Ankara rejects Baghdad proposals

An 11th hour appeal by Iraqi officials for Turkish restraint may have ended in failure after Ankara rejected Baghdad's non-military proposals for tackling the presence of Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. Turkish officials claimed that the proposals would take too long to have any effect. Turkey has already engaged with Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters inside the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, with troops and planes crossing over the border.

The intensifying conflict between Turkey and Kurdish rebels places great stress on the fragile Turkish democratic system. Keep up to date with the latest developments and sharpest perspectives in a world of strife and struggle.

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The US Congress has chosen to delay a vote on a controversial Armenian "genocide" bill that would recognise the alleged slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Armenians at the hands of Ottoman troops in the early 20th century as "genocide". The bill - proposed principally by Democratic congresswoman Nancy Pelosi - had deeply complicated US-Turkish relations.

Azerbaijan's role?

Despite rhetorically supporting Turkey's tough stance on Iraq, it is far from clear whether Baku has any plans to actually assist Turkey in its operations against Kurdish rebels in the region.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are poised to sign a deal that would set a framework for the resolution of the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Thirty-five thousand people were killed in the two-year war between the Azeri army and Armenian-backed separatists.

Nuclear site razed in Syria

The site of an alleged nuclear reactor has been totally cleared by Syrian authorities since it was struck in a controversial air raid by Israeli war planes in September. Israel claimed that Syria was developing nuclear technology with the aid of North Korea.

Despite Israeli plans to cut power to the Gaza Strip, Israeli president Ehud Olmert has told his West Bank counterpart Mahmoud Abbas that there will be no humanitarian crisis in the beleaguered territory.

Cleric's camp under-siege Countries mentioned in today's security brief:

- Russia
- Iraq
- Turkey
- Azerbaijan
- Armenia
- USA
- Palestine/Israel
- Pakistan
- France
- UK
- Spain
- Colombia
- Syria

A military build-up in the valley of Swat has culminated in the siege of a pro-Taliban cleric's camp in northwestern Pakistan. Supporters of Maulana Fazlullah - also known as Mullah Radio for his fierce radio sermons - have retaliated by beheading as many as twelve Pakistani soldiers and paramilitaries.

France jails Ramda

A French court has sentenced an Algerian man to life in prison for financing the spate of blasts on the Paris metro network that killed eight people and left 200 injured in 1995. Rachid Ramda - who was found guilty of "complicity to murder and attempted murder" - was a key member of the radical Armed Islamic Group.

Spanish authorities have agreed to extradite the Syrian national Monzer el-Kassar to the United States. Washington believes the arms-dealer is responsible for selling weapons to the Colombian insurgent group FARC.

Five men are on trial in London for allegedly setting up terrorist training camps within the United Kingdom.

Putin: echoes of Cuban missile crisis

Russian president Vladimir Putin has described the ongoing dispute between the United States and Russia over Washington's planned nuclear missile umbrella as reminiscent of the Cuban missile crisis of the 1960s.

Rumsfeld accused of torture

Several leading human rights groups have filed an accusation of torture against former US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld at a Paris court. Rumsfeld can be charged as long as he remains in France, where he is currently.