"A bloody pre-dawn assault on a Moscow theatre by Russian forces yesterday left 67 hostages and at least 34 of their Chechen captors dead. Officials insisted the rescue of 750 other people showed they had averted even greater carnage. The operation represented a gamble by President Vladimir Putin, who had resolutely refused throughout the crisis to cede to the Chechens’ demands that he end Russia’s three-year war in their southern breakaway republic," reported the AFP news service.
"The superior combat skills and resources of Russia’s special forces gave little chance to Chechen separatists, but were unable to prevent the deaths of at least 67 hostages. Accounts of the raid differ and no official version of events has yet been released, but for all their expertise the special forces were unable to prevent the killing of at least 67 of the hostages held inside the theatre here for three days," reported the AFP news service.
"A top Chechen envoy condemned the rebel seizure of a Moscow theatre but warned yesterday that other breakaway groups might launch similar attacks unless Moscow negotiated an end to the war in the separatist region. Akhmed Zakayev, envoy of elected but now fugitive Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, flatly denied Chechen leaders had any links to the rebels, who called themselves a suicide squad," reported the Reuters news agency.
"War broke out again in 1999 after rebels raided nearby Dagestan and Russian authorities blamed rebels for a series of apartment-building bombings in Russia that killed more than 300 people. In the fighting, much of Chechnya has been destroyed, and tens of thousands of Chechens have been killed. Human rights organisations say the brutality of Russian forces has contributed to driving young men into rebel groups, some of which have been funded by outside Arab sources," reported the AP news agency.
"Osama bin Laden warned last year that Australia was on al-Qaeda’s terrorism hit list because of its role in helping East Timor win independence from Indonesia. The video, not previously broadcast in the West, indicated Australia should be punished for its role on the largely Christian island, setting back plans by Muslim radicals for a united Islamic nation," reported the AFP news service.
"The UN on Friday placed the South-East Asian network suspected of causing the Bali bombing two weeks ago on its list of groups and individuals with ties to al-Qaeda. Australia, which lost dozens of citizens in the Oct 12 bombings in the Indonesian resort of Bali, had pushed to get the United Nations to include Jemaah Islamiah among groups connected to Osama bin Laden’s organisation," reported the AP news agency.
"US President George W. Bush sought Chinese President Jiang Zemin’s backing for a new UN resolution demanding Iraqi disarmament, while France and Russia unveiled rival measures aimed at averting military action against Iraq. Opponents of a possible US war against Iraq were planning to stage mass protests yesterday in Washington, San Francisco and other cities around the world. Organisers expressed hope that 100,000 people would turn out in the US capital," reported the Reuters news agency.
"With two sniper suspects behind bars on Friday, officials from Maryland, Virginia and Alabama said the death penalty was warranted in the three-week shooting rampage that killed 10 people and wounded three in and around the US capital. Maryland, where six of the 10 killings occurred, charged John Allen Muhammad, a 41-year-old Gulf War veteran, and his 17-year-old travelling companion, John Lee Malvo, with six counts of first-degree murder in the sniper siege," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Terrorism issues overshadowed economic and trade matters at the 10th Apec Economic Leaders meeting which ended here yesterday. This had been expected in the light of increased terrorist activities and their effect on trade and the world economy," reported the AP news agency.
"Stunned Russians mourned the victims of the country’s latest deadly disaster yesterday, shocked that nearly all the 118 captives who died in a hostage crisis were victims of the gas used to knock out their assailants – but relieved that hundreds of others were saved. Top Moscow doctors said on Sunday that the 116 hostages who died after special forces raided a Moscow theatre and killed their Chechen rebel captors succumbed to the gas, a compound that remained secret even to medical workers fighting to save people weakened after 58 hours in captivity," reported the AP news agency.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin told Cabinet officials he would order the Russian general staff to change its guidelines on the use of military forces in connection with the growing threat of international terrorism with the use of means comparable to weapons of mass destruction, reported the news Agencies.
"A US diplomat was gunned down outside his home here yesterday, in a killing branded a treacherous assassination by Amman and an incomprehensible act by the US embassy. The shooting of Lawrence Foley, set off alarm bells at the embassy, which immediately urged US nationals to be vigilant in view of threats to American interests," reported the AFP news service.
"Former metalworker Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva clinched Brazil’s presidency in a runoff on Sunday, winning a huge mandate to lead the first elected leftist government in Latin America’s largest nation," reported the Reuters news agency.
"If Washington orders an attack against Iraq, the Pentagon expects to mobilise about as many reservists as it did during the Gulf war in 1991. US President George W. Bush indicated over the weekend that he was tired of the debate and could press ahead with unilateral action. Australia has indicated it would join any US-led strikes on Iraq, although Prime Minister John Howard reiterated at the weekend that he preferred a diplomatic solution to the standoff," reported the AFP news service.
"US mid-term elections on Nov 5 are expected to be a tight race, with Democrats and Republicans battling it out over a handful of seats. As in the 2000 general election, the United States again appears to be split politically, even though this time around, President George W. Bush’s popularity has risen to above 60%. The political landscape, just one week away from the vote, looks uncertain, as both legislative and local elections take on extra importance with a US war against Iraq looking highly possible," reported the AFP news service.
"An angry student yesterday shot two professors at a university nursing school in Arizona before killing himself," reported the AFP news service.
"Indonesian terror suspect Abubakar Ba’asyir was yesterday removed from hospital for questioning over a string of deadly attacks as his supporters fought bloody clashes with police. Around 150 protesters hurled stones as police wielding rotans cleared the grounds of the Muhammadiyah hospital building in this Central Javanese city before removing the 64-year-old cleric. Abubakar – accused of being the spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror network – was flown to Jakarta and immediately taken to the Kramat Jati police hospital. Abubakar denies any links to JI but he has agreed to be questioned about a series of bombings two years ago and an alleged plot to kill Megawati Sukarnoputri before she became president," reported the AFP news service.
"Islamic clerics have been spat on, mosques vandalised and Muslim girls have had their head scarves ripped off since bombings in Bali killed nearly 200 people, many of them Australians. There have been more than 40 anti-Islamic attacks in Sydney alone since the Oct 12 blasts, New South Wales state Police Commissioner Ken Moroney said yesterday," reported the AP news agency.
"With the police and military clearly undermanned, a posh enclave in Manila has decided to draft domestic helpers to help fight crime and terrorism. At Forbes Park – an upper-class neighbourhood in the financial district of Makati – nannies, drivers, gardeners and security guards will be given crash courses to help them detect suspicious-looking characters, and learn how terrorists operate and the contingency measures that can be adopted in case there is a bomb threat," reported the Asia News Network.
"The CIA has been at the forefront of the war on terror launched by Bush in the wake of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks blamed on Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network. But as it ferreted out terrorist cells, the agency appeared to sound a pessimistic note about the general direction of the effort. It is likely to reinforce the emerging view that the CIA may have had a falling out with some members of the administration of President George W. Bush on key foreign policy issues," reported the AFP news service.
"The CIA has warned that US counter-terrorist operations around the world may not eliminate the threat of future attacks because they fail to address the root causes of terrorism, according to new documents. The CIA said several troublesome global trends – especially the growing demographic youth bulge in developing nations whose economic systems and political ideologies are under enormous stress – will fuel the rise of more disaffected groups willing to use violence to address their perceived grievances. As for the terrorists’ financial base, CIA officials warned it was broader than previously described and concluded. With violence raging in the Middle East, Bush is also pushing for a leadership change in the Palestinian Authority, accusing its leader, Yasser Arafat, of failing the peaceful aspirations of his own people. But according to the CIA, Arafat’s departure would have quite the opposite effect," reported the AFP news service.
"Respected scientists on both sides of the Atlantic warned on Monday that the US was developing a new generation of weapons that undermine and possibly violate international treaties on biological and chemical warfare. The scientists, specialists in bio-warfare and chemical weapons, said that the Pentagon, with the help of the British military, was also working on non-lethal weapons similar to the narcotic gas used by Russian forces to end last week’s siege in Moscow. They also pointed to the paradox of the US developing such weapons at a time when it was proposing military action against Iraq on the grounds that Saddam Hussein was breaking international treaties," reported the Guardian news service.
"Malcolm Dando, professor of international security at the University of Bradford, and Mark Wheelis, a lecturer in microbiology at the University of California, said that the US was encouraging a breakdown in arms control by its research into biological cluster bombs, anthrax and non-lethal weapons for use against hostile crowds, and by the secrecy under which these programmes were being conducted. In a move that stunned the international community last July, the US blocked an attempt to give the convention some teeth with inspections, so that member countries could check if others were keeping the agreement. Dando believes Washington’s motive for torpedoing the deal, which had the support of its allies, was to maintain secrecy over US research work on biological weapons," reported the Guardian news service.
"A British Airways flight from Singapore to London carrying 178 passengers made an emergency landing in the Indian capital yesterday after a package containing a toothbrush sparked a bomb scare," reported the AFP news service.
"For the first time in a decade, violent and property crime in the United States rose last year, growing 2.1% from the year before, the FBI said on Monday. Some analysts said the increase was caused partly by the sagging economy coupled with fallout from the Sept 11 hijacked airliner attacks on the United States. James Alan Fox, a professor of criminal justice at Northeastern University, blamed the economic downturn and said the situation could get worse – especially given steps by local and federal law enforcement to reduce budgets and focus on combating terrorism," reported the Rueters news agency.
"France is privately warning the US and Britain that they will be left alone in the political and economic task of reconstructing Iraq if they press ahead with a war on Saddam Hussein without UN support. The French warning comes as the US and Britain demanded a decision from the UN security council this week in support of a tough new resolution, or recognise that the British and the US will take unilateral action. But the French foreign minister, Dominque de Villepin, on Monday refused to back down as the last round of the six weeks of talks on the text of a UN resolution got under way," reported the Guardian news service.
"On Monday, two people were arrested in connection with the hostage-taking, in which a Chechen group held more than 800 people captive while demanding an end to the war in Chechnya," reported the AFP news service.
"A grieving Russia buried the first victims of the Moscow theatre siege yesterday, as it emerged that the mystery gas responsible for 115 hostage deaths may have been opium-based and not a nerve agent. The Russian government has refused to name the gas even to doctors treating hundreds of the hostages. Western experts have suggested the nerve agent BZ may have been used," reported the Rueters news agency. Yasser Arafat named a new Palestinian Cabinet and extended an olive branch to Israel yesterday as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon grappled with his worst political crisis since coming to power. Despite Arafat’s words, his actions appeared unlikely to satisfy the United States or Israel. Both have called for a sweeping overhaul of the Palestinian Authority and have tried to sideline the Palestinian leader," reported the Rueters news agency.
"The head of Indonesia’s second largest Islamic group yesterday warned the government against arresting more Muslim leaders as police waited to question elderly cleric and terror suspect Abubakar Ba’asyir. Ahmad Syafii Maarif, chairman of the 30-million strong Muhammadiyah, said Abubakar was the victim of a government seeking to appease the United States in the fight against terrorism. Ahmad was quoted by the Antara news agency in Surabaya as saying he was certain that Abubakar has been made a victim to satisfy ... the United States. Ahmad, who is known for his moderate Islamic views, said this should not happen again, otherwise they will not stay silent," reported the AFP news service.
"The United States is offering Muslim countries four U.S.-prepared television commercials aimed at providing a better understanding of Islam in America. The ads explain what kind of a society we are, how we treat people, to countries often hostile to the United States, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Wednesday. He said that there are an awful lot of people, though, who need to know more about the United States, who what they think they know about the United States is based on distorted images and rumor ... and that its good for us to tell them our story," reported the AP news agency.
"As U.N. deliberations on Iraq dragged on, Secretary of State Colin Powell declared that the United States would not permit itself to be handcuffed by the world organization. He said at no time will the United States foreclose its ability to act in its interest in accordance with its constitutional obligation to protect the nation and protect the people. With diplomats in New York still unable to reach a consensus on how to deal with Iraq's refusal to disarm, the Bush administration is bracing for further delay and expecting no agreement before next week's congressional elections. The biggest hurdle to an agreement is France's resistance to a provision in a U.S.-British draft resolution that could trigger an attack on Iraq if it defies U.N. weapons inspectors," reported the AP news agency.
"Australian police armed with machine pistols, sledgehammers and shotguns raided the homes of at least three Muslim families after the government banned the militant Southeast Asian Islamic group Jemaah Islamiah. Attorney General Daryl Williams declined to provide details on the raids, but said in Perth they were part of an investigation into the possible presence in Australia of Jemaah Islamiah. Kuranda Seyit, spokesman for the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, said Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashirwas a devout Muslim who distributed pamphlets on Islam and the alleged militant connection was absolutely ludicrous," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Danish law will not allow the extradition of top Chechen envoy Ahmed Zakayev, arrested on Wednesday by police in Copenhagen, to Russia, Denmark’s ambassador to Russia said, quoted by Moscow Echo radio. Zakayev was in Denmark as an envoy of rebel Chechen president Aslan Maskhadov, who on Monday again said he was prepared for negotiations with Moscow to put an end to the bloodshed in the tiny breakaway republic," reported the AFP news service.
"As Russia launches a massive anti-terrorism campaign in the wake of last week’s harrowing hostage drama in a Moscow theatre, Chechens say they are now, more than ever, harassed by police searching for possible accomplices to the hostage-takers. Aslanbek Aslakhanov, Chechnya’s elected representative in Russia’s lower house of parliament, charged on Tuesday, said the repression of Chechens has begun. They trap them by putting drugs or weapons in their belongings so they can detain them, and force them to give their fingerprints – that’s illegal. He called on the government to put an end to the police’s hysterical behaviour which sparks ethnic hatred," reported the AFP news service.
"The chief executive of BP, Lord Browne, who is one the British government’s favourite industrialists, has warned Washington not to carve up Iraq for its own oil companies in the aftermath of any future war. The comments from the most senior European oil executive, who has impeccable political connections in Britain, will be seen by anti-war protesters as further proof that US President George Bush has already made his mind up about an early attack. They will also serve to underline concern that the US is primarily concerned with seizing control of Saddam Hussein’s oil and handing it over to companies such as ExxonMobil rather than destroying his weapons of mass destruction," reported the Guardian News service.
"Labor Party ministers submitted their resignations yesterday in a dispute over funding for Jewish settlements, breaking up Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s coalition government and paving the way for early elections, possibly within 90 days. The crisis ended an uneasy 20-month partnership that had been formed to steer the country at a time of intense conflict with the Palestinians. The political turmoil could sabotage US efforts to win support for a three-phase peace plan that envisions Palestinian statehood by 2005. Responding to the resignation of Labor Party ministers, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said yesterday he will continue to lead the country, suggesting he will not seek early elections. Israel’s coalition governments are chronically unstable and plagued by internal fighting. No government has completed its full term since the 1980s, and the country has had five prime ministers in the past seven years," reported the AP news agency.
"Israel’s coalition government faced collapse yesterday in a row over state funding for Jewish settlements. If Labour carries out its threat to vote against the state spending plan and leave government, Sharon faces the prospect of building a narrow right-wing coalition or early elections. If the coalition crumbles, Sharon is likely to try to create an interim government including pro-settler ultra nationalists now in the opposition, complicating efforts to damp down the conflict and nurture fresh diplomacy with Palestinians. Israel’s political crisis, coupled with the Palestinians’ formation of a new cabinet that appeared to do little to foster reforms, did not seem to advance Washington’s aim of reducing Middle East violence as it courts Arab support for a possible war on Iraq," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Iraq and Iran exchanged on Tuesday the remains of 304 soldiers killed in their 1980-1988 war, the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) said. Thousands of combatants listed as missing in action or prisoners of war are among the main issues blocking the normalisation of diplomatic ties between the two countries," reported the Reuters news agency.
"There are those in the US army who worry that President George Bush’s aggressive approach to foreign policy could see American troops getting bogged down in overseas conflicts for years. Now, at least, they have one less cause for concern – military scientists have developed a sandwich that can stay moist and tasty without refrigeration for three years. There was a clear strategic justification for feeding troops well, Jerry Darsch, director of Pentagon’s feeding programme added it’s not a good thing for a war fighter to pop up out of his or her foxhole and run to the local convenience store, if there is one," reported the Guardian News service.
"Indonesian police released sketches yesterday of possible suspects in the Bali bomb blasts, saying they could be part of a group of as many as 10. The sketches, eagerly awaited as Indonesia hunted for bombers who killed at least 184 people, showed three men, whom a police official described as aged 20, 27 and 30. He gave no names," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Deadly bombings in Indonesia and the Philippines as well as rising terror threats in other Asian nations will cast a long, dark shadow over a meeting of regional leaders next week. Officials expect the 14-nation conference, to be held under tight security, will produce concrete measures to fight terrorism - including greater pressure on Indonesia to rein in radical Islamic groups that have already infiltrated parts of Southeast Asia," reported the AP news agency.
"Iraqi Kurd leader Jalal Talabani said yesterday he was certain of a US attack aimed at ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan," reported the AFP news service.
"Four children and one elderly woman died and as many as 20 more children were buried under rubble of their school when a powerful earthquake struck Italy’s southern Campobasso province yesterday," reported the AFP news service.
"Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday began trying to form a right-wing government after the Labor Party abandoned his ruling coalition in a bitter dispute over funding for Jewish settlements. Sharon lost his parliamentary majority when the left-centre party quit, and Israeli officials said he was trying to form a narrower alliance with far-right and religious parties that could demand a harder line against the Palestinians," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has chosen a former army chief known for harsh tactics against a Palestinian uprising to be defence minister," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Canada, in a highly unusual travel warning, on Wednesday urged Canadian citizens born in countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia to think carefully before entering the United States, saying they could fall afoul of tough new US anti-terrorism laws," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The Foreign Ministry said it issued the advisory after Washington stipulated that anyone born in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan or Syria needed to be photographed and fingerprinted on arrival in the United States. This includes citizens of Canada, a country traditionally regarded as one of the closest allies of the United States. The Foreign Ministry advisory, posted on its website, is another indication of how ties between the two neighbours have soured in past months amid disputes over trade, policy toward Iraq and immigration policies," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A disgruntled US war veteran who gunned down three of his nursing school professors before killing himself has sent a message from the grave justifying the massacre as a settling of accounts. A day after Monday’s murders, a local newspaper received a rambling 22-page letter from the 41-year-old University of Arizona nursing student Robert Flores that started with the chilling words: Greetings from the dead," reported the AFP news service.
"The French division of McDonald’s ran an advertisement this year that included a surprising suggestion: Kids shouldn’t eat at McDonald’s more than once a week. One advert placed in Femme Actuelle in April quoted a nutritionist who said, there’s no reason to abuse fast food, or visit McDonald’s more than once a week," reported the AP news agency.
"The gas used to end the theatre siege here was based on the powerful opiate Fentanyl, Russian Health Minister Yuri Shevchenko said on Wednesday, ending a four-day mystery. Shevchenko said doctors were warned in advance of the operation, flatly contradicting what Moscow’s top doctor and anaesthesiologist had earlier told reporters. US ambassador Alexander Vershbow said on Tuesday hostages could have been saved if the doctors treating them had known what the gas was," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A preacher was ordered to pay nearly US$17,000 in damages for refusing to marry a couple at the last minute because he found the bride’s dress and facial make-up objectionable. The 250 wedding guests were chased out of the building during the June 2000 fracas. Rev Trevisan had also objected to the low-cut dress worn by the bride, 22-year-old Simara Azevedo," reported the dpa news agency.
"A radical Muslim preacher is willing to submit to questioning but will refuse to discuss with investigators his alleged links to terrorists blamed for the Bali bombings. His lawyer Ahmad Taufik said the police said that they have enough evidence, so we are asking them to prove their case. We ask them to show us anything they have. In a brief interview on Metro TV station there, Ba’asyir challenged Indonesia’s security chiefs to vouch that his arrest was not the result of foreign pressure in the aftermath of the Bali bombings," reported the AP news agency.
"Singapore yesterday said Australia should remove the city-state from its list of countries with high-risk security following the Bali bombing. Thailand yesterday also voiced its frustration with the growing number of foreign governments issuing travel warnings for the kingdom and said the advisories were unnecessarily sowing panic among travellers," reported the AFP news service.
"The UN’s five permanent Security Council members are moving closer towards drawing up a resolution on Iraq, though serious differences remain," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israel signalled to the United States yesterday that any right-wing government formed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would refrain from radical actions that could upset US plans for a possible war on Iraq. Cabinet minister Danny Naveh said Sharon would begin formal talks tomorrow with prospective partners in a narrow government following the collapse of his broad coalition on Wednesday, when the Labour Party bolted over funding for Jewish settlements," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The United States is looking at Chechen groups to see if they deserve designation and sanctions as “foreign terrorist organisations. If designated, the groups would go on the State Department’s list of extremist organisations, which now includes 35 groups. It is illegal to provide material support to the groups; US banks must freeze their assets and members can be denied visas," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Indonesia has identified one of three suspects in the Bali bombings and begun a manhunt in the sprawling Indonesian archipelago, chief investigator Made Mangku Pastika told Australian media," reported the Reuters news agency.
"While naming no individuals or groups as suspects in the Bali blasts, some Indonesian authorities have said the bombings bore the hallmark of previous violence in the region linked to Jemaah Islamiah, a militant network that regional and Western intelligence agencies say has ties to al-Qaeda. Police are holding another alleged leader of Jemaah Islamiah, militant Muslim cleric Abubakar Ba’asyir, at a Jakarta hospital. Police have not tied Ba’asyir to the Bali blasts," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Facing criticism from Jakarta, the Australian government denied yesterday that police and the intelligence services were targeting Indonesians or Islam in a series of raids on Muslim homes. The government has declined to reveal details of the raids except to say they are part of an investigation into the possible presence of members of Jemaah Islamiah, suspected of involvement in the bomb blasts in Bali that killed more than 180 people," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The battle for control of the US Congress headed down the stretch yesterday, with the Senate too close to call and Democrats taking aim at a narrow Republican lead in the House of Representatives. Two years after one of the closest elections in history left Congress almost evenly divided, a host of intangibles ranging from voter turnout to worries over a reeling economy could decide whether Republicans hold their six-seat edge in the House and Democrats keep their one-seat Senate majority," reported the Reuters news agency.
