Ex-Security Chiefs Arrested over Hariri Murder
August 30, 2005 --
Lebanon Arrests Ex-Security Chiefs over Hariri Murder
Lebanon on Tuesday arrested three former pro-Syrian security chiefs over the murder of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, the first major breakthrough in the probe six months after the attack that sent shockwaves through the nation. (AFP)
Adelaide Equipment 'Saved Bin Laden'
CODAN, an Adelaide company that supplies remote-area long-distance communications to Afghanistan, may inadvertently have helped al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden escape a US missile strike. (The Age)
Study: Terrorists Exploit Immigration Laws
Some used false documents to enter the United States; others let their legal visas expire once in the country. And at least 21 foreign nationals became naturalized U.S. citizens before being charged or convicted as terrorists. (AP)
US Army Whistle-Blower Demoted
The top civilian contracting official for the US Army Corps of Engineers who last October charged the US Army with granting the Halliburton Company multi-billion dollar contracts for work in Iraq and the Balkans without following rules designed to ensure competition and fair prices to the government — was demoted and removed from her job on Saturday for what the army called "poor job performance." (Arab News)
S. Africa Warns of Possible Terror Networks in Region
South Africa on Monday warnedof possible terror networks by Al Qaeda members in southern Africa. (Xinhua)
Bomb Suspect Will 'Help Police'
A man police were keeping under surveillance the day they shot Jean Charles de Menezes said they have damaged his life — but he wanted to help with their inquiries. (The Times of London)
Nuclear Bomb Plan Revealed
A nuclear scientist said that Brazilian military officials came close to building an atomic bomb in the early 90s in defiance of a presidential order officially scrapping the programme in 1985. (AP)
U.N. May Address Terrorist Incitement
Britain and Russia are to propose a Security Council resolution. Some fear censorship. (LA Times)
Egypt Sends Huge Force Back to Terrorist Hunt
Thousands of security troops have spread out across a sprawling mountain range in the northern Sinai in an increasingly violent hunt for terrorists in which two high-ranking police officers were killed by a land mine, the worst such incident since the Islamic insurgency of the mid-1990's, Egyptian security officials say. (NY Times)
Interview with Notorious Fundamentalist Omar Bakri
Islamic fundamentalist Omar Bakri Muhammmad recently contacted Asharq al-Awsat expressing a desire to be interviewed. Due to what Bakri described as security reasons the interview was conducted by phone. (Asharq al Awsat)
Belgium Seeks Trial of 13 on Terror ChargesA Brussels judge today ordered 13 people to stand trial on charges of aiding and abetting terrorists, including those suspected in last year's Madrid train bombings and in a 2003 bomb explosion in Casablanca. (Ireland Online)
Gonzales Faults Senate Version of Patriot Act Legislation
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales criticizes a Senate bill that would place new restrictions on law enforcement in the USA Patriot Act. (Washington Post)
56 Killed In US Air Strikes on Qaeda Suspects In Iraq
At least 56 people were killed in multiple US air strikes in Iraq against suspected Al-Qaeda hideouts near the Syrian border, an Iraqi security source said. (AFP)
Sadr's Disciples Rise Again To Play Pivotal Role in Iraq
Newly-freed aides to Moqtada Sadr are finding support among both Sunnis and Shiites. (Washington Post)
U.S. General Says Iraqis Will Need Longtime Support from Air Force
The Air Force's top general said Monday that American warplanes would have to support Iraq's fledgling security forces well after American ground troops eventually withdraw from the country. (NY Times)
Sunnis Face Dilemma on Iraq Constitution
Rebuffed in the constitution deliberations, Sunni Arabs now face a dilemma: boycott the Oct. 15 referendum on a new charter and hand the Shiites a landslide victory, or take part in a vote that demographics suggest they'll lose. (AP)
Jordan Plans to Bolster Security at Iraq Border
The effort, coming after a rocket nearly hit a U.S. ship in port, is expected to cost $85 million. (AP)
Iran's Real Nuclear Intentions Are Lost Behind Its Defiant Rhetoric
"With the power that Iran enjoys in the region, there is no way that Iran can be worried about the threat of the Security Council," Iran's newly appointed chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani has said. This bold and defiant tone, which has been coupled with even bolder actions such as halting suspension of nuclear activities, has become somewhat of a hallmark of the new government in Tehran. (The Daily Star)
Agreeing to Disagree in Iraq
Without the approval of the Sunni voters, Iraq's draft constitution, however well-conceived, may fail to move the country toward constitutional government. (NY Times)
Spinning to the Future
Anyone who wants to see a happy end to the tragedy of Iraq must certainly hope for a document that can command the widest possible support. But it is not cynical - more a recognition of bloody reality - to dismiss rhetoric from Washington about the constitution being a "beacon of freedom and democracy". (The Guardian)
Will Iraq Succeed in Foiling the US Game?
Does Washington support federalism in Iraq? Does it back up an Islamic rule there? (Al Hayat)
War Without Remedy
The worsening violence in Iraq and Afghanistan this summer has, at least, been accompanied by vigorous attempts at political solutions. (Washington Post)
