N. Korea Might Consider Dismantling Nukes

February 8, 2007 -- NORTH KOREA

China Hands Out Accord at Nuclear Talks

China has distributed a draft agreement to the countries at international talks seeking to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programs, a South Korean official said early Friday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing diplomacy, gave no details of the draft. However, other delegates said earlier the agreement would outline initial steps for implementing a September 2005 agreement from the six-nation talks where Pyongyang pledged to disarm in exchange for aid and security guarantees. (AP)

Q&A: N Korea Nuclear Stand-Off

Six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear programme have resumed in Beijing, four months after the North tested a nuclear device. BBC News looks at the long-running crisis. (BBC)

IRAQ NEWS

Mothers Want Answers -- Congress Investigates the Fallujah Tragedy

The families of four U.S. contractors gruesomely killed during a convoy through Fallujah in 2004 will testify before Congress today about the company their loved ones worked for, Blackwater USA, a security company that has made millions but that the families say sent their men on a botched mission destined to end in death. (ABC News)

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Aide Said Detained

Iraqi security forces detained an aide to the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq in a raid early Thursday at a gas station south of Baghdad, state-run television and a security official said. (AP)

Iraq's Deputy Health Minister Arrested

U.S. and Iraqi forces detained Iraq's deputy health minister on Thursday, a senior member of a radical Shi'ite political group, in the first major sign that a security crackdown in Baghdad was under way. (Reuters)

U.S.: Airstrike Kills 13 Insurgents; 4 Marines Die

A U.S. airstrike Thursday killed 13 insurgents in a volatile area west of Baghdad, the military said. Local officials said 45 civilians, including women and children, died in the attack. (AP)

U.S. Pilots Fly Low for Safety in Iraq, Face New Risks

U.S. military helicopters have typically been the safest way to travel in Iraq — they fly low, are extremely fast and by the time they can be heard from the ground, they're gone. (ABC News)

CIVILIAN DEATHS IN IRAQ

Marine Wants to Withdraw Murder Plea

A Marine facing life in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi man asked to withdraw his pleas Thursday, saying he no longer believes he's guilty. (AP)

U.S.

Blackwater Scrutinized in Congressional Hearing

Incompetence, cutting corners, over billing and cover-up were the themes today as the families of the four contractors killed in a ghastly 2004 ambush in Fallujah finally got someone's attention in Washington. (ABC News)

U.K. LETTER BOMBS

UK Letter Bombs May Be From Extremist Drivers

The British Government has issued warnings to the public in response to a series of letter bomb attacks across the country. (The Age)

LITVINENKO CASE

FSB agents 'offered To Kill' Ex-Spy Litvinenko

Alexander Litvinenko was a traitor who would have deserved execution in Soviet times, his former chief in Russia's security service said last night. (The Times)

LEBANON

UN Signs Lebanon Tribunal Accord

The UN has taken a further step towards creating an international tribunal to try suspects in the killing of the former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri. (BBC)

CIA SECRET PRISONS

CIA Uses German Bases to Transport Terrorists, Paper Says

While the issue over secret CIA prisons in Europe continues to simmer, new allegations over undisclosed CIA flights transporting suspected terrorists is pushing European officials to demand answers from Washington. (Deutsche Welle)

PAKISTAN

Suicide Bombs Show Pakistan Confronting Taliban Menace

For all the doubts about Pakistan's commitment to fighting the Taliban, a recent wave of suicide attacks on its soldiers and cities belies suspicions that they might be in cahoots, analysts and diplomats say. (Reuters)

INDONESIA

Ex-Rebel Becomes Aceh Governor

A former separatist rebel has been sworn in as the first directly elected governor of Indonesia's Aceh province. (BBC)

AGHANISTAN

Extra Troop's Plea for Afghanistan

Nato military commanders are set to make a further request from member states for more troops and resources to fight the Taleban in Afghanistan. (BBC)

U.K.

Man Arrested Under Terrorism Act

A 31-year-old man has been arrested in east London for encouraging terrorism, Scotland Yard has said. (BBC)

CHINA

China Adds Jet Fighter That Rivals World Best

For more than two decades, China has labored to build its first state-of-the-art jet fighter as part of the country's drive to become a leading military power. (International Herald Tribune)

ON THE WEB

ABC News Extremist Website Monitoring

This is a daily update of some of what can be found on militant Islamist websites that are often used by al Qaeda and its sympathizers, insurgent groups in Iraq and other groups for propaganda, recruiting and communication purposes. (ABC News)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Jihad Versus The Knights Of Justice: Inside Jordan's War On Al Qaeda

By Ian Black In Irbid

Suleiman al-Anjadi died as he would have surely wished: fighting until he was cut down, a soldier in the army of jihad. But there is nothing heroic about the scene of his martyrdom, a one-storey house flanked by a small olive grove and piles of smashed breezeblocks bulldozed in the assault that took his life. (The Guardian)

Middle Eastern Freedom Lags As Washington Turns Away

The state of freedom in the Middle East declined in 2006 from the previous year, according to the findings of "Freedom in the World," the long-running annual survey released recently by Freedom House. (The Daily Star)

An Uphill Battle on Baghdad's Mean Streets

By Brian M Downing

The United States' war in Iraq, as is more apparent with each passing year, is going badly. The administration of President George W Bush has recently admitted as much and announced a new strategy - or at least a new word. "Counterinsurgency" glitters in studies of guerrilla war, darkles in news reports, but is not generally understood. Accordingly, the term either enjoys a talismanic quality, offering hope of reversing failing fortunes, or it is dismissed as a new buzzword, replacing others that have lost luster and utility. (Asia Times)

Manila's Travel Ban on Nigeria

By Carmen Gentile

The Philippines will continue to enforce a travel ban for those wanting to go to oil-rich Nigeria, where 24 Pilipino contractors are being held by armed militants, until the safety of its workers can be guaranteed, a Filipino official told United Press International. (UPI)

Mimicking the US Approach to Cuba Will Get Us Nowhere

American (and hence, sadly, British) foreign policy towards Cuba has long been based on a single presumption: that on the death of Fidel Castro the people will take to the streets, the current system of government will collapse, and a regime more acceptable to American (and hence British) interests will be ushered in.(The Guardian)

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.