"NATO agreed to begin planning defense measures to aid Turkey in the event of a U.S.-led war in Iraq, breaking a monthlong deadlock that had opened the biggest rift in the West since the Cold War," reported the AP news agency.
"European Union leaders faced a bruising summit Monday, with France showing no sign of backing down in its opposition to U.S. plans to force Iraq to disarm," reported the AP news agency.
"Turkey's foreign minister said Ankara may delay its decision about whether to allow U.S. troops to use the country to open a northern front against Iraq," reported the AP news agency.
"An audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden calls President George W. Bush stupid and claims American war plans against Iraq are part of a plot to attack Muslim nations in the Middle East and North Africa. The tape appeared to be the same 53-minute recording of which a few excerpts were released Thursday by the British-based Islamic Al-Ansaar news agency," reported the AP news agency.
"Arab foreign ministers failed to reach agreement on holding an emergency summit on the crisis after spending most the day in dispute over whether Washington or Baghdad should be doing more to avert war. Earlier, Iraq's foreign minister said fellow Arab states should do more to avert a possible U.S.-led war," reported the AP news agency.
"At the ruins of a bomb shelter struck by American missiles, Iraqi officials mourned the civilian victims of their last war with the United States and celebrated global anti-war protests aimed at preventing another one," reported the AP news agency.
"Faced with broad opposition to war at the United Nations, Bush's national security adviser said the White House might push a new U.N. plan to force a showdown with Saddam Hussein. Condoleezza Rice said it had become obvious that Iraq would not disarm voluntarily and the U.N. was letting him get away with it," reported the AP news agency.
"If the United States charges into war with Iraq, U.S. forces are expected to unsheathe several new weapons and tactics, including devices still under development. Bob Martinage, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a defense think-tank, said the only time you get realistic feedback on new capabilities is during wartime. The military will take advantage of that time to test new systems," reported the AP news agency.
"Nato hammered out a face-saving accord over the weekend to boost Turkey's defences in case of an Iraq war but the rancorous standoff has thrown up wide-ranging questions about the future of the transatlantic alliance. After a week of almost unprecedented crisis, the 19-member alliance finally struck a compromise late on Sunday by bypassing France, which along with Belgium and Germany, had blocked US proposals on military planning, arguing that they sent the wrong signal while diplomacy continues," reported the AFP news service.
"It is mid-February in the Gulf and as the heat starts to build, time is running out for war in the season of choice. No one disputes that US troops would fight better in the next few weeks than in April. The Pentagon says rising heat is no barrier in itself, but experts and users suggest war in cumbersome and stifling anti-chemical suits would be torment," reported the Reuters news agency.
"French President Jacques Chirac said yesterday that his country would oppose any effort to draft a new UN resolution to explicitly authorize war against Iraq at this time," reported the AP news agency.
"Turkey's prime minister said yesterday that it will be difficult to convince parliament to allow in tens of thousands of US combat troops before Turkish and US officials agree on the conditions of the deployment. A delay will come after worldwide protests over the weekend against a US-led war in Iraq. The Turkish public is overwhelmingly against any war in Iraq," reported the AP news agency.
"Israeli uncover troops hiding in a van loaded with vegetables killed a top Hamas militant in a roadside ambush yesterday, while another group of soldiers blew up the house of a suspected Hamas bombmaker and fatally shot two Palestinians in a separate operation in the Gaza Strip," reported the AP news agency.
"Qatar, the current chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), has agreed to Malaysia’s proposal to hold an informal meeting on the sidelines of the 13th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit next week to discuss an imminent US-led attack on Iraq. The word of support came on Monday following talks between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the Emir of Qatar Amir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Iraq’s vice-president Taha Yasin Ramadhan will lead his country’s delegation to the NAM Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Foreign Minister Naji Sabri will join his counterparts for the ministerial level meeting on Saturday," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"A group of organisations from all major faiths in five countries have come together to call on the United States to take the moral lead and disarm its weapons first. They said this was because the US has the biggest nuclear arsenal and the world’s most dangerous and deadly weapons. The five signatories are International Movement for a Just World president Dr Chandra Muzaffar, Indonesia’s Muhammadiah president Dr Ahmad Syafii Maarif, Australia’s International Christian Movement Pax Christi president Prof Joseph Camilleri, International Network of Engaged Buddhists in Bangkok president Ajarn Sulak Sivaraksa and India’s World of Arya Samaj president Swami Agnivesh," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Stressing that the use of force as a preventive measure was illegal, the five signatories warned that a US-led military assault in a situation where no armed attack had occurred or was threatened would set a frightening precedent in international law and result in global anarchy. They made their call in a statement that urged the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Kuala Lumpur next week to reject war as a solution to the crisis in Iraq," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"President George W. Bush said yesterday he wouldn't be deterred by global protests against war with Iraq, saying I respectfully disagree with those who doubt that Saddam Hussein is a threat to peace. The global anti-war protests have put the White House on the defensive," reported the AP news agency.
"Presidential spokesman Ari Fleischer began his daily briefing by reading newspaper clips about demonstrations against the staging of missiles in Germany in the early 1980s, and said, This is not the first time there have been mass protests and in a previous instance America stood on principle ... and as a result the Berlin Wall came down," reported the AP news agency.
"French President Jacques Chirac launched a stinging attack on east European candidates for EU membership on Monday, saying they had missed a great opportunity to shut up when they issued pro-American statements on Iraq, saying that these countries have been not very well behaved and rather reckless of the danger of aligning themselves too rapidly with the American position," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Despite vocal public opposition to military action against Iraq, European territory is set to be used by US forces as a major stepping-stone if war breaks out. US requests for transit permission have been granted by most governments across the continent, with France one of the few major nations that refused to give the go-ahead," reported the AFP news service.
"US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld keeps in his desk drawer a four-to-five page catalogue of all the things that could go wrong during and after a US-led war against Iraq. Senior officials in the administration of President George W. Bush are for the first time discussing the risks of a possible war on Iraq, in order to prepare Americans for what one unnamed senior official called the very real possibility that this will not look like Afghanistan," reported the AFP news service.
"Opening a suit against the United States at the World Court, Iran asserted on Monday that Washington violated a treaty with Teheran by siding with Baghdad during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s and firing on three of its oil platforms in the Gulf," reported the AP news agency.
"The deadly blizzard that closed major airports, stranded thousands of travellers and buried much of the northeast under several feet of snow was set to linger a while longer over parts of New England yesterday. New York Governor George Pataki, at the request of the mayor, declared a state of emergency, a move to enable the city to obtain state and federal emergency funds to put clearing operations in full swing," reported the Reuters news agency.
"This city, Las Vegas, is seldom outdone in anything. Now it has what is claimed to be the biggest striptease club in the world. The Sapphire Gentlemen's Club has room for up to 800 dancers. It has four stages for the ladies as well as so-called skyboxes from which guests can watch the dancers from 20m up," reported the dpa news agency.
"More than 130 people were killed and 99 were missing in South Korea yesterday after flames and smoke engulfed two crowded subway trains following an arson attack, officials said. The mayor of the south-eastern city of Daegu said a 56-year-old man with a history of mental illness was suspected of starting the blaze," reported the news agencies.
"Park Chang-shik charged down the smoke-clogged subway stairs in the hope of finding survivors. Instead, he found a scene of death: bodies of victims choked as they fled for safety and the ash-white bones of those who perished in the flames," reported the AP news agency.
"North Korea yesterday threatened to pull out of the armistice that ended the Korean War as South Korea and the United States prepared to launch major military exercises. Amid a four-month nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula, the North's threat was widely seen as a response to the announcement on Monday of US-South Korea war games scheduled for next month," reported the AFP news service.
"Baghdad stepped up concessions to UN arms inspectors in its latest bid to show full compliance as debate swirled in the West over whether and when diplomacy should cede to military action against President Saddam Hussein. But as the United States and staunch ally Britain were reportedly preparing a strategy to win a UN Security Council green light to use military force," reported the AFP news service.
"Israeli troops killed a Hamas activist in a West Bank raid yesterday as part of its new offensive against the Islamic militant group, and arrested three Palestinian women suspected of planning to carry out suicide bombings. Hamas is threatening to unleash more attacks on Israelis in retaliation for the deaths of eight members of its military wing in the past three days," reported the AP news agency.
"A military plane crash in mountainous southern Iran killed 302 of the nation's elite Revolutionary Guards, the deadliest in a string of plane accidents that the government has blamed on U.S. sanctions that prevent the country from repairing and replacing its aging fleet," reported the AP news agency.
"At first glance, Mohammed KA Hussein looks like any normal 15-year-old boy, with thick hair slicked back. But the moment he starts speaking, one senses the sufferings he has gone through at the hands of a cruel regime which makes no apology about killing schoolchildren and playing Russian Roulette with Palestinian lives. At least Mohammed and his family have a place to call home unlike Mohammed AM Al-Bilawi, who came back from school a few months ago to find his house flattened by an Israeli bomb. The two are among 16 Palestinians who had been invited by Puteri Umno to share their horror stories to Malaysians, in conjunction with the 13th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit which begins in Kuala Lumpur today," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Palestinian President Yasser Arafat will not attend the 13th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit as Israel and its main ally, the United States, cannot guarantee his safe return," reported the Malaysian Bernama news agency.
"Amid questions about its post-war planning, the White House said on Tuesday that Iraqis will shoulder much of the burden of reconstruction following any military action to oust Saddam Hussein, as Iraq, unlike Afghanistan, is a rather wealthy country. Iraq has tremendous resources that belong to the Iraqi people. Spokesman Ari Fleischer also defended the possibility of waging war on Baghdad before unveiling a detailed blueprint to carry out Washington's stated aims of bringing democracy and prosperity to Iraq," reported the AFP news service.
"A Dutch-born doctor who made the first kidney dialysis machine out of sausage casings and the co-inventors of the Global Positioning System won the top US engineering awards on Tuesday. The Charles Stark Draper Prize this year went to Ivan Getting and Bradford Parkinson for the invention of the Global Positioning System, which started out as a secret military system for guiding missiles and aircraft and now has been adopted by hikers, boaters and automakers," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A computer hacker gained access to some eight million Visa and MasterCard accounts in one of the largest security breaches to affect the two credit card companies. The problem was reported by the third-party merchant processor who was unable to say whether the intrusion came from the United States or overseas," reported the AFP news service.
"A Nato committee, meeting without France, approved yesterday the deployment of defence equipment to Turkey, which fears counter-attacks from Iraq in the event of a US-led war," reported the news Agencies.
"US Secretary of State Colin Powell accused countries like France that want more time for arms inspections in Iraq of being “afraid” to take responsibility for a possible war to disarm Baghdad. Powell's comments, in an interview broadcast on Wednesday by French public radio France Info, were a clear reproach to French President Jacques Chirac, who has pushed hard for a longer, more intense inspection process in Iraq. But French officials have maintained a firm line this week in insisting that inspections should go on, possibly for months," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Russian rocket scientist Anatoly Babkin was convicted of spying for the United States yesterday but escaped going to jail after being given a suspended eight-year sentence. Babkin, 72, was convicted of passing on secret data on the most advanced Russian high-speed underwater missile, the Shkval (or Squall), to former US naval intelligence officer Edmond Pope," reported the AFP news service.
"Acute malnutrition similar to that in Zimbabwe and Congo, 53% unemployment and an economy that has wasted to half its size in two years. Such is the worsening plight of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, according to a draft World Bank report presented to international donors meeting in London on Tuesday," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israeli tanks and soldiers battled Palestinian militants and security forces in the streets of Gaza City before dawn yesterday. Eleven Palestinians were killed, including a suicide bomber who tried to blow up a tank, in the bloodiest incursion in three weeks. Hamas official Abdel Aziz Rantisi warned Israeli leaders that Gaza would be the graveyard for their soldiers," reported the AP news agency.
"Military surplus stores in Canada are having brisk business for gas masks, charcoal-lined suits and other equipment from US buyers after Washington raised its state of alert some 11 days ago," reported the AFP news service.
"The fugitive heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune was sentenced to 124 years in prison for drugging and raping three women," reported the AP news agency.
"A senator suggested to fellow state legislators on Tuesday that it was time to create a commission to study what has gone wrong for the American male. Republican Sen David Miller, a 56-year-old attorney said he raised the alarm because of statistics showing higher school dropout rates among boys compared to girls, and men's lower college graduation rates. He said the problem may be an emphasis on sports among boys instead of academic pursuits," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Mounir El Motassadeq was yesterday jailed for 15 years by a German court after being convicted of accessory to murder in the world's first trial over the Sept 11, 2001 attacks. None of the nearly 30 witnesses heard by the court was able to demonstrate beyond doubt that he had advance knowledge of the attacks. Nevertheless, federal prosecutors said they presented a “mosaic” of evidence that, taken together, presented a clear picture of a guilty man," reported the AFP news service.
"Carol Moseley-Braun, the first black woman to serve in the US Senate, formally announced her intention to join six other political hopefuls seeking the Democratic Party's presidential nomination on Tuesday," reported the AFP news service.
"Sceptics in Perth demanded the Catholic church release the findings of an experts' inquiry into a fibreglass Madonna hailed as a miracle by thousands of pilgrims because it was reportedly weeping. Thousands of churchgoers have reportedly placed about A$60,000 at the base of the statue since it was displayed in the church several months ago. It was wrong for money to be accepted from people who believed the incident was an act of God," reported the AFP news service.
"Shocked South Koreans pressed authorities yesterday to explain why so many people died in a subway arson attack in this south-eastern city. At the centre of the controversy is why the doors on the burned out trains were left shut even as the fire and billowing smoke spread. Media reports also raised questions about the speed at which materials on the trains burst into flames," reported the news Agencies.
"South Korea's president-elect said yesterday he would oppose any consideration of US military action to force North Korea to halt its suspected nuclear weapons development," reported the AP news agency.
"Hundreds of U.S. special operations troops will soon join Philippine forces in combat operations against Abu Sayyaf rebels in the southern Philippines," reported the AP news agency.
"Now scientists have found one reason - a variation in a single gene that shows stoics really can tolerate more pain. ultimate goal isn't just to predict pain tolerance, but to understand what combination of genetics and other factors make certain people more vulnerable to painful diseases, like the joint-afflicting fibromyalgia that tends to strike women. The discovery by University of Michigan neuroscientists emphasizes the need to customize pain treatment - and might even allow doctors to soon try predicting which patients will respond to a certain kind of medication," reported the AP news agency.
"The Non-Aligned Movement has been told it must continue to speak out and play a role as the champion of the weak, the powerless and the disenfranchised amidst the dominance of the rich and powerful," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"The Latin American countries in NAM favour a peaceful resolution to the Iraq crisis but will agree to the use of force if Iraq does not comply with the UN resolution on the matter. The Peruvian Foreign Ministry's Multilateral Affairs secretary Jose Luis Perez said the common stand was adopted recently by members in the Group of Rio chaired by Peru," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Iran hopes that the NAM summit can help prevent war in Iraq because conflict would damage stability and security in the Middle East. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Gulam Ali Khoshroo said the situation in Iraq was a cause of a great concern to his country as a war would cause an influx of Iraqis seeking refuge, which Iran could no longer cope with," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Searchers struggling against snow and fog yesterday found the wreck of an Iranian military plane which crashed in mountains in south-east Iran and some of the bodies of the 302 people aboard. But there was no hope of any survivors, mainly elite Revolutionary Guards going on leave, making it one of the worst air crashes on record and the worst ever in Iran, which is prone to such disasters," reported the AFP news serivice.
"Faced with stiff opposition, the United States and Britain intend to introduce a resolution within a week seeking UN authorisation for a war against Iraq. But diplomats said the Bush administration was not likely to push the resolution to a vote until well into the first week of March after another report from UN weapons inspectors, an indication that a possible attack on Iraq will not take place until the second week of next month at the earliest," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix has decided to ask Iraq to destroy its al-Samoud 2 missiles but has not determined whether the rocket engines that drive them should also be demolished," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Hollywood celebrities and US church leaders called on Wednesday for a virtual march on Washington via phone, fax and e-mail to oppose any military intervention against Iraq. The protest was announced just days after global demonstrations by millions of people against President George W. Bush's stance on Iraq that insists Baghdad must give up its alleged weapons of mass destruction or face military action," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The United States refused on Wednesday to increase the size of an economic aid package for Turkey to secure access to its bases for a possible invasion of Iraq, and was preparing to deploy American troops elsewhere in the region if a deal was not reached by the end of the week. US Secretary of State Colin Powell delivered the blunt take-it-or-leave-it message directly to Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, telling him that's all you're going to get. Rumsfeld said the Pentagon had prepared work-arounds in case Turkey refused to allow the troops in," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israel Aircrafts Industries (IAI) is developing a miniature 100gm airplane, the size of a credit card, to gather intelligence. It also said the US could make use of such a spy plane during its impending strike against Iraq, although the mini-plane was still in its early development stages. The drone would carry tiny cameras and communication equipment to relay information in real time from the battlefield to army headquarters," reported the AFP news serivice.
"The Israeli army tightened its clampdown on the Gaza Strip after a rocket attack on a town near Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's farm, declaring yesterday it was pursuing its offensive against Islamic militants. The army split the heavily populated Gaza Strip into three sectors, imposing travel restrictions after a day of violence on Wednesday in which Israeli forces killed 11 Palestinians during military raids in Gaza," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Syrian troops in north Lebanon began pulling out on Wednesday, the first step in the planned redeployment of about 4,000 soldiers from the country that Syrian forces first entered early in the 1975-1990 civil war. The surprise pullout of the troops from the largely Christian areas came amid increased regional tensions over a possible US-led war on Iraq," reported the Reuters news agency.
"An innocent spray of cologne from a Saudi Arabian college student caused the authorities to quarantine a hospital emergency room, a doughnut shop and a drug store on Wednesday," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Several countries have asked for more time to consult their governments on the Iraq question, causing the postponement of discussions by the NAM working group hammering out a separate statement on Iraq," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Summit leaders will come up with a separate statement on Palestine which will be a reflection of the current situation. The statement was in addition to the Final Document which would include NAM's continuous position on the plight of the Palestinians," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Qatar feels that Malaysia is not the right place and the informal OIC meeting it proposes to host on Wednesday, is not the right time to discuss the crisis in Iraq. The acting director of the Qatari Foreign Ministry's department of international organisations, conferences and treaties, Adel Ali Al-Khal, said whatever stand on the matter should rightly be made in Qatar, being the current chairman of the OIC," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"NAM, by collectively speaking with a single voice, can play an instrumental role in preventing superpowers from committing aggression against smaller nations, Iraq's delegation head to the Senior Officers Meeting, Dr Said Al-Musawi, said. The trend of superpowers threatening other countries with military attacks was a dangerous one which must be stopped immediately by nations united in opposing such actions," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"TheUnited States wants the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to view the political and economic issues besetting the world in a balanced manner. The US is not a member of NAM but has been invited by the Malaysian Government as a guest to the Feb 20-25 summit," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has been urged to consider setting up a common banking system as one of the ways to revitalise and strengthen the organisation. Somalian Ambassador Mohamed Osman Omar said like the European Union, where the Euro was used, NAM could also have one or several currencies that were accepted by member countries," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"The military build-up in the Gulf region has reached the point where US and British forces are now ready to invade Iraq if the order is given, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Thursday. Rumsfeld stressed that US military leaders were planning for a wide range of contingencies in any war in Iraq, ranging from immediate and widespread surrender of Iraqi troops to possible use of chemical and biological weapons by Iraq and door-to-door urban combat in fortress Baghdad," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The Bush administration will assume full control of Iraq with an American civilian heading a post-war government if a US-led invasion topples Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, The Washington Post reported yesterday, citing US officials and other sources," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The post-Saddam plan described by its sources called for an interim civilian administrator to run the government and direct the reconstruction and distribution of humanitarian aid. Ahmed Chalabi, head of the opposition Iraqi National Congress, was informed this week that any move to declare a provisional Iraqi government will result in a formal break in the US-INC relationship," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Iraqi intransigence over missiles that can travel 32km beyond the 151km limit set by the United Nations is rapidly emerging as a possible trigger for an American invasion. Igor Ivanov, the Russian foreign minister stopped short of directly accusing Washington of interfering with inspections, instead preferring to suggest that the international community should help rather than put pressure on Blix and his team," reported the Guardian news agency.
"The study, aimed at making sanctions more effective and humane, found that the measures adopted against Iraq had played into the hands of the Baghdad government and affected the whole economy, said Peter Wallensteen, who headed the project. Wallensteen said while compiling the report, he found broad agreement on the inefficacy of the steps taken against Iraq," reported the AP news agency.
"A group of US demonstrators turned out to support France's stance against US plans to launch an attack on Iraq on Thursday, spelling out their opposition to war with croissants. Around a dozen anti-war protesters gathered outside France's consulate-general in Los Angeles and spelled out the words Vive la Paix(long live peace) on the ground in French breakfast patisserie," reported the AFP news service.
"Winners at the Brit awards saluting the year's best in British popular music used Thursday's prize ceremony in London to speak out against war on Iraq," reported the AFP news service.
"Germany could withdraw its troops from the international security force in Afghanistan (ISAF) if a conflict in Iraq escalated tensions in the region," reported the AFP news service.
"It could be the future of text messaging – terse messages for tense times. A service launched this month offers to alert Londoners with short messages on their cell phones if there is a terrorist attack in their area," reported the AP news agency.
"A Palestinian university professor and seven others have been indicted in the United States on charges of supporting the Islamic Jihad movement," reported the news Agencies.
"The Pentagon said on Thursday three more inmates at the detention facility for suspected al-Qaeda members and others at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had attempted suicide, bringing the number to 10 this year and drawing fresh criticism from human rights groups. Human rights groups have criticised the conditions under which the men are being held," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The United States is sending 750 ground troops to the Philippines to conduct joint operations with Filipino combat patrols fighting guerillas," reported the news Agencies.
"Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced yesterday to a week in jail or a 500 kyat fine over a domestic dispute which her party said was being used by the ruling junta as a political weapon," reported the Reuters news agency.
