Bush Signs Bill Allowing Tough Interrogation

October 17, 2006 -- U.S.

Bush Signs Law Authorizing Harsh Interrogation

President George W. Bush signed a law on Tuesday authorizing tough interrogation and prosecution of terrorism suspects and took an indirect, election-year swipe at Democrats who opposed the legislation. (Reuters)

Book: CIA Pilots Lived in Luxury Between Kidnappings

CIA pilots who flew kidnapped al Qaeda suspects to secret prisons for severe interrogation sessions stayed at five-star luxury resorts between rendition flights at taxpayers' expense, according to "Ghost Plane," a new book by journalist Stephen Grey to be published this week. (ABC News)

NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR TEST

North Korea 'Preparing Second Nuclear Test'

North Korea could be preparing to conduct a second nuclear test, Japan and South Korea said today, although neither country believed it was imminent. (The Guardian)

N. Korea: Sanctions Are War Declaration

North Korea said Tuesday it considered U.N. sanctions aimed at punishing the country for its nuclear test "a declaration of war," as Japan and South Korea reported the communist nation might be preparing a second explosion. (AP)

IRAQ NEWS

Shootings, Bombings, Kill 28 Across Iraq

Bombings and shootings across Iraq killed at least 28 people on Tuesday, including four students and a doctor. In Balad, the scene of sectarian fighting that has killed close to 100 people, U.S. troops aided Iraqi security forces struggling to contain the bloodshed. (AP)

Number of Infiltrators Penetrating Saudi-Iraqi Border Drops by 40 Percent

The number of infiltrators crossing the borders between Saudi Arabia and Iraq has declined by 30 to 40 percent compared with the past few years, according to Staff General Talal Anqawi, Director General of the Saudi Border Guard. (Asharq al Awsat)

Iraq's Christians Flee as Extremist Threat Worsens

Muslim fury over Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on Islam has brought a new level of threat to an already shrinking Christian population. (NY Times)

GUANTANAMO

U.S. Faces Obstacles to Freeing Detainees

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett last week issued the latest European demand to close down the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The existence of the prison is "unacceptable" and fuels Islamic radicalism around the world, she said, echoing a recent chorus of complaints from Europe about U.S. counterterrorism policy. (Washington Post)

BIRD FLU

Indonesian Bird Flu Toll Hits 55

The death toll from bird flu in Indonesia has now reached 55, after officials confirmed that a 27-year-old woman had succumbed to the disease. (BBC)

AFGHANISTAN

British Troops Leave Afghan District

British troops pulled out of a troubled district in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, while a U.S.-led coalition airstrike killed a suspected midlevel Taliban commander and up to 15 other militants, NATO said. (AP)

Kidnapped Reporter In Afghanistan Says He is Ok

Kidnapped Italian journalist Gabriele Torsello says he is fine and being moved around by his abductors, a web site reported on Tuesday. (Reuters)

PAKISTAN

Government Accuses Hafiz Saeed of Jeopardising Foreign Relations

The government on Monday accused Jamaatud Daawa (JD) chief Hafiz Saeed of conducting activities that put Pakistan's relations with "neighbouring countries" at risk. (The Daily Times)

INDIA

Threat to Hit Dehli Markets on Eve of Diwali

The threat of a terror attack in New Delhi before Diwali is real. There is at least one Lashkar-e-Tayyaba module active in the national capital, which has even identified its targets. (The Asian Age)

UZBEKISTAN

Tajik Official Says Uzbeks Invented Regional Terror Group

A senior Tajik security official has accused authorities in neighboring Uzbekistan of inventing regional terrorist threats to internationalize their struggle with their own armed militancy. (Radio Free Europe)

JAPAN

Gird for Reprisals by North, Cops Told

Japan must be on the alert for possible terrorist attacks by North Korea in response to sanctions imposed against Pyongyang over its nuclear test last week, a top police official warned Monday as government leaders considered additional punitive measures. (Japan Times)

Charterhouse: Three Free for Asylum in US

Three bank officials who blew the whistle on the Sh18 billion Charterhouse Bank affair have fled the country for fear of their lives. (Daily Nation)

ROME

Two Metro Trains Collide In Rome

One person was killed and about 110 were injured when two metro trains collided during the morning rush hour in Rome, officials say. (BBC)

DRUG TRAFFICING

Huge Opium Seizure Near Channel

French customs officers say they have seized 35.65kg (78.6lb) of opium at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel - the largest seizure of the drug in France. (BBC)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

What's to Stop Kim Now?

By Bruce Bennett

International efforts to pressure North Korea to drop its nuclear weapons program could encourage North Korean sales of nuclear weapons and technology to Iran, terrorist groups and other nations. (International Herald Tribune)

Pyongyang Sanctions

The sanctions that the United Nations' Security Council voted unanimously over during the weekend to slap on the North Korean regime have already become a cause for division, particularly among the five permanent members of the Security Council. (Daily Jang)

France in Denial

We found it absurd and cynical when the French National Assembly voted to make it illegal to deny that there was an Armenian genocide. (NY Times)

Can You Tell A Sunni From a Shiite?

By Jeff Stein

For the past several months, I've been wrapping up lengthy interviews with U.S. counterterrorism officials with a fundamental question: "Do you know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite?" (NY Times)

Nine Paradoxes of Lost War

Here's how President George W Bush described the enemy in Iraq at his press conference last week. "The violence is being caused by a combination of terrorists, elements of former regime criminals and sectarian militias." (Asian Times)

The Veiled Women of London Part One

By Abdul Rahman Al Rashed

When I used to see women dressed in black abayas and veils covering all but the eyes near to Asharq Al Awsat's offices in London, I would automatically think that they were tourists from the Gulf. After a while however, I realized that these women wearing the Niqab (a veil that covers the face except the eyes) were British citizens of South-Asian origin and this practice was unfamiliar in their societies. (Asharq Alawsat)

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 Elizabeth Sprague of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.