Week ending: Saturday 2nd October 2004

Bomb carnage at Pakistan mosque
At least 25 people have been killed and dozens injured in a suspected suicide bombing at a mosque in the eastern Pakistani city of Sialkot, police say. Hundreds of worshippers of the Muslim Shia minority were packed into the mosque attending Friday prayers. There have been angry protests in Sialkot and Karachi. A second bomb at the scene did not explode, police said. About 100 Shias have been killed in sectarian violence in Pakistan this year alone.

Kerry gets under Bush's skin to edge debate
George Bush and John Kerry returned to the campaign trail yesterday after a tense first debate in which the two clashed repeatedly on Iraq. As the President portrayed his challenger as a hopeless vacillator unfit to be a leader in time of war, Mr Kerry hit back by claiming the March 2003 invasion had been a "colossal" error of judgement.

'Scores die' in Samarra assault
US and Iraqi forces have carried out a major offensive in the northern Iraqi town of Samarra to try to retake control from insurgents. US troops say around 109 militants were killed, but doctors at the main hospital spoke of 80 dead and more than 100 hurt, among them civilians. An Iraqi minister said 37 insurgents had been captured in the assault. An interior ministry spokesman said US and Iraqi troops were now in control of about 80% of the mainly Sunni town.

Amsterdam home of Ken Bigley's brother raided
Armed intelligence officers yesterday raided the Amsterdam home of Paul Bigley, the brother of British hostage Ken Bigley, in the hunt for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of the Arab terrorist group which is believed to be holding him. An intelligence officer from the Foreign Office is alleged to have accompanied the Dutch intelligence officers during the raid. They seized Mr Bigley's computer and interrogated him about his alleged contacts with the Tawhid and Jihad group.

Israel launches air raid on Gaza
An Israeli helicopter has fired at least two missiles into Gaza City. Initial reports suggest that the air raid targeted a factory close to the city centre, but it is not yet clear why, or if there are any casualties. The attack comes as the Israeli army intensifies its operation against Palestinian militants in northern Gaza, with up to 100 tanks entering the area. The US has called on Israel to use only "proportional force" and urged the country to avoid civilian casualties.

Arnold OKs so-called 'Pedophile Protection Act'
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill dubbed by critics as "The Pedophile Protection Act." Authored by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, the new law drastically reduces requirements for mandatory reporting of the known or suspected sexual, physical and emotional abuse of children. Opponents also say it creates a loophole for abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood, to be exempted from reporting statutory rape, molestation and sexual abuse and gives molesters greater opportunity to be involved with the caregiving of children.

Candidates claim debate victory
Aides of US President George W Bush and his Democratic challenger John Kerry have both claimed victory after their first TV debate. Both men are back on the campaign trail in Florida, after clashing over the war in Iraq and homeland security. They are set to meet in another two debates before the poll on 2 November. Early reaction from TV voter panels suggests that Mr Kerry had the better of the exchanges, but the debate did not immediately change voters' minds.

Mysterious touchscreen voting machine found
Members of the State Board of Elections were surprised to hear reports that Diebold touchscreen voting machines similar to those used in Maryland were found abandoned recently on a street and in a bar in Baltimore. Joseph Torre, voting systems and procurement director for the agency, confirmed that one machine was found, but assured board members it did not belong to Maryland.

Letter 'shows Guantanamo torture'
The first uncensored letter from a Briton held at Guantanamo Bay shows he has been tortured, his lawyers claim. Moazzam Begg, 36, has been detained at the US military base without trial for two-and-a-half years. His letter said he had been tortured, threatened with death and kept in solitary confinement since early 2003. The US military has denied abuses at the camp, but said the questioning of detainees had provided "vital" information about al-Qaeda.

US 'help' on Allawi speech decried
A leading Democratic senator has expressed profound dismay at the Bush administration's alleged role in writing interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's speech to the US congress. In a letter to President George Bush on Thursday, California Senator Dianne Feinstein said: "I want to express my profound dismay about reports that officials from your administration and your re-election campaign were 'heavily involved' in writing parts of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's speech.

Guantánamo Briton 'tortured in US custody'
A British citizen being held at Guantánamo Bay was subjected to "vindictive torture" and death threats while in US custody, he claims in a letter published today. Moazzam Begg, from Birmingham, made the allegations in a four-page letter released uncensored to his legal team after being declassified by US officials - a development described by Mr Begg's lawyers as an "oddity".

Judge orders FBI to release Lennon files
A US federal judge has ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to turn over files on John Lennon to professor Jonathon Wiener from the University of California. Professor Wiener requested the information for a book he was writing, shortly after Lennon was murdered in 1980, and he says the documents show Britain's domestic spy agency, MI5, shadowed the late Beatle's political activities. Rejecting the US Government's national security claims, District Judge Robert Takasugi brought Professor Wiener's 23-year battle to a close.

Fuel protests bring ferry chaos
The blockade of French ferry ports by fishermen angry at fuel price rises has ended, but more protests are likely. Calais, Dunkirk and Le Havre were blocked for four hours by cordons of fishing vessels. Cherbourg too is set to face action. The fishermen say the price of diesel has gone up by 34% since the start of the year and they want subsidies from the French Government. P&O announced just before 1300BST that its Dover-Calais service was resuming.

RFID promoter can't stand being tracked
The cloak and dagger operations of consumer trackers have come under the microscope and it's not to the liking of Frontline Solutions. The conference organizer sent a letter to CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering), requiring that the organization pull down "unauthorized" photos of CheckPoint's RFID tags popping up in clothing from the likes of Abercrombie & Fitch and Champion taken at a recent event here. CASPIAN's leader Katherine Albrecht has refused to gag herself, opting instead to print Frontline's complaint online.

Orgies are the way to ease social tensions, claims US judge
He is the conservative bastion of the US supreme court, a favourite of President Bush, and a hunting partner of the vice-president. He has argued vociferously against abortion rights, and in favour of anti-sodomy laws. But it turns out that there is another side to Justice Antonin Scalia: he thinks Americans ought to be having more orgies.

'New al-Qaeda tape' is released
An audio tape purportedly recorded by a senior member of the al-Qaeda network has called for attacks on the US and its allies. The speaker is identified as Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama Bin Laden's deputy. The tape, aired on Arabic television channel al-Jazeera, calls for organised resistance against invading "crusaders" in the Muslim world. In addition to the US and the UK, the speaker singles out Australia, France, Poland, Norway, South Korea and Japan.

US to attack New Mexico town with Anthrax!
Owing to the ever increasing terrorist scare in America following 9/11 and the activities that took place in its aftermath, the US government has purchased an entire town to use it as a training ground for emergency workers and anti-terrorist squads. According to the Sun , the town of Playas in New Mexico, which lies completely deserted after its 1,000 inhabitants were asked to move out, will be targeted with anthrax attacks, suicide bombings and the poisoning of its water supply. It will be used to open a special college for training.

Barcelona clubbers get chipped
Imagine having a glass capsule measuring 1.3mm by 1mm, about the size of a large piece of rice injected under your skin. Implanting microchips that emit a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) into animals has been common practice in many countries around the world, with some looking to make it a legal requirement for domestic pet owners.

The agony of Kenneth Bigley
In chains, Kenneth Bigley stares in blank terror from a wire cage. His bound limbs force him into a half crouch while his voice falters and cracks. First, he begs for negotiations to release Iraqi women prisoners. Then he begs for the well-being of his elderly mother. Lastly, he begs for his life. From his neck to his ankles he is shackled by steel. Above him, in a row of three cages fashioned from grids of thick wire, hangs the starburst banner of his captors.

US musicians begin anti-Bush tour
A group of top US musicians, including Bruce Springsteen and REM, have begun a two-week concert tour to persuade voters to oust President George Bush. Stars will perform in 36 cities in nine electoral swing states, culminating in an 11 October concert in Washington DC. The Vote for Change tour will include performances by The Dixie Chicks, Pearl Jam, Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt. Springsteen told Rolling Stone magazine that Bush had been "fundamentally dishonest" in launching war on Iraq.

33 killed in double Baghdad blast
At least 33 people were today killed in a double bomb attack near a convoy of US military vehicles in Baghdad. Iraqi police sources cited by Reuters said they believed the first blast had been caused by a car bomb. A second bomb exploded soon afterwards as US troops attempted to help the injured. The near-simultaneous blasts came less than an hour after a suicide car bomb blast in al-Amel, west of Baghdad, killed two Iraqi police officers and a US soldier.

Protesters prepare for chase as plutonium ships near UK
Anti-nuclear protesters are preparing for a game of cat and mouse with French and British authorities as two ships loaded with weapons-grade plutonium approach the Channel in the next few days. The two British ships, with an escort of Royal Marine commandos, are transporting 140kg of military-surplus plutonium - enough to make 30 nuclear warheads - for experimental conversion to nuclear fuel in the south of France. The ships, which left Charleston, south Carolina, on 20 September, are designed to carry radioactive materials. Their progress across the Atlantic is being monitored by satellite and aircraft.

Russia backs Kyoto climate treaty
The Russian government has approved the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and sent it to parliament for ratification. Until now, Moscow has wavered over the treaty, which can only come into force with Russian ratification. The Kyoto Protocol sets targets for greenhouse gas emissions, which many scientists believe cause global warming and climate change. President Vladimir Putin earlier made his support for Kyoto known, but divisions emerged among his aides.

Little fuss in Italy over claims of ransom paid for hostages
Italy has been celebrating the release of two aid workers from captivity in Iraq. Simona Torretta received a hero's welcome at the city hall in Rome, where her photo had been displayed alongside that of her colleague, Simona Pari, since their abduction on 7 September. The women worked for an organisation called "A Bridge to Baghdad". Torretta said women and children in particular were suffering in Iraq, and that she would "do it all over again, with all of the consequences."

'Ten hostages' captured in Iraq
The Arabic television channel al-Jazeera has broadcast footage of what it says is a militant group claiming to have seized 10 new hostages in Iraq. The video, said to be from a group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq, showed three men held captive and two masked gunmen. It says the hostages - two Indonesian women, six Iraqis and two Lebanese - work for an electronics firm. There was no mention of any demands, or when or where the hostages were taken.

Israeli army opens fire on stone-throwing schoolchildren
An incursion by the Israeli army into the northern Gaza Strip has ended in disaster for a group of mainly schoolchildren. Haaretz newspaper is reporting Israeli troops opened fire on the group near Jabalya after they threw stones at the army's jeeps and armoured vehicles. A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and killed while at least 15 other Palestinians aged 12 to 21, many of them students in school uniforms, were wounded.

Australia makes child porn sweep
More than 150 people have been charged with child pornography offences in the biggest crackdown in Australia. Mike Phelan, head of the Australian High Tech Crime Centre, said hundreds more will eventually face charges. Teachers, police officers, a child care centre owner and employees of former and present members of state parliament were among them. More than 2m images were seized, involving children aged 2-16, after raids across the country.

Terror videos edited to make bigger impact
Recent beheading videos by Iraq's most-wanted terror leader have been growing in sophistication, using animated graphics and editing techniques apparently aimed at embellishing the audio to make a victim's final moments more disturbing. It is a sign of the importance that terrorists in Iraq now place on such propaganda efforts.

Many killed in Baghdad bombings
US and Iraqi forces came under attack across Baghdad leaving many soldiers and police dead. A bomb attack on a US military convoy travelling in the capital was reported to have killed at least 30 people. Earlier, in the Abu Ghraib area, a suicide car bomber killed at least two Iraqi police and a US soldier. Another US soldier died in a rocket attack. In Falluja overnight a US air strike killed at least three civilians, according to local doctors.

Sex abuse trials open on Pitcairn
The tiny UK Pacific colony of Pitcairn has begun trying seven men on sex abuse charges which highlight a local culture of underage sex. The seven, who make up half the local adult male population, face more than 50 charges of rape or indecent assault. New Zealand prosecutors say there is an ingrained culture of using children for sex on Pitcairn, famous for its link to the Mutiny on the Bounty. Local women have argued the practice is an island tradition and consensual.

Father threatens suicide in protest at soldier's death
The father of a soldier killed in Iraq threatened to hang himself on the West Pier in Brighton yesterday, moments before Tony Blair's speech at the Labour Party conference. Reginald Keys climbed a pylon at the front of the pier with a noose tied around his neck and told police he would jump. He called the Prime Minister a war criminal and demanded an apology for the death of his son, Lance-Corporal Thomas Richard Keys, 20, who was killed near Basra in June last year.

Poison porn pics show up online
The first images crafted to contain a malicious program that can take control of a PC have been found on the net. Security experts have been expecting such images to turn up after Microsoft revealed a weakness in the way Windows handles the popular Jpeg format. Soon after this discovery, a program started circulating online that was written to exploit this bug. The poisoned images were posted to a porn newsgroup at the weekend and were found by Usenet provider Easynews.

Get ready for biometric security in the workplace, finds survey
UK companies are anticipating the introduction of biometric technology to increase workplace security, according to a new independent survey commissioned as part of the Hitachi Data Systems Storage Index. The survey finds that 65 per cent of firms expect to see iris scanning and fingerprint recognition systems in the office, with 44 per cent expecting to see them introduced within two years.

US troops 'coerced to re-enlist'
A US congresswoman has called for an investigation into claims that Iraq war veterans were threatened with being sent to Iraq unless they stayed on. Diana DeGette said she had been contacted by soldiers based at Fort Carson, near Colorado Springs. She has asked Congress to look into whether coercion was exerted to make sure the voluntary US army had enough troops for the "war on terror".

War planned 'months before vote'
Britain was involved in planning for war in Iraq for at least nine months before MPs approved military action, according to a document apparently leaked from the Pentagon. Details from the secret briefing paper, published in London's Evening Standard, suggest that military commanders took part in a war planning conference with US counterparts as early as June 2002. At the time, Prime Minister Tony Blair was insisting that no decisions had been taken on military action.

China asks Canada for refugees
China has asked Canada to hand over a group of 44 people, thought to be North Koreans, who stormed the Canadian embassy in Beijing. China's Assistant Foreign Minister Shen Guofang said the group had entered China illegally, and should be handed over to the Chinese authorities. China treats North Koreans as illegal immigrants and deports any it catches. But those who make it to foreign embassies are usually able to travel to a third country, often South Korea.

Sentenced to Be Raped
In June 2002, the police say, members of a high-status tribe sexually abused one of Ms. Mukhtaran's brothers and then covered up their crime by falsely accusing him of having an affair with a high-status woman. The village's tribal council determined that the suitable punishment for the supposed affair was for high-status men to rape one of the boy's sisters, so the council sentenced Ms. Mukhtaran to be gang-raped.

Car burned at Japan parliament
A Japanese man set a car on fire at the entrance to the country's lower house of parliament. Japanese media said the driver, who is now in police custody, claimed to belong to a right-wing group. Initial reports said he had crashed the car into a gate near the building, but later reports suggested he had parked and purposely set the vehicle alight. Security has been tightened around the parliament building since Japan agreed to send non-combat troops to Iraq.

Iraq Study Sees Rebels' Attacks as Widespread
the past 30 days, more than 2,300 attacks by insurgents have been directed against civilians and military targets in Iraq, in a pattern that sprawls over nearly every major population center outside the Kurdish north, according to comprehensive data compiled by a private security company with access to military intelligence reports and its own network of Iraqi informants.

Syria 'to seal' border with Iraq
The US says Syria has agreed to tighten its border with Iraq to prevent militants from crossing the border. The move followed two days of talks in Damascus between Syrian and Iraqi officials and US military commanders, US State Department officials said. There has been no word yet from the Syrian government. The US has long pressed Damascus to crack down on what it sees as terror groups and to prevent insurgents from moving in and out of Syria.

Judge Rules Against Patriot Act Provision
Part of the Patriot Act, a central plank of the Bush Administration's war on terror, was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Victor Marreo ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the power the FBI has to demand confidential financial records from companies as part of terrorism investigations. The ruling was the latest blow to the Bush administration's anti-terrorism policies.

Hoon warns against Iraq pull-out
Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has urged Labour's conference not to "abandon" Iraq by backing calls for Tony Blair to set an early UK troop withdrawal. He spoke in Brighton after ministers and union chiefs met to find a way to head off an embarrassing defeat. Those talks resulted in an alternative motion from Labour's ruling National Executive Committee that troops stay as long as Iraq's government wants them.

Italian hostages released in Iraq
Two Italian female aid workers held hostage in Iraq for the last three weeks have been released. The two women were handed over to the Italian Red Cross in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and are in good health, officials said. Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, both aged 29, were seized from their Baghdad office on 7 September.

McDonald's profits slump in face of junk food battle
Fast food giant McDonald's profits have plunged in Britain to the worst level since they launched 30 years ago, as it continues to battle the war on junk food. The burger chain's pre-tax profits tumbled by nearly three-quarters in the UK last year, falling to £23.6m from £83.8m. Profits at McDonald's UK arm are at the lowest for a decade and sales have stalled, slipping slightly to £1.09bn.

Blair defiant over Iraq invasion
Tony Blair has acknowledged evidence about Saddam Hussein having actual weapons of mass destruction was wrong, during his keynote conference speech. But the prime minister told Labour delegates in Brighton he could not apologise for having been involved in the effort to remove Saddam Hussein. Mr Blair was interrupted briefly twice by anti-war and anti-hunting protests. Much of his speech concentrated on his "mission" to create a Britain "for the many, and not the few".

Straw under fire over Mugabe handshake
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, was today criticised after footage of him shaking hands with the Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, was broadcast last night. Mr Straw has defended the handshake, implying that he did not know who he was meeting in a "dark corner" during a reception last week for the South African president, Thabo Mbeki, at the UN in New York. However, the Conservative foreign affairs spokesman, Michael Ancram, called it a "scandalous betrayal of the men and women of Zimbabwe who are suffering at the hands of Mugabe's bloodstained regime".

New bomb scare diverts Greek jet
A New York-bound Olympic Airways flight carrying 295 passengers has landed in Ireland after a bomb alert. An Athens newspaper received warning of a bomb on board, the airline said - the second such incident in three days. "There was a call to a local newspaper saying a bomb on the plane would explode in an hour," Olympic Airlines' Melina Pitta said. "Nothing has happened," she added. The plane made an emergency landing at Shannon, the nearest airport.Passengers were being evacuated and taken to a secure area for screening before the plane is searched.

N.K. Says Fuel Rods Have Been Turned into Weapons
At the United Nations a North Korean minister said his country had made arms from reprocessed nuclear fuel rods. Though it cannot be confirmed, the comment by Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su-hon was one of the more explicit statements from the communist country. In the past, North Korea has referred to what it describes as its nuclear deterrent, without using the word weapons.

Backlog of terror tapes dogs FBI
The FBI has a backlog of hundreds of thousands of hours of untranslated audio recordings from possible terror suspects, a federal audit has found. Three years after the 11 September attacks, the FBI has more than 123,000 hours of audio intercepts that it has not translated, the report said. The report is an edited summary of a classified audit completed in July for the Justice Department.
The FBI is recruiting more linguists for Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and Pashto.

Retailer to put RFID chips in all clothing - but who is it?
An unnamed clothing maker is planning to put RFID tracking tags on all its products from 2005. Like Marks and Spencer before it, the organisation will put the RFID chips in tags attached to the clothes. Caspian has managed to get some shots of the tags in question and members have been scratching their collective heads over who the garment maker could be.

Conspiracy and other theories
In his eyewitness account of "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," author William Shirer, who lived in Nazi Germany throughout most of the 1930s, described a phenomenon that will, in 2004, seem disturbingly familiar to Americans who dissent from the policies of the Bush regime. "I myself was to experience how easily one is taken in by a lying and censored press and radio in a totalitarian state.

Officer Shoves, Arrests Pregnant Woman Over Loud Call
Sakinah Aaron was walking into the bus area at the Wheaton Metro station talking loudly on her cell phone. A police officer told Aaron, who is five months pregnant, to lower her voice. She told the officer he had no right to tell her how to speak into her cell phone. Their verbal dispute quickly escalated, and Saoutis grabbed Aaron by the arm and pushed her to the ground. He handcuffed the 23-year-old woman, called for backup and took her to a cell where she was held for three hours before being released. She was charged with "disorderly manner that disturbed the public peace" and resisting arrest.

Law Sends Sharers to Slammer
A new anti-piracy bill in California gives law enforcement another tool to crack down on copyright infringement, but critics say it will only divert resources away from fighting more important crimes. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill last week requiring file swappers to provide a legitimate e-mail address when they share music or movies online, or be charged with a misdemeanor. The law goes into effect in January.

Kenya prisoners die in tiny cell
An investigation has been launched after five Kenyan prisoners died when being kept in a tiny cell - the size of a single bed - with seven other men. Initial reports suggest the men had suffocated. Twenty-three others from the prison had to be taken to hospital. Three of the men were on remand after being accused of illegally brewing alcohol. The two others were serving three-month sentences at Meru jail, which is massively overcrowded. It was designed to accommodate 500 prisoners, but is holding more than 1,400.

Councilmen want kid curfew
City Councilmen Dennis Gallagher and James Oddo plan to introduce a bill today establishing a curfew prohibiting anyone under 18 from being in a public place without adult supervision between midnight and 6 a.m. "When you think about things and you wonder what good can happen to a child alone on the streets of New York at 2 in the morning, no one's been able to give me a good answer on that," said Gallagher.

N.Y. man disappears after threats to Bush
U.S. law enforcement officials have been unable to locate an upstate New York man wanted for questioning regarding threats to President Bush. Lawrence Ward, 49, left his Bainbridge home on Sept. 9. A photo of Mr. Bush along with the written words "Dead Man" were found in his house. Mr. Ward has emptied his bank accounts and canceled his credit cards, said national security officials close to the case. Those actions were seen as measures to prevent authorities from tracking or finding Mr. Ward, said officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Argentines die in school shooting
A 15-year-old boy has opened fire in a classroom in southern Argentina, killing four fellow students and wounding five others. Police said the shooting occurred before the start of class at a school in Carmen de Patagones, 620 miles south of Buenos Aires. Witnesses said the boy entered the classroom and began to shoot using a 9mm pistol. Police arrested the boy and took him for questioning.

Dead animals dumped as hunt protesters gather
The rotting carcasses of a dead horse and two dead calves were dumped close to the Labour Party Conference in Brighton today as thousands of pro-hunting supporters gathered to march on the conference centre. The remains were discovered as Simon Hart - chief executive of the Countryside Alliance which is organising the protest - accused Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott of having "egged on and wound up" hunt supporters.

Iraq judge drops Chalabi charges
An Iraqi judge has confirmed that criminal charges against politician Ahmed Chalabi have been temporarily dropped for lack of evidence. Judge Zuhair al-Maliki issued a warrant in August over an alleged counterfeit operation but Mr Chalabi was not arrested on return to Iraq from Iran. The politician once seen as a US favourite said in early September that the charges had been dropped. Judge Maliki confirmed the case had been dropped at a hearing last week.

Army Sends Weaponless Reserve Unit To Iraq
About 800 members of the 98th Army Reserve Division from Rochester, New York will begin a year-long mission in Iraq next month. The unit, which normally trains reserve and active-duty soldiers in the U.S., will find itself training Iraq’s new army. The 98th is a non-combat unit that doesn't even have its own weapons or vehicles.

Chechens held over Forbes editor death
Moscow police say they have detained two Chechen men suspected of involvement in the murder of the American journalist Paul Klebnikov. The editor of the Russian edition of Forbes magazine was shot dead in Moscow on 9 July, in what appeared to be a contract killing. Klebnikov was shot and fatally wounded as he left his office one evening. Last year he released a book based on conversations with a former Chechen separatist commander - and it did not cast his subject in a favourable light.

Spy Imagery Agency Watching Inside U.S.
In the name of homeland security, America's spy imagery agency is keeping a close eye, close to home. It's watching America. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, about 100 employees of a little-known branch of the Defense Department called the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and some of the country's most sophisticated aerial imaging equipment have focused on observing what's going on in the United States.

Fresh raids target Iraqi rebels
The US has continued heavy raids on the rebel city of Falluja, including what it called a "terrorist site" linked to militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He is blamed for a string of kidnappings and suicide bombings. Local doctors said at least three civilians were killed in the raid, but the US said "only Zarqawi operatives", not civilians, were at the site. Clashes erupted in Baghdad's centre between US forces and Iraqi militants after overnight US raids on Sadr City.

How Much U.S. Help?
President Bush and interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi insisted last week that Iraq would go ahead with elections scheduled for January, despite continuing violence. But U.S. officials say that the Bush team ran into trouble with another plan involving those elections - a secret "finding" written several months ago proposing a covert CIA operation to aid candidates favored by Washington. A source says the idea was to help such candidates - whose opponents might be receiving covert backing from other countries, like Iran - but not necessarily to go so far as to rig the elections.

British soldiers killed in Iraq
Two British soldiers have been killed in an ambush near Basra in southern Iraq, the Ministry of Defence has said. Soldiers came under fire as they tried to rescue others from an armoured Land Rover that had been hit by a rocket propelled grenade. Two soldiers later died at the British military hospital in Shaibah. At least two Iraqi bystanders were also injured in the ambush, officials said.

The cost of speaking out
More than 10 years have passed since the arrest of some of the mafia's top bosses, and the battle against organised crime in Italy appears to be running out of steam. It is no longer a pressing political issue - even for the centre left opposition - and recent court verdicts have given the impression that the process of extricating southern Italy from under the heel of the mob has actually gone into reverse.

Dolly scientists' human clone bid
The scientists who cloned Dolly the sheep have formally applied for a licence to clone human embryos to find a cure for motor neurone disease. If granted, Professor Ian Wilmut's team at Edinburgh's Roslin Institute would clone cells from MND patients to see how the illness develops in an embryo. The licensing body, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority granted a similar licence in August. The application has provoked criticism from pro-life campaigners.

Pearl murder suspect Farooqi shot dead
Pakistan claims its security forces have killed a leading al-Qa'ida member who was a main suspect in the kidnap and murder of the journalist Daniel Pearl, and an assassination attempt on President Pervez Musharraf last December. "We've eliminated one of the very major sources of terrorist threat," President Musharraf said yesterday. "Not only was he involved in the attacks on me but also in attacks elsewhere in the country. So a very big terrorist has been eliminated."

Pakistan al-Qaeda suspect killed
Pakistan says it has dealt a major blow to al-Qaeda's operations after its security forces shot dead the country's most wanted terror suspect. Officials named him as Amjad Farooqi, wanted in connection with assassination attempts on Pakistan's president and the murder of US reporter Daniel Pearl. He was killed in a two-hour gun battle at a house in Nawabshah in the southern province of Sindh, the officials said. At least three men were killed in the shoot-out, they added.

Discovery of sixteen bodies in a mass grave in Falluja
Eye witnesses in Falluja have claimed that some civilians have detected a mass grave in the north western sector of the city containing the bodies of sixteen people of foreign appearance. The witnesses have informed the correspondent of the German News Agency that the inhabitants of that area have detected a grave this morning at 11 a.m. local time which contained the dead bodies of 16 foreigners who have recently been killed and probably belong to American soldiers who were buried in a ditch in the North West sector of the city.

We opposed the war, say Muslims as they plead for Bigley's life
A two-man delegation of British Muslims appealed in Baghdad yesterday for Kenneth Bigley to be released. Musharaf Hussein of the Muslim Council said: "We believe in the power of prayer turning people's hearts." At a press conference, as well as pleading for the release of the British engineer, Mr Hussein and Daoud Abdullah said that British Muslims had always opposed the war in Iraq.

US air strikes target Sadr City
At least three people have been killed in overnight air attacks by US forces in Baghdad's Sadr City suburb, hospital officials said. The US military said it carried out "precision strikes" on "enemy positions", AFP news agency reported. The area is a stronghold for supporters of Shia Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr, who recently agreed to observe a ceasefire. At least two Iraqis were killed when a car bomb hit an Iraqi national guard patrol in the northern city of Mosul.

The worse the situation in Iraq, the bigger the lies that Tony Blair tells us
Iraq, remember, was going to be the role model. It would be the catalyst, 'crucible' even, of the new Middle East. We are now in the greatest crisis since the last greatest crisis. That's how we run the Iraq war - or the Second Iraq War as Lord Blair of Kut al-Amara would now have us believe. Hostages are paraded in orange tracksuits to remind us of Guantanamo Bay. Kidnappers demand the release of women held prisoner by the Americans. Abu Ghraib is what they are talking about. Abu Ghraib? Anyone remember Abu Ghraib?

Brown seeks to set Labour agenda
Chancellor Gordon Brown will seek to focus attention on the economy rather than Iraq when he addresses the Labour Party conference on Monday. He will say Labour must concentrate on the economy in the election campaign. The Brighton gathering is already being overshadowed by Iraq after delegates forced a vote on calls for Tony Blair to set a date for pulling out troops.

Taliban Stepping Up Plans to Disrupt Elections - U.S.
The Taliban and their al Qaeda allies are stepping up plans to disrupt Afghanistan's first direct presidential election on Oct. 9, the head of the U.S.-led coalition said on Saturday. "We have seen indications that they have no other option," Lieutenant-General David Barno told a news conference in Kabul. "For all terrorists in the region ... disrupting the election is part of their agenda."

UK writing off poor nations' debt
Gordon Brown has pledged the UK will write off its share of debts owed by the world's poorest countries. The chancellor encouraged other rich nations to do the same in a bid to lift the burden of debt repayments from Third World nations. The UK holds about 10% of the total debt owed to the World Bank and other development banks. He made the announcement in a speech at St Bartholomew's Church, Brightonahead of the Labour conference.

Cat Stevens deportation linked to spelling error
An incident this week in which former pop star Cat Stevens was deported from the United States to London as a "no-fly" terrorist risk was caused by a spelling error. Aviation sources with access to the "no-fly" list as said that there is no entry under the name "Yusuf Islam," but that there is a "Youssouf Islam". They said the incorrect name was added to the list this summer. Because Islam's name is spelled "Yusuf" on his passport, said the sources, he was allowed to board a plane in London bound for the United States.

Blow to Blair as Iraq vote looms
Tony Blair last night lost the first round of his battle to refocus Labour's energies on a vote-winning domestic agenda when the party conference in Brighton backed calls for an emergency debate on Iraq, the most divisive controversy of his premiership. Unless party managers can broker a compromise resolution it could result in an embarrassing defeat when delegates vote on the same day as the important Hartlepool byelection - and some urge the early recall of British troops.

Insurgency in Iraq 'intensifying'
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said the conflict between US forces and insurgents in Iraq is getting worse. He told US TV networks that militants wanted to disrupt elections in January - but the US would increase efforts to defeat them. However, he added that Washington remained determined to hold elections across the whole country.

House Republicans Unveil Sweeping Sept. 11 Bill
U.S. House of Representatives Republican leaders unveiled sweeping legislation on Friday that they said reflects Sept. 11 commission recommendations for reforming U.S. intelligence operations. But critics said their proposal for a new national intelligence director would have far less authority than the panel suggested and raised concerns that some law enforcement and immigration provisions could bog the measure down. The bill also includes far-reaching proposals on law enforcement, immigration, border security and foreign policy

Bomb threat jet given all-clear
A Greek passenger plane has been given the all-clear to continue its flight after it was diverted to the UK's Stansted airport by a bomb threat. Police confirmed nothing suspicious had been found following a six-hour search of the aircraft and its baggage. The alarm was raised on Sunday when a Greek newspaper took anonymous phones calls saying there was a bomb on the plane, which had 300 people on board. Olympic Airlines flight 411 had been en route from Athens to New York. RAF jets were scrambled and escorted the plane to Stansted, in Essex.

The New Face of Al Qaeda
Al Qaeda seen as wider threat. The network has evolved into a looser, ideological movement that may no longer report to Bin Laden. Critics say the White House focus is misdirected. Authorities have made little progress worldwide in defeating Islamic extremists affiliated with Al Qaeda despite thwarting attacks and arresting high-profile figures, according to interviews with intelligence and law enforcement officials and outside experts.

US arrests senior Iraqi commander
A senior member of the Iraqi National Guard is in custody after being arrested for suspected links with insurgents, the US military has said. Gen Talib al-Lahibi, in charge of security for Diyala province north-east of Baghdad, was detained. He was appointed to the post only a week ago. The Iraqi National Guard is recruited and trained by the US, which is attempting to build up a local force able to ensure security in the country.

The shadow over Blair
The war in Iraq last night cast a pall over Tony Blair's hopes for using the Labour Party conference in Brighton as the springboard for his ambitions for a third term. The Prime Minister, who was swept to power on a wave of optimism about the new politics he would introduce, was brought down to earth by the hostage crisis surrounding Kenneth Bigley, the assassination a Palestinian Hamas leader in Syria, death and suicide bombs in Iraq and a rebel vote by delegates to force Iraq on to the agenda for the conference.

Israel warning on Jerusalem site
An Israeli minister has warned that part of a holy site in Jerusalem sacred to both Muslims and Jews may collapse beneath the weight of worshippers. Thousands of Muslims are expected to make the pilgrimage to the al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, during Ramadan. But Israel's interior security minister says the the site must be strengthened or numbers of pilgrims must be limited. Muslim authorities say it is an attempt to seize control of the mosque.

Not all White Plains students smile for the camera
White Plains High School students appreciate safety precautions in the high school, but they wonder if something wasn't lost along the way. Some 48 new cameras now record them in hallways and stairwells and in such large areas as the auditorium, swimming pool and media center. Some school buses had cameras last year. They all do now because, like other local districts, White Plains is steadily beefing up security. Eastchester, for example, updated its system this year, and districts including Mahopac, Carmel and Valhalla all are recording.