Jihadi palingenesis in Iraq
The Islamic Army in Iraq is intent on re-stabilising its ties with al-Qaida, as during "the first days of jihad", a spokesperson for the group has disclosed. Recently the two groups had seemingly been estranged, yet this truce, which took force at dawn on Wednesday, is said to be aimed at stemming the further spilling of Muslim blood in Iraq.
Two double-bomb attacks have killed at least 35 people in Iraq.
Basque separatist leader arrested
Arnaldo Otegi, the leader of banned Basque separatist party Batasuna, has been arrested in northern Spain, charged with glorifying terrorism; he is to serve a 15-month sentence. Batasuna is closely linked with Basque separatists ETA, who ended a 15-month cease-fire on Wednesday.
It emerged on Friday, that Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero held high-level talks with ETA during his premiership. Discussions purportedly broke down, however, in the wake of unacceptable political demands made by ETA; a car bomb at Madrid Airport last December, which killed two people, brought an end to the talks.
Monzer al-Kassar, a Syrian arms dealer hitherto accused of furnishing militants from Iraq to Somalia with weapons, has been arrested by Spanish police on suspicion of supplying arms to leftist guerrillas, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Turkey reiterates desire for PKK offensive
Turkey's General Staff has reiterated its "unshakeable determination to fight terrorism", and has exclaimed that "it is an incontrovertible reality" that action will be taken to stem the exploits of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). This reaffirms army Chief General Yasar Buyukanit's statement of two months ago, in which he urged an incursion into northern Iraq to crush PKK fighters.
Beijing opposes US missile defence system
Beijing has joined Moscow in expressing concern over the proposed United States missile defence system in Eastern Europe, amid fears that it could plausibly trigger an arms race. A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry remarked that the scheme "is not conducive to mutual trust of major nations and regional security", and may even encourage "a proliferation problem".
"Extraordinary rendition" players on trial
The trial begins today of twenty-six Americans and six Italians who stand accused in absentia in Italy of kidnapping an Egyptian terror suspect, and dispatching him to Egypt, where he is said to have been tortured. Most of the Americans in the "extraordinary rendition" proceedings are thought to be CIA agents. Italy has not said whether it will seek the suspects' extradition to the Milan trial, yet Washington has already refused to do so.
European human rights monitoring group, the Council of Europe, has confirmed the existence of clandestine CIA detention facilities in Poland and Romania, which housed leading members of al-Qaida between 2003 and 2005. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 11 September 2001 attacks, was among those detained.
Martin Scheinin, UN special rapporteur on human rights and terrorism, warns the Bush administration that its policies may do more harm than good.
Indonesia sets about 'healing' Muslim world
With deliberation between Shia and Shiite clerics and scholars held in Iraq in April, and a conference between Fatah and Hamas scheduled for August, Indonesia seems intent on bolstering its credentials as Muslim peacemaker. Yet, in engaging in efforts at harbouring closer relations between the Muslim world and the West, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono treads a tight wire between international arbiter and pariah among Islamic states.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has welcomed the assistance of Iran in resolving the Moro rebellion against the Philippine government over Mindanao Island.
Supreme Court blocks Tamil evictions
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ordered the government to halt its eviction of minority ethnic Tamils from the capital, Colombo, on Friday. In the last week, Sri Lankan security forces have deported hundreds of Tamils to the island's north, held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) insurgent group. Police are also not to prevent Tamils from entering the city. The eviction of Tamils has been condemned by human rights groups, who fear that these measures will only serve to entrench the island's ethnic divide, and fan the flames of civil war.
Jemaah Islamiah militants arrested in Singapore
Five Islamist militants have been detained by Singapore in recent months, including four members of Southeast Asian group, Jemaah Islamiah (JI), it was announced on Friday. One detainee, a "self-radicalised" Islamist whose views were shaped by "radical discourse" available online, planned to pursue "militant jihad" in Afghanistan. Another is a senior member of the Singapore JI network, who plotted to crash an airplane into Singapore's Changi Airport.
Fatah al-Islam to fight to the death
Lebanese forces resumed their bombardment of Fatah al-Islam militants holed-up in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp on Friday, after two days of mostly sporadic combat, with the gunmen rejecting calls from the Islamic Action Front to surrender.
A bomb exploded north of Beirut on Thursday night, killing one civilian and wounding four others.
France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has invited Lebanese political leaders along with prominent civil society members to a meeting designed to improve political relations in a country beset by crisis, by restoring dialogue between opposing political forces.
PM Blair: "not unhelpful" signs from Hamas
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Friday that Palestinian group, Hamas, is showing some "not unhelpful" signals vis-à-vis the Middle East peace process. He compared a potential change in their position to that witnessed during the Northern Ireland peace process, noting that only when both sides agreed on shared principles was progress made.
Palestinians' entrapment by Israel's occupation calls into question the very meaning of "state security" in the region and the world today, observes Rosemary Bechler on openDemocracy.
UN condemns Ahmadinejad gab
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was "shocked and dismayed" at recent comments made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad concerning Israel, that "God willing, in the near future we will witness the destruction of the corrupt occupier regime". Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has requested clarification from the Bangladeshi government concerning the proceedings and charges to be brought against UN special rapporteur on people trafficking, Sigma Huda, prevented from traveling by the military-backed caretaker government because they are a "security threat".
Lord Goldsmith denies wrong-doing
UK attorney general Lord Goldsmith has denied claims by The Guardian newspaper that he concealed details of BAE Systems' payments to ex-Saudi ambassador to the US, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, from international anti-bribery watchdog, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
