Al-Qaida head in Iraq 'killed'
Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the head of al-Qaida in Iraq, is reported to have been killed in an "internal battle" between militants in northern Baghdad, the Iraqi interior ministry has disclosed. United States officials have long speculated about rising tensions between al-Qaida and native Sunni insurgents in the country.
Members of the Sunni Accordance Front have revealed that they are considering leaving the Shia-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, after growing frustration at the inaction and tardiness in addressing crucial Sunni Arab concerns. The bloc includes the vice president, and its withdrawal would severely impair the administration's degree of civil representation.
Attacks against non-combatants almost doubled in Iraq from 2005 to 2006, and have also risen dramatically in Afghanistan, a US State Department report has revealed.
NATO offensive kills 75 suspected Taliban fighters
NATO-led forces are reported to have killed 75 suspected Taliban fighters in the Sangin Valley, southern Afghanistan. Several other suspects were also arrested, and an arms cache seized. The operation is part of Operation Achilles, which began in March, and comprises the largest NATO manoeuvre against the Taliban.
Railway stations bombed in Bangladesh
Several Bangladeshi railway stations have been targeted by a series of small bombs. The devices were detonated in the capital, Dhaka, the southeastern port of Chittagong and the northern city of Sylhet, at around 7.30am local time. Metal plates found at two of the sites contained the inscription: "Zadid [new] al-Qaida". One person was injured.
Turkish May Day protestors arrested
Turkish police have arrested over a hundred left-wing protestors in Istanbul, amid a May Day rally. People were marching toward Taksim Square, to mark the 30th anniversary of the 'Bloody May Day' when thirty-four people were killed in a stampede in 1977. They were met with tear gas and officers wielding batons.
Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, last night called for calm after a weekend of protests by secularists, as well as a military threat to intervene in politics, after the PM's nomination of Abdullah Gul for the presidency. He refused to withdraw his presidential candidacy, and defended his economic record.
Venezuela out of the IMF and World Bank
Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, has announced his country's withdrawal from both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, describing said institutions to no longer be of use to Venezuela. He has also proclaimed his intention to establish an alternative South American lending system.
Morocco-Polisario Front talks
Morocco and the Polisario separatist movement are to embark on UN-sponsored talks over the disputed territories of Western Sahara, while the Security Council unanimously resolved on Monday to renew the 220-strong UN peacekeeping operation in the region.
Bomb hits Thai night market
Twenty people have been injured after a bomb exploded in a busy night market in the southern Thai province of Pattani on Monday. Officials believe that Muslim fighters carried out the attack as a means of stirring up communal tensions and in revenge for a mosque bombing on Saturday.
Israeli minister resigns over Lebanon report
Eitan Cabel has resigned from the Israeli cabinet in protest at the handing of the 2006 war against Lebanon. The decision was taken in response to the findings of a six-month government probe, which lambasted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's handling of the affair. Cabel has called for the PM's resignation, exclaiming that he has "lost the trust of the people".
Thomas O'Dwyer explores the fallout from the Winograd report on openDemocracy.
Security guarantees for US missile shield
Poland and the Czech Republic have insisted on United States security guarantees, as well as supplies of Patriot missiles, in their negotiations with the US over its intention to develop a missile shield in the region. The talks are likely to raise concerns of a further security schism between Washington and the Kremlin.
