-story building near the World Trade Centre site after cracks were found in an exterior wall and the windows began bulging outward. Officials were making plans on Saturday to demolish the building, which sits on the corner of Greenwich and Rector streets, directly above a subway station that was closed for more than a year after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks," reported the AP news agency..
"German exports to America are being affected by consumer anger over Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s vehement opposition to US policy on Iraq, business leaders admitted last week. Fears of a boycott of German goods were echoed by Hans-Jurgen Muller, the spokesman for Germany’s Foreign Trade Association who said that German firms now face the prospect of being simply cut out of deals in America. The government may be making efforts to repair the damage but these are not nearly intensive enough," reported The Sunday Telegraph news agency.
"Staking out a tough position, United Nations weapons inspectors yesterday opened talks with Iraq over a return to Baghdad by holding Saddam Hussein to his pledge of unfettered access to suspect sites," reported the AP news agency.
"Prime Minister Ariel Sharon came under wall-to-wall criticism at home yesterday for the bungled 10-day siege of Yasser Arafat’s compound, which was aborted under intense US pressure. Several Cabinet ministers said Israel underestimated Washington’s opposition to the operation and its determination to keep the focus on Iraq ahead of a possible US strike against Saddam Hussein," reported the AP news agency.
"Rudolph Giuliani lobbied President George Bush, in full seriousness, for permission to be Osama bin Laden’s executioner if the terrorist leader was ever caught, the former New York mayor reveals in his long-anticipated book Leadership, a combination of a memoir and management textbook which is published in the United States today," reported the Guardian Newspapers.
"UN and Iraqi officials wrapped up talks yesterday on the renewal of arms inspections and chief UN weapons inspector for Iraq said that tentative agreement has been reached with Baghdad on the return of his team to check for the presence of illegal, nuclear, chemical or biological weapons," reported the news Agencies.
"An Iraqi delegation and top UN weapons inspectors were set to begin the second day of talks on the return of inspectors to Baghdad in an attempt to prevent a threatened military strike by the United States and Britain," reported the Reuters news agency.
"US President George W. Bush, at the risk of angering the Arab and Muslim worlds, signed legislation on Monday that requires his administration to identify Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Faced with a choice between endorsing the controversial Bill passed by Congress and shutting down US diplomatic activity, Bush put his signature on the Foreign Relations Authorisation Act for 2003, which gives the administration more than US$4bil (RM15.2bil) for running the State Department. Bush had the power to veto the Bill, but the provisions on Jerusalem were only a small part of a piece of legislation that covers the whole world and gives his administration the money needed to run diplomacy," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israeli fire killed three Palestinians and an Israeli soldier was shot dead in West Bank and Gaza clashes on Monday, a day after Israel, under US pressure, lifted a siege of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A cake showing a plane crashing into New York’s World Trade Centre has been pulled from a show in Western Australia after parents complained their children could be upset, a local news agency reported yesterday. The man said he had entered the cake in the show to stimulate debate about a possible US-led war against Iraq just over a year after hijacked passenger jets were flown into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in Washington, killing about 3,000 people," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The United States has expressed its regret for the inappropriate treatment faced by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during their recent official visits to New York and Los Angeles. Dr Mahathir had described such behaviour as “anti-Muslim hysteria,” adding that US security authorities were obviously not thinking rationally even when dealing with foreign dignitaries," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"The Malaysian opposition party will send a protest note to the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur over US President George W. Bush’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Acting PAS (Islamic Party of Malaysia) president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said the protest would be sent in a day or two. The opposition was protesting against the move because it was against the democratic principles of most countries, he said after chairing the weekly state exco meeting here yesterday. Hadi, who is also Terengganu Mentri Besar, said Bush’s decision had hurt the feelings of billions of Muslim and Christian followers. Jerusalem, he said, was a holy land visited by followers of the three major religions – Islam, Christianity and Judaism," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"In a mock bioterrorist attack, a US outbreak of the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease spread from just a handful of states to more than 30 within two weeks, the US Agriculture Department (USDA) said on Tuesday. Monday’s simulation was the first in a series of six exercises to test how effective the USDA and other federal agencies would be in responding to an attack on the agriculture system," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Several international teams of astronomers have come together to create a “virtual telescope” roughly the size of Earth and the most powerful in the world, researchers announced on Tuesday. The new array can detect features 3,000 times smaller than the finest detail observed by the Hubble Space Telescope," reported the AFP news service.
"The United States’ stringent new rules for visa applicants – especially those from Muslim countries – has blown up into a political/cultural storm after a talented Iranian director, Abbas Kiarostami, winner of Cannes’ Palme d’Or in 1997 for A Taste of Cherry, was unable to get permission in time to attend New York’s film festival. Acclaimed Finnish director Aki Kaurismaeki boycotted the New York festival, telling journalists there in a message that he did so not with anger … but with deep sorrow. Former French culture minister Jack Lang was quoted by Le Monde newspaper as saying the obstacle for the director showed a US isolationism and an ignorance reduced to disdain for other cultures," reported the AFP news service.
"New Singapore measures aimed at stopping the flow of cash to terrorist groups and denying them weapons were unveiled yesterday. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) detailed sweeping regulatory measures to pre-empt the flow of funds while a Bill was introduced in parliament to give law-enforcement more powers to search for guns and bombs," reported the dpa news agency.
"Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz said yesterday that a tough new UN resolution proposed by the United States to cover the operations of arms inspectors in Iraq was unacceptable. Aziz also said Iraq would fight back determinedly if attacked by the United States, but had no plans to retaliate against neighbours, including Turkey, if that happened," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israel put Yasser Arafat’s compound back under the gun yesterday, sending army marksmen to take up positions nearby amid reports that militants slipped out after troops aborted a siege under US pressure. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, smarting from the humiliation of having to scrap the siege without arresting wanted men inside, predicted Israel would halt Palestinian “terror” within a few months and pave the way for political talks," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Malaysian Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad has again urged Muslim nations to consider using oil as a collective weapon to stop the escalating oppression faced by the Islamic world. But, the problem, he further said, is they (Muslim countries) quarrel among themselves and when one party wants to cut supply, another party will increase it. As a result, they have not been able to use this power to their advantage," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Richard Reid's alleged attempt to blow up an airliner with explosives hidden in his shoes just three months after the Sept. 11 attacks rattled an already shaky flying public. Federal authorities had been preparing for a high-profile, tight-security trial, where Reid's alleged links to the al-Qaida terrorism network would be presented. But Reid stunned prosecutors this week when he said he wanted to plead guilty to the eight charges against him. As part of the plea change, Reid asked Young to remove mention of the alleged links to al-Qaida from the indictment. But U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and federal prosecutors in Boston said they will fight Reid's attempt to eliminate the al-Qaida references," reported the AP news agency.
"President George W. Bush, nearing congressional approval to wage war, said yesterday the United Nations must stand with the United States to disarm Saddam Hussein or stand aside. He challenged the United Nations as Russia criticised a US-sponsored UN resolution on Iraq and momentum built in Congress for a measure authorising use of force against Saddam. Though the Senate remains divided, Bush reached agreement with House leaders on Wednesday and is expected to win congressional approval as early as next week," reported the news Agencies.
"Chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix was set to brief Security Council members yesterday on his deal with Iraq amid mounting US pressure to get tough with Baghdad, after France joined forces with Germany in opposing an automatic recourse to force. The closed-door briefing comes after US President George W. Bush scored a political victory by reaching agreement with leaders of the House of Representatives on the wording of a resolution authorising him to use force against Iraq. But US efforts abroad to push through tougher UN terms for Baghdad’s compliance with its disarmament obligations appeared to be stalling," reported the AFP news service.
"A US government advisory panel has recommended that the State Department designate 12 nations “countries of particular concern” because of their alleged violations of religious freedom, a move that could trigger sanctions against them. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom said the targeted nations should include Myanmar, North Korea, India, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam," reported the AFP news service.
"Philippine police are investigating the possible involvement of Muslim extremists linked to al-Qaeda in a bomb blast which killed three people, including a US soldier and the suspected bomber. Another American soldier was among 23 people wounded in Wednesday’s blast in southern Zamboanga city believed to have been detonated by a Filipino on a motorcycle, who also died in the blast along with a companion," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israeli troops have practised expelling Yasser Arafat by helicopter, security sources confirmed Thursday, as a newspaper reported that commandos have scouted the Palestinian leader’s place of exile in a foreign country.
"The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said commandos were ready to carry out the plan at short notice. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reportedly has been pushing for Arafat’s ouster, but has been held back by opposition from Israeli security chiefs and the US administration," reported the AP news agency.
"Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouti used his murder trial in an Israeli court yesterday to attack Israel’s occupation in the West Bank and Gaza, setting off fistfights among spectators as his team distributed a mock indictment of Israel and his Jewish lawyer compared him to Moses," reported the AP news agency.
"The terms that America and Britain want to impose on Iraq are so stringent that Hans Blix, the chief United Nations weapons inspector, could end up wielding more power than Saddam Hussein himself. The new conditions, if endorsed, present Saddam with a stark choice: reject them and so bring down military action or accept them and submit to a virtual colonisation of Iraq by the UN, with the constant threat of a full-scale invasion. Such conditions would be humiliating for any leader. For a dictator such as Saddam, they could be fatal. Will he accept a public humiliation, or will he stand and fight now? Nobody knows. But if Washington has calculated correctly, he will be able only to delay his final demise, not prevent it," reported The Daily Telegraph news agency.
"Austrian far-right politician Joerg Haider caused a sensation when he went to Iraq last winter to meet with Saddam Hussein. Now a magazine has created a new stir by suggesting Haider met with a Saddam look-a-like – and not the Iraqi president," reported the AP news agency.
"The United States charged yesterday that Iraq was actively moving to conceal its weapons of mass destruction programmes in anticipation of the return of UN arms inspectors. The Pentagon has recently held detailed briefings for reporters on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programmes and on what it called repeated efforts by Iraq’s military to shoot down US and British warplanes policing the no-fly zones," reported the Reuters news agency.
"US President George W. Bush and his Iraqi counterpart Saddam Hussein could settle their differences by choosing their weapons and duelling it out, Iraqi Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan said on Thursday. In an interview with Abu Dhabi television also carried by CNN, Ramadan challenged then let the American president and a selected group with him face a selected group of Iraq....in...a neutral land and let (UN Secretary-General) Kofi Annan be a supervisor... and both groups should use the same weapons," reported the AFP nwes service.
"Israeli police stormed the main mosque compound in the heart of Jerusalem yesterday and fired stun grenades after worshippers threw rocks at Jews praying at the Western Wall below, police said. About 50 police officers stormed the compound, the most hotly contested site in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The officers later withdrew," reported the AP news agency.
"Nigeria on Thursday postponed the Miss World pageant until after Ramadan, bowing to Muslim objections and some threats to disrupt the beauty contest. Nigeria’s first lady, Stella Obasanjo, said in a statement on Thursday that the pageant would take place Dec 7 in the capital here, a day after the fasting month ends, out of genuine consideration for Muslim brothers and sisters," reported the AP news agency.
"US troops have destroyed the largest cache of explosives yet found in Afghanistan – hundreds of 186kg bombs buried in a dry riverbed near Kandahar, the military said yesterday. US forces searching Afghanistan for al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders continue to turn up dozens of weapons caches each month. They are either destroyed or handed over to Afghan officials to be given to the fledgling Afghan National Army. Afghan army officials, however, have complained that the weapons are not reaching their troops," reported the AP news agency.
"UN security guards apprehended a man who fired a pistol at the United Nations headquarters on Thursday, but said no one was injured. The UN Security Council was in session at the time for a briefing by the chief UN arms inspector, Hans Blix, but it was unclear whether the shooting had any connection with the Iraq crisis," reported the AFP nwes service.
