The Continuity IRA claimed responsibility for the shooting of a police officer in Craigavon in Northern Ireland, in what was the second fatal attack by dissident republican groups in the last 48 hours. The officer, Pc Stephen Carroll, was killed investigating a crime report on a council estate. In a separate incident yesterday, two soldiers were killed at their barracks in Anterim by gunmen belonging to the rival militant group the Real IRA.

The toD verdict: While the timing of the two attacks has prompted fears of a return to the daily bloodshed of "the Troubles", it seems unlikely that either fringe group can sustain such levels of violence. Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde was keen to emphasise to reporters that the Continuity IRA were "criminal maniacs" and that he did not require the army to maintain order in Northern Ireland. Any large-scale deployment of the British military would be likely to spread dissatisfaction among more moderate Republicans who still harbour resentment of alleged oppressive measures by the Royal Ulster Constabulary and British Army.

Gordon Brown also promised that there would be "no return to the old days" of the Troubles, during which time 300 police officers were killed. Significantly, the attack was also strongly condemned by Republicans. Martin McGuinness, the deputy first minister of Northern Ireland and former Provisional IRA commander, cancelled a visit to the Washington and flew instead to London to denounce the militants as "traitors to the island of Ireland". Brian Cowen, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Northern Ireland, condemned the attack as a "despicable murder". Despite the condemnation of the killing by the leaders of every major political party in the North, the murder still has the potential to spark communal polarisation, fierce debate and even further violence, and the peace of Northern Ireland depends on the delicacy of the response to the attack on all sides. Already, Gerry Adams has sparked controversy by linking the killing to the recently announced deployment of an undercover army unit to monitor dissident republicans.

It is the first fatality suffered by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which was created in 2001 to replace the controversial Royal Ulster Constabulary as part of the Good Friday Agreement. Several previous assassination attempts against the PSNI launched by the Real IRA have been foiled, and the service will be determined to maintain its impartiality in its response to the attack

Sri Lanka suicide attack kills ten and injures minister

A suicide bomber struck a congregation of Muslims commemorating the prophet Mohammed's birthday outside a mosque in the town of Akuressa in southern Sri Lanka. At least ten people were killed and twenty injured in the blast, including the government minister for post and telecommunications, Mahinda Wijesekara. Six other ministers in attendance escaped unharmed. The Sri Lankan military have blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam. The attack follows continued fighting in the North of the country where the army have claimed to have killed 200 Tamil fighters since Thursday. Tamilnet, a pro-Tamil news website, claimed 300 civilians had also been killed in recent artillery attacks by government forces. The army has denied shelling civilian areas.

Protests mark the fiftieth anniversary of Chinese occupation of Tibet

Major security operations are taking place in Tibetan provinces of China. Soldiers were deployed along China's southern borders and police blocked roads and restricted the movements of foreign journalists. In a speech given in India, the Dalai Lama condemned the history of Chinese rule in his homeland, claiming it had created "hell on earth" and warning that Tibetan culture faced extinction if repressive policies continued. World wide protests have marked the anniversary. Four protestors were arrested in Canberra after clashes with police outside the Chinese embassy. In Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, stringent security measures were taken to safeguard the Chinese embassy and businesses in the city. Yesterday, Chinese media stated that explosives were hurled at a police car and fire engine but no casualties were reported.

Chinese navy confront US vessel in international waters

A US defence spokesman claimed Chinese warships harassed a US naval vessel in international waters in the South China Sea on Sunday. The US Naval Ship Impeccable, an unarmed surveillance vessel, used its fire hoses to soak the crews of approaching Chinese civilian and military vessels, who in retaliation closed to within 25 feet, undressed and made lewd gestures to the US crew. Behind the comic exchange however is a serious conflict of interest. The Impeccable, a submarine detection vessel, was deployed 75 miles south of the main Chinese submarine base on Hainan Island, from which increasing forays by Chinese submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles have been reported by military analysts. The Pentagon has claimed that half a dozen cases of Chinese military harassment have occurred in the area in the past week alone. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry dismissed the Pentagon's description of the incident as ‘totally inaccurate' and claimed the Impeccable was engaged in illegal surveillance within China's Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends 200 miles from its southern shores.

Suicide bomber strikes peace conference in Abu Ghraib district of Bagdad

At least 33 people were killed including journalists, tribal leaders, police and a senior military officer in a suicide attack in western Bagdad. The attack targeted officials leaving a conference promoting national reconciliation, close to the notorious Abu Ghraib prison where US soldiers were convicted of abusing Iraqi prisoners in 2004. Although levels of violence have declined over the last two years, this is the third major attack in recent days. A suicide bombing killed ten at a market in Babel on Thursday. A second attack targeted a police recruitment centre killing 30 people on Sunday, within hours of a US announcement that 12,000 troops would be withdrawn from Iraq within the next six months.

Kenya swept by violent protests

Thousands of students marched through Nairobi today demanding the dismissal of the police commissioner in a protest which erupted into violence. The protestors, numbering around 5,000, blocked traffic, looted shops and restaurants, threw stones at policemen, uprooted trees and beat journalists with sticks. Protesters were marching against the police in reaction to the shooting of a student on Thursday. The former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan told reporters in neighbouring Tanzania that he was confident the coalition government would survive the crisis but criticised its inaction over widespread corruption.

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