"Former US president Jimmy Carter, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, has called US foreign policy arrogant, saying the United States will do well to destroy its own weapons of mass destruction. On Friday during a taping of Larry King Live, broadcast on the same day on CNN, Jimmy Carter said One of the things that the United States government has not done is to try to comply with and enforce international efforts targeted to prohibit the arsenals of biological weapons that we ourselves have and others have and also to reduce and enforce the agreement to eliminate chemical weapons, and the same way with nuclear weapons," reported the AFP news service.
"Former US president Jimmy Carter said there is a sense that the United States has become too arrogant, too dominant, too self-centred, proud of our wealth, believing that it deserves to be the richest and most powerful and influential nation in the world. US interests, too often based on oil or other resources, ignore many truly poor countries, while the United States is the stingiest contributor of foreign aid," reported the AFP news service.
"Declaring spot inspections would begin on Nov 27, chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix warned Baghdad on Friday not to hide any weapons of mass destruction programmes in a report it must give on Dec 8," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The United States said on Friday it had the option of declaring Iraq in serious violation of a new UN Security Council resolution if Baghdad shoots at American planes patrolling “no-fly” zones, an interpretation not even close ally Britain shares. At issue is whether a provision in the new resolution adopted on Nov 8, applies to the US-British unilaterally declared flight exclusion zones over Iraq. The second controversy is whether the United States can bypass the inspectors and report a violation to the council itself, without it being verified by the arms experts. US officials said they can while the other 14 council members disagree," reported the Reuters news agency.
"US president George W. Bush admits in a soon-to-be-published book to feelings of loathing toward North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Il. Bush is quoted in Bush at War, by Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, which claims the US president shouted and waved his finger in the air as he vented about Kim. Woodward’s latest book, based on interviews with more than 100 people, primarily deals with the planning and execution of the war in Afghanistan, but also covers such issues as internal squabbles among members of the White House defence and security teams, the president’s leadership style, and his feelings towards and relationships with other leaders and politicians," reported the AFP news service.
"The book, by Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, draws on four hours of interviews with Bush and also cites meetings of the National Security Council and other White House gathering in reconstructing the internal debate that led to US military action in Afghanistan, as well as the decision to aggressively confront Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Among the other revelations in Bush at War, Woodward reports that defeat last year of the Taliban was due largely to millions of dollars handed out by the CIA to Afghan warlords to win their support," reported the AFP news service.
"China has granted permission to a U.S. aircraft carrier and six other American warships to make routine port calls in Hong Kong this week. The USS Constellation battle group is scheduled to stop in Hong Kong from Friday to Wednesday. Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks in New York and Washington, U.S. officials have become more reluctant to discuss movements of warships until about two days before port calls," reported the AP news agency.
"UN arms inspectors arrived here yesterday to begin a mission searching for weapons of mass destruction that could decide between war and peace in Iraq. Even as their plane landed, US and British jets launched a new raid against Iraqi air defences. Baghdad rejected US charges it had violated a new UN resolution by continually trying to shoot down the warplanes patrolling no-fly zones. Analysts say such clashes could ignite full-scale conflict," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Iraq’s press said yesterday the country will co-operate fully with UN inspectors headed to Baghdad to hunt for weapons of mass destruction, but also urged them to be neutral and honest," reported the Reuters news agency.
"There is a real and serious danger of further al-Qaeda terrorist attacks, British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned yesterday, following the arrest of three people suspected of plotting to release poison gas into the London underground railway system. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott played down the gas attack threat in comments to the BBC it has been elaborated on by the press ... in this case it doesn’t appear to be that there is any evidence whatsoever there was going to be a gas attack or indeed use of bombs regarding the three people who have been arrested," reported the AFP news service.
"Surrounded by smiling schoolgirls in a makeshift classroom in Afghanistan, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali took up yesterday the fight for education and aid to the war-shattered country. Ali, who was visiting Afghanistan as a guest of the UN’s World Food Programme and Children’s Fund (Unicef), hopes to draw attention to the massive shortfall in aid still facing the country despite international assistance," reported the AFP news service.
"Thousands of Iranian university students yesterday defied warnings of a crackdown by stepping up their protests with vocal demands for greater freedom of speech. In the face of mounting demonstrations and a chorus of criticism of the verdict, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the hardline-controlled judiciary to revise the ruling on Sunday. But a student leader said the supreme leader’s intervention did not go far enough in satisfying wider student demands; freedom of speech and freedom in general," reported the AFP news service.
"Families of the Sept 11 terrorist attack victims are to add 50 new defendants to their multi-trillion-dollar lawsuit which already includes members of the Saudi royal family and banks. A member of the royal family said the case is baseless, offering false hope to victims’ families by smearing honest Saudis," reported the AFP news service.
"Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at a Palestinian security base and tanks entered the edge of Gaza City as pressure mounted on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to hit back hard after a fatal Palestinian ambush," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A suspected hijack attempt on an El Al Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Istanbul on Sunday was foiled by security guards but could raise security questions as Sharon prepares for a national election on Jan 28. Right-wing members of his Cabinet and Jewish settlers – a key constituency – want a tough response and the prime minister is keen not to do anything that smacks of compromise or weakness before the election. But the international community is demanding restraint and the United States wants calm as it prepares for possible military action in Iraq," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A man who held 25 children at knifepoint at a school near Barcelona freed 21 of them yesterday. It said the motive appeared to be money but it could not confirm news reports that the man was demanding US$1mil," reported the AP news agency.
"Previously undisclosed medical records of late US President John F. Kennedy, opened to a presidential historian, show a man in poor health suffering from more ailments and pain than he showed the world. Kennedy’s back problems were known during his presidency but the newly disclosed medical files covering the last eight years of Kennedy’s life, show he also took painkillers, anti-anxiety agents, stimulants and sleeping pills, as well as hormones to keep him alive, with extra doses in times of stress. Kennedy also complained of persistent digestive problems and Addison’s disease, a life-threatening lack of adrenal function," reported the AFP news service.
"Investigators pressed on yesterday with the hunt for six more Bali bombing suspects as Indonesia’s police chief said they may have gone to ground inside Islamic boarding schools in the country. Police have searched several pesantren or Muslim boarding schools in central and East Java. They include the Al-Islam boarding school at Lamongan in East Java, which was founded by a brother of Amrozi," reported the AFP news service.
"The mother of the suspected Bali bombing mastermind, Imam Samudra, has described her son as a gentle person not involved in terrorism but admitted they lost touch for many years after he went to Malaysia. Indonesian authorities have previously identified Samudra as a leading member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) regional militant group," reported the AFP news service.
"Indonesia’s vice-president criticised as heavy handed the investigation into last month’s bombings on Bali island. Hamzah Haz, a hardline Muslim politician who in the past has publicly courted several well-known militants, said yesterday that police should change the way they search Islamic boarding schools in their hunt for the suspects. Over the past two weeks, police have repeatedly raided the al-Islam boarding school in Tengullen village in east Java in their hunt for suspects. Hamzah said the raids were creating anxiety," reported the AP news agency.
"Protesters burned an effigy of US President George W. Bush and scuffled with police yesterday as the trial began of a US soldier accused of killing two South Korean girls. Anti-America sentiment has mounted in Seoul since a US military vehicle crushed the two 14-year-old schoolgirls to death during a field drill five months ago," reported the AFP news service.
"Chinese authorities in Shenzhen on the border with Hong Kong have hired kung fu or martial arts masters to protect judges and anti-graft officers amid growing threats to their safety. A report added that Shenzhen’s crime rate has been above the national average, without providing any figures," reported the AFP news service.
"Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Tuesday that the Fed would not be out of business'' in terms of stimulating the economy even if it should push a key interest rate to zero. Greenspan used his appearance before the Council on Foreign Relations to dispute worry expressed by some private economists that the Fed may be running out of ammunition to jump-start the lagging economic recovery," reported the AP news agency.
"Israel's Labor Party members chose a relative newcomer to national politics, former general Amram Mitzna, as their leader Tuesday to challenge Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud in January elections," reported the AP news agency.
"Iraq has promised to meet a Dec 8 deadline for declaring whether it still holds any weapons of mass destruction. Bush, meanwhile, left Washington for a Nato summit in Prague to seek political support for his hardline policy against Iraq, although he has indicated he will make no request for military help from the 19-nation bloc," reported the AP news agency.
"UN officials were to hold further talks here yesterday on resuming no-notice arms searches after Washington retracted hints that Iraqi fire on its warplanes could spark a war. Chief UN disarmament envoy Hans Blix was to meet Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri after reporting progress on Monday, when he kicked off the UN mission to hunt for Iraq’s suspected weapons of mass destruction," reported the AFP news service.
"A US intelligence analysis has found that an audio recording broadcast last week was almost certainly the voice of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the tape was genuine, suggesting he was alive as recently as late October. Officials said there was nothing that could be gleaned from the recording about Osama’s location," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Australian Prime Minister John Howard looks set to abandon any plans to retire next year with opinion polls showing his popularity soaring over his handling of security and the aftermath of the Bali bombing," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Australia said yesterday it had received information about a new terrorist threat to the country over the next two months, believed to be linked to the al-Qaeda network," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Czech police found a small bomb on a rail track in Prague yesterday, just hours before US President George W. Bush was to arrive for a Nato summit. Workers checking tracks found a bottle placed underneath a rail, which had been partially sawed through, on the outskirts of the Czech capital at around 9am," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Watched on the ground by 15,000 police and soldiers and above by early-warning surveillance aircraft and US fighter planes, Prague will be the world’s best protected city this week for the Nato summit. Authorities in the Czech capital have minutely organised security for the first alliance summit behind the former Iron Curtain in a bid to prevent violent demonstrations or, worse, a terrorist attack," reported the Reuters news agency.
"More than 10,000 emotionally charged mourners packed a stadium here for the open-air funeral of Mir Aimal Kasi, a Pakistani who was executed in the US last week for shooting dead two CIA employees nine years ago," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Opposition figures will announce a single candidate next month to challenge current leader Gloria Arroyo in the Philippines’ next presidential election, Senator Panfilo Lacson said yesterday. Lacson, who hopes to become that candidate, told a Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines forum that he would be a more decisive leader than Arroyo, whom he accused of driving this South-East Asian nation of 80 million to ruin," reported the AFP news service.
"Senior Palestinian officials on Wednesday welcomed a call by Israel's new opposition leader Amram Mitzna to restart peace talks, saying they believed they could reach a peace settlement with Israel if the dovish ex-general is elected prime minister. But Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and some aides stopped short of a clear endorsement, apparently for fear of hurting his chances in January elections," reported the AP news agency.
"The Islamic militant group Hamas, which has been behind many of the suicide attacks against Israel, dismissed Mitzna, saying it made no difference who led the government, Labor or Likud and that their resistance will continue until they liberate our land and end this occupation. Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said no matter who is inside the government of Israel, all of them are practicing brutal aggression against palestinians," reported the AP news agency.
"The State Department said it is concerned that that an attack similar to the one in Bali, Indonesia, last month may occur in other Southeast Asian nations. The State Department announcement reaffirmed the department's continuing concerns about possibly heightened risks to American citizens and U.S. interests in Malaysia, especially in the state of Sabah. The announcement also reiterated the U.S. government's concern about the Philippine-based Abu Sayyaf Group, or ASG, whose headquarters is located near Sabah," reported the AP news agency.
"Dozens of Israeli tanks entered three villages in southern Gaza early Thursday, residents said, and soldiers began searching houses looking for suspected militants. Palestinians have called the raids Israeli aggression," reported the AP news agency.
"The Malaysian Cabinet has given its green light for the setting up of the regional training centre on counter-terrorism that will be called the South-East Asia Centre for Counter-Terrorism. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said if everything went smoothly, work on the centre would start as soon as possible and it would become operational before the end of next year," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"UN weapons chiefs left Iraq yesterday armed with promises of total co-operation for the resumption of disarmament inspections, but the United States hit out at the world body and returned to war talk," reported the AFP news service.
"The Senate voted decisively to create a Homeland Security Department, delivering a triumph to President George W. Bush and setting the stage for the biggest government reshuffling in a half-century as a way to thwart and respond to terrorist attacks. The final vote on Tuesday was 90-9, belying bitter clashes that pitted Congress against the White House and the two parties against each other and that prolonged work on the legislation for nearly a year," reported the AFP news service.
"Australian security forces were put on heightened alert yesterday but appealed for calm after the government issued its most significant warning about a potential terrorist threat since the September 11 attacks. The government said on Tuesday it had received credible information about a general threat to the country over the next two months, believed linked to the radical Islamic al Qaeda network, but it made no mention of when or where," reported Reuters news agency.
"Dovish former general Amram Mitzna won Israel’s Labour Party leadership ballot, pledging to remove Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip within a year if he becomes prime minister in a general election 10 weeks away. But opinion polls have shown that the Haifa mayor, a newcomer to national politics, has no chance of defeating popular right-wing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of the Likud party in the Jan 28 vote," reported Reuters news agency.
"Nato’s enlargement to take in seven former communist countries will invigorate the alliance and strengthen its ability to fight global terrorists who hate freedom, US President George W. Bush said yesterday. Speaking to reporters after meeting with Czech President Vaclav Havel, Bush urged the Nato allies to join a US-led coalition of the willing to ensure that Iraq disarms. An enlarged Nato, he said, will offer greater security to a world in turmoil. The Bush administration disclosed that US ambassadors in 50 countries have been told to solicit support from allies for personnel and equipment to assist US forces in the war on terrorism and, possibly, an attack on Iraq," reported the AP news agency.
"A senior US official refused to confirm reports that Secretary of State Colin Powell apologised to Taiwan’s President Chen Shui-bian after his wheelchair-bound wife was body-searched at an airport in Washington. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly said there had been a number of occasions when communication problems had resulted in tight security procedures being taken against distinguished visitors," reported the AFP news service.
"Collectible cards depicting portraits of victims of the Sept 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre are due to go on sale next month, prompting accusations that their manufacturer is trading on tragedy. The cards – Heroes of the World Trade Centre – are expected to hit US stores in two to three weeks, although it remains unclear if some major retail chains will agree to stock them," reported the AFP news service.
"Clean-up crews braced yesterday for the possibility of a massive oil spill and environmental catastrophe, propping up 28km of floating booms around the spot where an oil tanker broke in two and sank in the Atlantic, triggering what ecologists said could become one of the world's worst spills. The hope is that the more than 70,000 metric tons of oil on board will sink and harden in the deep, frigid waters before inflicting disaster and engulf the area’s rich fishing grounds," reported the AP news agency.
"Police in southern Thailand said yesterday they had seized powerful gel explosives and a grenade launcher from the house of an Islamic teacher who was arrested over the bombing of a hotel. Colonel Pradit Khwanchen said the suspect continued to deny the charges, and insisted that the weaponry and explosive material did not belong to him," reported the AFP news service.
"Indonesian authorities yesterday extended until the end of the year the detention of Muslim cleric Abubakar Ba’asyir, suspected of involvement in church bombings in 2000 and a plot to kill President Megawati Sukarnoputri," reported Reuters news agency.
"Angry mobs stabbed and set fire to bystanders in rioting that erupted after a newspaper suggested Islam's founding prophet would have approved of the Miss World beauty pageant. At least 50 people were killed and 200 injured. Muslim groups say the pageant promotes sexual promiscuity and indecency. Isioma Daniel wrote in Saturday's article saying that in all honesty, (the prophet) Muhammad would probably have chosen a wife from among them (the contestants)," reported the AP news agency.
"Malaysian PM Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the latest warning by the United States on the possibility of terrorist attacks in Malaysia could amount to an economic sabotage. The Prime Minister said he did not know if there was an intentional plan to sabotage Malaysia’s economy by issuing such a public warning and naming the country, but the fact was that the move would hurt the country’s economy. The United States, he said, had no right to pass judgment on other countries when that country itself was a very dangerous place and not free from the threat of terrorism," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"The United States is asking about 50 countries what they can contribute during and after a possible war with Iraq, US officials said on Wednesday. The effort, conducted by US ambassadors, appears to keep pressure on Iraq to co-operate with UN weapons inspectors and end its suspected weapons of mass destruction programmes as well as to seek help in the event of a war," reported the Reuters news agency.
"With the United Nations poised to resume weapons inspections in Iraq, the US Senate is dangling green cards in front of up to 500 Iraqi scientists willing and capable to expose President Saddam Hussein’s suspected weapons of mass destruction programmes. The not-so-subtle offer is contained in a Bill passed by senators by voice vote late on Wednesday, shortly before they adjourned until early next year. The Bill is openly predicated on the assumption that Iraq has hidden weapons of mass destruction and the problem is only to find them. No other scenario is being contemplated," reported the AFP news service.
"The United States has pledged to give Israel US$2.16bil in military aid next year to ensure the defence of its chief Middle East ally," reported the AFP news service.
"A Palestinian man wearing a bomb belt blew himself up yesterday on a city bus packed with high school students and soldiers here, killing 11 passengers and wounding dozens in a morning rush hour attack. Ghassan Khatib, the Palestinian labour minister, held Israel responsible, saying Sharon’s strikes against militants provoked more Palestinian attacks," reported the AP news agency.
"The pioneer scientist who helped crack the human genome and a Nobel laureate were expected to announce yesterday plans to create a new life form in a laboratory dish in an experiment that raises ethical and safety questions. the scientists acknowledged the project could lay the groundwork for creating new biological weapons and that they have to be selective about publishing technical details," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Nato leaders invited seven ex-communist east European countries yesterday to join in its biggest expansion yet, taking the US-led alliance born in the Cold War deep into the former Soviet sphere. Russian President Vladimir Putin has softened his country’s opposition to Nato’s enlargement as part of a broad pro-Western policy. But many in Moscow still have misgivings, particularly about the alliance’s expansion onto former Soviet soil in the three Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A state lawmaker sparked an uproar in Australia yesterday with a demand that Muslim women be barred from wearing their traditional dress in public places for fear it could conceal bombs. The Reverend Fred Nile, a Christian Democrat lawmaker, said in the New South Wales state parliament late on Wednesday that recent threats to Australia from Islamic radicals made it necessary to ban the head-to-toe robes warn by some Muslim women. The New South Wales Labour Party government rejected the suggestion outright. But conservative Prime Minister John Howard did not, fuelling the anger of Muslim leaders and others who demanded Nile’s resignation. Senator Kerry Nettle of the opposition Greens party denounced Howard’s refusal to rule out such a ban, saying that John Howard has again displayed a frightening willingness to flirt with clearly racist and divisive ideas. Keysar Trad of the Australian Lebanese-Muslim Association accused Nile of resorting to religious persecution to score political points," reported the AFP news service.
"Pakistan’s parliament chose Zafarullah Khan Jamali, a moderate who has the support of the powerful army, to be the country’s prime minister yesterday as the country lurches toward a return to civilian rule. The pro-Taliban candidate for prime minister, Fazlur Rahman, was a distant second in the race. In a speech following the vote, Rahman urged the new civilian administration to quickly implement strict Islamic law," reported the AP news agency.
"At least 105 people have been killed in riots in Nigeria stoked by Muslim fury over the country’s staging of the Miss World pageant next month. Authorities initially clamped an overnight curfew on the city about 600km northwest of here on Thursday. Soldiers were drafted in to help police contain the rioting, sparked by a newspaper article linking the pageant and the Prophet Muhammad," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israeli troops and armoured vehicles took over the West Bank city of Bethlehem yesterday, the day after a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 11 people on a Jerusalem bus crowded with students and commuters. Soldiers began arresting suspected militants and sealed off the Church of the Nativity, revered as the birthplace of Jesus, to prevent any suspects taking refuge in the church compound as they did during an Israeli incursion in April," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Authorities have captured al-Qaeda’s top leader in the Gulf, Abd al-Rashim al-Nashiri, dealing a major blow to the terrorist network Al-Nashiri, who was captured in recent weeks, was a key planner of the 2000 terrorist attack that crippled the warship USS Cole in Yemen and in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in east Africa," reported the AFP news service.
"Firefighters in Britain embarked on a secondstrike yesterday after last-ditch pay talks ended in failure. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) leader Andy Gilchrist blamed last-minute intervention by Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government for wrecking the chance of a deal, triggering the walkout," reported the AFP news service.
"A lawsuit filed against McDonald’s on behalf of eight obese New York children is threatening to unleash a wave of class actions similar to those that have won huge payouts from the tobacco industry. The suit brought by lawyer Samuel Hirsch was heard on Wednesday in a Manhattan federal court – the first time such a case has appeared before a US judge. It charges McDonald’s with responsibility for the obesity of the eight plaintiffs, saying the fast-food giant did not provide the necessary information on health risks associated with its meals," reported the AFP news service.
"Australia’s Catholic Church yesterday commissioned a team of scientists to determine whether a weeping fibreglass Madonna hailed as a miracle by thousands of pilgrims is a fake. Archbishop of Perth Barry Hickey said the inquiry, which would see the 70cm sculpture undergo a barrage of scientific tests, was unprecedented in Australia. The small parish church where the statue is displayed has received requests from all over the world for the oil and Hickey said believers deserved to know if the statue could be explained by science or whether it was a miracle," reported the Reuters news agency.
