UPI International Intelligence articles from October 2008

UPI International Intelligence archives from October 2008

Walker's World: Is the sky falling?
October 1, 2008... Byline: MARTIN WALKER WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Something does not add up. We were all assured the sky would fall if Congress did not pass the $700 billion rescue package. We were warned of credit drying up, of small businesses...

NATO commander seeks anti-IED technology.
October 1, 2008... BRUSSELS, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The top commander of NATO said Wednesday the alliance needs complex technology to deter the effectiveness of improvised explosive devices. U.S. Marine Gen. James Mattis, also the commander of the U.S. Joint Forces...

Iraqi Kurdistan mismanaged, report says.
October 1, 2008... ERBIL, Iraq, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The failure in the leadership of Kurdish President Massoud Barzani is putting both Iraqi Kurdistan and its people in danger, an analysis said Wednesday. "Because of the misrule of Massoud Barzani, the president...

Amnesty calls for safe returns in Georgia.
October 1, 2008... TBILISI, Georgia, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Destruction and security concerns in the conflict zone in the breakaway Georgian republic of South Ossetia are curbing resettlement, Amnesty International says. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees puts...

Scholars urge rethinking of Islamic ideals.
October 1, 2008... DOHA, Qatar, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Islamic scholars called on Islamists in the Arab community to revise their positions on seeking to establish a religious state anywhere in the region. "It is the insistence of Islamic movements to establish an...

Tymoshenko supports Georgia deal.
October 1, 2008... KIEV, Ukraine, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Ukraine's prime minister said Wednesday she fully supports Georgia's conflict resolution agreement signed at the Ukraine-EU summit. Yulia Tymoshenko announced in a press conference Wednesday that her...

Serbia signs security agreement with NATO.
October 1, 2008... BRUSSELS, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Serbia's top defense official was in Brussels Wednesday at NATO headquarters to sign a peace and security deal in a move to broaden cooperation with NATO. Dragan Sutanovac, Serbia minister of defense, addressed the...

Shiite cleric condemns terrorism in Iraq.
October 1, 2008... NAJAF, Iraq, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A top Shiite cleric in Iraq issued a statement condemning sectarianism and terrorism as violations of the teachings of Mohammed. In a statement published in the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat, Sheik Ali al-Najafi, son...

Analysis: 'Afghanistan's Plight' book.
October 1, 2008... Byline: STEFAN NICOLA BERLIN, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A new book by a German journalist takes an in-depth look at the West's failing attempts to win the war in Afghanistan. When Can Merey, a German journalist of Turkish descent, in 2003 first...

Rivalries may negate gains in Iraq.
October 1, 2008... BAQUBA, Iraq, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Hostility between the Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites in the north of the Iraqi province of Diyala suggests conflict is in respite and not indicative of recovery. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki launched major...

Al-Qaida numbers down in Iraq.
October 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. intelligence officials suggest the number of fighters loyal to al-Qaida in Iraq have plummeted to less than 5,000, an analysis said Wednesday. The conservative magazine Human Events noted the number of...

Iraq Press Roundup.
October 1, 2008... Byline: ALAA MAJEED Sot al-Iraq, an Iraqi news service, had an editorial Wednesday on the impact of appointing Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as the Democratic vice presidential candidate. Biden is unclear whether he is going to pursue a negative...

Analysis: RAF terror revisited.
October 2, 2008... Byline: STEFAN NICOLA BERLIN, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The Baader-Meinhof gang that caused havoc in 1970s Germany with its brutal terror campaign is the star of one of Germany's biggest movie productions ever. The "Baader-Meinhof Complex,"...

Kidnapped tourists are safe back home.
October 2, 2008... BERLIN, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Eleven European tourists kidnapped in Egypt have returned home safely. Six of them arrived in Berlin from Cairo earlier this week after an 11-day hostage ordeal in the desert region between Egypt, Libya and Sudan....

Analysis: Flu pandemic would overwhelm.
October 2, 2008... Byline: SARA SARGENT WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- In the case of an influenza pandemic, the U.S. healthcare system would be inadequately prepared to meet the needs of an infected population, according to a report released this week by...

Analysis: Bringing law to the Internet.
October 2, 2008... Byline: SHAUN WATERMAN WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The non-profit association that oversees Internet addresses says it will effectively close down two major domain registrars unless they fix flaws in their system for investigating shady...

U.S. troop action meritless, Sadrist says.
October 2, 2008... BAGHDAD, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- An Iraqi lawmaker with the Sadrist Movement Thursday said attacks on Sadr loyalists by American forces were due to the group's anti-occupation stance. Ahmed al-Massoudi blamed U.S. forces for creating an...

Kurdish groups call for aid for prisoners.
October 2, 2008... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 2 (UPI) -- In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, 15 activist groups called for intervention to aid Kurdish prisoners on a hunger strike in Iranian prisons. More than 200 Kurdish activists in detention in...

Iraq Press Roundup.
October 2, 2008... Byline: ALAA MAJEED Iraqis are suspicious of the security situation in Iraq, leading many to believe things there are still chaotic, the Sunni al-Mashriq newspaper said Thursday. The feeling of chaos Media sources from the United...

Kurds deny criticism of Sunnis.
October 2, 2008... ERBIL, Iraq, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The Kurdish president denied in a statement that he had criticized Sunni Iraqis for sidelining the Kurdish members of the Iraqi military. Several media outlets had characterized statements made by Kurdish...

U.N. backs minorities in Iraqi elections.
October 2, 2008... BAGHDAD, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The U.N. envoy to Iraq issued a statement Thursday calling on Baghdad to restore articles in the provincial elections law for minority representation. The Iraqi Parliament in September passed the long-awaited...

Odierno says Iraq is recovering.
October 2, 2008... BAGHDAD, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Iraq has made progress in political development since 2006, but its government lacks clear direction and services remain poor, a military official said. In an interview published Thursday in Gulf News, the new U.S....

Iraqi political situation fragile.
October 2, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Despite claims of marked improvement in Iraq, political differences that were under the surface of the violence may lead to destabilization, an analyst said. Mark Lynch with George Washington University, who runs...

Growing tensions could harm elections.
October 2, 2008... UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Escalating concerns over the stability of Guinea-Bissau have prompted the head of the United Nations to call for calm ahead of the country's November elections. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a...

Study on EU Muslim extremism released.
October 2, 2008... LONDON, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Terrorist recruitment has largely been driven underground in Europe but remains a serious concern, according to a report released by the European Commission. The European Commission Wednesday released the findings of...

NORTHCOM launches CBRNE response team.
October 2, 2008... PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., Oct. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. Northern Command announced the launch of a fully dedicated task force designed to respond to a chemical, biological or radiological explosion. NORTHCOM announced the activation of a new...

Pakistan, DR Congo top CrisisWatch report.
October 2, 2008... BRUSSELS, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- A surge in rebel violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Marriott hotel bombing in Pakistan topped a monthly report monitoring global crises. The CrisisWatch report, published by the Belgium-based...

FARC operations increasingly targeted.
October 2, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- An international effort led by the United States and the European Union is closing off the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia's operational space. Moves like the recent designation by the U.S. Treasury...

Less than half in poll have good firewalls.
October 2, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Less than half of all Americans have adequate firewall protections on their computers, according to a study released by the National Cyber Security Alliance. The study by the government, private and academic...

Dogs of War: The last contractor.
October 3, 2008... Byline: DAVID ISENBERG WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Just as private contractors were part of the buildup of forces in Iraq, from the very beginning of the war to today, they are also figuring to be a prominent part of the eventual...

Analysis: NATO's troubled renaissance.
October 3, 2008... Byline: DANIEL KORSKI BRUSSELS, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- When the outgoing NATO chief paid a visit to London, joining a meeting of the alliance's defense ministers, he was keen to emphasize that the 60-year-old military alliance is fundamentally...

Analysis: China space launch raises fears.
October 3, 2008... Byline: SARA SARGENT WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The release of a satellite into orbit during China's recent space mission has policy experts buzzing about the implications for U.S.-China space relations. The launch of this small...

Conference to prevent torture planned.(Conference news)
October 3, 2008... SUDAK, Ukraine, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says it will host a conference in Ukraine on preventing the use of torture on pre-trial detainees. The OSCE will host a three-day conference beginning...

NSHEAB discusses security threats with FBI.
October 3, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. National Security Higher Education Advisory Board met with top FBI officials Thursday to discuss security threats to colleges and universities. The regular meeting between the NSHEAB and the FBI is an...

U.N. fires rockets to halt rebel advance.
October 3, 2008... KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- A surge in rebel violence in the east of Democratic Republic of the Congo has prompted a helicopter airstrike from the United Nations. The rebel Ituri Patriotic Resistance Front in DR...

British commandos deploy to Helmand.
October 3, 2008... LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- A British Marine commando unit Friday began a deployment in Afghanistan, taking over command of a NATO task force in the volatile Helmand province. British Royal Marines from the 45 Commando unit...

Philippine ancestral domain deal halted.
October 3, 2008... MANILA, Philippines, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The Philippine president says recent violence by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has ended any consideration for the rebel group's ancestral domain demands. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has vowed...

U.S., Sweden sign non-proliferation deal.
October 3, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The United States and Sweden announced a new joint effort to counter nuclear proliferation threats from transnational terrorist organizations. The partnership, announced at the International Atomic Energy...

Report: Iraqi displaced need voting rights.
October 3, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The participation of displaced Iraqis in the provincial elections is an important but neglected step toward national reconciliation, an analysis says. The Iraqi Parliament Sept. 24 passed a long-awaited...

'Daughters of Iraq' tackle al-Qaida.
October 3, 2008... BAGHDAD, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- An all-women's group called Daughters of Iraq is taking on a new role under U.S. financing as part of the counterinsurgency strategy there, officials said. Like their counterparts in the Sunni-led Sons of Iraq...

Iraq Press Roundup.
October 3, 2008... Byline: ALAA MAJEED Shebab al-Iraq newswire service on Friday said it makes no difference who wins the U.S. presidential elections because the Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, and the Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain...

European members call for PMOI protection.
October 3, 2008... BRUSSELS, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Several members of the Council of Europe backed a written declaration regarding the protection of Iranian dissidents in Iraq. Members of the Council of Europe, Amnesty International along with the International...

Iraqi funds bargaining chip for SOFA?
October 3, 2008... BAGHDAD, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Iranian state-run media reported Friday Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said U.S. officials threatened to seize Iraqi funds if a long-term security deal failed. The Iranian Press TV pointed to statements in the Iraqi...

Commentary: U.S. leadership challenged.
October 6, 2008... Byline: ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- It was an era of gargantuan excess not seen since the 1920s, while at the same time the United States is prosecuting two wars that have cost the same amount as the administration's...

Walker's World: Europe fails to act.
October 6, 2008... Byline: MARTIN WALKER WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Leaders of the four big European economies -- Germany, Britain, France and Italy -- met in Paris Saturday and failed to come up with any kind of common European solution to the financial...

Analysis: What is happening in Syria?
October 6, 2008... Byline: CLAUDE SALHANI WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Syria has long claimed that it is tied to Lebanon in more ways than one. Over the last two weeks this statement has proven to be far more on the money than Syria would have ever imagined...

Germany: Experts fear recession.
October 6, 2008... BERLIN, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Top German economic experts are now warning of a recession in Germany. Europe "won't be spared from a recession," said Norbert Walter, chief economist of Deutsche Bank. "Too much has gone wrong." Most German...

Iraq Press Roundup.
October 6, 2008... Byline: ALAA MAJEED People of Iraq deal with their situation by focusing on the results of U.S. occupation instead of what brought about the challenges their country faces. Iraqis often act out against the reasons for the destruction...

Iraqis to debate minority representation.
October 6, 2008... BAGHDAD, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Shiite Iraqi lawmakers said Monday the matter of minority representation in the provincial elections law will be put on the next parliamentary agenda. Abbas al-Bayati with the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance told the...

Kurds respond to Arafat comparison.
October 6, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. representatives for the Kurdish government Monday offered a rebuttal to comparisons between the president of Iraqi Kurdistan and Yasser Arafat. Sam Brennan with the Center for Strategic and International...

Muslim scholars deny Treasury Dept. claims.
October 6, 2008... BAGHDAD, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq issued a follow-up statement to appeals made to the U.S. Treasury Department's decision to freeze its assets. The Treasury Department in September froze assets of five...

Iran refuses plane carrying Iraqi lawmaker.
October 6, 2008... BAGHDAD, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A plane carrying Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Mashhadani was denied landing in Iran and returned to Baghdad Monday for undisclosed reasons. The media division of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said Monday...

Al-Qaida calls U.S economic crisis a win.
October 6, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Al-Qaida has released a new video featuring American member Adam Gadahn, who declares the current U.S. economic crisis a victory for the terrorist organization. During the 32-minute video, released Saturday,...

Report critical of diplomatic shortfalls.
October 6, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The United States is ill equipped to handle the battle against terrorism without a drastic increase in diplomacy, according to a report released Monday. The report, released by the Washington-based non-profit...

British train in a virtual Afghanistan.
October 6, 2008... CRAWLEY, England, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- British troops are honing skills in a simulator designed to represent realistic conditions on the ground in Afghanistan ahead of deployment. Troops are training at what is being called a virtual Afghanistan...

ICC renews call for LRA arrests.
October 6, 2008... THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Failed attempts at peace and a surge in violence have prompted calls for the arrest of rebel leaders from the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda. The International Criminal Court, based in the...

OSCE conducts border security workshop.
October 6, 2008... HELSINKI, Finland, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Security authorities from Central Asia are in Finland for a training course designed to counter transnational terrorism and other threats to border security. The Central Asian law enforcement and other...

Analysis: Europe's banks battle crisis.
October 6, 2008... Byline: STEFAN NICOLA BERLIN, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The financial crisis has hit Europe harder than expected, with banks all over the continent on the brink of collapse. In Germany, officials on Sunday launched the biggest bank rescue in...

Analysis: New FBI investigative guidelines.
October 6, 2008... Byline: SHAUN WATERMAN WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Congressional Democrats are calling on the Bush administration to hold off implementing new rules that broaden the FBI's investigative authorities until a new administration can approve...

Outside View: Seoul's Russian partnership.
October 7, 2008... Byline: IVAN ZAKHARCHENKO MOSCOW, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Despite increasingly chilly relations between Washington and Moscow, South Korea, the closest U.S. military-political ally in Asia, seems willing to become Russia's strategic partner. ...

Report: Sophisticated attacks work of Iran.
October 7, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The rate of decline in al-Qaida in Iraq activity runs parallel to an increase in the sophistication of attacks, pointing to Iranian groups, a study says. U.S. military officials say al-Qaida attacks in Iraq have...

Iraqi Christians lobby for representation.
October 7, 2008... BAGHDAD, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Iraqi Christians are growing concerned over their diminishing political voice in the country as their rights of representation fade, officials said. Several Iraqi lawmakers, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki,...

Shiite leader reaches out to Sunni elders.
October 7, 2008... TIKRIT, Iraq, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A prominent Shiite figure has reached out to Sunni elements in northern Iraq to establish a sense of national unity ahead of the provincial elections. Ammar al-Hakim, son of the leader of the Supreme Islamic...

Turkey growing impatient with PKK.
October 7, 2008... ANKARA, Turkey, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Turkish officials Tuesday said they would continue attacks in northern Iraq against the Kurdistan Workers' Party following a series of weekend skirmishes. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the...

Tehran approached on U.S.-Iraqi pact.
October 7, 2008... TEHRAN, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The Iraqi speaker of Parliament arrived in Tehran Tuesday to hear the Iranian view of the security arrangement under negotiation between Baghdad and Washington. Mahmoud Mashhadani was scheduled to arrive in the...

Head of bailed-out bank resigns.
October 7, 2008... BERLIN, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A top German manager resigned under pressure from officials after the German government had to spend billions to rescue his bank. Georg Funke, the boss of Germany's ailing mortgage lender Hypo Real Estate, stepped...

Iraq Press Roundup.
October 7, 2008... Byline: ALAA MAJEED Some analysts and politicians claim the number of violent attacks has decreased in Iraq, but through the last two weeks, several explosions have taken place in Baghdad and elsewhere in the country. Many reports from...

U.N. calls for help in protecting aid.
October 7, 2008... UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The United Nations on Tuesday called on the international community to protect humanitarian aid from piracy off Somalia's coast. Speaking with a sense of urgency, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the...

Directive on leaks at the CIA released.
October 7, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A U.S. Central Intelligence Agency directive on unauthorized disclosures calls for the implementation of aggressive measures to combat leaks from the agency. According to Secrecy News, a Federation of American...

New law helps bust counterfeiters.
October 7, 2008... THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Europol has taken down a counterfeiting operation in the Netherlands by exercising a new legal provision that integrates local police authorities. Europol acted on a provision to request EU states to...

Interpol opens General Assembly meeting.
October 7, 2008... ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Top security officials at Interpol's General Assembly meeting in Russia Tuesday called on the international community to strengthen cooperation on policing. The four-day General Assembly meeting,...

Walker's World: Bush speaks at last.
October 8, 2008... Byline: MARTIN WALKER WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush's call Wednesday for a coordinated action by the Group of Seven industrialized countries to stabilize world markets looks like another classic case of too little,...

Atlantic Eye: Unmoved, unconvinced.
October 8, 2008... Byline: MARC S. ELLENBOGEN PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- I watched the second presidential debate in the residence of a Western ambassador yesterday. I had set up phone calls afterward with a selection of diplomats, journalists,...

Analysis: Iran an ally in Afghanistan?
October 8, 2008... Byline: STEFAN NICOLA BERLIN, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Washington must start talking to Iran in order to win a key ally in the struggle to stabilize Afghanistan, according to officials in Europe. "We have to think about a strategy change for...

Germany releases alleged terror suspects.
October 8, 2008... COLOGNE, Germany, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- The two men arrested as terror suspects last month at Cologne/Bonn Airport in Germany have been released. Their lawyers had protested the continued jailing of the men because of a lack of evidence against...

Finance crisis hits German car sector.
October 8, 2008... BERLIN, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- The effects of the global financial crisis have hit the German automobile industry. Several German car giants, including Mercedes, Daimler and Opel, which belongs to Volkswagen, have announced they will temporarily...

Iraq stalls on minority election measure.
October 8, 2008... BAGHDAD, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Iraqi lawmakers in Parliament Wednesday failed to reach a resolution in debates over minority representation in the provincial elections law. The Iraqi Parliament had scheduled debates Wednesday over Article 50 of...

Iranians slam West, call for Iraqi unity.
October 8, 2008... TEHRAN, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- The first vice speaker of the Iranian Parliament Wednesday condemned American unilateralism and called for power to be returned to the Iraqi and Afghan peoples. Mohammad-Hassan Abutorabi-Fard, who also serves as the...

Baghdad asked for $600M for resettlements.
October 8, 2008... BAGHDAD, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- An Iraqi committee tasked with reversing the demographic effects of ethnic cleansing requested $600 million from Baghdad Wednesday to help with resettlement. Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution calls for a...

Muslim scholars back Iraqi Christians.
October 8, 2008... BAGHDAD, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- The Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq condemned leaflets distributed in the northern city of Mosul that threatened the Christian community there. The AMSI said in a statement on its Web site that the leaflets...

Iran slams U.S.-Iraqi SOFA.
October 8, 2008... TEHRAN, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the Iraqi government to avoid succumbing to U.S. demands for a security deal with Washington. The Iranian president described the United States as "intoxicated" with...

NNSA successfully returns spent nuke fuel.
October 8, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- The National Nuclear Security Administration says it has made real progress in returning weapons-grade nuclear material to the U.S. Department of Energy. The NNSA says it has returned almost 115 pounds of highly...

Calls for combating organized crime.
October 8, 2008... ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- The head of U.N. police operations has called on the international community to strengthen cooperation in countering organized crime. U.N. Police Adviser Andrew Hughes, speaking at Interpol's General...

U.N. crime convention under review.
October 8, 2008... VIENNA , Oct. 8 (UPI) -- The United Nations on Wednesday opened a conference in Vienna aimed at reviewing the Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime ahead of implementation. Officials say representatives from the 147 countries...