Riots Spreading in Paris Suburbs
INVESTIGATIONS
France
French Riots Spread Beyond Paris
The rioting and arson that has wracked eastern Paris suburbs for a week spreads out of the French capital. (BBC)
Riots in France: Slideshow (ABC News)
Italy
Source of Forged Niger-Iraq Uranium Documents Identified
Italy's spymaster identified a freelance Italian spy as the disseminator of fake papers on Iraq's hunt for uranium. (NY Times)
Italy Spy Chief Denies Iraq Claim Italy's spy chief denies any role in passing a bogus dossier to the US which claimed Iraq had tried to buy uranium from Niger. (BBC)
Avian Flu
New Bird Flu Outbreaks Hit Asia
Fresh outbreaks of bird flu are reported in China and Vietnam, as Japan culls chickens amid bird flu fears. (BBC)
Philippines
Five US Marines Detained In Manila on Rape Charge
US warship held in the Philippines while authorities searched for five Marines accused of raping a Filipino woman. (AP)
Interpol
Interpol Raises Alarm over Terrorist Access To Stolen Passports
With 10 to 15 million stolen passports in use around the world at the present time, the global struggle against terrorism is seriously hampered, Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble told AFP. (AFP)
U.K.
UK Security Services Tracked London Bombers - Report
British security services secretly followed the four bombers who killed 52 people on London's transport network a year before the July 7 attacks, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Thursday. (Reuters)
U.S.
US-Backed Arab TV Network to Be Investigated
Al-Hurra, the Arabic language satellite television network set up by the US administration to promote freedom and democracy in the Middle East, is to be investigated for possible irregularities, the state department confirmed on Thursday. (Financial Times)
India
Minister Feels 'Oil Scandal' Heat
Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh has held talks with senior political allies amid reports that he may quit over the Iraq oil-for-food scandal. (BBC)
LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS
U.N.
U.N. Court Faces Fairness Issue at Milosevic Trial
Judges trying Slobodan Milosevic are facing a new test of the credibility of the international court: either they allow the former Yugoslav strongman to overhaul his defense schedule, or they risk accusations of an unfair trial. (NY Times)
U.K.
Three Charged Over 'Terror Plot'
Three men will appear before central London magistrates this afternoon charged with a string of offences relating to alleged terrorist activities, including the possession of instructions on how to make rocket propellants and car bombs. (The Guardian)
U.S.
Appeals Court Hears Cases on Patriot Act
A federal appeals panel has suggested it might require the government to permit libraries, major corporations and other groups to challenge FBI demands for records under the Patriot Act. (AP)
IRAQ NEWS
Morning Ambush Kills Iraqi Police
At least six Iraqi police die and more are injured in an insurgent attack near the city of Baquba. (BBC)
Tight Security As Iraq Shiites Celebrate Eid al-Fitr
Iraq's majority Shiite Muslims celebrated the first day of the Eid al-Fitr holiday as authorities maintained tight security fearing an increase in insurgent attacks. (AFP)
Al-Qaeda Tells Iraq Diplomats to Leave or Face Death
Al-Qaeda's branch in Iraq, which has threatened to kill two Moroccan hostages, called on diplomats in Baghdad to "pack their bags and leave" or face certain death, according to an Internet statement. (AFP)
ANALYSIS & OPINION
In Paris, Tough Talk Isn't Enough
The nightly clashes over the past week should remind the French that they have a huge problem in need of urgent attention. (NY Times)
French Muslims Face Job Discrimination
As part of a series on French Muslims, the BBC News website's Henri Astier looks at the issue of discrimination, a leading source of frustration in France's unemployment-riddled ghettos. (BBC)
Out of a Bad Spy Novel
The men from the pages of a bad spy novel throw people they don't like into secret prisons that officially do not exist, snug little dungeons hidden away in undisclosed countries. These spy-novel men keep to the shadows; if a ray of sunlight happens to fall upon one of their lairs, they scurry away... (Washington Post)
The Security Council's New Line of Work: Is Mehlis The Right Man?
With the adoption of Security Council resolution 1636, the fate of Syria is now firmly in the hands of one man: Detlev Mehlis, the Head of the UN Commission investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafiq Hariri. (Asharq al Awsat)
Al Qaeda Goes Back To Base
Al Qaeda is in the midst of an ideological debate, firstly over the exact nature of its enemy, and secondly over its lack of a base. Not only does the latter make operations difficult, it also goes against Islamic thought and diminishes the group in the eyes of many Muslims. Al Qaeda believes there is a solution, in Iraq and Afghanistan, that will revitalize it. (Asia Times)
The Insider Daily Investigative Report (DIR) is a summary of major news articles and broadcasts relating to investigative news, including international terrorism and developments in Iraq. The DIR is edited daily from foreign and U.S. sources by Chris Isham, Hoda Osman and Ellen Gustafson of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.