U.S. Passenger Lists

April 21, 2005 --

Passenger Lists Sought For Flights Over U.S

The U.S. government plans to force foreign airlines flying over American soil to turn over the names of passengers on board or check the names against U.S. government watch lists in an effort to prevent terrorists from entering U.S. airspace. (Washington Post)

Gov't Offers Rewards for Terror Suspects
The State Department is offering rewards of up to $5 million each for information leading to the capture and conviction of two terror suspects believed to have links to the al-Qaida network. (AP)

Israeli Lobby Reportedly Fires 2 Top Aides in Spying Inquiry
A pro-Israel lobbying organization has dismissed two senior employees caught up in an investigation of possible Israeli spying in the United States. (NY Times)

US Terror Suspect Up For Election

A UK citizen wanted by the US on terror charges has announced he will stand as a candidate in the general election. (BBC)

Terrorist 'Aided Abduction Plot'
A KEY al-Qaeda operative responsible for recruiting the shoe bomber Richard Reid and one of the September 11 hijackers helped to kidnap five British children from their Norwich home and take them to Libya, a court was told yesterday. (London Times)

Two Senior Taliban Surrender to Afghan Government

Two senior members of Afghanistan's former Taliban regime surrendered to the government on Thursday under an amnesty offer, a provincial governor said. (Reuters)

Two U.N. Oil-For-Food Probers Resign

Two senior investigators with the U.N. committee probing corruption in the oil-for-food program have resigned in protest, saying they think a report that cleared Kofi Annan of meddling in the $64 billion operation was too soft on the secretary-general, a panel member confirmed yesterday. (AP)

FBI Closes Net On Top Officials In Oil-for-Food controversy
THE FBI is closing in on two senior officials at the UN as prosecutors vow to "wring the towel dry" in their investigation of the Oil-for-Food corruption scandal. (London Times)

U.N. Rejects Bid to Probe Gitmo Treatment

U.N. Rights Panel Rejects Cuban Bid to Investigate Treatment of Guantanamo Detainees. (AP)

France Probing Transfers To Arafat's Widow

Report: French investigators are tracking $7 million transferred by PLO treasurer to Suha's account. (Middle East Online)

Iran Losing Patience With Europe Talks on Nuclear Program

Iran said Wednesday that negotiations with three European nations over its nuclear program must be completed quickly and warned that it would walk away if they continued to drag. (NY Times)

Moussaoui Could Face Death Penalty

Moussaoui Asks for Nothing in Exchange for Guilty Plea; He Could Face Death Penalty. (AP)

Briton in 'Terror Rockets' Trial Declines to Testify
A British businessman on trial in the United States charged with attempting to sell anti-aircraft missiles to terrorists will not testify in his own defence, a court was told today. (The Scotsman)

Jordan Tries Terror Cell In Plot To Strike Kingdom

State witnesses testified in court Wednesday that alleged terror allies of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi collected data on producing germ weapons, destroying public infrastructure, attacking airports and carrying out assassinations. (Jerusalem Post)

Helicopter Crashes Near Baghdad
A civilian helicopter has crashed in Iraq killing all nine people on board, according to US military sources. (BBC)

Iraqi PM Escapes Convoy Bombing
Iraq's outgoing Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has escaped unhurt after a suicide bomber blew up a car near his convoy in Baghdad, his spokesman says. (BBC)

Al Zarqawi Claims Assassination Bid On PM Allawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Iraqi terrorist group has claimed it was behind an assassination attempt on the outgoing prime minister Ayad Allawi. (The Telegraph)

Iraq Cabinet Still Up In The Air
Talabani says cabinet will be revealed today, spokesman for Jaafari cautions it is not certain it will be unveiled. (Middle East Online)

Horror Glimpsed From the Inside of A Humvee in Iraq
Sgt. Joshua Haycox steered our Humvee forward at a slow march, carefully keeping his distance from the vehicle ahead and scanning the road for bombs as the Army convoy pushed deeper into the chaotic region known to soldiers as the Triangle of Death. (Washington Post)

Iraq: Insurgency Exploiting Political Uncertainty
For a while after Iraq's election in January, it looked as if the country's nearly two-year-old insurgency was showing signs of flagging. Attacks against US forces fell more than 20 percent in the weeks immediately after the poll, and March's US death toll was the lowest in more than a year, the US military said. (Reuters)

War Isn't Fought in the Headlines
The most important thing we can offer the Iraqis is our patience. (NY Times)

Sistani Between Solving Crises And Intervening In Daily Politics
The UN Secretary General Representative for Iraq, Mr. Ashraf Qazi, in light of his visit to Sistani, said that the latter is a religious man and not a politician and intervenes in the political affairs but if there is a crisis. (Al Hayat)

What Garbage Workers and Make-Believe Iraqis Taught Our Military
Despite this week's bad news, things have gotten better in Iraq. (LA Times)