Bin Laden on the Move; New Sightings in Pakistan
May 24, 2006 -- BIN LADEN
Bin Laden on the Move; New Sightings in Pakistan
Pakistani government sources tell ABC News they have "credible reports" that Osama bin Laden and his entourage have moved down from high mountainous peaks along the Afghan border to a valley area 40 miles inside the Pakistan border. (ABC News)
Analysis: A New Bin Laden Tape Addresses Moussaoui
An audiotape allegedly made by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden surfaced May 23 on a militant Web site. In the tape, bin Laden says Zacarias Moussaoui, the alleged 20th hijacker on Sept. 11, was not involved in the plot and that bin Laden himself personally assigned the roles for each of the 19 "brothers" involved. (Stratfor)
AFGHANISTAN
About 60 Taliban Said Killed in Afghan Clash
About 60 Taliban fighters and four Afghan government soldiers were killed in a battle in the southern province of Uruzgan, a news agency reported on Wednesday. (Reuters)
IRAN
Iran Wants Direct Nuclear Talks with U.S.: Report
Iran is making explicit requests for direct talks on its nuclear program, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing U.S. officials, Iranian analysts and foreign diplomats. (Washington Post)
World Powers Discuss Iran Nuclear Offer
World powers met on Wednesday to weigh a package of incentives and threats drafted by EU leaders meant to defuse a stand-off with Iran over its nuclear drive, but both sides dampened hopes of a breakthrough.(Reuters)
GUANTANAMO
EXCLUSIVE: Guantanamo's Innocents: Newly-Released Prisoners Struggle to Find a Home
Men Without a Country 'Disappointed' in America After a 'Pointless' Four Years at Gitmo. (ABC News)
CONGO
Foreigners Held Over Congo 'Plot'
At least 30 foreigners are being held in the Democratic Republic of Congo in connection with an alleged coup plot. (BBC)
BRID FLU
'Mother of All Avian Flu Clusters' in Indonesia
Seven members of a family in Indonesia have been diagnosed with avian flu, prompting investigators from the World Health Organization to frantically track down anyone else that may have been in contact with them. (ABC News)
OIL-FOR-FOOD SCANDAL
Khanna Admits To a Role in Oil-for-Food Scam
With Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate on his tail for allegedly channeling funds from the UN oil-for-food programme, former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh's kin Aditya Khanna on Wednesday admitted to a role in the scam before the Pathak Inquiry Authority. (Times of India)
U.K.
Seven Held in Anti-Terror Raids
Seven people are being held by police and immigration officials following a massive nationwide anti-terror operation focused on suspected activity in Iraq. (The Guardian)
U.S.
Hercules Uses Eminent Domain to Keep out Wal-Mart
A San Francisco suburb voted Tuesday night to use the power of eminent domain to keep Wal-Mart Stores Inc. off a piece of city land after hearing from dozens of residents who accused the big-box retailer of engaging in scare tactics to force its way into the bedroom community. (SF Gate)
Many Injured Horses Still Sent to Slaughterhouses
Even Thoroughbreds With Relatively Minor Injuries Sometimes End Up in the Meat Grinder (ABC News)
Study Finds 'Extensive' Fraud at Fannie Mae
Fannie Mae engaged in "extensive financial fraud" over six years by doctoring earnings so executives could collect hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses, federal officials said yesterday in a report that portrayed a company determined to play by its own rules. (Washington Post)
IRAQ
Iraq Announces Arrest of Saddam's Nephew
Iraq on Wednesday announced the arrest in Lebanon of a nephew of Saddam Hussein for crimes allegedly committed after the fall of Saddam's regime. (AP)
Ex-Official Testifies in Defense of Saddam
A former Iraqi foreign minister and deputy prime minister testified Wednesday for the defense in the trial of Saddam Hussein, saying the regime had to strike back with a crackdown on a Shiite town after an assassination attempt on the former Iraqi leader in 1982. (International Herald Tribune)
ANALYSIS & OPINION
Should We Pay The Ransoms?
The majority of hostages in Iraq were released after their governments, companies or even their families had paid the captors to secure their rescue. (Asharq al Awsat)
The Problem of Security on U.S. Transportation
Two University of South Florida students from Saudi Arabia remained in a Tampa, Fla., jail May 23 following their arrests four days earlier on trespassing charges stemming from their unauthorized ride on a public school bus that was transporting high school students to classes. Authorities arrested Mana Saleh Almanajam and Shaker Mohsen Alsidran when the bus they had hopped near the university arrived at nearby Wharton High School. (Stratfor)
The Mexican Election
Watching Felipe Calderon brush past previous front-runner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in the Mexican presidential race is reason for cautious optimism. (Washington Times)
UN Has Difficulty Finding Darfur Peacekeepers
The consequences of a failure by the African Union (AU), the international community and the United Nations to strategically plan and enforce a peace agreement in Darfur and maintain order along the Sudan/Chad and Central African Republic (CAR) borders will have a dire affect resulting in increased refugee populations, civilian deaths and human rights abuses, and possibly disruption of oil supplies for Africa and the rest of the world. (African News Dimension)
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.