__________________________________________________ __ DAY TO DAY WORLD TIMELINE 2002 Search any keyword within this text to find specific information (Source : STRATFOR Strategic Forecasting) __________________________________________________ __ 06 Oct 2002 Unknown assailants apparently rammed a small boat packed with explosives into a French-owned oil supertanker as it pulled into Ash Shihr port in eastern Yemen, approximately 350 miles east of Aden, on Oct. 6. The tanker burst into flames and now reportedly is sinking into the Arabian Sea. Although the government of Yemen and the French Foreign Ministry both were cautious as to what may have caused the explosion aboard the supertanker Limburg, Captain Peter Raes -- managing director of France Ship -- told the BBC that a junior officer had seen a small craft approaching quickly and believed the two vessels touched prior to the explosion. The apparent impact blew a hole in the side of the new, double- hulled ship, which was almost motionless in the water. An onboard fire or oil leak have been ruled out as possible causes, and Raes said the type of crude oil that the Limburg was carrying was not particularly flammable. Raes said only a very large ship or one moving at "serious speeds" would be able to cause that kind of damage to the Limburg, and that he believed the smaller craft must have been carrying explosives. The Limburg was picking up a pilot to guide it into the terminal when the explosion occurred. 1905 GMT 04 Oct 2002 Arab League chief Amr Mousa Oct. 4 welcomed the agreement between Iraq and the U.N., and said that the deal included positive steps to resolve the current conflict. Mousa expressed hope that the U.N. inspectors could finalize their work in a reasonable time, and that discussions could begin on lifting the embargo on Iraq, INA reported. 2304 GMT In a press conference in Ankara, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz claimed that the reason the United States is dissatisfied with the return of U.N. weapons inspectors to Iraq is that it ultimately will prove there are no weapons of mass destruction in the country, the Iraqi News Agency reported. Aziz also said there is no need for a new resolution on U.N. weapon inspections. 2134 GMT Lebanese President Emile Lahoud warned Oct. 3 that military action against Iraq could destabilize the entire region and have a negative impact on Arab-American relations. Lahoud voiced his concerns during a meeting with Brazilian Foreign Ministry Secretary Gen. Osmar Vladimir Ghohfi, Lebanese newspaper the Daily Star reported. A presidential press release warned that Israel would be the sole beneficiary of a U.S. war with Iraq, though the president reaffirmed his support for implementing U.N. resolutions "without discrimination." 2133 GMT Caracas-based Globovision television network reports on its Web site Oct. 4 (15:30 pm ET) that Venezuelan army soldiers and members of an alleged paramilitary group that calls itself the United Self-Defense Forces of Venezuela (AUV) engaged in a gun battle in the western state of Tachira, near the border with Colombia. The report also states that the gunfight caused three casualties, including the alleged leader of the AUV, an individual identified only as Commander Antonio. There was no mention of the alleged gunfight by any other Venezuelan or foreign news media, and STRATFOR could not independently verify if Globovision's report is accurate. 2101 GMT The CIA released a document Oct. 4 concluding that Iraq has resumed production of chemical warfare agents, and has rebuilt missile and biological weapons facilities damaged during missile strikes in 1998, AFP reported. 2039 GMT During the first leg of a tour of three Gulf states, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said in Bahrain Oct. 4 that U.S. threats against Iraq were aimed at the whole region, AFP reported. Sabri is slated to spend two days in the kingdom to hold talks with senior officials before visiting the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. 2029 GMT The Iraqi government said Oct. 4 that its forces fired on U.S. and British warplanes conducting 22 raids in southern Iraq, forcing them to "flee" to their bases in Kuwait, the Iraqi News Agency reported. The raids came a day after Iraq said five civilians were killed and 11 wounded when U.S. and British warplanes conducted 55 raids in 18 areas in southern Iraq. 2017 GMT Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said the government has determined that the ship sunk by Japanese patrol boats in the East China Sea last December was a North Korean spy ship, Kyodo News reported Oct. 4. Fukuda said there is little information about why the ship was operating in the area, and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said more research is needed. 1845 GMT Iraq's Kurdish groups reopened their regional parliament Oct. 4, in an effort to overcome years of feuding and gain autonomy from Baghdad if Washington removes Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Reuters reported. The leaders of the two main Kurdish groups -- Massoud Barzani of the Kurdish Democratic Party and Jalal Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan -- are to address the assembly. Last month the two factions agreed on a draft constitution outlining the structure of a regional administration, slating the oil-rich city of Kirkuk -- currently controlled by the Iraqi government -- as capital of the Kurdish region. Iraq's Kurds revolted against Hussein's regime in 1991, but the attempt was interrupted by conflict between the two groups, and they have continued to control separate enclaves in northern Iraq under the protection of the U.S.- enforced "no-fly" zones. 1840 GMT U.S. trade representative Robert Zoellick announced Oct. 2 that negotiations with Morocco on a free-trade agreement will begin soon after he officially notifies Congress, ArabicNews.com reported. The agreement will conform to the new presidential powers granted under Trade Promotion Authority, which allows the president to strike trade deals that cannot be amended by Congress. 1838 GMT Russian President Vladimir Putin called Oct. 4 for the swift return of U.N. weapons inspectors to Iraq, AP reported. Putin's call comes amid an attempt by the United States and Britain to authorize a new Security Council resolution that would give U.N. inspectors broad new powers to search for WMD technology and facilities, and would provide the inspectors with military support if necessary. Russia, which as a permanent Council member holds veto power, has not viewed a new resolution favorably, saying it would unnecessarily delay the return of inspectors to Iraq. 1732 GMT The Red Crescent, the Muslim equivalent of the Red Cross, said Oct. 4 it is preparing tents, food and blankets in Turkey for up to 200,000 refugees who could flood across the border if the United States attacks Iraq, AP reported. Approximately 500,000 Iraqi Kurds fled northern Iraq into Turkey after the 1991 Gulf War. 1730 GMT Pakistan test-fired a medium-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile known as the Haft-IV Oct. 4, which is capable of carrying a 1,000 kg warhead and has a range of 430 miles, Reuters reported. The Inter- Services Public Relations Directorate stated that advance notice of the test had been given to neighboring and friendly countries. India test-fired a surface-to-air Akash missile several hours after Pakistan conducted its own test. 1646 GMT Nearly 500 Muslim militants belonging to the Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI) attacked entertainment businesses in Jakarta Oct. 4, injuring one person, Japan Today reported. The FPI retaliated against businesses that did not close for the Islamic holiday Isra Mi'raj, which commemorates the Prophet Mohammad's entry into heaven. 1644 GMT Six U.S. citizens suspected of belonging to a terrorist cell with links to al Qaeda were arrested Oct. 4, CNN reported. Four were arrested in Portland, one in Detroit and one overseas. CNN sources said that they will likely be charged with providing material support to terrorists. 1640 GMT 03 Oct 2002 Workers from Electricite de France and Gaz de France led a strike Oct. 3 protesting government intentions to sell assets in state-controlled companies in order to raise government funds, Bloomberg reported. At least 60,000 power and gas employees held the rally, with workers from Air France, Paris' two airports, national railways and the postal workers participating in solidarity. The government intends to turn Electricite de France into a corporation, which will reduce benefits and risk the pensions of the company's 295,000 employees. 2317 GMT Argentina's economy minister, Roberto Lavagna, said late Oct. 2 that Buenos Aires plans to use an administrative option to delay over $1.1 billion due in debt repayment this month, Petroleumworld reported. Payment on a World Bank-backed bond of $250 million due in a few days will also go unpaid. Lavagna said November would be the crucial month for Argentina to repay its debt. 2250 GMT Some Japanese companies are looking to airlift products to the United States due to the current closure of 29 U.S. West Coast ports, which began last month after a dispute between dockworkers and port management, Reuters reported Oct. 3. Nissan and Toyota both are considering all options, including airlifting auto parts, while Sony has already begun airlifting certain electronics parts. 2249 GMT The Cuban Embassy in Caracas has denied news reports from the state of Tachira that a group of Cuban nationals who were involved in a Sept. 28 automobile accident while traveling in an official vehicle in Venezuela were armed with assault rifles, according to Caracas daily El Nacional. Officials at the Cuban Embassy said the nationals involved were sports trainers. They also denied that Cubans are helping to arm and train civilian militias that support Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. 2029 GMT Top officials of Venezuela's ruling Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) party announced they would support President Hugo Chavez if he decides to declare a state of emergency to "prevent radical groups from provoking another coup attempt" at a scheduled Oct. 10 protest march in Caracas, Union Radio network reported from Caracas. Some organizers of the protest march, which is called the "Seizure of Caracas," claim up to 1 million anti-Chavez protesters will participate. Government and MVR officials have been warning throughout the past week that anti-Chavez extremists are planning to trigger a violent confrontation that could kill and wound hundreds of people. 2022 GMT A new Venezuelan labor organization calling itself the National Union Coordinator (CSN) announced that workers affiliated with more than 350 unions that support President Hugo Chavez would take control of any companies that are closed by the owners or managers of these firms, Caracas daily El Universal reported. 2020 GMT The secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS) is in Caracas, trying to mediate a truce between Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his political opponents before more violence erupts in that country, Caracas daily El Nacional reported. However, Cesar Gaviria said he did not believe his personal visit would change any plans the Chavez regime or opposition may have for a confrontation. 2016 GMT At a press briefing about the Oct. 3 shooting outside the U.N. building in New York, a U.N. security official said the shooter -- tentatively identified as Steve Kim -- is now in U.S. custody. The man fired seven shots, at least two of which hit the U.N. building on the 18th and 20th floor, and then threw several papers with a "rambling political message about human rights in North Korea," according to the official. 2013 GMT Supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez clashed with members of the opposition group Women for Liberty in downtown Caracas on Oct. 3. No injuries were reported, but Metropolitan Police units were forced to break up several fights and separate the two groups, according to Union Radio network in Caracas. 2005 GMT The papers thrown in the air by a shooter outside the United Nations building in New York drew attention to the situation in North Korea, FoxNews reported. The papers, signed "Steve Kim," reportedly said, "To all people who love freedom and justice. In a shining and civilized 21st century, most people enjoy peace and freedom. North Korea, however, is groaning under the weight of starvation and dictatorial suppression." 1952 GMT Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Oct. 2 that the Kremlin would consider new security resolutions on Iraq weapons inspections, should the need arise. According to Associated Press reports, the U.S. proposal mandates "use of all necessary means" if Iraq does not comply. The French have issued a proposal, supported by China, which instead calls for an immediate Security Council meeting in the event that Iraq does not cooperate. 1855 GMT A man fired several shots in the air outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Oct. 3, then he threw several pieces of paper in the air and dropped the gun, CNN reported. The man has been detained, and there are no reported injuries. The papers reportedly discussed North Korean human rights, and the shooter apparently is an ethnic Korean. 1845 GMT In an effort to intimidate Iraqi troops, coalition forces dropped 120,000 leaflets into southern Iraq on Oct. 3, The Associated Press reported. The leaflets demanded that Iraqi forces not track or fire upon coalition aircraft, threatening that non-compliance will result in retaliatory strikes. A spokesman for the U.S. Central Command told media sources that Iraqi forces fired upon the plane that dropped the leaflets. 1640 GMT A suicide bomber struck Oct. 2 in the popular Chinese tourist city of Guilin, killing himself and 18 other people. According to BBC reports, China has been on high security alert since Oct. 1 due to National Holiday week and an important Communist Party meeting in November. 1614 GMT Bloomberg reports that Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average closed below 9,000 for the first time in 19 years. A Japanese business manager stated Oct. 3 that the drastic drop might signal a crisis situation. 1610 GMT 02 Oct 2002 Several recent claims by the Colombian army and police about successful major strikes against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were allegedly inflated or never happened at all, Bogota daily El Tiempo reports. For instance, the officially reported death of 200 FARC rebels in a Colombian air force bombardment never happened, according to El Tiempo reporters who visited the alleged site of the air attacks, and who interviewed numerous local residents who denied the army's claims. Additionally, the army also admitted recently that the radar sightings of unidentified aircraft flying over Bogota on June 5 and June 7 were not aircraft at all, but a software virus that has hacked into the radar system. The erroneous information could have been an innocent mistake by government spokesmen who didn't have all the facts initially, but it's also possible that the senior commands of the Colombian army and police are over-reacting to recent demands by President Alvaro Uribe Velez that they start producing concrete results against the FARC. Regardless, by announcing gains against the FARC that later are shown to be false, Colombia's armed forces and national police commanders are giving the impression of incompetence or dishonesty, according to critics in Bogota. 2337 GMT The U.S. government has begun circulating a draft of its proposed resolution on Iraq, Reuters reports. The resolution would give Baghdad seven days to accept every provision if adopted -- including demands that Iraq give a full count of its weapons of mass destruction within 30 days and allow any U.N. member state to use force if Baghdad provides false information. The resolution also calls for access to all sites and witnesses for weapons inspectors. The document is expected to be introduced to the Security Council later in the week, and still faces potential opposition from China, Russia and France. For the resolution to pass, the United States must gather nine "yes" votes among the 15 council members, but a veto from any of the five permanent council members could scuttle it. 1700 GMT The Iraqi government has asked Indonesia to participate in the U.N. weapons inspections process, Reuters reports. Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda announced the plan after a meeting between President Megawati Sukarnoputri and an Iraqi minister. Jakarta is waiting for more details. 1600 GMT Twenty soldiers from the Indonesian military were dismissed Oct. 2 after they were found to be involved in a brawl with police that killed eight people, the Jakarta Post reported. The gunfight reportedly was prompted by a drug-trafficking rivalry, but general hostilities between the police and the military have been on the rise of late. The police separated from the military a few years ago and now are headed by a police commander directly accountable to the president. Not only does the separation pose a threat to the dominance of the military, but observers also note that military commanders are reluctant to dissuade soldiers from their old roles as guardians of security affairs. 1557 GMT The U.S. Navy will base nuclear-powered attack submarines in Guam beginning this October, Reuters reported Oct. 1. U.S. defense sources said the move is meant to increase the military's presence in the Pacific Ocean, which weakened when the United States lost its Philippine bases. 1550 GMT An official ceremony will be held in Kyrgyzstan Oct. 2 to mark the replacement of French servicemen, six Mirage fighter planes and two C- 135s that have provided support for peacekeeping forces and anti- terrorism operations in Afghanistan, Interfax reported. The forces will be replaced by 16 F-16 fighters and troops from Holland, Denmark and Norway. The replacement is intended to ease the financial burden on France, which reportedly has incurred massive expenses. 1533 GMT Saudi and Qatari officials say that ties between the two countries will not be severed, despite Riyadh's summoning of its ambassador from Qatar this week for "consultation," ArabicNews.com reported Oct. 1. Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Qatar reportedly have grown in recent days, after the latter gave permission for U.S. forces to use its military establishments to attack Iraq. 1532 GMT Jordanian King Abdullah II discussed the situation in the Middle East and the possibility for increased bilateral relations during his Sept. 30 meeting with Kuwait's emir, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Arabicnews.com reported Oct. 1. Many Kuwaiti politicians oppose a complete normalization of relations with Jordan, because the country wants to return thousands of Jordanian workers who fled Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion. Kuwait City may also drop Amman's $60 million debt. 1530 GMT A bomb mounted on a motorcycle exploded outside a karaoke bar in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines Oct. 2, injuring at least two U.S. servicemen and five others, according to Philippine media. CNN has cited the Pentagon as saying at least one U.S. soldier died in the blast. The explosion comes a week after a spokesperson for the Abu Sayyaf rebel group called for renewed attacks against U.S. personnel and assets in the Philippines. 1518 GMT 01 Oct 2002 U.S. congressmen who met with President George W. Bush Oct. 1 said they hoped to announce the following day a compromise resolution authorizing the president to use force against Iraq and vote on it within a week, AFP reported. Two weeks ago, the president sent Congress a draft resolution seeking wide-ranging authority to disarm and dismantle Saddam Hussein's regime. 2330 GMT Oil companies are evacuating staff from their Gulf of Mexico facilities for the second week in advance of a major storm, as Hurricane Lili moves towards the U.S. Gulf Coast. Tropical Storm Isidore closed rigs and refineries in late September, trimming oil output, and the Category 2 Hurricane Lili is expected to be a much stronger storm by Oct. 3, when she reaches oil-producing regions of the Texas and Louisiana coast. In anticipation, BP has evacuated 500 workers from its deep-water rigs, ChevronTexaco has evacuated 2,000 and other companies -- including Royal Dutch/Shell, ConocoPhillips, Marathon, Kerr-McGee, Ocean Energy and Apache Corp. have evacuated drilling rigs and production platforms, Bloomberg reports. The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, the biggest U.S. import terminal, was expected to close as early as Oct. 1, and many commercial ports along the Gulf also may shut down within the next day. Meanwhile, a dockworkers strike that has closed ports all along the West Coast is stranding crude oil and other products in the Pacific. Crude inventories could suffer from the port disruptions, with higher U.S. oil prices negatively affecting the U.S. economy, if only briefly. 2320 GMT A senior U.S. State Department official said Oct. 1 the United States will seek to "thwart" the return of U.N. weapons inspectors to Iraq until the Security Council adopts a tough new resolution demanding that Baghdad disarm, AFP reported. The official said Washington wanted chief U.N. inspector Hans Blix to have new instructions and new authority from the council before the inspectors return to Iraq. 1950 GMT Hans Blix, the chief U.N. weapons inspector for Iraq, said Oct. 1 that a tentative agreement has been reached with Baghdad for the return of inspectors to check for the presence of illegal, nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons, AP reported. Amir Al Sadi, the head of the Iraqi negotiation team, said he expected an advance party of inspectors to arrive in Baghdad in about two weeks. 1940 GMT The United States plans to have 9,000 troops at Al-Udeid air base in Qatar -- a significant increase over the 2,000 currently stationed there, Al- Jazeera television reported Sept. 30. The base, which is similar to those in the United States, is the biggest U.S. military hardware depot in the Middle East. U.S. Central Command recently announced plans to send 600 staff and a deployable headquarters to Qatar for a three-week exercise in November. U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers said the headquarters could remain permanently, but he emphasized that no final decision had been made. 1858 GMT U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said U.S. and British warplanes that enforce "no-fly" zones over Iraq are performing "aerial" weapons inspections, under a United Nations resolution, the Washington Post reported Oct. 1. Rumsfeld's statement expands the stated mission of the air patrols, which previously were justified under U.N. Resolution 688 as a means of protecting Iraqi Shiites and Kurds from air attacks by the Iraqi military. This is the first time Washington has tied the use of "no-fly" zones to the inspection provisions of U.N. Resolution 687, according to Kenneth Pollack, the director of research at Brookings Institution's Saban Centre for Middle East Policy. 1847 GMT The United States is seeking explanations from Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, who Washington has accused of approving the illegal sale of weapons to Iraq. The U.S. assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, Elizabeth Jones, arrived in Kiev on Oct. 1 to speak with Kuchma, Middle East Online reports. The U.S. State Department says it has verified the authenticity of an audiotaped conversation, in which Kuchma allegedly agreed to the sale of a Kolchuga early warning radar system to Iraq -- in violation of U.N. sanctions. Kuchma strongly denies the allegation, but Washington has suspended millions of dollars in aid to Ukraine over the incident. 1843 GMT U.S. President George W. Bush said Oct. 1 that the U.N. Security Council must pass one "strong, new resolution" to disarm Iraq, and rejected an incremental process that ultimately could lead to military action, Middle East Online reported. Bush's comments came a day after U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, indicated that Washington might be willing to accept more than one resolution. 1838 GMT The Indonesian government has drafted military forces into its campaign against militant groups, the Jakarta Post reports. The Indonesian military was officially barred from participation in internal security matters two years ago, but suspected militant cells are now considered an international matter. Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto told reporters that the threat of terrorism in Indonesia is real, but to prove that groups within Indonesia are tied to international terrorist networks would be difficult. 1755 GMT U.S. Ambassador Tom Schieffer warned that Australia's support of East Timor has landed the country on Osama bin Laden's "hit list," the Australian news source The Mercury reported Oct. 1. Australia has faced credible terrorist threats over the past year, including a planned attack on the Australian High Commission that was averted last December. 1710 GMT Judicial sources in Beirut said Oct. 1 that three individuals, including two Lebanese and a "Gulf national" -- later identified by The Associated Press as a Saudi -- have been arrested for suspected links to al Qaeda. AFP reported that the persons were arrested last week and that Lebanese authorities confiscated sophisticated communication devices. Lebanese officials have repeatedly denied an al Qaeda presence in Lebanon, and the country's Hezbollah movement has denied having ties to the network. 1707 GMT Iran's defense minister, Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani, said Oct. 1 that Iran would not use force to oppose a U.S. attack on Iraq, AFP reported. The minister stated in a press conference that Iran will neither cooperate with Iraq nor take advantage of the anticipated turmoil there. 1702 GMT Two sons of Yemeni parliament speaker Sheikh Abdullah al-Ahmar have been arrested after allegedly inciting a gunfight near the British Embassy in Sanaa. Hussein and Hasem al-Ahmar were charged with attacking on- duty policemen and disturbing public order. Reports published on Middle East Online indicated that four other of the speaker's sons, who also allegedly participated in the shooting Sept. 29, will be questioned. Their father is the head of the Islamist-tribal Islah party, whose power base has been increasingly threatened after the government announced it would nationalize Islah-run schools, which have been considered a breeding ground for Islamist radicals. 1700 GMT 30 Sep 2002 The joint political committee of Iraqi Kurdish opposition groups the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) held two separate meetings Sept. 26 in Salah-al-Din, with the goal of adopting a united position regarding a possible U.S. attack on Iraq an its aftermath, the Iraqi Kurdistan Dispatch reported. In a statement to the KurdSat TV channel, the head of the KDP delegation, Hoshyar Zebari, said the committee works for "unifying [KDP and PUK's] positions on forthcoming developments in the situation of Iraq, relations with neighboring countries, and also the political position on Iraq and its future, as well as the way to deal with the Iraqi opposition and the international community." 2330 GMT In the Yemeni capital Sanaa, at least two people were killed and three wounded Sept. 29 in a clash between local security forces and Hashid tribesmen who attempted to enter a "banned area" around the British embassy, Yemen Daily reports. The men reportedly were trying to attend a nearby wedding when they were stopped by security officials and a shootout ensued. The British Foreign Office says the British embassy, which was bombed in October 2001, was not targeted in the violence, British daily The Independent reports. One of the wounded men is the son of Sheikh Abdullah al-Ahmar -- the speaker of the Yemeni parliament and leader of the powerful Hashid tribal coalition, whose relations with the ruling People's Congress Party have been increasingly strained in recent months. 2139 GMT British Prime Minister Tony Blair won a vote of confidence on Iraq from his own Labor Party Sept. 30, AP reported. The party passed a resolution supporting the use of force against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein if all other measures fail, and if the United Nations supports the use of force. The Labor Party has been divided for months over Blair's tough stance on Iraq. 2030 GMT The victim of a Sept. 29 car bombing in Riyadh reportedly has been identified as a 56-year-old German expatriate, W. Maxmilan Graf. The Ford Mercury that Graf was driving blew up near the Libyan and Turkmen embassies, in an upper-class district of the Saudi capital, according to Arabnews.com. Graf, who worked for a private company in Riyadh, was the vehicle's only occupant. A Saudi Interior Ministry official told news agencies that the bombing appeared to be related to a spate of attacks against Westerners during the past two years. 2027 GMT Saudi Arabia has decided to recall its ambassador from Qatar for consultation, BBC reported Sept 30. The Saudi government has not explained the decision, which could be the result of tension over reports by Qatar's Al-Jazeera television station. Al-Jazeera has been critical of Saudi royal family policies concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while the Saudis have criticized the station for providing Israel an outlet to express its position. Another more likely explanation for Riyadh's behavior is that Doha has allowed the building of an air base by the U.S. military that can be used as an alternative to the U.S. base in Saudi Arabia, should Washington launch a military action against Iraq. The air base in Qatar reduces Riyadh's leverage over Washington. 2000 GMT The Iraqi government said Sept. 30 it fired on U.S. and British warplanes in the north and south of the country in the past 24 hours, forcing them to "flee" to their bases in Turkey and Kuwait, AFP reported. "Enemy warplanes staged 14 armed sorties over the (northern) regions of Zakho, Dohuk, Arbil, Aqra, Al-Ammadiya, Rawanduz and Mosul" on Sept. 30, the official INA news agency quoted an armed forces' spokesman as saying. 1919 GMT Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in Cairo for talks with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak, AFP reported Sept. 30. The two leaders will discuss Arab attempts to avoid a U.S. attack on Iraq and the Palestinian- Israeli conflict, state-run daily Al-Ahram reported. 1901 GMT Jordan's King Abdullah II, Royal Cabinet Chief Fayez Tarawneh and Foreign Minister Marwan Moasher made a short visit to Kuwait Sept. 30, where Abdullah said he would discuss strengthening bilateral relations and increasing Arab efforts to prevent a U.S. attack on Iraq, the official Jordanian news agency, Petra, reported. Abdullah urged Iraq to allow the unconditional return of weapons inspectors to prevent military action and regional destabilization. 1900 GMT Kuwaiti Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah met with his Iranian counterpart, Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani, Sept. 29 to discuss increasing political, cultural and economic ties; including defense and security cooperation, between the two nations, Islamic Republic News Agency reports. In addition, al-Sabah will visit defense industry locations during his three days in Iran. He also said Sept. 29 that the United States will cut its increased military presence in Kuwait at the end of its scheduled training, and implied that recent U.S. military hardware shipments were not part of preparation for a possible invasion of Iraq, Reuters reported. U.S. troops are training near the Iraq border in an annual exercise named Desert Spring, a program carried out since the 1991 Persian Gulf War ended. U.S. Marines are also unloading heavy weapons for another annual exercise, Eager Mace, in Kuwait slated for October. 1842 GMT According to an official source, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz will hold talks in Ankara with Turkish officials concerning a possible U.S. attack on Iraq, Agence France-Presse reported Sept. 30. The source also said that Aziz will meet with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, and will give his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Necdet Sezer a message from Saddam Hussein regarding the U.S. threats. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones is also in Ankara, and met with senior officials to gain Turkey's support for action against Iraq. 1840 GMT The Egyptian Foreign Ministry's travel department chief, Mohamed Farid Munib, issued a statement Sept. 30 detailing to the country's populace new U.S. immigration rules, include the possibility of fingerprinting some Egyptian nationals upon their arrival in the United States, AFP reported. The ministry said the new regulations are part of Washington's ongoing post-Sept. 11 security efforts. 1830 GMT According to military and diplomatic sources in Washington and Europe, U.S. military leaders are being warned that an attack on Iraq may begin before the Thanksgiving holiday on Nov. 28, the Sunday Times reported. 1705 GMT Indonesian soldiers killed four policemen Sept. 30 in a raid on a police station near the restive province of Aceh, Reuters reported. Though no reason was given for the raid, a local reporter claimed the attack was a response to a soldier's arrest on drug charges. In a separate incident pointing to heightened instability, four gunmen opened fire Sept. 30 in a busy section of Jakarta, killing three people, The Associated Press reported. The shooting may have been tied to a botched robbery attempt. 1704 GMT Australia's military chiefs are preparing to deploy hundreds of ground troops in case of a U.S.-led war against Iraq, the Sunday Mail reported. Australian soldiers may form part of an occupying force following bombing by U.S. warplanes. Senior Australian defense sources say deployment options include a battalion from Townsville or from the under-equipped mechanized infantry battalion group from 1st Brigade in Darwin. Australia has peacekeepers in Bougainville, RAAF refuellers in Kyrgyzstan, special forces in Afghanistan and two frigates patrolling the Persian Gulf. 1700 GMT The United Nations and Iraq began negotiations for the return of weapons inspectors Sept. 30, Agence France Presse reported. The United States is pressuring the U.N. for a resolution guaranteeing quick and unlimited access to Iraqi sites, while Baghdad has declared that it will grant unfettered access to U.N. inspectors but will not accept new conditions on their mission. Chief U.N. weapons monitor Hans Blix has detailed several conditions that will differentiate the new inspections from previous failed missions, including access to all locations, particularly the presidential palaces. Blix is scheduled to report to the Security Council in New York Oct. 3. 1508 GMT Citing U.S. defense and intelligence officials, the Washington Post reports that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has authorized his most loyal field commanders to use biological and chemical weapons to counter an invasion by U.S. forces. As a result, the Pentagon has launched a campaign to deter Iraqi officers from using such weapons. The U.S. strategy includes massive leafleting of Iraqi military positions and possibly covert techniques. 1504 GMT 29 Sep 2002 Egypt and Iran have agreed to talks aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations, Agence France Presse reported Sept. 29. No date for talks was given, but Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher told government dailies in Cairo that the two countries' ambassadors to the United Nations would discuss obstacles impeding full restoration of ties. The countries broke off relations after Iran's 1979 revolution but maintain interest sections in each other's capitals, and ministerial contact is increasingly frequent. 1942 GMT A car exploded in Riyadh at approximately 1630 local time on Sept. 29, according to reports from local sources. A spate of car bombings in Riyadh in late 2000 and 2001 left several Westerners dead or injured. In June 2002, a car bomb killed a British banker who lived and worked in the Saudi capital. 1851 GMT 0000 GMT 27 Sep 2002 Germany, Spain, Pakistan, Chile and Angola were elected Sept. 27 to the U.N. Security Council. The five countries will replace Ireland, Norway, Colombia, Singapore and Mauritius in January 2003, and will serve a two- year term. Bulgaria, Cameroon, Guinea, Mexico and Syria will remain on the Security Council through 2003. 1915 GMT Indonesian military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto says the military needs more power to effectively combat terrorism, the Jakarta Post reported Sept. 27. Sutarto complained that the government lacks a legal mechanism allowing rapid military intervention in terrorism cases. Under current law, only police are allowed to tackle internal security threats. The government has delayed the debate on a new anti-terrorism bill as well as enforcement of a 1999 law that would allow increased military involvement and flexibility in arrests and interrogations. 1910 GMT Using rockets, Russian forces attacked 300 Chechen fighters who were emerging from the Pankisi Gorge and reportedly attempting to secure bridges en route to Russia on Sept. 26, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Moscow likely will use the incident, in which 100 Chechens were killed, to seek international approval for a large-scale attack on the Pankisi. 1904 GMT Malaysian authorities have arrested a university professor who is accused of leading a local militant group, and they are seeking eight other suspects, Reuters reported Sept. 27. Professor Wan Min Wan Mat is suspected of being the Johor leader of Kumpulan Militan Malaysia, the local arm of militant organization Jemaah Islamiah. Wan Min and the others are said to have reported to the same Jemaah Islamiah group in Indonesia that the State Department is thinking of labeling as a terrorist organization. 1902 GMT The U.S. Central Command announced that an allied bombing raid was conducted late Sept. 26 against two Iraqi surface-to-air missile sites 170 miles (275 km) south of Baghdad. The attack was in response to hostile Iraq action against allied aircraft. 1734 GMT Three U.S. congressional Democrats traveled to Iraq Sept. 27 in an effort to assess the potential effects of war on civilians in the country, the Associated Press reported. Rep. Jim McDermott, D.-Wa., said every diplomatic effort should be made to resolve the situation without war. 1730 GMT Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said that an Iraq dossier recently offered by British Prime Minister Tony Blair gave no clear proof that Baghdad possesses chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Sept. 27. He added that delaying the departure of U.N. weapons inspectors to Iraq would be an "unforgivable error." U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman is set to visit Moscow Sept. 28. 1700 GMT Freed Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Sept. 27 she is willing to cooperate with the ruling military government to help improve the lives of her countrymen, Reuters reported. Her statement comes days before Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is set to arrive in Myanmar for his Oct. 2-3 visit with the junta. Downer is the most prominent Western politician to visit the country in recent years. In a statement Sept. 26, the U.S. government urged the junta to release all political prisoners and recommence dialogue with Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party. 1640 GMT The U.S. military is increasing protection for its Ali al-Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber air bases in Kuwait by deploying four new Patriot missile batteries to the region, Qatar's Peninsula daily reported Sept. 27. The bases are used by U.S. and British forces to monitor and enforce the no-fly zone over southern Iraq, while the Patriots are able to shoot down missiles such as Iraq's Soviet-designed Scuds. Arab sources also state that the four Patriot systems were accompanied by crews and spare parts, and that more U.S. military shipments are scheduled to arrive in several days. Mobile Avenger air defense systems, utilized for low-altitude threats, are also arriving in Kuwait, according to a Western source, for use in the annual U.S. Marine exercise "Eager Mace" in October. 1630 GMT 26 Sep 2002 Venezuelan police in Miranda state, which includes a large portion of the greater Caracas Metropolitan Area, seized a truck late Sept. 25 that was carrying 19,575 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, according to Caracas daily El Nacional. That ammunition is suitable both for FAL assault rifles, which typically are used by the Venezuelan military, or AK-47 assault rifles -- the weapon of choice for Colombia's largest guerrilla group. The Miranda state police (Polimiranda) also arrested three civilians, including at least one Colombian citizen. The men reportedly said that they were transporting the ammunition from El Tigre, in the eastern state of Anzoategui, to Maracay, in the central state of Aragua. But they refused to disclose the identities of the intended recipients, according to Polimiranda officials. It is possible the ammunition was stolen from armed forces or National Guard bases in eastern Venezuela and was en route to the border with Colombia, for delivery either to rebels or paramilitaries. Since 1998 Venezuela has been an increasingly important source of 7.62 mm ammunition for the AK-47 assault rifles used by Colombia's guerrilla groups. 1955 GMT Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports that U.S. and British forces earlier this week attacked two Iraqi air-defense sites. The strikes targeted sites near al- Amarah and Tallil, both of which are located southeast of Baghdad. Similar strikes have occurred from mid-July through mid-September, possibly in preparation for U.S. military action against Iraq. The U.S. Central Command said that Iraqi forces have fired anti-aircraft artillery against U.S. and British planes 140 times this year. 1950 GMT Agence France-Presse reported Sept. 26 that U.S. forces attacked a mobile air-defense radar system at a civilian airport in Basra, Iraq. A Pentagon spokesman said that over the past week, the radar system had been targeting coalition aircraft. Iraq claims that the raid destroyed the airport's civilian radar system and has called the attack an act of terrorism. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had indicated earlier in the month that U.S. and British forces would focus on crippling Iraq's air-defense systems. 1949 GMT Libya is preparing to withdraw its troops from the Central African Republic, Libya's ambassador to Chad, Grene Saleh Grene, said in his farewell statement to the Chadian National Assembly on Sept. 25. Tripoli has deployed an estimated 200 soldiers to the CAR to support embattled President Ange-Felix Patasse. The Libyan presence, however, has strained relations between Tripoli and N'Djamena: Libya backs Chadian rebels based along the two countries' shared border, and officials in N'Djamena worry that the Libyan troops in neighboring CAR could create problems for stability along that border as well. Libyan officials so far have not confirmed plans to withdraw troops from the CAR, but such a move could leave Patasse vulnerable to overthrow by rebels led by his former army chief of staff, Gen. Francois Bozize, who currently enjoys sanctuary in Chad. 1510 GMT An opponent of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez -- who was actively investigating the government's alleged ties to armed civilian groups -- was shot and killed early Sept. 25 while walking down the main street of western Caracas's El Paraiso district, according to Globovision television network. Luis Alcala, media coordinator of a nongovernmental association called the Civil Association of Popular Defenders, was shot twice in the stomach and heart with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, according to preliminary autopsy results. The president of the NGO, retired Col. Hidalgo Valero, told Globovision that Alcala likely was assassinated by government intelligence agents, since military intelligence officials had been following him daily in recent weeks. No suspects have been identified or detained. 0004 GMT 25 Sep 2002 U.S. military C-130s and troops arrived in Cote d'Ivoire on Sept. 25 to rescue as many of the 300 Americans trapped in Bouake as possible, The Associated Press reported. Mutinous soldiers and government forces are fighting in Bouake in what has become the country's deadliest-ever uprising. 2300 GMT U.S. and British coalition aircraft struck two defense facilities in Iraq on Sept. 25, The Associated Press reports. The sites hit included a radar facility near Al Amarah, around 165 miles southeast of Baghdad, and a defense communications facility in Talil, 170 miles southeast of Baghdad. The allied coalition has carried out 39 attack missions this year. 2236 GMT The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Sept. 24 lowered its security threat to Level 3. A Level 4 alert had been in effect since Sept. 10. The move corresponded with the downgrading of the Homeland Security alert status from orange (high) to yellow (elevated). The NRC advised its licensees -- mainly commercial nuclear power plants -- that supplementary security measures prescribed by its Level 4 threat advisory no longer are necessary. 2227 GMT While awaiting a verdict from the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands on the ownership of the Bakassi Peninsula, both Nigeria and Cameroon agreed Sept. 24 to withdraw their troops from the disputed area, reported the Vanguard of Lagos. The governments of both countries have affirmed that they will accept the ICJ's anticipated Oct. 19 verdict. Nigeria and Cameroon have fought over the oil-rich peninsula since 1994. 2007 GMT The Chinese government alleged Sept. 25 that supporters of the nation's outlawed Falun Gong movement hacked into China's major TV satellite system, the Associated Pressm reported. The broadcast, which included messages promoting the Falun Gong organization, supposedly originated from Taiwan. Chinese officials have asked Taiwan to stop members of the spiritual movement, which it views as a threat to communist rule, from further pirating broadcasts. Taiwan did not immediately respond. Beijing is giving Taiwan an implicit choice between joining its three-year crackdown on Falun Gong or risk standing accused of supporting the group. 2005 GMT Officials from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), an Iraqi opposition faction, said that fighters from Ansar al-Islam, a militant group that the PUK accuses of having ties to al Qaeda, have begun to surrender after leader Mullah Krekar was arrested earlier this month, Reuters reported Sept. 25. Like the PUK, Ansar al-Islam operates out of northern Kurdish- controlled Iraq, but is allegedly backed by the Iraqi government and may include Arabs who fought in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Kurdish groups are key to a plan by Washington to help oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. 1520 GMT As part of an attempt to cool down the volatile Israeli-Palestinian crisis, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will visit the Saudi capital of Riyadh Sept. 25 to meet with Crown Prince Abdullah, AFP reported. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher and Information Minister Safwat al-Sherif will accompany him on the visit, described as being "in the framework of Egypt's efforts to prevent an escalation in the [Middle East] region." Both Saudi Arabia and Egypt have encouraged Washington to press for the end of the nearly weeklong Israeli siege of Yasser Arafat's compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah. 1515 GMT At least six people were killed and two wounded by gunmen who attacked the office of a Christian welfare organization in Karachi Sept. 25, AP reported. The shooting occurred at the Institute for Peace and Justice, a Pakistani Christian organization that does charity work. Authorities said that apparently two gunmen sprayed the offices with automatic weapons fire, killing three Pakistani Christians and three Muslims, then fled. The incident follows arrests by the Karachi police of members of Harakat ul- Mujahideen al-Almi, which is believed responsible for numerous bombings including an explosion outside the U.S. consulate and a car bomb attack in May that killed 11 French engineers. 1510 GMT 0000 GMT 0000 GMT 24 Sep 2002 The Bush administration has lowered the U.S. alert level from orange to yellow -- the third-highest level -- due to disruption within al Qaeda, The Associated Press reports. Orange indicates high risk of terrorist attack; yellow indicates significant risk. 1800 GMT Matthew Daley, the assistant U.S. secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, said Sept. 24 that Washington is considering labeling Jemaah Islamiah a terrorist organization, Reuters reports. JI allegedly has plotted to bomb Western targets in Southeast Asia, and members of the group have been arrested in various countries in the region. The group, which originated in Indonesia, is suspected of having links to al Qaeda. 1745 GMT Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri has said that Iraq is willing to allow British weapons inspectors to seek proof for claims that Baghdad is developing weapons of mass destruction. Speaking the same day the British government published a dossier outlining the views of intelligence chiefs, Sabri said that, if inspectors find evidence of WMD in Iraq, they can tell the world where the weapons are located. 1743 GMT A British government official said Sept. 24 that London wants to continue a retroactive pricing scheme for Iraqi oil, despite evidence that Baghdad has halted illegal surcharges on oil exports, Dow Jones Newswires reported. Britain wants further proof that the surcharges, which allegedly were used to fund Iraq's weapons program, have stopped. The official did not say, however, that Britain -- which pushed the retroactive pricing scheme through the U.N.'s Iraq sanctions committee -- would vote to return to normal pricing policies if it receives the proof it wants. 1734 GMT At the request of the U.S. ambassador in Cote d'Ivoire, the U.S. European Command is sending an unspecified number of troops to help move 160 Americans trapped in the Christian Academy in Bouake, the BBC reports. The Americans will be moved to a safe place in Cote d'Ivoire, where a military uprising began Sept. 19, rather than be evacuated. Around 300 Americans and 600 French are trapped inside Bouake, the commercial hub of the country. According to the U.S. State Department, between 2,000 and 3,000 Americans are present in Cote d'Ivoire. An intervention and/or rescue operation in Bouake by U.S. or French troops could provoke rebel soldiers to take the Westerners hostage. 1715 GMT 23 Sep 2002 A Ukraininan opposition group occupied the Ukrainian TV broadcasting station late Sept. 23 for slightly more than an hour, Interfax reports. The station ran a line on TV screens saying news could not be broadcast because the station had been "captured" by the heads of three opposition parties: the liberal-oligarchic "Batkivschina" party, the Socialist Party and the Communist Party. About 200 people joined the occupying group, without interference by police on the scene. The opposition group demanded airtime to issue an appeal to the Ukrainian people, but left the station after being promised one hour of airtime on Sept. 24, Ukrainian news agency Obozrevatel reports. There is no formal reaction from the Ukrainian government, but TV executives expressed anger at the disruption of broadcasts. Kiev recently has been the scene of demonstrations ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 people, demanding the resignation of centrist Ukraine President Leonid Kuchma. The opposition is united only in efforts to overthrow Kuchma's government. 2225 GMT German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder kept his seat by a tiny majority in the Sept. 22 general elections. Schroeder's Social Democrat (SPD) party won 306 seats in the Bundestag, while challenger Edmund Stoiber's conservative Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union and Free Democrats alliance followed with 295 seats. Though Stoiber initially claimed victory, the SPD's coalition with the Green party eventually boosted Schroeder. The chancellor, facing a flagging economy and a tense relationship with the United States over the Iraq issue, now also faces Stoiber's threats to take over if the Red-Green coalition fails. 2100 GMT Britain will withdraw nearly 2,000 troops from the Balkans next spring, although about 2,400 British troops will remain in Bosnia and Kosovo as part of NATO operations, AFP reported Sept. 23. The withdrawal of troops is viewed by some as evidence that Britain will join a U.S.-led attack on Iraq. 1915 GMT A bomb exploded late Sept. 22 or early Sept. 23 near a McDonald's restaurant in Jounieh, Lebanon -- about 15 miles north of Tripoli. The bomb reportedly was placed under a van near the restaurant, but the explosion caused no damage or injuries, according to Agence France- Presse. A similar incident occurred May 9, when a KFC restaurant was damaged and a security guard wounded in an explosion. Citizens in Lebanon and other Arab countries are boycotting U.S. products for months to protest what they perceive as Washington's pro-Israel bias. 1717 GMT A grenade exploded Sept. 23 at an empty warehouse near the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, the BBC reports. U.S. Ambassador Ralph Boyce says there is no evidence the incident was an attack on the United States or its interests, although the warehouse belongs to the U.S. Embassy. Indonesia's national police chief said the grenade was meant for the building but apparently exploded inside the attackers' car, causing it to wreck into a nearby electricity pole. The incident came just a week after the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta was reopened. Embassies in Southeast Asia had been closed due to increased fears of terrorist attacks near the Sept. 11 anniversary. But it is not clear whether the grenade incident is tied to terrorism or to a criminal or political rivalry. Following the explosion, police arrested one person and raided a home, where they seized two tubes of TNT and about 100 bullets. The man in custody is reportedly from the Moluccan Islands, where fighting between Christians and Muslims has killed thousands in the past several years. 1716 GMT As promised, British Prime Minister Tony Blair will release a 55-page dossier detailing the dangers posed by Iraq's weapons program, the BBC reports. The dossier will be published hours before Parliament's emergency session on Sept. 24. Blair has insisted that Parliament will not discuss whether Britain should go to war, but rather whether to take action against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. 1714 GMT Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri will deliver a verbal message from President Saddam Hussein concerning bilateral relations when he visits Cairo on Sept. 23, the Iraqi News Agency reports. The message to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak likely will address regional developments as well, and seek to shore up support for Baghdad in the face of possible U.S.-led military action. 1712 GMT Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri will deliver a verbal message from Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein concerning bilateral relations when he visits Cairo on Sept. 23, the Iraqi News Agency reports. The message to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak likely will address regional developments as well, and seek to shore up support for Baghdad in the face of possible U.S.-led military action. 1712 GMT French troops arrived Sept. 22 in Bouake, Ivory Coast, to protect Westerners in the midst of a violent military uprising that began Sept. 19, South Africa's News24.com reported. Bouake is the site of the International Christian Academy, a boarding school with nearly 200 foreign students -- including at least 100 Americans. Rebel forces in the Ivory Coast, many of whom are soldiers facing discharge from the army, have gained control of the city of Korhogo as well as Bouake, where they are gaining support from civilians -- thousands marched Sept. 22 in a demonstration against the government of President Laurent Gbagbo. The Ivory Coast has denied asking for French assistance to quell the uprising. 1710 GMT 21 Sep 2002 Iraqi state-run radio announced Sept. 21 that Iraq will reject any new United Nations resolution that goes beyond the current set of resolutions. "Iraq declared that it will not deal with any new resolution that contradicts of (sic) what has been agreed upon with the U.N. Secretary General," The Associated Press reported. 2237 GMT Pentagon and White House officials have confirmed that U.S. President George W. Bush has had a detailed set of war plans for Iraq since early September, the New York Times reported Sept. 21. Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the commander of forces in the Persian Gulf region who would direct a military campaign, reportedly developed the plans in July and August in close cooperation with Gen. Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and other top military and national security officials. The White House refused comment on the details of the plans, but unnamed officials cited by the Times said that they specify the number of ground troops, combat aircraft and aircraft carrier battle groups that would be needed and include detailed sequencing for the use of air, land, naval and Special Operations forces. Sources also said that any attack would begin with a lengthy air campaign led by B-2 bombers armed with 2,000-pound satellite-guided bombs to knock out Iraqi air defenses and command and control headquarters and to sever communications from Baghdad, thereby isolating Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from his commanders in the rest of the country. Planners reportedly believe that the army may be willing to turn against Hussein after several days of punishing American air strikes, though the security forces may remain more loyal. Tens of thousands of U.S. Marines and soldiers also would stage out of Kuwait and possibly other countries in the region, according to the Times report. 2230 GMT 20 Sep 2002 Venezuelan National Guard units used tear gas to disperse a small group of anti-government protesters outside Petroleos de Venezuela's (PDVSA) office building in the Chuao district of Caracas, according to Union Radio network. No additional information on possible arrests or injuries was reported. 2335 GMT Union Radio reports that several Venezuelan National Guard light tanks have been deployed to Petroleos de Venezuela's (PDVSA) building in the Chuao district of Caracas, where a few hundred opponents of President Hugo Chavez are holding a protest vigil against the government. The area where the vigil is taking place is not one of the eight districts where Chavez banned protests and demonstrations. Eyewitnesses at the scene said that National Guard soldiers accompanying the tanks have surrounded the protesters, and that some guardsmen have their weapons trained on them. 2312 GMT Argentina will not use foreign reserves to pay off its debts, Bloomberg reported Sept. 20, citing President Eduardo Duhalde's chief of staff. The announcement signals that Buenos Aires may default on debts to the International Monetary Fund. Argentina owes $2.4 billion to the IMF, the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank for the final months of 2002, and another $4.5 billion coming due early next year. Foreign reserves total $9.4 billion. A default would damage what little credit Argentina has for exports, Bloomberg said. 2110 GMT Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel denied Sept. 20 that the government is persecuting civilian and military critics of President Hugo Chavez, according to Union Radio network. However, army Col. Julio Rodriguez Salas has asked the Supreme Court to issue an injunction prohibiting the government from trying to arrest him without any judicial or military court arrest warrants. According to Rodriguez, units of the Interior and Justice Ministry's political police (DISIP) and military intelligence (DIM) are "systematically harassing, intimidating and persecuting" the colonel and his immediate family without any legal court warrants, and despite the fact the officer has not been charged with any crimes. 2105 GMT Globovision television network reported Sept. 20 that two Venezuelan National Guard light tanks, several military transport vehicles and over 85 National Guardsmen have been deployed to the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda air force base in the La Carlota district of Caracas. National Guard officers told Venezuelan news media they were not authorized to explain why the armored vehicles and guardsmen were deployed to the air base, but some news outlets speculated the deployment was related to the new presidential decrees banning civilian protests at eight locations in the city. Labor leader Froilan Barros, executive secretary of the Venezuelan Workers Confederation (CTV) that opposes President Hugo Chavez, said the deployment reflects the Chavez regime's "growing desperation" because the president has lost most of his popular support, according to Union Radio network. 2102 GMT Senior U.S. defense officials view February as the best time to launch an attack against Iraq, the Washington Times reports. This timeframe would give the military ample time to amass the 75,000 to 250,000 ground troops necessary for an operation running from February to April, avoiding the heat of the Middle Eastern spring and summer. War planners claim mobilization would take weeks, not months. The strategy relies heavily on defection and collaboration by Iraqi soldiers and civilians. The plan also calls for the use of Tomahawk cruise missiles and B-2 stealth bombers to destroy surface-to-air missile sites - reducing the threat of Iraqi SCUD missiles - before deploying B-1 and B-52 bombers. To further minimize risks, officials would keep forces spread out rather than concentrated in large base camps. 1925 GMT George Shiynyuy, a prominent opposition leader in Cameroon, was tortured to death Sept. 11, The Associated Press reported Sept. 19, citing hospital workers. Shiynyuy, the leader of the Southern Cameroons National Council, was beaten after being arrested by paramilitary police Sept. 10. He reportedly died in a Catholic mission hospital in Kumbo, northwest of Yaounde. No reason was given for Shiynyuy's arrest, and police have made no comment on the issue. Shiynyuy was to have led a demonstration on Oct. 1, marking the one-year anniversary of a protest in which police fired upon participants, killing three. 1838 GMT The Venezuelan government has outlawed demonstrations in eight areas of Caracas -- including areas around army bases, the presidential palace and radio and television stations -- amid rising tension in the capital, Bloomberg reports. Meanwhile, authorities arrested Alejandro Pena Esclusa, leader of Fuerza Solidaria, a group that is calling for the military to overthrow President Hugo Chavez. As justification for both measures, Chavez said he seeks to prevent a repeat of the failed coup attempt in April that led to his brief ouster. However, Stratfor sources indicate that Chavez actually is trying to provoke opposition forces within the military into a confrontation, giving him a reason to claim a conspiracy exists against his regime. Pena Esclusa was arrested without a court-issued warrant. It is not clear who ordered his arrest, but Caracas media outlets have speculated that Chavez himself did so -- which would be illegal under the Bolivarian Constitution. 1833 GMT Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has announced that U.S. President George W. Bush may soften his stance on North Korea, ABCNews.com reported Sept. 20. Koizumi's comments follow his phone conversation with Bush in which he requested that the president consider removing North Korea from the "axis of evil" list that includes Iran and Iraq. Koizumi also briefed Bush about his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il this week, in which Kim assured his commitment to extend a moratorium on missile tests and honor promises concerning North Korea's nuclear program, including an agreement to finally allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors in to inspect the country's nuclear program. 1722 GMT Philippine Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said he wants the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, Wang Chungui, declared persona non grata and expelled, reported ABS-CBN News Sept. 20. This action follows a dispute between Wang and Perez over a group of 122 Chinese fishermen who were arrested and detained for poaching in Philippine waters. Perez accused Wang of pounding a table and yelling while demanding the release of the fisherman, without following normal legal procedures. The incident comes a week after the visit of China's National People's Congress Chairman Li Peng, a visit that was to have been marked by the release of the detained fishermen. While the Philippine government has yet to comment on the incident, it reflects the deep-seated concern in Manila over the ambitions of an ascendant China - which remains, in Manila's view, the key long-term threat to East Asian security. 1720 GMT Israeli troops have surrounded and blown up several buildings in Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's West Bank compound in Ramallah, BBC reported Sept. 20. In a response to back-to-back suicide bombings this week, Israeli tanks have isolated Arafat's headquarters and bulldozers are digging a trench around his office building. So far 20 Palestinians have surrendered to the Israeli forces, but Israel is demanding the arrest of more key figures. However, Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Bin-Eliezer stated that he has no intention of attacking or expelling Arafat. 1620 GMT Two Afghan soldiers were hospitalized after being shot and wounded by two gunmen while shopping at a vegetable market in Kandahar, AP reported Sept. 20. The gunmen were dressed in burqas -- the full-body outfits worn by Afghan women -- and the reason for the attack and the perpetrators' identities are unknown. Shortly after the attack, a crowd apprehended the gunmen's driver, who is now in police custody. 1615 GMT Singapore has become the first Asian port to sign the Container Security Initiative, Straits Times reported Sept. 20, which calls for the screening of cargo containers bound for the United States in order to protect international trade and to prevent militants from using containers to conduct terror. Singapore ships the third-largest amount of containers to the United States, and joins Belgium, Canada, France, Germany and the Netherlands in countries that have signed the CSI. 1610 GMT The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta warned Sept. 19 that Americans in Indonesia -- especially in Yogyakarta -- should be vigilant, the Jakarta Post reported. Embassy officials claim to have credible information that Westerners will be targeted for violence in the immediate future. Yogyakarta, south of Jakarta on the island of Java, is the headquarters of the Laskar Jihad militant group as well as a popular tourist area. 1607 GMT Hans Blix, the chief U.N. arms inspector, told the Security Council Sept. 19 that his monitoring team will arrive in Iraq on Oct. 15. It likely will take about two months to put in place the airplanes, helicopters and equipment the team needs. 1513 GMT 19 Sep 2002 The U.S. Embassy in Caracas has issued an official statement decrying the proliferation of rumors warning of an imminent military coup in Venezuela, Union Radio network reported. The unusual statement warned that the U.S. government would reject and oppose any military coups aimed at either toppling the current democratically elected government in Venezuela or seeking to keep that regime in power through violent means. After President Hugo Chavez was briefly toppled from power last April 11-13, Chavez alleged that the Bush administration had helped to engineer the coup attempt. The embassy statement reflects the Bush administration's increasing concerns that political violence could erupt again in Venezuela at any time. However, it also reflects the U.S. government's lack of accurate intelligence about what's happening in the country. 2014 GMT Caracas daily El Universal reports that two small explosive devices were found in downtown Caracas early Sept.19 concealed in two briefcases. A day earlier four small explosive devices were detonated in downtown Caracas. Two of the explosives scattered leaflets signed by the Carapaica Revolutionary Movement (MRC) that warned of an "international conspiracy against the Bolivarian process." The MRC is a clandestine armed paramilitary group that supports Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and which last month opened fire with assault rifles against units of the Caracas Metropolitan Police. The Chavez government has not identified or arrested any members of the MRC, but military intelligence sources in Caracas told STRATFOR in August that the group totaled about 40 former army personnel who were trained, equipped, and paid through the Interior and Justice Ministry. 2005 GMT Caracas daily El Universal reports that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has ordered the arrest of more than 100 middle-ranking military officers who will be charged with participating in the April 11-13 violence that briefly toppled Chavez from power. The execution of the arrest orders is being coordinated by Attorney General Isaias Rodriguez, the chief prosecutor for the armed forces, and army Third Division commander Gen. Jorge Luis Garcia Carneiro. 1959 GMT At least 10 "subversive cells influenced by Colombian groups" have been detected in Ecuador during the past five years, Ecuador's National police commander Jorge Molina has told the Quito daily El Comercio. The police official said these groups are composed of Ecuadorian youths "recruited" in universities and high schools and encouraged by "extremist groups" seeking to promote national protests. 1954 GMT Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has said Russia will attack if Chechen militants using Georgia's Pankisi Gorge come within six to nine miles of the Russian border, The Associated Press reports. The move is likely a bluff, since the militants generally operate in small, difficult-to- detect groups over the porous Russian-Georgian border and Moscow's surveillance capabilities are weak. However, the threat will keep diplomatic pressure up for Tbilisi to act against militants in the Pankisi. Both Russia, Georgia's regional rival, and the United States, Georgia's ally, claim that al Qaeda is operative in the Pankisi. 1905 GMT Three days ahead of elections, Germany's Conservative candidate for chancellor Edmund Stoiber has said on a TV talk show that he would not allow the United States to use bases on German soil for an attack against Iraq "if the Americans go it alone," The Associated Press reports. At the same time, Stoiber reaffirmed that Germany should back the United States in any action that has U.N. Security Council approval. Although Washington, in that instance, would be able to use bases in Germany, Stoiber said no German troops would participate in a military strike on Iraq under any circumstance. Incumbent Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has refused to give an opinion on the use of U.S. bases in Germany -- though he has made Iraq a major issue in the election, giving him a slight lead over Stoiber in recent polls. 1744 GMT Military officers in Ivory Coast said former coup leader Gen. Robert Guei was killed Sept. 19 after refusing to stop at a military checkpoint, The Associated Press reported. His death came the same day as a mutiny involving nearly 300 soldiers. The country's defense minister said Guei spurred the rebellious soldiers to action, but it is unclear what role, if any, he played. 1735 GMT At its Sept. 19 meeting in Osaka, Japan, OPEC left oil production quotas unchanged for the fourth quarter, as expected. The cartel's next scheduled meeting will be Dec. 12 in Vienna. Responding to concerns that a U.S.-led military campaign against Iraq will spike global oil prices, both Saudi Arabia and Iran pledged that OPEC would respond to any shortages in the coming months by pumping more crude. Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Nuaimi said that any response, "regardless of what causes shortages," would be immediate. His Iranian counterpart said, "If we feel it is necessary to produce more, we will do it." The organization's price-band mechanism allows the cartel to increase output automatically by 500,000 barrels per day if the OPEC basket price stays above $28 for more than 20 days. That mechanism is somewhat irrelevant, given rampant quota-cheating (which officials now estimate at 1.8 million bpd), and producers could raise their output more quickly in the event of a price spike if they so choose. 1650 GMT U.S. Army Gen. Tommy Franks, head of the U.S. Central Command, will be chairing a two-day conference of top U.S. military officers in Kuwait, Reuters reported Sept. 19. U.S. defense sources told Reuters that neither this meeting nor any of the substantial U.S. military activity occurring in the area are direct results of the rising tensions between the United States and Iraq. Iraq has recently acquiesced to U.N. demands that weapons inspectors be allowed into the country, but British and U.S. leaders remain wary. 1640 GMT The U.S. Embassy in Sanaa has denied recent reports that say 800 U.S. military personnel have been stationed in Djibouti for the purpose of hunting al Qaeda, BBC reported. U.S. and Yemeni officials instead claim that military and intelligence personnel have been deployed to assist Yemeni forces in counterterrorism training and to exchange intelligence. About 200 people suspected of having links to al Qaeda are under detention in Yemen. 1615 GMT A suicide bomber killed five and injured 40 Sept. 19 in Israel after boarding a bus in downtown Tel Aviv and detonating a bomb, Ha'aretz reported. The Al Quds Brigades, a military wing of the Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility for the attack. 1510 GMT Around 280 soldiers participated in a mutiny in the Ivory Coast Sept. 19, leaving five dead, Agence France-Presse reported. The defense minister said the mutiny was led by soldiers who are scheduled to be demobilized in December, and that Gen. Robert Guei -- who staged an earlier coup in 1999 -- spurred the soldiers to action. The government will have to launch attacks on strongholds held by the mutineers, the defense minister said, indicating that possible targets include a gendarmerie school and military camp at Agban. 1505 GMT 18 Sep 2002 An Iranian government spokesman said Sept. 18 that Tehran would back U.N.-led action against Iraq if inspectors prove that Baghdad has developed weapons of mass destruction, The Associated Press reports. The spokesman, Abdullah Ramezanzadeh, added that the same standards set for Iraq should be applied to Israel. Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said that, although Iran still opposes any unilateral action by the United States, Baghdad must abide by U.N. resolutions on weapons inspections. 2220 GMT The oil minister of the United Arab Emirates, Obaid al-Nasseri, says OPEC will not change its crude output quotas at its quarterly meeting in Osaka, Japan, on Sept. 19, Platts reports. Following informal talks with ministers from Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Nasseri told reporters he saw "no justification" for an increase and that there would be "no adjustment to the ceiling," even to legitimize current over-production. 1952 GMT Pakistan announced Sept. 18 that it had arrested seven "most wanted" terrorists of Pakistani nationality, Reuters reported. One suspect reportedly was the brains behind a suicide bombing in May that killed 11 French naval engineers in Karachi. Islamic militants allegedly have orchestrated attacks against Western targets in recent months, ostensibly in reaction to President Pervez Musharraf's support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism. 1930 GMT Construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline began Sept. 18. The presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey -- the countries through which the 1,091-mile pipeline will run -- attended the groundbreaking ceremony near Baku. U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, who also attended the ceremony, called the project "one of the most important energy undertakings from America's point of view," The Associated Press reports. The United States strongly supports the project, which will be the first to bring Central Asian energy to the West without crossing through Russia. The pipeline, which will have a capacity of roughly 1 million barrels per day, is scheduled to begin operations in the first quarter of 2005. 1800 GMT An Indonesian state audit agency has found that various government agencies and offices misused more than $700 million in the first half of the year, the BBC reported Sept. 18. The armed forces, national police, defense ministry and Indonesian Embassies abroad were named as the top culprits. Indonesia, recently listed among the world's most corrupt states by the Corruption Perception Index, has battled graft since dictator Suharto was ousted in 1998. Earlier this month, parliamentary Speaker Akbar Tanjung was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to three months in prison. 1629 GMT U.S. President George W. Bush will send a resolution on Iraq to Congress by the end of the week, Bloomberg reported Sept. 18. In announcing the decision, Bush believes it is important for the U.S. government to appear unified and non-partisan where Iraq is concerned - a sentiment echoed by House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) Following a meeting with the president, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said he was confident that Democrats will be prepared to authorize the use of force against Iraq if Saddam Hussein does not prove that the country has no weapons of mass destruction. 1628 GMT Along with its decision to readmit U.N. weapons inspectors, Iraq has halted illegal surcharges on oil sold through the U.N. oil-for-food program, the Wall Street Journal reports. The move could be an attempt to improve business with U.S. and European energy companies, making it more difficult for Washington and London to win backing for an attack on Iraq. Eliminating the surcharges may not prove effective, however, because many oil buyers have replaced Iraqi oil with product from OPEC member Venezuela. The cartel is concerned about the market impact that increased Iraqi production and export levels could have, and oil ministers plan to address the issue at the Sept. 19 OPEC meeting in Japan. 1618 GMT A suicide bomber blew himself up at a bus stop in the Arab-Israeli town of Umm el-Fahm in northern Israel, BBC reported Sept. 18. The bombing occurred briefly after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon issued a demand for a complete end to violence before implementing a new peace plan proposed by the United Nations, European Union, United States and Russia. Both Israeli and Palestinian delegates intend to continue meetings with officials from all four groups in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. 1604 GMT The reconnection of railways linking North and South Korea began Sept. 17 along the west coast, according to the Korea Times. The first railway to be connected is the Seoul-Shinuiju line, which if all goes well is expected to reopen later this year. Although the reconnection marks the first step in reviving inter-Korean relations, groundbreaking ceremonies were held separately in each country. 1515 GMT Japan's Ministry of Finance has announced that it will create tax reform plans after a refusal by the Bank of Japan to release additional cash into the nation's sinking economy, BBC reported Sept. 18. Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa hinted that the plan could include large tax cuts as a way of easing the country's current financial crisis, and advisers to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi have recommended a tax cut equaling approximately 2.5 million yen, or close to 0.5 percent of Japan's GDP. Though it has agreed to purchase shares from troubled banks to avoid a potential meltdown, the Bank of Japan's decision not to release cash signals its growing sense of unease with the country's financial situation, brought on mostly by mismanagement of the economy and massive government spending. 1513 GMT 17 Sep 2002 The East African, a weekly regional newspaper based in Nairobi, reported Sept. 16 that U.S. involvement in West Africa has intensified due to hydrocarbon deposits there. African oil has grown in importance during the past year as the possibility of a war against Iraq grows. West African producers, especially Angola and Nigeria, currently provide 15 percent of U.S. oil imports. That share is expected to rise over the next decade as U.S. leaders attempt to decrease the nation's dependence on energy from the Middle East. 1820 GMT Iraq's unconditional offer Sept. 16 to allow U.N. weapons inspections has divided the U.N. Security Council, BBC reports Sept. 17. The United States, Britain, and France have voiced skepticism over the offer, while Russia and China have welcomed it. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said that the threat of war had been avoided, although the Bush administration is continuing with plans for military action. The Bush administration maintains that a new U.N. resolution on Iraq is needed. 1717 GMT North Korean leader Kim Jong Il confirmed Sept. 17 that North Korean spies kidnapped Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. CNN reports that, in a statement released after a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Kim, the North Korean leader also agreed to extend his nation's moratorium on missile tests. 1705 GMT Iraq is prepared to readmit weapons inspectors unconditionally, Foreign Minister Naji Sabri told the United Nations in a Sept. 16 letter. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the Arab League played a key role in the offer. He also said he would pass the Iraqi letter on to the U.N. Security Council, which must decide what to do next. Momentum has been building in recent days toward a new Security Council resolution, which could have paved the way for a U.S. military attack. Efforts by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to set a deadline for weapons inspection will continue. 0035 GMT 16 Sep 2002 Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze announced Sept. 16 that both Russian and U.S. special services are in the Pankisi Gorge, helping Georgian authorities remove Chechen rebels and al Qaeda elements, Reuters reports. However, the "special forces" he mentioned are intelligence liaison officers, not actual military teams. Shevardnadze is attempting to spin recent developments in a more favorable light to defuse future Russian threats. Moscow repeatedly has accused Georgia of allowing Chechen rebels to operate from the Pankisi with impunity, and the Kremlin recently threatened direct military action unless Tbilisi clamped down on the rebels and extradited them to Russia. 2232 GMT The United States has reserved 20 air transit corridors over the Atlantic Ocean, Portuguese weekly Expresso reported Sept. 14, citing air traffic control sources in the Azores islands. Several of the corridors access the air base at Lajes Field, where U.S. aircraft are based. The United States normally has four air corridors on reserve. Portuguese military sources cited by Expresso said Washington's move indicates a massive airlift of personnel and light military equipment likely will begin soon. Portuguese Foreign Minister Antonio Martins da Cruz said the Bush administration has not asked the Portuguese government for permission to make expanded use of the Lajes air base. 1730 GMT A senior State Department official has told CNN that Pakistan has turned over custody of Ramzi Binalshibh, an alleged senior al Qaeda operative and member of the Hamburg cell that is believed to have helped plan and carry out the Sept. 11 attacks. Pakistani officials confirmed that Binalshibh is in U.S. custody and has left the country. Binalshibh, a Yemeni citizen, was arrested Sept. 11 along with another al Qaeda suspect, who allegedly was involved in the 1998 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen. German Interior Minister Otto Schily said Sept. 14 that his country would seek Binalshibh's extradition, but later clarified that the United States would have precedence in any extradition proceedings. Binalshibh could be charged in a U.S. court, though Washington more likely will declare him an enemy combatant, bypassing certain U.S. legal requirements. 1650 GMT During an interview with Kyodo News Service last weekend, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il stated his desire for normalized relations with Japan. Kim stressed that past problems between the two sides must be resolved in order to repair the ancient relationship, and that a proper apology and compensation from Japan for past damages was due. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is scheduled to visit North Korea this week. 1645 GMT The International Monetary Fund canceled a visit to Argentina after an appeals court there outlawed a series of government-imposed economic measures, Argentine daily Clarin reports. The court ruled against the "pesofication" of bank deposits in January, which converted dollar- denominated deposits to pesos; the nine-month-old partial banking freeze; and a 120-day ban imposed by President Eduardo Duhalde on lawsuits by Argentines seeking to access their savings. The issues now will go before the Supreme Court. The IMF supports the government measures and could be seeking to influence a Supreme Court ruling. 1643 GMT Ahead of a Sept. 24 parliamentary debate, British Prime Minister Tony Blair plans to release a dossier that will verify the relationship between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, The Sunday Telegraph has reported. Some government sources doubt the significance of the report, which links key al Qaeda members Abu Zubair and Rafid Fatah to the Iraqi government. The dossier reportedly will provide information about three rebuilt Iraqi plants that allegedly are used to manufacture biological and chemical weapons. 1639 GMT China and Kyrgyzstan plan to conduct joint military exercises beginning in October, China's People's Daily reported Sept. 16. This is the first bilateral anti-terrorism exercise within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, whose common objectives are to combat international terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism, and whose members include China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. 1611 GMT A Jordanian pro-Iraq group Sept. 16 criticized statements made by Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal the previous day, in which he said that his government would act in accordance with the United Nations if it endorsed strikes on Iraq, reported AFP. In a reversal from the previous Saudi position, Saud also indicated that the government could allow the U.S. military to launch military strikes on Baghdad from Saudi bases, CNN reported. Arabicnews.com reported that, according to Arab diplomatic sources, a secret deal was earlier struck between Saudi ambassador Prince Bandar and U.S. President George W. Bush, in which Washington gained Saudi approval to strike Iraq and in return agreed not to undermine the kingdom's regime or its security. 1555 GMT Turkey will receive a grant of almost $200 million from the United States, reported AFP Sept. 16. The money will be used to repay part of the Turkish debt to the United States, but also likely comes as a bid to shore up support for possible strikes on Iraq. Turkey, an important Muslim ally to the United States and a fellow NATO member, has experienced a severe economic crisis in the past year and is currently receiving loans in excess of $16 billion from the International Monetary Fund. 1550 GMT During the past month, officials in Singapore have arrested at least 21 people suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, the Home Affairs Ministry announced Sept. 16. The suspects, all Singaporean citizens, are accused of belonging to the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and some allegedly underwent al Qaeda military training in Afghanistan. Several of the suspects allegedly conducted reconnaissance and target surveys on the instruction of JI leaders, the Straits Times reports. 1547 GMT 13 Sep 2002 International mediators seeking to bridge the political divide between Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his opponents will propose that new general elections be held as soon as possible, according to Caracas daily El Universal. The mediators include former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and officials from the Organization of American States (OAS) and United Nations. The group reportedly views general elections as the only way to prevent more political violence in Venezuela. However, Chavez already has rejected any possibility of elections before August 2003, when -- under Venezuela's constitution -- he could be subject to a recall election. 1923 GMT The United Nations has named a separatist group in China's Xinjiang province as a terrorist organization, according to the BBC. The East Turkistan Islamic Movement, an ethnic Uighur group, operates under several different names. Beijing claims it is responsible for 160 deaths over the last decade and is closely associated with al Qaeda. China said the U.N. announcement was a result of its own cooperation with the United States and other countries in the war against terrorism. Adding the Uighur group to the list of terrorist organizations likely was a concession by Washington and its allies in exchange for China's tacit support for a possible military operation in Iraq. 1920 GMT Some European allies of the United States responded positively to President George W. Bush's speech to the United Nations, in which he made the case for military action against Iraq. British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said his country would work closely with Washington. The Norwegian foreign minister said U.N. members must take seriously the description Bush gave of Iraq's violations of U.N. resolutions, and the Romanian foreign minister said Bucharest stands firmly behind the United States. 1915 GMT An ammonia tanker exploded Sept. 13 near a BASF chemical plant about 50 miles south of Houston, Texas, according to KHOU-TV. Witnesses said the plant had been evacuated within a one-mile radius, and that only a few businesses are located nearby. Four minor injuries have been reported. The cause has not been determined. 1730 GMT A U.S. State Department spokesman said Sept. 13 that Washington strongly disapproves of Russian President Vladamir Putin's threat to crack down on Chechen rebels within Georgia, BBC reported. Russia claims that Georgian efforts to quell Chechen rebel activity within its borders have proved fruitless. The U.S. government says that it recognizes and respects Georgian sovereignty and territorial integrity. 1656 GMT Lin Jih-jia, secretary-general of the opposition Taiwan Solidarity Union, stated that a group of legislators will introduce an independence referendum bill later this month in parliament, Reuters reported Sept. 13. President Chen's Shui-bian's ruling Democratic Progressive Party has said that it will support an independence referendum only if China threatens to alter the status quo relationship between the two nations. 1650 GMT Arab states have called on Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to allow U.N. weapons inspectors back into the country after U.S. President George W. Bush outlined the case for an attack on Baghdad to the U.N. General Assembly Sept. 12, AFP reported. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Jordanian Information Minister Mohammed Adwan, and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Mussa all urged Iraq to readmit the inspectors and avoid U.S.-led military strikes that could potentially destabilize the region. Most European and Middle Eastern nations have agreed to support an attack on Iraq only with the approval of the U.N. Security Council. 1630 GMT Iraq has offered to pay up to $5,000 to Palestinians whose homes have been demolished by Israeli military raids, AP reported Sept. 13. Iraq has been a powerful supporter of the Palestinian uprising against Israel's occupation, paying out as much as $35 million total to Palestinians as well as possibly smuggling weapons to pro-Iraqi groups. Some unnamed Israeli defense sources say Iraq may be trying not only to shift focus from the U.S.-Iraq crisis, but perhaps also to prepare a "second front" in case of an American attack. 1615 GMT British troops begin their biggest army exercises since 1998 on Sept. 13, reported Reuters. Approximately 6,000 troops will participate in the month-long exercises to transport equipment to a Royal Air Force base in eastern England. The Ministry of Defense asserted that the movement has been planned for over a year, and is unrelated to a possible war against Iraq. British Foreign Minister Jack Straw told BBC radio that the United Kingdom is mulling solutions to the Gulf crisis other than the ousting of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, though Prime Minister Tony Blair still pledges total support for President George W. Bush in his attempts to overthrow the Iraqi leader. 1612 GMT The Central African Republic (CAR) has signed a deal with Libya that will increase the African Muslim nation's influence in the country, giving it the sole right to exploit the CAR's largely untouched oil and mineral resources, including gold, diamonds and uranium deposits, for 99 years. The agreement may have been signed in June during a meeting between CAR President Ange-Felix Patasse and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, BBC reported Sept. 12. A coup attempt against Patasse in May 2001 led to the stationing of Libyan troops to protect him from further attacks, but some worry that Gadhafi is maneuvering to create a Muslim state in the center of Africa. 1610 GMT Saudi Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud believes a U.S. attack on Iraq is imminent and that Washington will make use of what military bases it wishes, Arabicnews.com reports. The prince also believes that Arab governments' official opposition to an attack is designed merely to appease their own constituents. Since other nations can increase their oil output, Arab governments will not use oil as a weapon, he said -- nor will they attack Israel, given its nuclear capability. 1608 GMT Ali Rodriguez, head of state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela, said the company is considering an agreement that would guarantee Venezuelan oil exports to the United States for 20 years, The Associated Press reported Sept 12. Rodriguez plans to discuss this issue with Alan Larson, the U.S. undersecretary of state for economic affairs, who arrived in Venezuela on Sept. 12 for a three-day visit. Larson already has met with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Finance Minister Tobias Nobrega. Venezuela, the largest oil-producing nation in the western hemisphere, will encourage fellow OPEC members not to raise production at the cartel's Sept. 19 meeting in Osaka, Japan. 1559 GMT 12 Sep 2002 British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Sept. 12 that he will recall Parliament from its summer recess on Sept. 24 to debate action against Iraq, Reuters reports. A Blair spokesman said the parliament's speaker has agreed to the recall, and that a dossier detailing Iraq's alleged capacity to build weapons of mass destruction will be released early the same day. Britain is a key U.S. ally in making the case for military action against Iraq and likely would sponsor any U.N. Security Council resolution condoning an attack. The parliamentary debate may be a precursor to such a resolution. 2220 GMT Italian authorities have arrested 15 Pakistanis suspected of having ties to al Qaeda, The Associated Press reports. The arrests were made in Caltanissetta, in central Sicily, where the suspects arrived in August after traveling by boat from Casablanca, Morocco. 1802 GMT U.S. forces captured a suspected al Qaeda financier and eight others during the Sept. 7-10 Operation Champion Strike, The Associated Press reports. Troops also seized more than 150 Kalashnikov rifles, 200 explosive booby traps, a mortar, several cases of hand grenades, rocket launchers, heavy machine guns, rockets and military communication equipment. Passports, al Qaeda and Taliban documents and mobile or satellite phones also were found. 1800 GMT Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has arrived in Saudi Arabia, where he is due to meet Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Sept. 14 to discuss possible U.S. military action against Iraq, Arabicnews.com reported. Neither Iran or Saudi Arabia likely would welcome a U.S.-run regime in Iraq. 1755 GMT French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has said France might join a military operation against Iraq if the U.N. Security Council approves the operation, according to the Financial Times. 1747 GMT Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated his belief Sept. 12 that while it would be politically wise, the United States probably does not need to obtain a fresh resolution from the United Nations to legally pursue a war with Iraq. "My point of departure is that Saddam Hussein has already broken and overstepped several U.N. resolutions already," he said, according to Bloomberg. Such a statement from Rasmussen holds far more weight now than it normally would, as Denmark currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. 1745 GMT Russian President Vladimir Putin issued statements Sept. 11 saying that Moscow might send troops into Georgia's Pankisi Gorge as an act of self- defense, Agence France-Presse reported. Putin said that top Chechen "terrorists," as well as those who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks and those responsible for bombings of Russian housing units in 1999 that killed about 300 people, are sheltering in the Pankisi. Georgian Security Minister Irakli Alassania said Tbilisi would consider such a deployment to be an act of war. 1634 GMT 11 Sep 2002 According to a Pentagon assessment, the most immediate threats facing the United States are Iraq's biological weapons, its ties to rogue states and attempts by terrorist organizations to obtain biological weapons. Iraq has nuclear scientists and "probably" has dual-use manufacturing plants, according to an unclassified version of "talking points" used by Pentagon officials, but a "key impediment" remains in obtaining fissile material required to build a nuclear bomb. 2220 GMT A Liberian-flagged container ship was temporarily ordered back out to sea after a Coast Guard team detected traces of radioactivity in its cargo, Associated Press reported Sept. 11. Team members became suspicious after hearing sounds in several of the ship's cargo holds, the source of which could not be determined. The Coast Guard found no evidence of stowaways, but still asserted that the ship's cargo posed a potential public safety risk. Officials provided no details on the cargo. The Coast Guard and other public safety officials are on alert after a series of threats elevated the U.S. national terror alert warning to "high" in anticipation of the Sept. 11 anniversary. 2110 GMT The U.S. government has proposed joint counterterrorism military exercises with Thailand code named "Known Warrior," the Bangkok Post reported Sept. 11. Both U.S. and Thai sources say Thailand is not a regional base for al Qaeda members but that it is likely militants could use weak border security with Cambodia to enter southern Thailand while in transit to Malaysia and Singapore. 1720 GMT U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned the United States against unilateral action against Iraq, saying that seeking Security Council approval for an attack is the only legitimate course of action, the BBC reports. Annan's remarks follow U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's videotaped arguments on Sept. 10 in favor of an attack. U.S. President George W. Bush is scheduled to outline his case and seek international support for military action in his Sept. 12 speech to the U.N. General Assembly. 1710 GMT Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has set presidential and parliamentary elections for Jan. 20 in order to avoid a no- confidence vote in his Cabinet by parliament Sept. 11, AP reported. The vote was averted after all 21 ministers in Arafat's Cabinet resigned, forcing him to present a new body to lawmakers within two weeks. Dissatisfaction with his former Cabinet has been widespread, with allegations of corruption and incompetence. A spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv said that the Jan. 20 elections were perhaps coming too soon. The move is widely seen as an effort to ensure Arafat's re- election, especially since no formidable contender has emerged. 1658 GMT Indonesian Police Chief Da'i Bachtiar says the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta has been closed on Washington's orders, not because of a terrorist threat within Indonesia, the Jakarta Post reports. Indonesian officials do not want the embassy's closure to spur suspicions that al Qaeda members are operating in the archipelago, which could threaten investor confidence. 1652 GMT Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sept. 11 that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein sent him a secret message in the midst of U.S. and British air strikes in 1998 in which Hussein assured that he had no intention of launching Iraqi missile attacks against the Jewish state, The Associated Press reported. During the Gulf War, Iraq fired at least 35 Scud missiles into Israel, causing few casualties but extensive damage, in an attempt to provoke Israel's entrance into the war and possibly forcing a split in the alliance between U.S. and Arab states. Netanyahu, an expected challenger to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in the next election, also added that he would never tolerate missile attacks without a response. 1635 GMT Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri is considering purchasing weapons from Croatia and Bosnia, Laksamana.net reported Sept. 11. Following a Sept. 10 meeting with Croatian President Stipe Mesic in Zagreb, Megawati told reporters that Indonesia needs military equipment. Megawati also posited the possibility of military cooperation with Bosnia after a brief visit the same day with Bosnia-Herzegovina presidential council chairman Beriz Belkic in Sarajevo. These visits follow Megawati's June visit to the Czech Republic and her February meeting with Polish officials in Jakarta in which she also discussed arms purchases, as the government is currently seeking new sources for military equipment due to the 1999 U.S.-imposed arms embargo. 1630 GMT Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Sept. 11 ordered the evacuation of more than 100 Filipinos in Iraq as a precaution in the event of U.S. military action, ABS-CBN News, a Philippine daily, reported. Arroyo's order follows a recommendation from U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly. 1614 GMT The Colombian government has expanded its powers, suspending some constitutional guarantees, in its fight against leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries, according to the BBC. New powers include the ability to arrest and detain suspects for 24 hours without obtaining warrants, conducting searches without the need for warrants, establishing zones in which travel may be restricted and curfews enforced, and tapping communication lines. While these new powers may help the government crack down on suspected rebels in urban areas, they will do little to help security forces regain control over rebel strongholds in the countryside or large swathes of the country where there is little to no official government authority. 1612 GMT Two U.S. bases in Afghanistan were attacked hours before Sept. 11 commemoration ceremonies began, reported Reuters. No casualties or damage have been reported from the rocket attack against a U.S. air base in the eastern town Khost, or from shooting by gunman at the U.S. military headquarters in Afghanistan at Bagram Air Base. Witnesses claimed that the rockets in Khost caused no damage, while the U.S. military claims to have taken the gunman at Bagram into custody. 1600 GMT The Pentagon is planning to move U.S. Central Command from Florida to Qatar, reported Fox News Sept. 11. The move will reportedly begin on Sept. 13 following a speech by U.S. President George W. Bush to the U.N. General Assembly, in which he may state his case for military action against Iraq. 1510 GMT 10 Sep 2002 U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, in announcing the upgrading of the homeland security threat to high, said that information from a captured al Qaeda member suggested new attacks around the Sept. 11 anniversary. Ashcroft said several attacks, including suicide bombings, were possibly being planned for Southeast Asia, and that militants related to al Qaeda had been stockpiling explosives since January 2002 . He also warned of potential threats to symbolic U.S. targets as well as transportation and infrastructure sites, and that a lower-level threat of smaller but widespread terror attacks exists. 2003 GMT Reuters reports that rockets were fired Sept. 9 toward buildings that may be housing American soldiers in Miranshah, Pakistan. The rockets fell short of their targets and caused no injuries. In recent months there have been several rockets fired at a school there in which a small number of U.S. military personnel are based. Many of the tribesmen in this region of western Pakistan are reportedly highly opposed to the American military presence. 1755 GMT The Associated Press reports that both the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta and the Consulate General in Surabaya, an eastern port on the Indonesian island of Java, were closed indefinitely Sept. 10 due to security fears. The U.S. Embassy in Cambodia was also closed, while the embassy in Malaysia will close Sept. 11 and remain so until further notice 1750 GMT Alexander Vershbow, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, threw a political bone to Moscow on Sept. 10, saying, "We view Mr. [Aslan] Maskhadov with increasing skepticism." Maskhadov was elected president of Chechnya following its 1994-1996 war with Russia. Chechnya declared independence during the war, but no state recognizes its sovereignty, and 90,000 Russian troops are now attempting to control the rebellious republic. Vershbow also said that Maskhadov "was clearly part of the group which launched an attack on Dagestan" in August 1999. That invasion sparked the current war in Chechnya, and Maskhadov consistently denies any involvement in the attack on Dagestan. Russia has been seeking international approval -- or at least an end to international condemnation -- for its war effort, and the United States has been far more supportive of Moscow's Chechen policy since the attacks on Washington and New York City in September 2001. 1652 GMT Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he will expropriate any factories that shut their doors in protest against his government, El Universal reports in Caracas. Chavez issued the warning as opposition labor and business leaders discussed the possibility of declaring a national strike to demand his resignation. The Bolivarian Constitution approved in 1999 allows the president, under certain conditions, to expropriate private property and assets in times of war or severe economic crisis. Chavez claims the deepening recession is the result of an economic coup attempt against his regime. Venezuela's economy contracted more than 7 percent during the first half of 2002 , the unofficial unemployment rate tops 21 percent and the country's middle class has been nearly wiped out, according to government and private economic estimates. 0015 GMT 09 Sep 2002 U.S. aircraft attacked an Iraqi Silkworm anti-ship missile site near Basra and a military communications facility at al- Kut, 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, on Sept. 7, the Telegraph reported Sept. 9. The attack near Basra apparently was retaliation for attempts by the Silkworm to establish a radar lock on a U.S. ship carrying cargo from al-Udeid, a U.S. base in Qatar, to Kuwait. The Silkworm is a Chinese-made surface-to-surface anti-ship missile with a range of 59 miles, which would allow Iraq to hit any ship docking in Kuwait. The U.S. strike followed a recent raid by nearly 100 U.S. and British aircraft against Iraqi air defenses near the Jordanian border. It is also a departure from normal no-fly-zone patrols, which usually attack only air defense sites that directly threaten aircraft. 2239 GMT The Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce (VenAmCham), which represents 1,225 mainly U.S. firms doing business in that country, have sent a letter to President Hugo Chavez, warning that the "growing climate of personal and legal insecurity is limiting the possibilities" for U.S. companies to conduct business in Venezuela. The unprecedented letter lists 10 issues that are hurting investment and productive activities in Venezuela. Those include laws approved last year that weaken property rights -- including the new Hydrocarbons Law, which regulates the energy sector. VenAmCham's letter questions the "lack of transparency" in recent energy bids invited by the government. The letter also claims that crime has spiraled out of control, "placing entire geographic zones outside of normal economic development." In a clear allusion to the growing violence of civilian militia groups identified with the Chavez regime, the letter also states, "Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between ordinary crime and the political activism of certain tendencies." The letter also states that some VenAmCham members have been forced to leave the regions where they operate and move to new homes, and some even have left the country with their families, for fear of being killed or kidnapped. 2055 GMT Colombian rebels have established a permanent corridor deep into Venezuela that allows them to move weapons, drugs, kidnap victims and smuggled goods, according to Caracas daily El Nacional. The corridor stretches from Petrolea and Puerto Santander in Colombia's Norte de Santander department into the Venezuelan states of Tachira and Barinas. Groups believed to form part of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) travel in and out of Venezuela by road and the Uribante River. El Nacional reported that a nascent Venezuelan rebel group calling itself the Bolivarian Liberation Forces (FBL) also uses the corridor and is believed to be operating in tandem with the ELN and FARC. 2050 GMT At least 40 percent of Colombia's Atlantic Coast region is without natural gas supplies, following a weekend explosion that destroyed a 40-meter stretch of pipeline between Santa Marta and Cienaga in Magdalena Department, according to Bogota daily El Tiempo. Investigators have not determined if the pipeline was sabotaged by rebels or if it cracked as a result of ground vibrations created by passing vehicles. 2048 GMT Arab journalist Josri Fouda claims that al Qaeda initially planned to fly hijacked jets into U.S. nuclear installations before turning its sights on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Fouda cites interviews with two senior al Qaeda planners, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh, who said they decided against an attack on nuclear power plants "for the moment," fearing such attacks could "get out of control," the BBC reports. They also reportedly said that al Qaeda's military committee decided in early 1999 to launch a "martyrdom operation inside America," and that the fourth hijacked plane was heading for Congress, not the White House. Qatari TV station al-Jazeera plans to broadcast audio tapes of Fouda's interview with the two men on Sept. 12. 1813 GMT In a meeting with business leaders, Arun Shourie - - India's minister in charge of privatization -- warned that unless India attempts to match China's economic successes, Beijing's economic strength will translate into military strength, the BBC reported Sept. 9. 1710 GMT On Sept. 8, a group of at least three armed men invaded and plundered a 13-story office building in Buenos Aires which houses offices of The Associated Press. No one was reported injured in the holdup, the AP reported. The perpetrators, who tied and blindfolded 10 people for several hours while stealing valuables from the offices of several organizations, got away. The holdup followed widespread protests in Buenos Aires on Sept. 6 that demanded the government take action against crime, which is rising amid Argentina's economic crisis. Most of the crime, including kidnappings, has been low-level and unsophisticated, with local residents the primary targets. The weekend break-in, however, suggests that criminals may be turning their sights on businesses, including foreign companies. 1633 GMT Iranian President Mohammad Khatami will visit Saudi Arabia the week of Sept. 9, where he will meet with Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz to discuss global and regional issues, according to the English-language Iran Daily. Relations between Tehran and Riyadh have improved greatly since Khatami took office in 1997, and his government has made improving ties to Arab nations a top priority. The Arab capitals have reciprocated -- for example, the Saudi foreign minister visited Iran in August to confer on matters of mutual interest and concern. The United States, however, tends to view any warming of Saudi-Iranian relations with alarm. In this particular case, strengthened ties would greatly complicate any U.S. military efforts against Iraq. Iran and Saudi Arabia, which share Iraq's longest land borders, oppose an attack against Baghdad. 1623 GMT Continuing a major diplomatic offensive in the face of possible U.S. military strikes, Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan will visit Jordan's King Abdullah II on Sept. 9, AFP reported. Ramadan allegedly takes with him a message from Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the contents of which were unreleased. Though Jordan has long been an ally of the United States, it has rejected any suggestion that it might serve as a launching pad for a U.S.-led strike on Iraq, while Abdullah emphasized his opposition to the possibility of military action again last week. 1610 GMT French President Jacques Chirac said in a New York Times interview published Sept. 9 that Washington would receive support for the war on Iraq provided it receives U.N. backing. U.S. President George Bush begins a diplomatic drive this week to secure support for his campaign to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and will address the U.N. General Assembly Sept. 12. 1605 GMT CNN reported Sept. 9 that Philippine officials have uncovered a plot to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Manila. The details of the plan, first discovered months ago, apparently became known during an interrogation of an arrested al Qaeda operative with direct links to Osama bin Laden. The planned attack, originally intended against the U.S. Embassy in Singapore, was moved when authorities there arrested 15 people for plotting to bomb U.S. targets earlier this year. Many southern Pacific nations have detained suspected militants in response to the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and security at U.S. embassies overseas has been tight. 1602 GMT Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat stated that he is ready and willing to relinquish executive power if the Palestinian Legislative Council asks him to do so, reported Bloomberg Sept. 9. Arafat made the announcement to the parliament in the West bank town of Ramallah, while his speech will be followed by a vote by lawmakers Sept. 10 on a proposed Cabinet reshuffle. 1600 GMT 06 Sep 2002 The U.S. and British militaries conducted their largest operation in four years against Iraq, targeting main air defense installations, on Sept. 5, Bloomberg reports. The operation, in which more than 100 aircraft were used, was a response to "recent hostile acts," according to U.S. Central Command. A dozen aircraft dropped bombs but were supported by fighter jets, refueling and radar aircraft. 1737 GMT The U.S. Army doubled the size of war stocks in Kuwait in preparation for a presidential decision on action against Iraq, The Associated Press reported Sept. 5. War supplies in Kuwait now can support a brigade of more than 3,000 soldiers. Although defense officials are secretive about the total number of troops in Kuwait, the Army has added around 2,000 troops to combat forces there in recent months. Among the new supplies are tanks, other armored vehicles, fuel and ammunition. 1730 GMT U.S. Middle East envoy David Satterfield confirmed President George W. Bush's opposition to the Syrian Accountability Act, which would impose sanctions on Syria and ban U.S. investment and trade with the country, BBC reported. Satterfield said the measure would restrict the president's "maneuverability," such as building support for an attack against Iraq. The act would require Syria to close the offices of Palestinian movements such as the Islamic Jihad and Hamas, end its ballistic missile program, disarm the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon and comply with U.N. sanctions on Iraq. 1723 GMT South Korea plans to send a group of air force officers to Beijing for a weeklong visit beginning Sept. 9, the Korea Times reported. This will be the first time that a South Korean military plane has arrived in China since diplomatic ties were normalized 10 years ago, said Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Hwang Eui-don. 1720 GMT The U.S. government has announced plans to increase arms sales to India, including four AN/TPQ-37 "Firefinder" counter-battery radar units and support equipment, reported the Times of India Sept. 6. An earlier deal for eight Firefinders was made in April. The Pentagon said the sales will not upset the military balance with Pakistan, which utilizes an earlier version of the "Firefinder", the AN/TPQ-36. 1610 GMT Turkish Health Minister Osman Durmas began a six- day visit to Baghdad Sept. 6, along with Turkish doctors, nearly 100 business leaders and journalists, reported AP Sept. 6. The official purpose of the visit is a joint Turkish-Iraqi health fair, but Durmas also intends to meet with Iraqi Cabinet ministers. Turkey is in a difficult position as it seeks to protect its interests and balance relations between Washington and Baghdad. 1605 GMT 05 Sep 2002 Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a letter to President Eduard Shevardnadze Sept. 4 demanding that Georgian authorities kill Chechen rebels in the Pankisi Gorge region rather than pushing them out of the area, AP reported. Russia has long accused Georgia of providing shelter to Chechen rebels. 1920 GMT Two explosions rocked central Kabul Sept. 5. The first blast likely was intended to lure onlookers and rescue workers into the vicinity of the second, much larger blast. Agence France-Presse has indicated rising numbers of casualties, most recently reporting 30 dead and 50 wounded. The incident is the worst act of terrorism in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban last November, and it follows a series of smaller attacks in the past few weeks that have elevated security concerns as Sept. 11 approaches. 1857 GMT Afghan President Hamid Karzai narrowly survived an attempt on his life while leaving the Khandahar governor's guesthouse Sept. 5. Gov. Gul Agha Sherzai was riding in a car with Karzai and was wounded during a shooting by a uniformed attacker, who was killed by a U.S guard, BBC reported. 1750 GMT 04 Sep 2002 Sri Lankan Defense Minister Tilak Marapone said the government is lifting a ban on the Tamil Tiger rebels at midnight local time, the BBC reported Sept. 4. The move grants the Tigers one of their key demands and is expected to pave the way for peace talks between the government and the rebels scheduled for Sept. 16 in Thailand. 1956 GMT Facing possible U.S.-led military action, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has expressed a desire for a solution to the current crisis with Washington. Reuters reports that he wants a solution that will lead to the end of U.N. sanctions that were imposed after his alleged failure to cooperate with weapons inspectors in 1998. Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said Sept. 3 that Iraq would work with the United Nations, provided the United States does not use concerns about weapons programs as an excuse for attack. But with European sentiment strongly in favor of inspections, Baghdad may be losing the diplomatic initiative to the United States and Britain. Though European Union leaders said Sept. 4 that Hussein is "no doubt" dangerous, they warned Washington against dealing with him alone, according to The Associated Press. EU leaders encouraged the United States to focus efforts on ensuring access for weapons inspectors in Iraq and to involve the United Nations in whatever path Washington may choose. Both parties agreed that international cooperation and coalition- building play a key role in preventing the development of weapons of mass destruction by Iraq. EU opinion is crystallizing at a time when the Bush administration seems more willing to seek input on the issue of Iraq. However, it remains to be seen how seriously the Bush administration will take other views. 1922 GMT The U.S. Navy has chartered a large commercial cargo ship to transport tanks and heavy armor -- including 67 pieces of equipment that match the dimension and weight of Abrams tanks -- to an unspecified Gulf port, Reuters reported Sept. 4. This is the third such shipment by the U.S. Military Sealift Command in a month and is believed to be a sign that the U.S. Navy has exhausted its fleet capacity. Military analysts have compared this move to similar ones prior to the 1991 Gulf War, and many believe it to be a key sign of preparation for an attack. 1605 GMT Two Philippine air force planes allegedly were fired on last week while flying over an isle claimed by the Philippines but occupied by Vietnamese troops in the Spratly Islands, ABS-CBN News reported Sept. 4. An official in the Philippine Department of Defense denied the report, according to INQ7.net, and also denied the presence of Vietnamese troops on the disputed island. This event comes two weeks before a meeting with Chinese officials in Manila in which the Spratly dispute most likely will be discussed. 1517 GMT A China Northern Airlines official announced Sept. 4 that a crash May 7 that killed 112 people may have been an act of sabotage. China Daily reported that the analysis of the airline determined that an external cause, not pilot error, was the reason for the crash. Evidence of a fire on board coincides with pilot reports of a fire in the rear cabin just before the plane went down. The disaster comes at an anxious time for the airliner as it plans a merger with Xinjiang Airlines to become one of three national giants in the industry. 1510 GMT Indonesian parliamentary speaker Akbar Tanjung was sentenced to three years in prison Sept. 4 after being found guilty of misappropriating $4.5 million worth of government funds earmarked for food aid to those hit in 1998 by the Asian financial crisis, the BBC reported. The speaker denied that his Golkar party used the funds in its 1999 election campaign. The case provided another close examination of Indonesia's judiciary system, once described by the United Nations as one of the world's worst. 1457 GMT 03 Sep 2002 European, Pakistani and U.S. investigators say al Qaeda and the Taliban recently shipped large amounts of gold from Pakistan to Sudan, the Washington Post reported. The gold usually was disguised in other products and taken to Iran or Dubai, then flown to Khartoum -- indicating that al Qaeda and the Taliban still have access to large financial reserves. According to the Post, the shipments also are indicative of cooperation between Iranian intelligence units and hard-line clerics suspected of aiding al Qaeda, of the potential for Sudan to reemerge as a financial hub for al Qaeda, and of militants' ability to generate revenue. European and U.S. sources have asked Khartoum to help stop the shipments, but Sudan -- which was home to Osama bin Laden between 1991 and 1996 -- denied that it would knowingly allow such transfers of gold. 1848 GMT At Riyadh's request, the United Arab Emirates has agreed to include more security procedures on remittances from Saudi Arabia to halt money laundering, Middle East News Online reported Sept. 3. The new procedures will require all banks and money changers to give details on entities involved with transfers of $545,000 or more, and on individuals transferring $136,240 or more to UAE accounts. Banks and money changers also must report "suspicious transactions" in which amounts of at least $10,900 are transferred from Saudi Arabia to be received in cash in the UAE. Banks should refuse to issue accounts to Saudi nationals who request power of attorney for third parties. Riyadh's request for enforcement of new financial procedures indicates that Saudi Arabia wants to rectify the rift in relations with the United States. Washington likely will smile upon the new regulations, since most of the funds used by those involved in the Sept. 11 attacks were transferred from Abu Dhabi. 1753 GMT Indonesian and U.S. officials emphatically denied reports that Washington planned to build a naval dock on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the Straits Times reports. The dock reportedly would have serviced warships from Australia, Europe and Japan as well as the United States. The rumors are not entirely without foundation: The United States initially floated this idea in the early 1990s. Bush administration officials reportedly revived it a few months ago but determined it to be unfeasible at this time. 1737 GMT Taiwan is allegedly in the final stage of developing the "Hsiung Feng 3" cruise missile, which is able to reach China's southern and eastern coasts, the Liberty Times reported. 1620 GMT Iran's interior minister called on the Pakistani government Sept. 3 to do more to prevent al Qaeda fugitives from entering Iran, after the Washington Post reported that two top al Qaeda leaders, among others, were hiding in Iranian cities close to the Afghan border, AFP reported. Iran was also accused of being a transit route, along with the United Arab Emirates, for large amounts of gold allegedly being shipped by al Qaeda and the Taliban to Sudan. 1610 GMT Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe defended his controversial land reform policies at the U.N. Earth Summit in South Africa on Sept. 2. He also launched a sharp attack on British Prime Minister Tony Blair, saying, "Keep your England, and let me keep my Zimbabwe," the BBC reports. 0215 GMT Speaking at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, former South African President Nelson Mandela severely criticized U.S. calls for an attack on Iraq, saying, "What they are introducing is chaos in international affairs, and we condemn that in the strongest terms ... We are really appalled by any country, whether it is a superpower or a poor country, that goes outside the United Nations and attacks independent countries." According to the BBC, Mandela also said he had contacted former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and asked that he raise the matter with his son. 0214 GMT Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov warned Sept. 2 that Russia still might use its U.N. Security Council veto to block U.S. military action in Iraq. During talks with Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri in Moscow, he said, "We hope that the issue will not go before the Security Council ... and a Russian veto will not be necessary," the BBC reported. 0211 GMT Dutch authorities have arrested eight suspects with alleged ties to al Qaeda, Dutch news agency ANP reported. The suspects, thought to have provided materiel, logistical and financial assistance to al Qaeda, were arrested in several towns. 0208 GMT 30 Aug 2002 Rachmawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of founding Indonesian President Sukarno and younger sister to current President Megawati Sukarnoputri, launched her own political party Aug. 29, creating the possibility of a contest with her sister in the 2004 presidential elections, reported the Jakarta Post. She claims Megawati has betrayed the ideals of their father, and that her Pioneer Party (PP) will oppose "imperialism" and assist the poor and oppressed sectors of society. 1645 GMT In an attempt at improving cooperation, an agreement has been signed between the two Koreas to begin construction Sept. 18 to reconnect cross-border railroads from Seoul to Shinuiju, the Korean Times reported Aug 30. Economic talks held in Seoul produced promises from each side, such as food relief and rail- building equipment from South Korea to North Korea, temporary roads to allow border crossings and implementation of four previous economic accords. Working-level military talks will be held before the construction date, and meetings are also scheduled for October and November to further discuss economic issues. 1642 GMT Pakistan and Indian forces traded heavy fire in northern Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, according to a senior Pakistani military officer cited by AP Aug. 29. The clash follows an Aug. 23 attack in the Gultari region, in which Pakistan claims that it inflicted heavy casualties upon India, while India denies the event occurred. 1640 GMT Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will pay a one-day visit to North Korea on Sept. 17, according to Japanese and North Korean news agencies. Koizumi plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. The meeting is part of an effort to improve and normalize bilateral relations between the countries. The summit will likely focus on allegations of abductions of Japanese citizens and the North Korean request for apology and compensation for the Japanese occupation during World War II. 1633 GMT The U.S. Embassy in Beijing claims that Uighur militants fighting a separatist campaign in China's Xinjiang province planned attacks against foreign missions in Kyrgyzstan, reported Aug 30 Reuters. Washington has put the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) on its list of terrorist groups. A Sweden- based spokesman for ETIM claims that they are not a terrorist group and that China is using the war on terror to legitimize it's control of Xinjiang and crackdown on separatist groups. 1630 GMT 29 Aug 2002 U.S. federal agencies plan to restrict foreign commercial and cargo aircraft from flying into or out of New York and Washington or over Somerset County, Pa., for much of Sept. 11 and 12. The government also is considering prohibitions on privately owned-aircraft flights into and out of New York airports. The Associated Press reports that foreign-owned airlines and the U.S. aviation industry are lobbying the government to back away from the planned restrictions, which could be approved as early as Aug. 30. 2225 GMT State-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) expects royalty, tax and dividend payments to the government to fall by one-third this year -- to $8.1 billion as opposed to last year's $12.1 billion -- due to a drop in oil output. Executives said net income this year will fall by 53 percent. This will exacerbate the Venezuelan government's financial problems, jeopardizing both the regime of President Hugo Chavez at risk and PDVSA's ability to invest in facility maintenance, which is necessary to maintain steady output. 1908 GMT German officials have impounded an Israeli ship carrying military equipment after receiving information it was headed for Iran, Israeli daily Haaretz reported. The Iranian Foreign Ministry denied Tehran had bought any Israeli arms. 1840 GMT Bloomberg is citing an unnamed OPEC spokesman as saying that the cartel is considering raising its production quota by 500,000 to 750,000 barrels per day (bpd) at its Sept. 19 meeting. The spokesman said Saudi Arabia supports an increase, while Iran, Kuwait, Qatar and Venezuela oppose it. Indonesia reportedly has said that oil supplies are currently at their correct level. Nigeria and Algeria, both under fiscal pressures, have been pushing for a larger individual share of OPEC output quotas -- but if that effort fails, they could back an output increase. Opponents of an increase fear a repeat of 1997, when rising production coincided with the Asian economic crisis, sending prices down by 50 percent. The debate may be largely irrelevant, however, since cheating is already rampant. OPEC's monthly production levels (excluding those of Iraq) for the first half of the year have ranged from 1 million bpd above the official ceiling in January to more than 1.5 million bdp over the limit in June, reportedly topping 1.7 million bpd in August. Thus, any official quota increase probably wouldn't put much fresh production on the market, but merely legitimize some of the current cheating. Nevertheless, a vote to boost quotas could have a psychological impact on the market, pushing oil prices down slightly. 1755 GMT One of the lawyers suing several entities over alleged support for the Sept. 11 attackers has said that plaintiffs will ask a U.S. court and Congress to freeze the defendants' assets, Agence France Presse reports. The families of Sept. 11 victims are suing three members of the Saudi royal family, the Sudanese government, eight Islamic charities and several Gulf Banks accused of financing al Qaeda. 1753 GMT The United Kingdom is contemplating whether to call a deadline for Iraq to readmit U.N. weapons inspectors, the British Foreign Office has announced. London first would hold discussions with allies, including the United States, before making a concrete proposal. Britain is seeking a solution that would thrust responsibility for keeping the peace onto Iraq. If Baghdad refused to cooperate with a U.N.-supported deadline, military action could be justified. 1726 GMT The Russian government intends to include its remaining 0.07 percent stake in Yukos, the country's second-largest oil firm, among its privatization plans for 2003. The sale would raise approximately $15 million at current stock valuations. The government expects to raise a total of $1.62 billion from the privatizations next year, which will include shares in telecommunications holding company Svyazinvest and the politically charged oil firm Slavneft. 1619 GMT 28 Aug 2002 The parliament of Trinidad and Tobago has been dissolved after lawmakers failed to elect a House speaker, and officials called for early elections on Oct. 7, The Associated Press reports. The island nation now will be forced into its third national election in three years. Because an ethnic split at the center of the current political stalemate, the campaign could feed tensions even further, increasing the likelihood of violence or race riots -- which have been rare in Trinidad and Tobago during the past decade. 1755 GMT The chief of the paramilitary Pakistani Rangers, Maj. Gen. Salahuddin Satti, says authorities have "credible reports" that Pakistan will be attacked by terrorists on or around Sept. 11, according to The Associated Press. Foreign and domestic organizations as well as foreign missions, police and military installations and churches are possible targets. 1744 GMT A meeting between Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Palestinian Interior Minster Abdel Razak Yehiyeh was cancelled after Israeli troops raided a Palestinian village south of Gaza City to foil an alleged arms smuggling operation, BBC reported. The talks were expected to cover a planned Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 1648 GMT The head of Russia's state-owned arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport said Moscow has categorically ruled out further sales of military hardware to Pakistan, the Times of India reported. Although Russia has supplied a handful of Mi-17 helicopters to Pakistan in the past, the official said India is the country's only strategic partner in South Asia. 1645 GMT The South Korean parliament rejected President Kim Dae Jung's nominee for prime minister for a second time in a month Aug. 28, after earlier rejecting the first woman ever nominated for the post, AP reported. 1640 GMT Argentina's central bank will allow depositors free access to new cash put into in their bank accounts beginning Sept. 2, according to Argentine newspapers Daily Ambito Financiero and Clarin. Funds frozen in December will remain inaccessible, but depositors will be able to open a second account for fresh deposits that can be withdrawn freely. The move will benefit both workers and exporters, who have been forced to deposit sales income into frozen accounts. It also should help reduce the amount of loose cash floating around the country, which is fueling the growth of black markets. However, the benefits will be muted by continued lack of confidence in Argentine banks, and the new measure will do little for the large numbers of unemployed who are unable to access their savings. 1630 GMT 27 Aug 2002 Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh called Aug. 26 for suspected al Qaeda members hiding in the country's provinces to turn themselves in, promising they would not be transferred to U.S. custody, AP reported. Yemen has experienced a string of recent bombings committed by supporters of al Qaeda in response to its cooperation with the U.S.-led war on terrorism. 1930 GMT During talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage Aug. 26, Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan expressed hope for more anti-terrorism cooperation between the two nations, the People's Daily reported. Tang also implored Washington to use caution in dealing with Taiwan, asking for a clearer understanding of Taiwanese separatism and an end to the sales of weapons to the island. For his part, Armitage expressed appreciation for China's offers of bilateral cooperation and mutual support against terrorism. 1927 GMT Spanish police on Aug. 26 defused a dynamite bomb outside of a courthouse in the Basque town of Tolosa. The bomb appears to be the first response by the Basque separatist group ETA to the banning of Batasuna, the party believed to be its political arm, earlier that day. Armed with a ruling by a Spanish anti- terrorism judge that suspends the group's activities for three years, Spanish police began shutting down Batasuna offices late Aug. 26. In the face of the crackdown, ETA is likely to respond with more bombings, most likely along the Costa del Sol -- the Mediterranean coast that is popular with tourists -- and in Madrid, both scenes of previous ETA bomb attacks. 1914 GMT Following a visit with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah said both countries will continue to work together in the war against terrorism, AFP reported Aug. 27. Abdullah was a key player within Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, and Pakistan is still viewed with suspicion by factions within the group due to its previous support of the Taliban. 1710 GMT Israel arrested two political leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Aug. 27 in the West Bank town of Ramallah, reported AFP. Israel is continuing its policy of targeted arrests against militants despite continued talks between both sides over a proposal to transfer security control over parts of the West Bank from Israeli to Palestinian control. 1707 GMT 26 Aug 2002 A Saudi man wanted by the FBI in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks, Saud Abdulaziz Saud al-Rasheed, reportedly surrendered to Saudi authorities last week, The Independent reported. The Saudi Interior Ministry would not confirm or deny it was holding al-Rasheed. 1817 GMT A Spanish judge Aug. 26 suspended the activities of the Batasuna party for three years due to allegations that it supports militant group ETA, AP reported. Spanish lawmakers are also cutting short their summer vacations to vote on a bill outlawing the Batasuna party altogether. 1815 GMT Georgia deployed 1,000 Interior Ministry troops to the Pankisi Gorge on Aug. 25 to root out an estimated 5,000 refugees from Russia's Chechen war, according to the BBC, Interfax and local Georgian media. Another 1,500 Georgian army troops are conducting exercises at the base of the valley. Although no U.S. assets are involved in the action, some of the commanders of the troops conducting exercises are being trained under the aegis of the U.S. train- and-equip program. Escalating violence in the Pankisi Gorge and the propensity of Chechen militants to use it as a base for attacks on Russia have led to sharp deterioration in relations between Georgia and Russia. Because U.S. forces are now involved in Georgian security efforts, this also has soured U.S.-Russian relations. Georgian officials assert that Russian air force assets bombed locations 80 kilometers inside Georgia, a claim denied by Moscow but confirmed by observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In an Aug. 24 statement, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer all but accused Russia of lying about the incursion. 1610 GMT 23 Aug 2002 Six legislators resigned from ailing Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's party Aug. 23, bringing the total number of lawmakers who have quit the government since July to 69, AFP reported. 2059 GMT Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe dissolved his Cabinet Aug. 23 and is expected to announce a new government team Aug. 26, Reuters reported. No explanation was given for the change. The president is under continued international and domestic criticism for his efforts to seize white-owned farms for redistribution to landless blacks. 2055 GMT Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez sent a letter Aug. 22 to the Constitutional Court warning that the FARC rebel group was planning a major attack with sophisticated weapons intended to target the government, destroy entire populations and ruin the country, Agence France- Presse reported. The FARC rejected Uribe's offer to negotiate through U.N.-led mediation. The rebels said they would negotiate only with Uribe's administration directly. Other stipulations included a 45,160 square-mile (117,000 square kilometer) demilitarized zone under rebel control, removal of the words "terrorist" and "narco-terrorist" from the official lexicon, instead calling the FARC "political-military opposition," and establishing a policy intent on eradicating paramilitaries. The government will not give in to the rebels' demands but is instead justifying its plans to launch attacks against the FARC. The FARC will seek to pre-empt the government with its own offensive. 1720 GMT 22 Aug 2002 Argentine Central Bank board member Guillermo Lesniewier said Aug. 22 that the conditions are in place to start easing restrictions on bank withdrawals that have been in place since December, Bloomberg reports. Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna has resisted any plan to ease the restrictions, fearing it would spark hyperinflation, while Lesniewier admitted that the Economy Ministry hasn't backed the Central Bank's latest proposal. Ongoing disagreements between the bank and the Economy Ministry over policy prescriptions have hampered Argentina's efforts to extricate itself from the restrictions. 2310 GMT Domingo Maza, one of Venezuela's seven Central Bank directors, said Aug. 22 that the country's economy shrank by 9 percent in the second quarter -- nearly double most previous estimates -- due to a devaluation, cuts in oil output and damage to business from a brief coup against President Hugo Chavez in April, Bloomberg reported. Maza also noted that political instability continues to be a drag on the Venezuelan economy, and that he expects no economic growth in 2003. He estimated that inflation this year would probably double last year's rate, hitting 25 percent to 27 percent. 2225 GMT British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Aug. 22 that a regime change in Iraq was not a goal of his government's foreign policy, and that weapons inspections are the preferable way to nullify the threat presented by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the BBC reported. He also said Washington does not view a military operation in Iraq as the ideal option, either. With the Bush administration appearing to pull away from calling for war on Iraq, and lacking international support for such an action, Britain is much more comfortable with publicly stating views that directly counter those of the United States. 2027 GMT Japan has no plans to increase its crude oil stockpiles despite increased fears of supply disruptions in the Middle East, according to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Aug. 22. Japan holds 320.8 million barrels of crude in its emergency stocks, equivalent to 91 days of supply. Oil firms hold an additional 70 days supply. Despite importing 85 percent of its total consumption from the Middle East, Japan simply lacks the money to build larger stocks. The 2003 budget already calls for a budget deficit in excess of 6 percent of GDP before debt rollovers are included. 1750 GMT Muslim rebel group Abu Sayyaf, which wants to establish an Islamic state in the southern Philippines, beheaded two of eight people kidnapped Aug. 20, reports BBC. The heads of the two hostages were found on the island of Jolo Aug. 22. The United States has designated Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist group, and it deployed troops to the Philippines in February to help Manila root out the group. 1610 GMT 21 Aug 2002 Yukos, Russia's second-largest oil firm, announced Aug. 20 it was buying out Oklahoma-based energy firm Williams' 26.85 percent stake in Lithuania's troubled Mazheikiu Nafta refinery, reported the Baltic News Service. If completed as planned, the purchase will make Yukos the majority shareholder and sole supplier of crude oil. Yukos plans to use the refinery to garner market share in Europe; most of its existing refineries are in Siberia. 2212 GMT The European Union announced Aug. 20 that it was amending its trade guidelines to recognize the Russian Federation as a market economy. Russia's new status is essential to its efforts to join the World Trade Organization, but in the shorter term it will increase Moscow's access to the EU by making it more difficult for EU states to enact anti-Russian trade sanctions. 2208 GMT Israeli undercover forces killed the brother of a radical Palestinian leader during a raid in the West Bank Aug. 21, while in another operation Israeli troops blew up two apartment buildings in a Gaza refugee camp, Fox News reported. The strikes occurred a day after a Hamas sniper killed an Israel Defense Force soldier and may undermine attempts to reach a partial truce between Israeli and Palestinian forces. 1656 GMT The northern Iraqi Islamic extremist group Ansar al-Islam is being examined by U.S. intelligence agencies for its alleged ties to al Qaeda and interest in chemical and biological weapons, AP reported. According to anonymous U.S. officials, the group sent a dozen or so members to training camps in Afghanistan in 1999 and 2000 -- where they reportedly had contact with al Qaeda -- and have sheltered al Qaeda fighters who have moved through Iraq after fleeing from the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. U.S. agencies recently monitored the group's activities in northern Iraq, where chemical or biological weapons experiments were allegedly conducted on farm animals and at least one person. Ansar al-Islam was formed in December 2001 and is one of several small factions in the region of northern Iraq that is controlled by ethnic Kurds. 1650 GMT Indonesian authorities have arrested a 41-year old army deserter from the province of Aceh, alleging he masterminded numerous bombings in Jakarta since 2000, the Jakarta Post reported Aug. 21. Ramli is allegedly responsible for bombings at the Jakarta Stock Exchange, a disco and two malls, killing 15 and wounding dozens. The bombings may not stop, authorities said, as there are still fugitives on the run. The attacks have added to Indonesia's instability, discouraged investors and threatened the country's economy. 1630 GMT 20 Aug 2002 An explosion destroyed part of an apartment block in northeastern Moscow Aug. 20, with local news agencies saying that an undetermined number of people were killed, Reuters reported. Interfax news agency cited government sources who said the blast was caused by a gas explosion. 2140 GMT Venezuelan Defense Minister Jose Luis Prieto, a retired army division general, said Aug. 20 that the military "will respect" the Supreme Court's decision last week to drop rebellion charges against four senior military officers, according to the Caracas afternoon daily TalCual. The defense minister's remarks contradicted army 4th Division commanding Gen. Raul Baduel, who suggested several days ago that the Supreme Court's decision was mistaken and should be revised. Baduel was appointed commander last April after he publicly opposed President Hugo Chavez's brief removal from the presidency April 11-13. The different positions taken by Prieto and Baduel are one more reflection of the profound internal divisions that have fractured the military institutionally. 2056 GMT The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) insurgent group announced that U.S. citizens and companies will be targeted for military engagement and taxation in retaliation for the Bush administration's decision to "declare war" against the FARC, according to Colombian television news show Noticias Uno. The broadcast attributed the report to intercepts of FARC cell phone and radio communications by Colombian military intelligence, and also said the order to target U.S. citizens and firms was issued by senior FARC commander Jorge Briceno Suarez. 2050 GMT U.S. President George W. Bush will hold a "summit" of leading policymakers at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, June 21. Included among the attendees are Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card. Officially the topic of discussion is the evolution of American military forces, buts more likely Iraq will dominate the agenda. Over the past few days, splits have emerged within the government -- and the Bush administration -- over the feasibility of an attack. 1930 GMT Venezuelan Foreign Minister Roy Chaderton has asked the Organization of American States, the Carter Center and the United Nations to act as mediators between his government and the country's opposition, AP reported. Considering the lack of public confidence in the government of President Hugo Chavez, the move demonstrates that Chavez feels he must reach outside of the country for pillars of support. 1920 GMT Russian authorities in St. Petersburg are shearing off levels of a 300 foot long ship carrying 2000 metric tons of steel that sunk in the Neva River, reported the St. Petersburg Times Aug. 20. The channel - one of Russia's primary export/import routes - has been blocked ever since the ship crashed into a drawbridge and sunk Aug. 16. The blockage occurred at the height of the shipping season as the route freezes over in the winter. There are no easily available substitutes and St. Petersburg's rail facilities cannot make up for the current lack of shipping options. St. Petersburg authorities hope to have the passage cleared sufficiently to allow normal traffic by Aug. 21. 1650 GMT 19 Aug 2002 The Islamic Jihad militant group pledged Aug. 19 to step up attacks on Israeli targets in order to scuttle a deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority that includes an Israeli pullback from the Gaza Strip and Bethlehem. Islamic Jihad said the agreement would "destroy the intifada," a stance echoed by Palestinian militant faction Hamas, which also vowed to continue attacks. Israeli-Palestinian violence has proven sufficient in the past to boost oil prices even though the violence rarely ever leaves Israel or the Palestinian territories. 1840 GMT Two U.S. Special Operations soldiers were wounded during an intelligence gathering operation in the central Afghanistan province of Oruzgan, a military spokesman reported to AP Aug. 19. During the operation coalition troops captured four men for questioning. 1835 GMT The Russian government Aug.19 downplayed the significance of a $40 billion economic deal it is discussing with Iraq, Interfax reported. It said that an unnamed source in the Russian Foreign Ministry informed the news agency that work on the Iraqi agreement had been carried out for several years and did not break any international treaties. 1832 GMT Communist rebels said Aug. 18 that U.S. troops taking an active role in the Philippine army's anti-rebel campaign may be targeted for attack. The rebels say the United States may plan direct involvement in offensives against them after the U.S. State Department included the Communist Party and its armed branch, the New People's Army, on its list of foreign terrorist organizations last week, AP reported. 1830 GMT 16 Aug 2002 Jordan's King Abdullah postponed elections scheduled for November until next year due to concerns that regional instability could help opposition parties win a majority in parliament, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported. The polls would have been the first since the king took power three years ago. 1856 GMT The Times of India reports that New Delhi set up a military base in Tajikistan close to Afghanistan's border in May, the first such military facility outside India. 1850 GMT Moscow's deputy minister for economy, trade and development, who is also in charge of Russia's World Trade Organization negotiation team, stated Aug. 16 that the WTO accession process had hit a wall. Maxim Medvedkov expressed his belief that Russia would be unable to continue negotiations in a meaningful way until after presidential elections in 2004, and that once time was set aside for debate and ratification of any agreement, it would be 2007 before Russia would gain membership. Medvedkov has a reputation at the WTO for being intractable, stubborn and bellicose. Many officials within the WTO and the United States and European Union have publicly committed to admitting Russia to the global trading group by the end of 2003. Membership for Russia is now more of a political than economic issue, considering Moscow's firm support for the war on terrorism. It is likely that Russian President Vladimir Putin will either replace Medvedkov with a more friendly face or take up the case of Russia's WTO status directly with his counterparts in the West. 1700 GMT 15 Aug 2002 Mullah Mohammed Khaksar, the Taliban's former deputy interior minister, claimed Aug. 15 that it was Osama bin Laden who ordered two suicide bombers to assassinate Afghan opposition leader Ahmed Shah Massood just days before the Sept. 11 attacks. Khaksar left the Taliban after the Afghan capital of Kabul fell in November 2001. 2247 GMT Indonesian courts acquitted six former military officials Aug. 15 of human rights violations allegedly committed in 1999 during East Timor's successful bid for independence. The acquittal did not come as a surprise, especially as the military has solidified its control under President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Human rights groups -- which assert that Indonesian military officials are jointly responsible with vigilante groups for the violence in the fading weeks of Indonesia's rule of East Timor -- condemned the acquittals. The same day, former East Timorese Gov. Abilio Soares received a three-year sentence for his role in the violence. The Clinton administration cut off military-to- military ties with Indonesia in 1999 in response to its treatment of East Timorese citizens -- then technically Indonesian citizens. The Bush administration has steadily moved to resuscitate those links to strengthen its capabilities in the war on terrorism. The acquittal will complicate those efforts, but is unlikely to derail them. East Timor achieved full independence in May 2002 after a three-year U.N. brokered transitional period. 1758 GMT Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed Aug. 15 to rework existing treaties with Belarus to form a joint state. Under the original plan -- favored by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko -- Belarus (pop. 10 million) and Russia (pop. 143 million) would be treated as equals in the new state. Putin's counterproposal would involve Russia de facto annexing Belarus completely. Lukashenko rejected the Putin proposal, but it is clear Putin will not settle for less. Traditionally warm relations between the two countries have soured since Putin became president in 2000. Belarus is an important transit state for Russian oil and natural gas en route to Europe. 1750 GMT 14 Aug 2002 British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said Aug. 14 that the House of Commons would discuss whether the United Kingdom would participate in a possible U.S. military action against Iraq, the Associated Press reported. However, Prime Minister Tony Blair has the authority to make a binding decision regarding the issue. The House of Commons can debate any subject set by the government, but cannot vote on the subject unless permitted. Blair has not indicated whether such a vote will be taken over the Iraq issue. 2204 GMT Russia accused Georgia Aug. 14 of directly aiding Chechen rebels, AP reported. Col. Boris Podoprigora, the deputy commander of Russian forces in the North Caucasus region, claimed that a captured Chechen rebel informed him that a Georgian man in military uniform repeatedly met with rebels in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge and traveled with them to the Chechen border to ensure their safe passage across the frontier. The Georgian military asserts that the border is hard to control and that the Russian claim is inconclusive. 1905 GMT Taiwan's vice president, Lu Hsiu-lien, began a four-day visit to Indonesia Aug. 14. The trip is officially labeled a vacation. Taiwanese media reported that Lu had intended to stay in Jakarta for two days and meet with Indonesian ministers to discuss environmental economic issues. The Chinese Foreign Ministry protested to Indonesia its decision to allow Lu's visit. 1900 GMT 13 Aug 2002 The Nigerian House of Representatives passed a resolution Aug. 13 calling on President Olusegun Obasanjo to resign within two weeks or risk impeachment. The resolution is simply the latest chapter in ongoing budget battles in the government, and is not a serious attempt to remove Obasanjo. 2052 GMT Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal has said that Saudi Arabia will not hand over to the United States 16 alleged al Qaeda fighters that Iran recently extradited to the kingdom, reports London-based newspaper Al-Sharq Al- Awsat Aug. 13. The announcement is a statement of intentions: the kingdom will not allow Washington to control the pace of the war on terrorism on Saudi soil. Riyadh also wants to prove to the international community that both Saudi Arabia and Iran are in fact cooperating in the war on terrorism and that unilateralist moves are the true danger. 1725 GMT The government of Jordan allegedly plans to increase the amount of oil it imports from Iraq in order to stockpile supplies for a possible U.S. attack on Iraq, reports the London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper Aug. 13. Jordan receives all of its oil, about 100,000 barrels per day, from Iraq under a preferential pricing deal set up by the United Nations. Unofficially, Jordan's support for U.S. actions against Baghdad is contingent upon a continued cheap supply of energy, a condition that Washington is more than willing to meet. If true, Jordan's desire to stockpile oil indicates that U.S. action against Iraq is nearing, since Jordan's limited financial resources make such stockpiling an expensive proposition. 1720 GMT German and Austrian Danube authorities reported Aug. 13 that their respective stretches of the Danube River were closed to navigation indefinitely due to heavy flooding. Additional navigation bans are highly likely downstream in the days ahead in Hungary, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia, as the floodwaters move downstream. The closure severs waterborne trade links between the North Sea and Southeast Europe. The Danube is the single most important trade link in Southeast Europe, and its traffic was last halted because of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia during the 1999 Kosovo war. The river was cleared and reopened to full navigation Nov. 29, 2001. 1715 GMT 12 Aug 2002 Former Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez said this weekend that only violence will force current President Hugo Chavez out of office again following a brief coup earlier this year, the Associated Press reported Aug. 11. The former leader claimed that such a coup was in the works and bloodshed will result. As Perez is one of Chavez's major rivals, his comments are not a surprise. Despite the remarks, anti-Chavez elements have not unified in Venezuela, and Chavez will likely stay put until a cohesive opposition with a leader emerges. 2310 GMT Taiwan's legislators reported Aug. 12 that a parliamentary session scheduled for next month will include discussions regarding a possible referendum on independence from China, Reuters reported. Tensions between the mainland and the island are already high following President Chen Shui-bian's Aug. 3 comment that the Taiwanese should decide whether they are independent from China and that the most appropriate avenue for such a decision is a referendum. Given that such a discussion could threaten business ties and complicate cross- strait relations, the probability that a debate over it will actually take place is fairly low. 2220 GMT Iraq's ambassador to India, Salah Al-Mukhtar, said Aug. 12 that Baghdad would not intentionally halt oil production or exports unless the United States attacks oil installations, reported Dow Jones Newswire. The minister said Iraq was prepared for any eventuality. Baghdad, however, alters oil exports regularly as leverage to score political points against Washington. 2213 GMT Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al- Faisal said Iran has deported 16 al Qaeda fighters to Riyadh, knowing that whatever intelligence gathered from their interrogation would be passed on to the United States, the BBC reported. The foreign minister clearly highlighted that Iran has cooperated with Saudi Arabia and the United States to combat al Qaeda. Iran's state media also reported the deportations as part of the country's cooperation with the U.N. -- not the U.S. -- war against terrorism. The comments out of Saudi Arabia and Iran are an effort to point to both countries' cooperation on the global efforts to combat terrorism in hopes of dampening Washington's motivations for going to war against Iraq, under the rationalization that Riyadh and Tehran's support helps nullify potential danger that could originate in Iraq. But the move will not deter Washington from action on Iraq should it choose to carry out such an operation. 1650 GMT In Yemen, security officials said Aug. 11 that they had arrested six suspected Muslim militants for planning a bomb attack in the capital Sanaa, the Associated Press reports. The officials arrested two others in connection with a bomb that exploded prematurely Aug. 9 in a Sanaa apartment, killing two bomb makers. Police said they uncovered plastic explosives and rocket-propelled grenades while searching the blown-up apartment. Yemen has endured a rash of bombings by militants opposed in part to government cooperation with the United States. Some of the bombings have been claimed by a group calling itself "sympathizers of al Qaeda," which has been demanding that the government release 173 people detained for alleged links to Osama bin Laden's organization. 1612 GMT Abductions and kidnappings multiplied six fold in Greater Buenos Aires from January to June -- according to government officials cited Aug. 12 by Bloomberg -- leading to a government decision last week to increase the police presence on the streets of Argentina's capital. Kidnappings are financially motivated and have focused on high-profile individuals, such as sports stars, politicians and their relatives, most of whom have been released upon the payment of ransoms. Company executives are now shunning publicity, a corporate communications executive told Bloomberg, telling public relations companies not to give their photographs to the media and declining televised interviews. As Argentina's economic situation continues to deteriorate, the number of kidnappings will likely continue to increase. 1610 GMT Much to the dismay of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the U.S. government has launched the Office of Transition Initiatives, a two-year program in support of democracy in Venezuela, the Associated Press said Aug. 10. Chavez and his supporters claim the office is supporting the leader's ouster. U.S. ambassador Charles Shapiro calmed tired to calm these fears by saying the office did not support the government or the opposition, simply the democratic process. Regardless, the establishment of the program does signal further deterioration in Washington-Caracas relations, and greater open support for the removal of Chavez. 1607 GMT Turkish markets took a dive after Economy Minister Kemal Dervis resigned Aug. 11. The ill health of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has caused Ankara's government to fracture, as officials position themselves for November elections. Dervis was invited to join the New Turkey (YT) party, former Foreign Minister Ismail Cem's party, but is waiting in hopes of establishing a broad center-left party coalition, Financial Times reported. 1605 GMT Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared Aug. 12 that he would call for early elections if his 2003 budget fails to pass through parliament. If parliament is dissolved, Jerusalem's political parties will have 90 days to declare their candidates. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to present a challenge to Sharon for their Likud party's nomination, AFP reported. 1603 GMT More than 100 people in Colombia have been killed in separatist and guerrilla violence since President Alvaro Uribe Velez was sworn in Aug. 7, Reuters reported. Uribe Velez has declared a 90-day state of emergency, which can be extended another 90 days if necessary. He has also levied an emergency tax to raise $778 million toward building up the military to fight off the rebels. 1600 GMT South Korea agreed to buy $534 million in Russian arms to offset a $1.95 billion loan that was given in 1990, reported Korea Times. Moscow will receive $267 million directly, while the remaining balance will be applied toward their loan. The deal is expected to include T-80 tanks, hovercraft, armored vehicles, helicopters and trainers. 1557 GMT Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al- Sahhaf told al-Jazeera news Aug. 12 that the Bush administration was trying to resurrect the issue of weapons inspections merely to have a publicly acceptable reason to wage war on the regime in Baghdad, AP reported. 1555 GMT 09 Aug 2002 Eleven of Venezuela's 20 Supreme Court judges Aug. 9 overruled a proposal to try four military officers for their participation the April coup attempt against President Hugo Chavez, the BBC reported. The judges' votes were split between those appointed by Chavez and those appointed by the president's opponents. It is expected that a proposal will be presented to drop the charges against the four officers, which would represent a major political defeat for Chavez. 2125 GMT Russia's defense minister said Aug. 9 that Georgia's Pankisi Gorge has emerged as the world's second major "nest" of terrorism, the Associated Press reported. Tensions between Georgia and Russia remain high, as Tbilisi refuses to allow Moscow to flush out suspected Chechen rebels from the gorge. Russia is unlikely to move against Georgia so long as the United States considers Georgia an ally and has forces stationed in the small Caucasus state. However, if tensions continue to build, the United States itself might be forced to act in the gorge, which would in effect bring Washington directly into Russia's Chechen war. 1850 GMT An explosion in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, killed at least 10 people and injured more than 25 Aug. 9, AP reported. The cause of the blast has not yet been determined. Original reports placed responsibility on a car or truck bomb, but the deputy governor of Nangarhar province said it may have been an accident. 1700 GMT 08 Aug 2002 Mohsen Rezaie, a spokesman for Iran's Expediency Council, said Aug. 7 that a U.S. attack on Iran next year is "highly probable," Gulf News reported. The spokesman warned Washington by saying Tehran's role in the region cannot be ignored, and that Iran's leaders must pool their efforts toward the will of the people and practice active diplomacy to create a powerful Iran in the region. 2000 GMT Brazil was granted a $30 billion International Monetary Fund loan on Aug. 7. The funds, of which 80 percent will be made available in 2003, are earmarked to help the government strengthen the weakening real. The country's currency hit record lows last week as Brazil continues to struggle in the wake of Argentina's economic default, AP reported. 1805 GMT Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said Aug. 7 that relations between Riyadh and Washington were "excellent in all fields," Gulf News reported. The minister's comments came after reports that an advisory group to the Pentagon recently characterized Saudi Arabia as an enemy of the United States. In fact, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell phoned the prince expressly to say that U.S. President George W. Bush did not view Saudi Arabia in that light, according to official media. Riyadh wants to paint relations with Washington in a more positive light, as the war against terrorism and possible U.S. military action in Iraq has put interactions between the two on the rocks. 1800 GMT Ralph L. Boyce, the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, said that accountability regarding the Indonesian military's record of human rights abuses must be shown before Washington and Jakarta can normalize military ties, The Jakarta Post reported Aug. 8. Restitution of military ties would include training for Indonesian military officers by the United States and purchases of U.S. equipment at a lower cost. While U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said during a recent visit to Indonesia that a normalization in ties was a long way off, Boyce indicated military training could resume in the coming months. Though Washington has not openly disapproved of the military's increased power under President Megawati Sukarnoputri, since the stability of the country is of the utmost importance, Boyce's statements indicate the United States will not tolerate the large-scale human rights abuses which the military was known to commit. 1757 GMT After a week of preparation, Russia began full- scale military exercises on the Caspian Sea Aug. 8 involving 10,000 soldiers, 60 warships and elements from Russia's air force and security services. The exercises are meant to intimidate Iran into agreeing to a Russian-led drive to divide the Caspian Sea, which would leave Iran with the smallest sector as well as the most difficult to develop. In a surprise move, official Russian news agency RIA-Novosti announced that the exercises were being held to honor the 280th anniversary of the Tsar Peter the Great's naval invasion of Persia, Iran's precursor. In the August 1722 campaign, Russia captured the southern coast of the Caspian, which is part of Iran in contemporary times. Russian President Vladimir Putin first announced the exercises immediately after a presidential summit of the Caspian littoral states failed to establish a division plan. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, which agree with the Russian division plan, have been invited to participate in the exercises and are contributing forces. Despite asking to participate, Iran has been excluded along with Turkmenistan, which broadly agrees with Tehran on the division issue. 1500 GMT 07 Aug 2002 Despite strong security precautions in Bogota, presumed Colombian guerrillas managed to explode at least two rockets or mortar shells within 800 meters of the presidential palace where Alvaro Uribe Velez was sworn in as president of Colombia Aug. 7. A third explosive device which appears to have been a hand grenade was detonated near the presidency's administrative offices. Bogota daily El Espectador reports that at least 17 people were killed and 30 wounded. 2300 GMT In an Aug. 7 interview with the Associated Press, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said that his government has told Washington it will not allow the U.S. military to use Saudi territory for any attack against Iraq. The foreign minister also noted that his country opposes any U.S. operation against Iraq "because we believe it is not needed, especially now that Iraq is moving to implement United Nations resolutions" -- referring to recent proposals from Baghdad to reopen talks on allowing U.N. weapons inspectors back into the country. Anticipating such problems, the United States has been moving equipment from Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia to the al-Udeid air base in Qatar in recent months, though the U.S. military still maintains a large presence in Saudi Arabia. 2054 GMT German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is continuing to withhold Germany's full support for a U.S. invasion of Iraq, claiming that such an attack could end the international pact against terrorism, Bloomberg reported Aug. 7. Schroeder warned that an invasion of Iraq "may not be understood as a defensive act and could destroy the international alliance against terror." 2030 GMT In a recent interview, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri labeled chief U.N. arms inspector Hans Blix a spy who has been swayed by "U.S. pressure and blackmail," Reuters reported. Sabri conducted the interview following Blix's rejection of an invitation to continue talks over arms inspections in Iraq. 2020 GMT Three bombs exploded in Bogota Aug. 7 -- injuring three people -- just hours before Alvaro Uribe Velez is to be inaugurated as Colombia's next president, AFP reported. Uribe Velez comes into office with a popular mandate to crack down on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. 2005 GMT Taiwan has cancelled anti-submarine drills scheduled for Aug. 13 to ease tensions with China after Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian said Aug. 3 that only the Taiwanese could decide the issue of their independence. China reacted to the president's statement by saying Taiwan risks war if it pursues a referendum on independence. The cancellation of the exercises will help tensions subside in the near term, but the two sides will continue their verbal war over the independence issue. Statements such as Chen's are one of the few levers Taiwan has in trying to prevent Beijing from getting greater control over Taipei through the growing economic ties between the two sides. War, however, is not in the short-term picture. 1640 GMT 06 Aug 2002 U.S. President George Bush signed the 2002 Trade Act into law Aug. 6. The act grants the president "trade promotion authority," previously known as fast track authority, which enables him to submit bilateral and multilateral trade deals that Congress cannot amend. Every major trade deal the United States has ratified since 1974 was negotiated under TPA/fast track auspices. Congress allowed the last installment of TPA to expire in 1994 during the Clinton administration. 2150 GMT The Spanish government took a first step Aug. 6 toward outlawing Batasuna -- the political wing of the Basque separatist group ETA -- by handing over a file on the party to the country's public prosecutor. The move to ban Batasuna on charges of providing tacit support to terrorism was made possible by legislation passed in June, and comes after a weekend car bomb attack in the tourist resort of Santa Pola that killed two people. A government spokesman said Aug. 6 that Batasuna's failure to condemn the bombing "demonstrates unequivocally that Batasuna and ETA are one and the same." 2137 GMT The U.S. Federal Reserve announced Aug. 6 that English Queen Elizabeth II would grant Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve, an honorary knighthood upon his next visit to the United Kingdom. Being an American, he will not use the title Sir Alan. 2135 GMT The Central African Republic Aug. 6 rejected a claim by Chad that an attack on a Chadian border post was carried out by guerrillas from the CAR. Agence France-Presse quoted an unnamed CAR source who said " it was not our people who attacked. It was Chadian forces who attacked the FACA (Central African Republic Army)." 2030 GMT Twenty-two people -- including two Chadian soldiers -- were killed Aug. 6 when a group of armed men from the Central African Republic attacked a military outpost on the Chad-CAR border, AFP reported. Instability is increasing along the porous border, where CAR rebels are taking sanctuary in Chadian territory while the CAR harbors Chadian rebels as well. 1945 GMT The Pentagon issued a statement Aug. 6 calling Saudi Arabia "a long-standing friend and ally" in response to a briefing given to Pentagon officials by the Rand Corp. last month, AP reported. The Pentagon is distancing itself from the briefing leaked to the Washington Post which portrayed Saudi Arabia as an enemy of the United States. 1855 GMT Colombian guerrillas are escalating attacks against urban and energy targets across the country in advance of the Aug. 7 inauguration of President-elect Alvaro Uribe Velez. A car bomb exploded in Bogota Aug. 5, damaging several buildings. In Medellin, rebels downed electrical towers and launched two mortar rounds at a police station, while a mortar attack on the Saravena airport caused heavy damage and military and civilian casualties. Rebels also put the oft- bombed Cano Limon pipeline out of commission, bombing it three times Aug. 3. The guerrillas had recently stepped down their attacks on energy infrastructure in favor of urban attacks and political intimidation, but are attempting to show their strength in advance of the inauguration. They may also be taking advantage of the concentration of 20,000 security personnel currently in Bogota to strike elsewhere in the country. 1850 GMT Suspected Islamic militants killed 8 people and wounded 27 in an attack on Hindu pilgrims in Kashmir, AP reported. The attack occurred just before dawn in Nunwan when six militants lobbed a grenade and opened fire on a transit camp. One of the rebels was killed; as yet no group has claimed responsibility. 1730 GMT A briefing given July 10 to the Defense Policy Board -- which includes former senior officials who advise the Pentagon on defense policy -- labeled Saudi Arabia as an enemy of the United States, the Washington Post reported. While the assessment by the Rand Corp. directly contradicts the current U.S. stance on Riyadh, it is part of a re-evaluation occurring in Washington about the traditional U.S.-Saudi relationship. 1728 GMT The National Infrastructure Protection Center issued an alert Aug. 5 saying that wide-scale hacker attacks against U.S. Web sites and Internet Service Providers (ISP) were being planned for late Aug. 5 or Aug. 6, possibly emanating from Western Europe. The warning was based on "credible, but non-specific information." The alert recommends that Web site and ISP administrators "heighten their awareness of network traffic during this period and ... report suspected malicious activities to their local FBI office." 1715 GMT A radio-controlled land mine exploded beneath a truck carrying Chechen conscripts for the Russian army in Southern Chechnya Aug. 6, killing at least 11 and wounding 30 Russian soldiers, The Associated Press reported. Rebels fighting for provincial independence have been blamed for the attack. 1701 GMT Fujitsu Ltd. informed Japan's Defense Agency Aug. 5 that highly classified data linking air and ground forces had been leaked, Mainichi Shimbun reported Aug. 6. The data -- including a blueprint of the network and Internet protocol (IP) addresses the Defense Agency and the Self-Defense Forces use -- is being held for an undisclosed amount of ransom from Fujitsu. 1641 GMT Afghan officials pressed President Hamid Karzai Aug. 5 to act against warlord Bacha Khan Zadran (who set up roadblocks in southeastern Afghanistan to defy the central government), The Associated Press reported. Zadran and his army are stationed in Khost and the neighboring Paktia province and reportedly have not had contact with the central government since Karzai's office issued a statement Aug. 4 that the government would take "any actions deemed necessary to keep the peace and stability." 1624 GMT 05 Aug 2002 Five members of the militant group Hamas were slightly wounded during a gun battle Aug. 4 with members of Osbat al Ansar, another extremist group with a base at the Ain el Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported. The Ain el Hilweh camp has seen three explosions in as many days, none of which have resulted in casualties. In mid-July, the Lebanese army surrounded Ain el Hilweh for five days, in search of Badih Hamade, a militant accused of killing three Lebanese military intelligence agents. Hamade took refuge with the Osbat al Nour, a faction of Osbat al Ansar, and was handed over to the Lebanese Army after being forcibly detained by Palestinian leadership in the camp. According to the report, Palestinian factions have been engaged in a power struggle for control over the camp. 2037 GMT Taiwan's president said Aug. 3 that only the island's population can decide the tenor of its future relations with China -- independence, autonomy or unification -- and the proper way to decide the issue is by referendum, the Straits Times reported. Beijing responded negatively to the president's statements, The Associated Press reported, saying that the pursuit of independence would bring Taipei economic ruin, harm to its residents and disaster. Though China and Taiwan have issued very bold statements regarding their respective stances on the island's independence, the situation likely will remain calm as it is in neither the mainland's nor Taiwan's best interests to go to war. 1822 GMT North and South Korea agreed Aug. 4 to hold ministerial talks in Seoul in mid- August, while Pyongyang reportedly reiterated its regret over a battle between the two countries' naval forces in June that killed 18 sailors on both sides, Reuters reported. 1820 GMT Chinese President Jiang Zemin will visit U.S. President George W. Bush's ranch in Texas on Oct. 25, ahead of a meeting of the leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Mexico, Bloomberg reported. 1810 GMT A military revolt that began last week in Niger's far southeast spread Aug. 5to the capitol city. Mutinous soldiers opened fire in three garrisons in Niamey, The Associated Press reported. Two hours of shooting ended at dawn, and at midday the mutineers remained inside the garrisons, while presidential guards surrounded the home of President Tandja Mamadou. Soldiers in the three garrisons said they were acting in sympathy with mutineers in the southeast, who reportedly have fled north into the desert from Diffa over the weekend after coming under attack by loyalist government forces sent from the capitol. Niger has seen 15 mutinies in the past 10 years, but this is the first in Mamadou's home of Diffa since he became president in 2000. 1700 GMT 04 Aug 2002 A string of violent incidents hit Israel Aug. 4. In northern Israel, a bomb ripped apart a bus traveling from Haifa to Tsfat during rush hour, killing at least nine people and wounding thirty-seven. The militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for what Israeli police say was likely a suicide attack. Three hours later, a gun battle outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City left three dead including a Palestinian gunman, an Arab bystander and an Israeli security guard. The same day, four Israeli soldiers were wounded in a roadside bombing attack outside an Israeli military base near the West Bank city of Ramallah, three Israelis were wounded in a shooting ambush in the northern West Bank, and soldiers shot and killed an armed Palestinian dressed in a wet suit who had apparently swum to an area near the Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, The Associated Press reported. Israeli troops who raided the West Bank city of Nablus Aug. 2 in a hunt for militants remained in the city on Sunday, and Israeli officials declared that Nablus had replaced Jenin as the main hub of terrorist cells. The army also continued its policy of demolishing homes of suicide bombers and other militants' families, blowing up nine houses in the West Bank -- four in the Jenin area, three in Nablus and two in Hebron -- that the army said belonged to militants who carried out or orchestrated attacks against Israelis. 1501 GMT 03 Aug 2002 The Venezuelan capital city of Caracas was calm on Saturday morning, Aug. 3, following three days of disturbances in central and western parts of the city. The disturbances began July 31 after the Supreme Court decided not to prosecute four military officers on charges of rebellion stemming from a failed two-day coup attempt in April. Angry supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez opened fire on Caracas police Aug. 2, and Chavez called out the national guard to restore order. Venezuelan Union Radio and daily El Universal reported Aug. 3 that Caracas was calm Saturday morning, with shops open and downtown traffic returning to normal. National guard troops also were returning to their barracks. 1500 GMT 02 Aug 2002 Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan Aug. 1 inviting a delegation to Baghdad for renewed talks on allowing U.N. weapons inspectors into the country, AP reported. Sabri said the meeting would possibly allow for U.N. inspectors "to conduct a comprehensive review … and assess the degree of Iraq's implementation of its obligations." Iraq is subject to U.N. sanctions that can only be lifted after the U.N. Security Council inspects its arsenal, while the threat of a U.S. military action against the country remains. 1520 GMT The U.S. Senate Aug. 1 approved a bill granting U.S. President George W. Bush Trade Promotion Authority -- the power to negotiate trade agreements that Congress can either approve or reject but not amend, AP reported. The bill now goes to Bush for his signature. 1518 GMT U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Aug. 2 promised Indonesia $50 million to help boost its security, including $12 million to help set up a special police counterterrorism unit, Reuters reported. 1515 GMT 01 Aug 2002 Officials from Britain, France and the United States conducted a two-day fact- finding mission in West Africa this week. The six-member team -- which included the U.S.'s European Command Deputy Commander Gen. Carlton Fulford -- assessed military needs for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional grouping also involved in peacekeeping and joint military exercises, reported Agence France-Presse. The visit is part of an overall push by Washington, London and Paris to increase security in oil-rich West Africa, and may herald an important and growing level of security cooperation between West African states and the West. 2050 GMT China's defense minister reiterated to a reception Aug. 1 Beijing's stance on Taiwan's independence, the People's Daily reported. The minister said that while China would rather forge a peaceful reunification with Taiwan, it would not renounce the use of force to achieve its goal. He also said Taiwan's attempts at independence would only end in failure. Leaders of both countries have commented on Taiwan's desire for independence while simultaneously cultivating mutual economic ties. Taipei has called repeatedly for eventual independence, which would allow it to avoid tying itself economically to Beijing. China tries to maintain a position of strength by reminding Taiwan of the potential for war should the island try to officially separate. Such verbal posturing is likely to continue without a solution for the foreseeable future. 1930 GMT Nigeria's presidential adviser on petroleum, Rilwanu Lukman, said Aug. 1 that Nigeria has "no plans whatsoever" to leave OPEC, Platts reports. A statement from Lukman regarding Nigeria's OPEC status had been anticipated for weeks, and recent speculation that Nigeria was considering quitting the cartel to free itself from quotas and pump up output prompted his statement. Addressing the quota issue, Lukman said that "it would not be out of place to ask for a greater quota because we have revenue pressure," but that Nigeria is waiting for the right time to make its case. The idea that Nigeria yet could consider leaving OPEC could serve as useful leverage for Abuja in negotiating a quota increase. 1923 GMT The United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed an anti- terrorism pact Aug. 1 that includes provisions to stop the financing of terrorists, improve border controls, detect fake passports and halt the movement of terrorist funds. Greater intelligence sharing and counterterrorism measures also were included. Though many al Qaeda members are hiding out or operating in a number of Southeast Asian countries, these ASEAN members want to appear as if they are doing everything possible to combat terrorism so as to avoid U.S. intervention inside their sovereign borders. 1838 GMT U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told a Senate inquiry that al Qaeda members who have fled Afghanistan are establishing sleeper cells and operations in more than 60 countries, from North Africa to Southeast Asia and the United States, Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported Aug. 1. The secretary said the government's main focus is no longer on capturing Osama bin Laden, but also all al Qaeda members that could potentially replace him. The Defense Department reportedly gained much of its information on the group from al Qaeda fighters in U.S. custody. 1830 GMT Iraq's trade minister said Aug. 1 that Iraq trade with Arab countries increased to $26 billion from $14.5 billion in December 2001, Agence France Presse reported. Egypt is Iraq's leading trade partner, with Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco, Oman, and Yemen following. The trade increase is a result largely of the establishment of free trade agreements between Baghdad and the other countries. Iraq's growing economic relations with its Arab neighbors are an attempt from the fairly isolated country to complicate any military action by the United States. Increased relations between Iraq and other countries hinders Washington's efforts to build a coalition in preparation for military action against Baghdad. 1814 GMT At least 50 people have died in fighting in western Afghanistan between forces belonging to Pushtun commander Karim Khan and Tajik governor Ismail Khan, the Afghan Islamic Press reported. 1655 GMT After rejecting an offer of a 5.5 percent wage increase from Mexico's state- owned oil company Pemex, unionized workers have agreed to continue wage negotiations for another 30 days, delaying a general strike, Bloomberg reported Aug. 1. Mexico's oil workers union - which represents around two-thirds of Pemex's 135,000 workers - are demanding a 15 percent wage increase. A general work stoppage would quickly deplete Mexican oil and gas reserves, leading to electricity blackouts and a disruption in Mexico's 1.66 million barrels per day of crude exports. Pemex workers have never called a general strike in the company's 64 year history. 1640 GMT A freelance journalist told Kyodo News July 31 that a Japanese man allegedly fighting with separatist Muslim rebels in Chechnya is a former Self-Defense Forces (SDF) member. The journalist claimed to be a friend of the Japanese man. 1630 GMT Uruguay's government announced July 31 that a current bank holiday will be extended to Aug. 5. The central bank declared the holiday late July 30 to avoid a potential run on the banking system after it was forced to close a major Argentine-owned bank. The government has denied that it will impose limits on bank withdrawals after the holiday. Since January, bank deposits have dropped 33 percent and central bank reserves are down 79 percent, while Uruguay's currency has fallen over 50 percent since it was floated on June 18. 1547 GMT 31 Jul 2002 The Palestinian militant group Hamas reportedly has taken credit for an explosion July 31 in a cafeteria in Jerusalem's Hebrew University, killing seven and injuring 70, CNN reported. Police said the bomb was planted in the cafeteria and was not detonated by a suicide bomber, AFP reported. 1805 GMT U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met informally with North Korea's foreign minister July 31 in Brunei, the first high-level contact between the two sides since U.S. President George W. Bush labeled Pyongyang as part of the "axis of evil" in January, AP reported. Powell is on a six-nation tour through Southeast Asia. 1802 GMT U.S. reports say that several of Osama Bin Laden's bodyguards are among the prisoners currently being held in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, increasing the speculation that bin Laden is dead, BBC reported. 1800 GMT 30 Jul 2002 A report by Zachary Abuza, director of the Asia program at Simmons College in Massachussetts, says al Qaeda's presence in Southeast Asia is extensive and difficult to remove, the Washington Times reported July 30. Al Qaeda first permeated the region with indpendent cells and later used political dissent and poverty to engulf companies and organziations. Corrupt governments and law officials have aided al Qaeda's invasion, with the cell in Malaysia being the largest and the center for its finance records. Abuza also said Singapore is an operational center, the Philippines is a logistics hub and the breakdown of authority in Indonesia could make it the host of al Qaeda's most dangerous cell in the region. 1845 GMT U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said during a news conference July 30 that measures above and beyond air strikes are necessary to rid Iraq of its supply of weapons of mass destruction. Many of Iraq's supplies of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons, he said, are deep underground and highly mobile. Iraq has learned to hide the "precise, actionable locations" of these arms and its "enormous appetite for nuclear weapons." Rumsfeld did not address ways in which Washington might deal with such arms depots. 1755 GMT South Korea sent a telephone message to North Korea July 30 offering to send a team to the Mount Kumgang resort Aug. 2 to Aug. 4 for the preparation of a ministerial meeting between the two countries in Seoul at a later date, Reuters said. Pyongyang accepted the offer, which will likely lead to talks soon after the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Brunei this week. 1745 GMT The Algerian army, conducting military operations in the Tamezguida forest, reportedly killed the leader of the Armed Islamic Group -- Rachid Abou Tourab -- along with 15 other members July 28, AP reported citing Le Matin newspaper. The Armed Islamic Group has been active in Algeria since 1992 and is suspected of being behind an attack on a bus in June that killed 13 people. 1740 GMT Saudi Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabir was found dead in the Rub al-Khali desert on July 30, Agence France- Presse reported. According to the SPA news agency, the prince and two other men were found near their car and had died of thirst. Fahd, 25, was the third Saudi prince to die in the past week. Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz died July 22 of a heart attack at the age of 43. The next day, Prince Sultan bin Faisal bin Turki al-Saud, a cousin of Ahmed and one year younger, died behind the wheel as he was driving to the funeral. 1735 GMT South Korean student protesters laid siege to a U.S. Army base in Seoul July 30 in a demonstration sparked by the recent death of two Korean girls accidentally killed during a training exercise, BBC reported. Three U.S. Army staff at the base were kicked and beaten by the protesters before they could be contained. South Koreans have staged a number of anti-American demonstrations in response to a delayed apology from the U.S. government and its refusal to allow the servicemen responsible to be tried in a South Korean civil court. 1700 GMT A suicide bomber struck in Jerusalem July 30 outside of a fast-food restaurant, wounding four, BBC reported. This was the first suicide bombing in Jerusalem since late June, and it came on the heels of a recent Israeli military attack on Palestinian militant group Hamas that killed one of its leaders along with 14 Palestinians. 1650 GMT The Conference Board index released July 30 shows that U.S. consumer confidence fell sharply in July to 97.1 from 106.3 in June, the lowest level in five months. The Associated Press reports that most analysts had expected a reading of 101.5. The drop in confidence likely reflects concerns over the U.S. stock market and could signal a coming drop-off in consumer spending. A sustained rebound in the market would help restore confidence, however. 1645 GMT Bolivia's government plans to form a commission to study whether to locate a coastal LNG export terminal in Chile or Peru, Bolivian daily La Razon reported July 29. The formation of the commission allows outgoing Bolivian President Jorge Quiroga to pass the politically sensitive decision on to the new president, to be chosen by Congress Aug.4. The further postponement of the decision threatens to jeopardize the entire project, as it increases the likelihood that the new Bolivian president could choose the Peruvian option due to domestic political pressures. Unlike the majority of the Bolivian public, the Pacific LNG consortium prefers the more cost-effective option in Chile, and could drop the project if La Paz opts for the northern route. 1638 GMT 29 Jul 2002 A U.S. Navy spokesman said July 28 that an American-led naval coalition is resuming the interception and inspection of vessels in the northern Red Sea because U.N. sanctions against Iraq are being broken in the area, The Associated Press reports. Jordan, a key U.S. ally in the region but also Iraq's largest trading partner, reportedly opposes the decision to increase monitoring around its sea port of Aqaba, saying it is complying with the sanctions. Jordan's Islamic Action Front issued a statement calling inspections an "aggressive American measure" and a "violation of Jordan's sovereignty," saying the presence of vessels in the region was actually part of preparations for military action against Iraq. The same day, Jordan's King Abdullah denied his country is hosting or likely ever would host U.S. troops preparing an attack on Iraq. 2036 GMT Argentina's government formally approved a decree July 28 to remove a 36 percent limit on oil exports, Argentine newspapers Cinco Dias and Expansion report, citing unnamed sources at Spanish oil company Repsol YPF SA. The decree is part of a June agreement between oil companies and the government to loosen restrictions on the energy sector imposed in February as a result of Argentina's ongoing financial crisis. Though the removal of restrictions will please oil companies, the loosening of price controls and more rapid exports could spark higher domestic fuel prices, possibly resulting in a public backlash against the government. 1812 GMT Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov announced July 29 that North Korea is ready for unconditional talks with the United States, Reuters said. The announcement followed the foreign minister's meetings July 28 with his North Korean counterpart and the country's leader, Kim Jong Il. 1655 GMT Indirect trade between Taiwan and China rose 24.5 percent in the first five months of 2002 compared with last year, AFP reported. According to the Board of Foreign Trade, China has become Taiwan's leading export market, while imports from China are up 18 percent over the first five months of last year at $2.88 billion. Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian, however, warned Taiwanese investors July 29 against concentrating investments on the mainland, fearing economic dependence on Beijing in the case of a war with China. 1650 GMT 26 Jul 2002 Polish Deputy Defense Minister Janusz Zemke announced plans for Poland to buy anti-tank missiles to raise its military strength to NATO standards, The Associated Press reported July 26. Zemke said Poland planned to buy several thousand NT-S "Spike" missiles from Israeli company Rafael, a deal estimated to be worth about $250 million over 10 years. 1851 GMT The son of former Indonesian autocrat Suharto, "Tommy" Mandela Putra, received a 15-year sentence July 26 for masterminding the murder of a supreme court justice, possessing illegal weapons and evading a corruption conviction, Reuters reported. The judge was assassinated after convicting the member of the formerly "untouchable" Suharto family for corruption. 1810 GMT Germany's closely watched Ifo business climate index suffered an unexpectedly large fall in July, dropping to 89.9 from 91.3 in June, its second successive monthly fall. Financial markets had anticipated only a slight decline in the index, the Financial Times reports. The decline spells troubles both for the eurozone's economic recovery and for German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's re-election bid. 1630 GMT 25 Jul 2002 Women occupying four ChevronTexaco oil flow stations in Nigeria signed a memorandum of understanding late July 24 in which they agreed to leave three of the facilities, Agence France Presse reported. The occupation began July 14, with the women demanding jobs, infrastructure investments and social amenities. Negotiations for the release of the fourth flow station continue. It is not clear when ChevronTexaco will resume operations, and details of the agreement have not been released. 1805 GMT Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso has ordered the national petroleum agency to reimpose price controls on cooking gas and other fuels, following seven months of market pricing, Brazilian daily O Globo reports. The price of cooking gas has risen more than 32 percent this year, leading to complaints by Cardoso's hand-picked presidential candidate, Jose Serra, that such increases were excessive. With Serra trailing far behind two leftist candidates in the polls, Cardoso's government may take additional interventionist steps to help his flagging campaign. 1755 GMT OPEC officials expect to raise production levels above the current 21.7 million barrels per day at their September meeting, according to an anonymous source within the cartel cited by Platt's. Such a move is likely since OPEC already produces 1.44 million bpd above its ceiling, indicating that oil supplies are already back to pre-Jan. 1 levels. A production increase almost certainly will be accompanied by more cheating. 1733 GMT Abdul Kalam was inaugurated as India's 12th president July 25 after his election to the position last week, the BBC reported. Kalam formerly helped shape the country's missile program and has said India must turn into a developed country through education. 1720 GMT Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto plans to return to Pakistan from self-imposed exile, and face possible arrest, to lead her party in the Oct. 10 general elections, the BBC reported July 25. A Pakistani court recently sentenced Bhutto in absentia to three years hard labor for allegedly receiving a bribe in exchange for a contract to a Dubai-based company to import gold. The National Accountability Bureau deemed Bhutto unable to run in the elections due to the sentence, but she said even so her involvement will help "shape the debate." 1715 GMT The South Korean president's special adviser for security says North Korea seems to be moving toward a market economy in much the same way as China, according to Agence France Presse. The adviser, Lim Dong Won, said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il ordered several reforms after a fact-finding trip to China and Russia last year. Those reforms included such things as tying wages to company profits and putting professional managers rather than Communist Party officials in charge of businesses. Pyongyang's reforms are part of its continuing efforts to achieve complete self-sufficiency. 1645 GMT Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui has said Taiwan should establish statehood by 2008 lest it be overwhelmed by Chinese nationalism, The Straits Times reports. Lee fears that Beijing's hosting of the 2008 Olympics that year and completion of the Three Gorges Dam and the Nanjing-Chongqing superhighway will drive nationalist feelings to lofty levels. China's economic power and growing influence in the region already are pulling Taiwan back toward Beijing, and many Taiwanese businessmen support closer ties with the mainland. Unlike the pro-independence Lee, many politicians want to keep the issue of reunification or independence from China fairly quiet. 1639 GMT Alfred Moisiu was sworn in as Albania's newest president July 24 in a rare symbol of unity between the governing and opposition parties, AP reported. Moisiu formerly served as Albania's defense minister in the transition government in 1991-1992 after the fall of the Soviet Union. 1630 GMT In a recent interview with Rossiskaya Gazeta, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said the Iraqi crisis still can be settled through diplomatic and political means. He also said Iran must consent to U.N. arms inspections as soon as possible. Russia, formerly one of Iraq's strongest advocates in the United Nations, still opposes a U.S. attack on the Gulf country but likely will go along with one for political reasons. 1622 GMT Joining a growing number of multinationals, U.S. power company AES Corp. has cut its global profit forecast, citing currency weaknesses in Brazil and Venezuela and concerns about the economic and political environment in South America as a whole. AES reduced its earnings forecast to between $1 and $1.10 a share this year, down from previous forecasts of $1.35 in April and $1.45 at the beginning of the year, Bloomberg reports. Since January, Brazil's real has lost one-fifth of its value, Venezuela' newly floated bolivar has declined more than 40 percent and Argentina's peso has shed more than 70 percent of its value. AES's profit from continuing operations fell 22 percent in the second quarter. 1520 GMT 24 Jul 2002 Separatists in Cabinda, northern Angola, claimed July 24 that they killed nine Angolan army soldiers during clashes this week, reported Agence France-Presse. The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) rebels allegedly ambushed an Angolan army patrol near Porto Rico, approximately 14 miles east of the coastal city of Cabinda. Several rebel groups are fighting for greater autonomy in the oil-rich enclave. 2250 GMT The French government headed by Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin fired the head of the country's foreign intelligence agency (DGSE) -- Jean-Claude Cousseran -- on July 24, BBC reported. His dismissal comes one month after French daily Le Monde reported allegations by French President Jacques Chirac that the DGSE and the country's domestic counter-espionage agency (DST) had carried out illegal and politically motivated probes into his financial dealings. The head of the DST, Jean-Jacques Pascal, was replaced earlier this month. Pierre Brochand, a career diplomat, will assume the top spot at DGSE. 2240 GMT The North Korean Foreign Ministry warned July 24 about the possibility of further naval clashes with South Korea unless a disputed maritime border was reviewed by both the Koreas and the United States, Reuters reported. North Korea fired upon a South Korean warship along the border on June 29, killing five South Korean soldiers. 1940 GMT Argentina's Official Gazette has published a presidential decree that bans banks from making payments ordered by the courts until January, according to the daily Clarin. Some 50,000 court rulings have bled Argentina's fragile banking system of $876 million since the government imposed withdrawal restrictions in December. However, the courts could rule the decree unconstitutional. 1732 GMT The International Monetary Fund has welcomed East Timor as its 184th member. Dili now will have better access to foreign funds as it builds the new country's economy. The government has an annual budget of $137 million. 1636 GMT With a state of emergency appearing increasingly likely in Aceh, the chief of the Indonesian Army Strategic Reserve Command has said the military will use force "selectively," shooting only at those who damage public facilities, according to Laksamana.net. The announcement came a day after soldiers shot and killed three alleged members of the Free Aceh Movement. The official added that a state of emergency in the troubled province should last no longer than a month. 1635 GMT Unidentified Russian military officials claim that 4,200 Russian troops have been killed since the Chechen-led incursion into Dagestan began in August 1999, Interfax reported July 22. The same unidentified military sources said 13,500 Chechen fighters have been killed since the war in Chechnya started. 1505 GMT 23 Jul 2002 European diplomats are becoming increasingly pessimistic that they can broker a deal to allow United Nations weapons inspectors back into Iraq and avoid U.S. military strikes on the country, The Financial Times reported July 23. An unnamed, senior EU diplomat said that a July 22 meeting on the issue of weapons inspections between Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel and his Iraqi counterpart, Naji Sabri, was "very disappointing … (with) no flexibility on the side of Iraq." 2300 GMT Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Dalia Rabin- Pelossof tendered her resignation on July 23 after months of criticism against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's lack of peace initiatives, AP reported. She will remain in Parliament. 2130 GMT Washington has planned the largest U.S. Army exercises in history for July 24, AFP reported. The "Millennium Challenge 2002 " will involve 13,500 people over 26 locations across the U.S. combining computer simulations and live military exercises. The exercises are designed to enhance "interoperability" between governmental departments, a key in future U.S. operations. 2125 GMT Dynegy shares shed more than two-thirds of their value July 23 after executives said they expect a cash flow crunch next year. Cash flow is essential to energy trading firms. Dynegy bonds now trade at 35 cents to the dollar, regardless of maturity, making it highly likely that Dynegy will be forced to file for bankruptcy before the end of the month. The only way Dynegy might avoid that fate would be a de facto takeover from ChevronTexaco, which owns 26.5 percent of its shares. Dynegy markets nearly all of the supermajor's natural gas production. 2030 GMT State-owned Petroleos de Venezuela has agreed to resume petroleum shipments to Cuba, Venezuelan Production and Trade Minister Ramon Rosales has announced. Rosales said shipments -- which were halted after the attempted coup April 11 against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez -- will resume Aug. 1 at the quantity stipulated under a December 2000 agreement (53,000 bpd) between Chavez and Cuban President Fidel Castro. Rosales did not offer more details of the financial terms of the agreement, which in the past were very favorable for Cuba. 1720 GMT The Bush administration allegedly has altered its stance toward the Iranian government, MSNBC reported July 23. The news service says that U.S. President George W. Bush has decided that Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and his allies are too weak and ineffective to carry out promised reforms in the country, and now Washington will operate directly with democracy supporters in Iran. 1630 GMT Hamas leader Salah Shehada was among 11 Palestinians killed in an Israeli missile strike on his home July 23, Japan Today reported. Shehada led the Izz el-Deen al- Qassamwas brigades as commander of the military wing of Hamas. 1620 GMT 22 Jul 2002 Conservative Party Sen. Luis Alfredo Ramos has been named president-elect of the Colombian Senate, consolidating President-elect Alvaro Uribe Velez's control over Congress, Colombian daily El Tiempo reports. Another Uribe ally has been elected president of the lower chamber. According to El Tiempo, 62 of Colombia's 102 senators are Uribe supporters, as are 97 of 166 lower-house representatives. Uribe will be inaugurated Aug. 7. 2307 GMT Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller formally dismissed deputy CEO Vyacheslav Sheremet on July 22. The move was a mere formality, since Miller steadily has stripped Sheremet of his powers at the state-managed Russian gas monopoly during the past year. Sheremet was loyal to former Gazprom CEO Rem Vyakhirev. And he was jailed briefly earlier this year on allegations of asset-stripping in a case that Miller, a strong ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, most likely helped launch. 2115 GMT OPEC's 10 member states produced a combined 1.44 million barrels per day above the official quota during June, Reuters reports. The cartel's admission, combined with steady price hikes during June, make an official increase in OPEC's quota limits all but inevitable. A quota increase most likely will be announced at the organization's Sept. 18 quarterly meeting in Osaka, Japan. 2040 GMT The Turkish Parliament was recalled from summer recess July 22 at the request of two opposition parties, whose members hoped to set a date for new elections. However, Parliament did not reach a quorum after two parties in the current coalition government boycotted the session. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit also has backed away from support for early elections, saying they could damage Turkey's economic recovery and warning that the possibility of a strong showing by Islamist and pro-Kurdish parties could raise tensions between the government and the secular military leadership, the BBC reports. 1737 GMT A new center-right coalition government headed by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, a member of the Christian Democrat Party, was sworn into office in the Netherlands July 22, AFP reported. A member of the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) party, namesake of the recently assassinated conservative politician, was given the newly created post of minister for foreign policy and integration. The new government and the LPF minister are likely to take a hard line on both immigration policy and the issue of giving up foreign policy powers to the European Union. 1700 GMT The Iraqi ambassador to Russia says Baghdad would be able to pay off its $7 billion debt to Moscow if economic sanctions against Iraq were lifted, the BBC reports. However, warmer relations between Russia and the United States make it unlikely that Moscow would vote to lift the sanctions imposed by the United Nations. In fact, the Kremlin likely will support U.S. plans for an attack against Iraq. 1651 GMT A United Nations official has criticized Indonesia's legal system as one of the worst he has seen, citing only Mexico as the most comparable example, the Jakarta Post reports. Datak Param Cumaraswamy, the U.N.'s special rapporteur on judicial independence, said the judiciary, the legal profession and the police all need serious reform. Rampant corruption regularly threatens foreign investment in Indonesia, and corruption is likely to increase as the government delegates more autonomy to regional governments and President Megawati Sukarnoputri becomes more obviously a tool of the military. 1645 GMT The Israeli government reportedly has threatened to attack Syria the next time the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group strikes inside Israel, the London Times reported. Israel has warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end his support of Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups within Syria's borders. 1640 GMT An annual report on weapons sales shows that the British government doubled the amount of arms sold to Israel last year, while also approving large increases to Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, The Guardian reported. 1600 GMT Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ordered for the deportation of 50,000 illegal immigrants by Israeli police, AFP reported citing public radio July 22. The expulsions are expected to begin on July 23. 1343 GMT 19 Jul 2002 U.S. and British warplanes bombed a military communications facility in southern Iraq July 19, AP reported. Iraq said the attack also struck two houses, killing five people and injuring 17. The U.S. military has been unable to verify the number of casualties, if any. 2200 GMT Colombia has joined Honduras in protesting Nicaragua's recent call for bids on oil exploration licenses in disputed Caribbean waters. Bogota claims the move infringes on Colombian territory, Nicaraguan daily La Prensa reported July 19. Honduras lodged its complaint July 16, initially threatening to send troops to the Nicaraguan border to defend Honduran interests. Officials quickly backed away from the troop threat but now say they might seek an injunction against Nicaragua at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which already was studying the maritime dispute. The tensions stem from a 1999 maritime boundary treaty between Honduras and Colombia that ignored Nicaragua's claims in the Caribbean. 2200 GMT Japan's working population, or those citizens producing goods or services, fell 4.1 percent over five years from 1996 to its lowest point since 1947, when the surveying of the working population began, reported China's Xinhuanet. The number of the country's active companies and offices also fell 5.5 percent. 2040 GMT The United States will impose economic sanctions on eight Chinese state-run companies for sales of destabilizing weapons and materials for germ-warfare weapons to Iran, the Washington Times reported July 19. 1750 GMT 18 Jul 2002 A spokesman for the Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebel group, which has been linked to al Qaeda, warned July 18 that it would launch attacks against U.S. citizens and their interests in the Philippines, Manila Times reported. An American hostage of the group was rescued earlier this year, but her husband was killed during the same raid by Filipino forces. 1750 GMT Russia is planning large-scale military exercises Aug. 8-15 in the Caspian Sea, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said July 17. The exercises, which will involve 60 ships as well as land and air forces, will be the largest in the Caspian region since the Soviet collapse. Several oil and gas development projects are under heavy development in the Azerbaijani, Kazakh and Russian sectors of the sea, despite the fact that ownership of the sea's resources is yet to be determined. Russia broadly agrees with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan on how to divide the Caspian's resources, and Ivanov says both states have asked to participate in the exercises. Iran and Turkmenistan, which favor a different division of the sea and have few projects under development, will not be taking part. 1640 GMT U.S. and Jordanian troops are planning to hold joint exercises in August, with a Jordanian official saying that the war games are not connected to a possible U.S. campaign against Iraq, IslamOnline reported. 1635 GMT 17 Jul 2002 The Islamic Iran Participation Front, Iran's largest reform party, threatened to leave the government and parliament July 17 if hardliners persist in blocking democratic reforms, AP reported. Ayatollah Jalaleddin Taheri, who led Friday prayers in the central city of Isfahan, resigned earlier in July in a similar act of protest. 2115 GMT Two bombs exploded in downtown Tel Aviv July 17, killing six people and leaving dozens injured, Israel Radio reported. Police called the bombings a terrorist attack, with one device planted on a street and the other detonated by a suicide bomber. Two other suspects are reportedly at large. 2111 GMT The FBI's top counter-terrorism official, Dale Watson, told a conference of law enforcement officials July 17 that he believes Osama bin Laden is dead, but he had no evidence to support such a claim, The Associated Press reports. Watson also said he thought al Qaeda's training camps have been dismantled, but that he has no doubts the United States will be attacked again. 2048 GMT Turkey has allegedly agreed to support the United States in military action against Iraq, after Turkish leaders warned earlier about such a step, AP reported. Turkey has reportedly asked Washington to cancel its $5 billion debt and requested a public guarantee that a Kurdish state will not be formed if the current Iraqi regime falls. The United States currently maintains 50 fighter jets in Turkey to monitor a no-fly zone over Iraq. 1910 GMT Taiwanese lawyers and retired generals met with high-ranking Chinese military officials in Beijing last month to discuss cooperation between their militaries, AP reported July 17, citing a Taiwanese legislator and the China Time daily. This is the first time such a meeting has taken place on mainland China in recent years. 1655 GMT High-ranking government and military officials said July 16 that the Indian army has withdrawn three air strike divisions from the Pakistani frontier, although India's Defense Ministry denies the action, AP reported. India had already withdrawn three strike divisions about a week ago totaling about 18,000 men. The de-escalation of Indian troops began as both nations prepared for the arrival of foreign diplomats from Britain, France, the EU and the United States in July to encourage dialogue over the contested state of Kashmir. 1650 GMT The U.S. Defense Department has approved the sale of six C-130E Hercules cargo aircraft to Pakistan, Reuters reported. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign arms sales, told Congress that it does not believe the sale -- worth $65 million -- will disrupt the military balance in the region. Congress has 30 days to veto the sale. 1520 GMT Paraguay's President Luis Gonzalez Macchi lifted a state of emergency July 17 after imposing it two days earlier, saying order had been restored, AP reported. Protests this week left two dead and more than a hundred injured. 1515 GMT 16 Jul 2002 French police discovered a large arms cache -- including arms, explosives, rocket launchers and machine guns -- in the southwestern village of Riviere on July 16, Agence France-Presse reported. Officials believe the cache belongs to Basque separatist group ETA. Spanish Interior Minister Angel Acebesa called it "probably one of the largest arsenals that ETA currently has." Six Spaniards were detained in the dawn raid, which netted the fourth major seizure of suspected ETA arms in southwestern France this year. 2204 GMT Three gunmen opened fire on an armored bus in the West Bank July 16, killing seven people and wounding 16, Israel Defense Force members told reporters. The attack took place near the Emanuel settlement, CNN reported. 2015 GMT Turkey's three-party coalition government agreed July 16 to hold early general elections on Nov. 3, 2002 , to resolve the crisis caused by recent defections from the coalition of ailing Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, Reuters reported. The country's parliament, which is on summer holiday, must be recalled to ratify the motion for early elections to occur. 1810 GMT U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz prepared for talks with the Turkish government and military July 16 regarding a possible U.S. attack on Iraq, BBC reported. 1805 GMT Pakistan began 10-day war game exercises July 16 involving the army, navy and air force in an effort to strengthen and upgrade its forces as troops are deployed along the border with India, Times of India reported. The Sabit Qadam II war games are the largest Pakistani military exercises in the past 30 years. Meanwhile, India withdrew three strike divisions from the border the week of July 8, AP reported. 1800 GMT The U.S. Federal Reserve has raised its GDP growth forecast for 2002 from 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent, Chairman Alan Greenspan announced July 16. Testifying before the Senate Banking Committee, Greenspan said, "All the evidence we've been able to accumulate in recent weeks suggests that the economy is improving," and that the underlying accounting system still has a "very sound structure." 1743 GMT The International Monetary Fund has approved Argentina's request to postpone a $985 million loan payment -- which was due July 17 -- for a year, the Wall Street Journal reports. That decision also should allow Argentina to avoid defaulting on a separate loan from the Inter- American Development Bank. Argentina is seeking new IMF loans, but Buenos Aires likely will have to make an exchange of deposits for bonds compulsory before talks can progress. A voluntary exchange program that began in late June and ends today was largely ineffective: It absorbed only 10 percent to 20 percent of outstanding deposits, according to various estimates by local banks and economists. 1716 GMT Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, head of the Indonesian armed forces, said July 16 that after returning from a weeklong fact- finding trip to Aceh, Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recommended the government deploy an additional 8,000 troops to the strife-plagued province. Some 10,000 police and 20,000 troops are already in Aceh. 1704 GMT 15 Jul 2002 Carlos Castano announced July 15 that he has resigned as the political chief of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), the country's primary paramilitary organization, Bloomberg reports. Castano, a founder and one of the most high-profile leaders of the 10,000-member AUC, said he quit after learning it was paramilitaries who kidnapped Richard Boulton, a member of one of Venezuela's wealthiest families, two years ago. Castano also criticized increasing paramilitary involvement in the drug trade. The AUC released Boulton July 15 after Castano publicly reprimanded the AUC commander responsible for kidnapping him. 2309 GMT Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit says he will resign if Economy Minister Kemal Dervis -- who has been heavily pressured to join the new party formed by former ministers Ismail Cem and Husamettin Ozkan -- is forced to step down, the AP reports. Following the announcement, Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said he would work to have parliament back in session no later than the end of July. 2238 GMT Paraguay President Luis Gonzalez Macchi declared a state of emergency July 15 in response to widespread anti- government protests, reported AFP. At least 15 people have been wounded in the riots. 1840 GMT John Walker Lindh pleaded guilty July 15 for aiding the Taliban in Afghanistan and for the use of explosives, NBC reported. A deal made with prosecutors stated that Lindh would serve a maximum of 20 years in prison -- rather than a possible life sentence if found guilty -- and would cooperate fully with U.S. authorities in anti-terrorism investigations. 1705 GMT Syria has allegedly delivered weapons and military equipment from Eastern European sources to Iraq, which would violate a U.N. arms embargo, Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported July 15. Sources told the paper that the shipment included refurbished T-55 tank engines, replacement parts for T-72 tanks, military trucks and an anti-aircraft cannon. Syria is the current president of the U.N. Security Council. 1700 GMT U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said during a four-day visit to Afghanistan July 15 that the Afghan military campaign could last indefinitely, possibly approaching 40 years, Bloomberg reported, citing information from AP and AFP. Wolfowitz stated that at least half of the leadership of al Qaeda, as well as the Taliban, is still on the run. 1624 GMT Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled all of his government's 130-odd ambassadors June 12 for consultations over the recent changes in Russian foreign policy. In particular, Putin expressed his determination to steel the country on a firmly pro-Western and pro-free-market path on a wide swathe of issues, not just regarding the war on terrorism or Russian membership in the World Trade Organization. The last time the Kremlin recalled all its ambassadors was in 1986, when then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev explained the rationale and policy implications of glasnost and perestroika. 1620 GMT 14 Jul 2002 Islamic militants disguised as Hindu holymen killed at least 27 Hindu civilians in a shantytown near Jammu, Kashmir, late July 13 -- the worst massacre since Islamic gunmen raided a military base near Jammu on May 14. That attack brought India to the brink of war with Pakistan, and India blames Pakistan for the latest deaths as well. It appears that, as Stratfor previously stated, Islamic militants are attempting to provoke a war between the two nuclear powers. The most recent incident likely will reverse what little headway has been made in calming tensions between the two countries, and India's reaction will be harsh. 1808 GMT A suspected neo-Nazi pulled a firearm out of a guitar case as French President Jacques Chirac passed by during a Bastille Day parade on July 14. A stray shot was fired as police overpowered the 25-year-old gunman. The apparent assassination attempt likely reflects frustrations with Chirac among far-right voters after his defeat of National Front presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen, who managed to gather significant votes in the first round of voting earlier this year. 1800 GMT 12 Jul 2002 A U.S. Defense Department report released July 12 says that China is on track to deploy 600 ballistic missiles opposite Taiwan by 2005, Reuters reported. The report is the first comprehensive U.S. look at China's military power since President George W. Bush was inaugurated in 2001. 2220 GMT Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo has appointed a new prime minister, Luis Solari, and a number of new cabinet ministers, The Associated Press reports. Toledo reshuffled his cabinet in an effort to boost his approval ratings, which have fallen below 20 percent. Solari, a leader in Toledo's Peru Possible Party, also was named cabinet chief. 2050 GMT Jordan reached a new economic watermark July 11, when the Paris Club rescheduled one-third of its $3.8 billion debt. Amman will pay the rescheduled $1.2 billion in installments and interests from May 1, 2002 through December 2007. The government currently is making reforms to meet International Monetary Fund (IMF) guidelines, a move that -- along with close economic ties to the United States - - helped it secure the debt restructuring. Jordan already has a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, which will pump $150 million into water and healthcare projects in the country this year. The European Union also is working to establish a FTA with Jordan by 2010. The rescheduling of such a large portion of Jordan's debt demonstrates a high level of confidence in the kingdom's economy. It will free up money previously earmarked for debt service, allowing Amman to increase infrastructure and social services spending. The debt restructuring also will encourage foreign direct investment. 1910 GMT Argentina was forced July 11 to pay 125 percent interest in order to auction off $52 million worth of 14-day, peso- denominated treasury bills in an effort to bolster reserves and strengthen the peso, Bloomberg reports. This follows a similar auction July 8 that carried record interest of 130 percent. The soaring interest rates for short-term T-bills illustrates the difficulty that Argentina is having in avoiding a currency free- fall, particularly as its hard-currency reserves -- down 35 percent since December to $9.5 million -- erode. 1657 GMT Italian authorities July 11 arrested eight foreigners suspected of supplying fake passports and documents to members of al Qaeda, AP reported. A ninth suspect is still at large. The detainees -- six Moroccans, a Tunisian and a Romanian -- allegedly participated in a vast network trafficking in false documents. 1650 GMT Former Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem on July 12 formed a new political party -- the Democratic Left Party -- in a bid to remove ailing Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit from office, AP reported. The BBC reported that Ecevit has indicated he may consider stepping down before his party experiences more defections, following the resignations this week of at least 30 lawmakers. 1645 GMT Following a day of marches by opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez -- in which opposition forces say more than 1 million people participated - the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV), the country's largest labor organization, has threatened to call a general labor strike, Union Radio reports. CTV leader Alfredo Ramos said there is no alternative to calling a general and indefinite strike. Bloomberg reports that the CTV, which represents 800,000 workers and helped lead a series of strikes and marches that nearly toppled Chavez in April, will decide within hours whether to call a work stoppage. 1641 GMT Twenty-eight Colombian mayors resigned this week in response to repeated threats by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group, AP reported. Over 100 mayors in all have left their posts since June, when the FARC began threatening to kill those who did not step down in a bid to force the government to resume peace talks with the leftist rebels, AP said. 1630 GMT The National Conference, the ruling party in Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir, said July 12 that state assembly elections would be held in early October, Reuters reported. While no poll date has been set, electoral officials indicated that the new assembly must be constituted by October. 1615 GMT American Timothy Peters, who is helping North Korean refugees in China, alleged July 12 that Chinese authorities are giving a $700 bounty to individuals for information on North Korean refugees and those trying to help them seek asylum in foreign embassies, Reuters reported. 1604 GMT A U.S. Special Forces compound near Tarin Kot in Afghanistan experienced a grenade and small arms attack July 11, although no casualties were reported, AP reported. The compound is located near the village where an American air strike resulted in the recent death of Afghan civilians at a wedding celebration. 1600 GMT 11 Jul 2002 London's The Times cites Western sources as claiming that U.S. troops will be allowed to begin using bases in Jordan in preparation for a possible military attack against Iraq. Such a decision would mark a complete reversal of Jordan's previous statements that the United States would not be allowed to use Jordanian territory to launch an attack against Iraq. The Times claims that the U.S. government has told Jordanian King Abdullah that it will not launch an attack this year. 2335 GMT Following a day of marches by foes of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, in which opposition forces say over 1 million people participated, Venezuela's largest labor organization -- the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV) -- has threatened to call a general labor strike, Venezuela's Union Radio reports. CTV leader Alfredo Ramos said that there is no alternative other than to call a general and indefinite strike. Bloomberg reports that the organization, which represents 800,000 workers and helped lead a series of strikes and marches that nearly toppled Chavez in April, will decide within hours whether to call for a work stoppage. 2320 GMT The United States has offered a compromise over its dispute with the International Criminal Court over the demand for complete immunity for American peacekeepers from prosecution by the court, New York Times reported. The new document proposes that officials or personnel of United Nations missions not be investigated or prosecuted by the court for a year, after which the U.N. Security Council could vote to renew the arrangement. 1730 GMT Four Algerian police officers were killed July 10 while patrolling the coastal town of Gouraya, BBC reported. The Islamic militant group GIA is suspected of both the attack on the police officers as well as an attack that killed 10 people in Tiaret on July 9. 1710 GMT Turkey's former Deputy Foreign Minister Husamettin Ozkan, former Economy Minister Kemal Dervis and former Foreign Minister Ismail Cem have formed an alliance which they hope will attract support from other defectors from Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's Democratic Left Party (DSP), The Associated Press reports. The country's confidence in the new alliance and the possibility of snap elections might have been the cause of a 2 percent rise in the Istanbul stock exchange on July 10. 1649 GMT South Korean President Kim Dae Jung reshuffled his cabinet July 11 in an effort to improve his political image before presidential elections in December, Reuters reports. Although Kim cannot run for another term, he still wants to increase voter approval for his administration. The reshuffle included the appointment of South Korea's first female prime minister, Chang Sang, and six new ministers, including a new defense minister. The foreign minister and economic team remain unchanged. 1645 GMT Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has appointed Mohammed Dahlan as his national security adviser, only a month after Dahlan resigned as head of the Preventive Security Service in the Gaza Strip, BBC reported. Dahlan has been seen as a prime candidate to replace the aging Arafat. 1615 GMT China and Russia are planning rare joint military exercises in August along the Inner Mongolia region's border with Russia, AFP reported. 1610 GMT 10 Jul 2002 Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem resigned his post and left the Democratic Left Party of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit July 10, delivering another blow to the ailing leader's coalition, AFP reported. More than 30 lawmakers, including six ministers, have resigned in the past week. 2230 GMT Indonesian military chief Endriartono Sutarto, Home Affairs Minister Hari Sabarno and National Police Chief Gen. Dai Bachtiar traveled to Aceh on July 10 to meet with Coordinating Minister for Security and Political Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Jakarta Post reports. The officials will discuss whether a state of emergency is warranted in Aceh. The participation of Sutarto, Sabarno and Bachtiar should increase the likelihood of a state of emergency in the province, which likely would lead to a military crackdown on separatists and fresh violence, at least in the near term. 2035 GMT Judicial Watch, a self-described nonpartisan group, is suing Halliburton Co. and its former CEO -- U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney - claiming that the company overstated revenues by $445 million between 1999 and 2001, The Associated Press reports. Cheney led the company from 1995 to 2000. The suit also names Andersen Worldwide and Arthur Andersen LLP as defendants. 1736 GMT Spain's new cabinet was sworn in July 10, a day after Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar reshuffled the government, according to The Associated Press. Three ministers switched jobs, five new members were added to the cabinet and Spain's first female foreign minister, Ana de Palacio, was sworn in. 1726 GMT Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has established Oct. 10 as the date for elections for the lower house of parliament, the BBC reports. Musharraf dissolved parliament when he ousted former leader Nawaz Sharif in October 1999. 1725 GMT Ayatollah Jalaluddin Taheri, a senior religious figure in Iran, resigned on July 10 as Friday prayers speaker in the city of Isfahan after 30 years of service in the position, BBC reported. His resignation came as a form of protest against the Iranian government, which Taheri condemned as corrupt. The resignation is unprecedented in the 23 years of the Islamic republic. 1720 GMT Bolivia's Congress will choose the country's next president on Aug. 4, the National Electoral Council has announced. The choice lies between the top two vote-getters in the June 30 election: former president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada or Evo Morales, the leader of the country's coca farmers. The inauguration date is set for Aug. 6. 1718 GMT 09 Jul 2002 Moshe Yaalon became chief of the general staff of Israel's military July 9, replacing the recently retired Shaul Mofaz, AP reported. 2258 GMT Iranian opposition media report that security forces in shot and killed two activists in Tehran and injured two others during demonstrations marking the anniversary of student protests that shook Tehran in July 1999. A similar account comes from the city of Maydane, where two reportedly were shot and 12 injured. More protests are occurring in the cities of Isfahan, Sanandag, Ahvaz, Narmak, Islam- Shar and Mashhad. Opposition sources report that the government has blocked or shut down almost all telephone lines in Iran, and that it is using volunteer Islamic militias and foreign security personnel rather than regular police forces. Neither of the opposition reports could be independently confirmed. 2227 GMT NATO troops arrested Radovan Stankovic July 9 in Bosnia for his alleged involvement in a 1992-92 campaign of mass rape of Muslim women during the Bosnian war, reported Reuters. Stankovic, one of 23 most wanted suspects by the U.N. war crimes tribunal, is being processed for his transfer to The Hague. 2130 GMT The InterAmerican Development Bank has given Argentina's central bank a six- month extension on payments due this month for a $535 million loan, the daily Buenos Aires Economico reports. The loan extension, previously declined, still requires ratification by the IADB board. If approved, Argentina will gain a crucial buffer against using its reserves -- which have fallen to $9.5 billion since September -- to pay debts. 1924 GMT African leaders launched the 53-country African Union on July 9. The system, modeled after the European Union, is designed to address the continent's political and financial woes. The African Union will remain a ceremonial body, akin to the Organization of African States, until its 15-member security council demonstrates a clear mandate to intervene in regional crises. 1910 GMT Turkey's projected debt rating was changed by U.S. credit rating agency Standard and Poor's from stable to negative on July 9 due to increasing political instability in the country, AFP reported. Turkey's currency the lira has plummeted against the dollar in the past year, as the Turkish economy has reflected the instability in the health and support in parliament of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit. 1815 GMT The U.N. World Food Program reports that 500,000 people are starving in Angola and more than 1 million others are fully dependent on food aid for survival. The situation is the worst starvation epidemic to affect southern Africa in more than a decade. One-quarter of Angola's population will require some form of aid during the next few months. 1804 GMT Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may allegedly step down in the upcoming weeks as the result of an agreement among the United States, Israel and some Palestinian groups, UPI reported, citing the Jordanian publication Al-Majd July 8. The magazine pointed to the president of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Ahmad Qurai, as Arafat's most likely successor. 1800 GMT Standard and Poor's has reduced Turkey's debt rating outlook to negative from stable, without alter the rating itself from its current B-. A political crisis sparked by the poor health of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and his refusal to resign has sent the Turkish lira to record lows and Turkish markets, already in a sad state, into a tailspin. 1652 GMT Responding to a collective suit filed by Argentine depositors, a federal judge in Argentina has ruled that government- imposed limits on banking withdrawals and the "pesofication" of dollar- denominated bank deposits are unconstitutional, Argentine news service Clarin reported July 9. The verdict will not result in any immediate action, since it still must be vetted by a higher court and certainly will be fought by the federal government. An immediate reversal of either pesofication or controls on banking withdrawals would crash what remains of Argentina's banking and financial system. 1650 GMT Security forces foiled an assassination attempt against Afghan President Hamid Karzai and former President Burhanuddin Rabbani during the July 7 funeral of Vice President Abul Qadir -- who was killed by gunmen last weekend, IslamOnline reported. A bomb was discovered inside a water tank in the Central Mosque in Kabul where the funeral prayers were held. Security forces reported that they have apprehended the person who positioned the bomb and are currently questioning him. 1640 GMT Wasim Akhtar, an inspector in Pakistan's security forces, has been charged with aiding militants in a plot to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf in April, BBC reported. Three of his suspected accomplices have been arrested as well, and will be put on trial not only for a car bomb that failed top go off as the president's motorcade drove by, but also in association with two recent bombings against foreigners in Karachi. 1615 GMT The foreign ministers of France and Russia announced July 8 that both countries have formed a joint security council, AP reported. French President Jacques Chirac is due to meet with President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on July 19 and 20. 1600 GMT 08 Jul 2002 Turkey's fragile coalition government took a serious blow July 8 when ailing Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's closest aid, Deputy Prime Minister Husamettin Ozkan, quit both the government and Ecevit's Democractic Left Party (DSP). Ozkan was a key figure in attempts to maintain the current the current three- party coalition. His defection -- along with that of at least two other ministers and 15 DSP legislators -- has all but assured the early demise of Ecevit's government and will cloud Turkey's political landscape for the foreseeable future. Turkey is the United States' primary logistical ally in the region. So long as Ankara is in turmoil, Washington will be forced to postpone any serious military action against Iraq. 2232 GMT Three ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Husametin Ozkan, resigned from Turkey's government July 8, BBC reported. Up to 14 deputies have also reportedly left Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's Democratic Left Party (DSP), putting more pressure on the ailing leader to call for early elections. 2222 GMT A survey released July 6 by Brazilian pollster Vox Populi shows that the ruling coalition's presidential candidate, Jose Serra, has fallen behind former Ceara governor Ciro Gomes into third place, Reuters reports. The poll showed Serra with 17 percent of the vote, Gomes with 18 percent and Socialist candidate Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva with 39 percent in the run-up to October's election. Serra is favored by foreign investors, and his failure to gain ground against da Silva -- along with Gomes' recent emergence at the head of a coalition of left-leaning parties -- could exacerbate the fall in bond prices and the drop in Brazil's currency, the real. 1939 GMT The Russian foreign ministry has condemned any U.S. military action against Iraq, Agence France Presse reported July 8. The ministry issued a statement saying, "The Iraqi problem can only be resolved through political-diplomatic means on the basis of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Any other options, especially military, are absolutely inadmissible." 1647 GMT The International Monetary Fund reportedly has agreed to roll over $3 billion in loan payments due from Argentina this year to 2003, Bloomberg reports, citing Buenos Aires Economico newspaper. Argentina's new Central Bank president, Aldo Pignanelli, requested the rollover in weekend meetings with IMF Managing Director Horst Koehler, though neither has announced any agreement. A senior Central Bank source also told Argentine daily La Nacion July 8 that there is a "high probability" that the IMF will comply with the rollover request, and that fresh funds likely will be released. A postponement of debt payments would help Buenos Aires avoid further deterioration of foreign currency reserves and allow it to continue defending the peso. 1634 GMT 06 Jul 2002 Afghan Vice President Abdul Qadir was assassinated July 6 as he left a government building in Kabul. Two gunmen leapt out of the shrubbery firing assault rifles, killing Qadir and his driver, before escaping in a car that sped to the scene shortly afterward. The Kabul police chief says some 36 rounds were fired at Qadir's vehicle, which went out of control and smashed into a brick wall. Ten uniformed guards from the Ministry of Public Works, which Qadir had just departed, were arrested for failing to react properly. The victim, an ethnic Pushtun, was one of three vice presidents elected by the Loya Jirga in June in efforts to make up an ethnically balanced government. However, Qadir is not the first Afghan official to be assassinated since the Taliban's ouster last year -- the civil aviation and tourism minister was murdered in February under mysterious circumstances at Kabul airport -- and he likely won't be the last. Taliban and al Qaeda fighters are not the only ones on the suspect list. Innumerable factions are dissatisfied with the distribution of power in Afghanistan, and it will be a monumental task for the government to avoid a descent into open factional fighting. 1644 GMT 05 Jul 2002 Egyptian Mohamed Hadayet has been identified as the man who opened fire at a ticket counter for Israeli airline El Al July 4, killing three people, AP reported. The FBI said the man had California driver's licenses listing two different birth dates -- April 7, 1961, and July 4, 1961. 1715 GMT Authorities in Kyrgyzstan said a Chinese diplomat killed last weekend in the capital Bishkek was an accidental victim of an attack on a Chinese businessman the diplomat was traveling with, who was also killed, BBC reported. 1710 GMT Colombia's government July 4 reduced its forecast of the economy's growth in 2002 from 2.5 percent to 1.5 percent, and postponed over $1 billion in planned investments. Finance Minister Juan Manuel Santos told the Bogota daily El Tiempo that it was deemed prudent to postpone these investments because the country needed to insulate itself more effectively against the spillover consequences of the economic crisis in Argentina. However, critics in Bogota said that postponing needed investments could slow the economy further, cutting into fiscal revenues and complicating the government's financial stability anyway. 1500 GMT 03 Jul 2002 Venezuela's new defense minister is a retired army brigadier general who was chosen mainly for his strong personal and political loyalty to President Hugo Chavez, Union Radio network broadcast from Caracas July 3. Jose Luis Prieto Silva, a former professor at the Venezuelan Military Academy, was serving as president of the National Institute of Educational Cooperation (INCE) when Chavez tapped him to succeed retiring Gen. Lucas Rincon Romero at the defense ministry. Critics warned that Prieto Silva's appointment could aggravate tensions within the armed forces, due to his strong political identification with Chavez. 2146 GMT The chief of Peru's national intelligence service (CNI) said July 3 that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is believed to have established contact with a Maoist faction of the Peruvian Communist Party (PCP) called Red Homeland (PR), according to the Bogota daily El Espectador. CNI head Juan Velit also said there are indications that FARC units have been entering Peruvian territory with growing frequency recently, and that the FARC is believed to have provided PR with cash. However, PR leader Alberto Moreno denied Velit's allegations. 2145 GMT While patrolling the banks of the Miguel River in Ecuador's northern province of Sucumbios on July 2, four members of Ecuador's national police were attacked and wounded by a group of men wearing jungle camouflage uniforms and armed with automatic assault rifles, Quito daily El Comercio reported July 3. The attack occurred near the settlement of General Farfan, about 500 meters from the border with Colombia. Col. Edgar Riofrio, police commander in the province's capital city of Lago Agrio, said he did not know if the attackers fled toward Colombia. 2139 GMT Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has ordered Iskandar Muda military Commander Maj. Gen. Djali Yusuf to "sternly punish" rebels of the Free Aceh Movement for committing violence and disturbing public order, the Jakarta Post reported July 3. 1848 GMT Dominican Republic authorities have allegedly seized a Venezuelan air force aircraft after "42 kilograms of pure heroin were discovered aboard the plane," U.S. congressional sources told STRATFOR July 3. Dominican treasury police reportedly impounded the aircraft within the past 72 hours. 1740 GMT Israel has begun loosening curfews for Palestinians, the Jerusalem Post reports. The Israeli security cabinet reportedly has decided to apply curfews only at night in some cities and to allow around 5,000 Palestinians to work again inside Israel. 1535 GMT The French embassy acknowledged Madagascar's Marc Ravalomanana as "President of the Republic" in a written statement issued July 3. The statement comes after days of discord with the United States, which became the first world power to recognize Ravalomanana as president last week. Former Madagascan leader Didier Ratsiraka has continued to claim the office since December's presidential election. 1534 GMT The U.S. Air Force will deliver AIM-120 medium- range air-to-air missiles to Taiwan to counteract the AA-12 missiles China recently acquired from Russia, the Taipei Times reported July 3. Whether Taiwan will gain possession of all 200 AIM-120 missiles it ordered from the United States in 2000 is unknown. 1527 GMT Standard & Poor's has lowered Brazil's long-term foreign currency debt rating to B+ from BB-, Bloomberg reported July 2. Brazil's local currency rating also dropped from BB+ to BB. A lower credit rating raises the costs of government borrowing, a critical factor in the current presidential campaign. The country's outlook remains "negative." 1525 GMT 02 Jul 2002 One U.S. soldier was wounded in an air attack July 2 about 1.5 miles outside of the Afghan city of Kandahar, AP reported. The soldier was part of a U.S. military convoy returning from a hospital in Kandahar. 2320 GMT Fitch Ratings agency has lowered Venezuela's long- term foreign currency rating from B+ to B and similarly downgraded senior unsecured currency ratings for state-owned Electricidad de Caracas S.A. and Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). Several other entities have been placed on a negative watch, including PDVSA-affiliated Petrozuata Finance Inc. (Petrozuata), Cerro Negro Finance Ltd. (Cerro Negro) and Sincrudos de Oriente Sincor C.A. (Sincor Project). 1835 GMT The purchasing managers' index increased by half a point, to 56.2, from May to June -- the highest point in two and a half years for the U.S. manufacturing sector, the Institute for Supply Management reports. Since manufacturing is normally the last sector to recover in an information-based economy, this signals that the U.S. economy is in full recovery. If consumer confidence tapers off, manufacturing levels should be able to make up the difference. 1733 GMT The Brazilian real fell July 2 by 1 percent, to a record 2.923 to the dollar -- the lowest level in the currency's eight-year history, Bloomberg reports. The drop complicates Brazil's ability to repay its $330 billion debt, almost 40 percent of which is in dollar-linked local bonds. Although Brazil's debt is proportionally less dollar-denominated than that of Argentina, the two country's overall debt loads as a percentage of GDP are similar. A strong external shock could force Brasilia into an economic situation much like that of Buenos Aires. 1717 GMT China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC) has announced plans for a joint venture with Nigeria to manage Nigerian railways, which CCECC is currently restoring. CCECC Chairman Di Yu Chung said this joint venture, as well as future ventures in the energy sector, will provide Chinese technology to Nigeria in efforts to promote the country's self-sustenance, the Daily Trust, an Abuja newspaper, reported. 1710 GMT The United Nations reported July 2 that conflict and the growth of towns and cities in West Africa are causing the HIV virus to spread. HIV1, a more virulent strain of the disease normally found in southern Africa, now is traveling with migrants to West Africa, causing HIV/AIDS rates to double in countries such as Cameroon and Nigeria, the BBC reports. The new, stronger strain of HIV leaves patients with a life expectancy of nine to 10 years, compared to 30 to 40 years for those with the strain that has been common in West Africa. 1655 GMT German gas distributor Ruhrgas has upped its stake in Russian gas giant Gazprom by 0.3 percent -- or $68.8 million on the internal market and $116.5 million on the overseas market - to 5.3 percent, Russian daily Vedemosti reports. Ruhrgas executives hope eventually to gain control of 8 to 10 percent of Gazprom. The deal benefits both companies: Gazprom desperately needed the cash injection, and Ruhrgas has been seeking a gas supplier. Officials in Moscow and Berlin also will take a positive view of the deal, which furthers their mutual goal of solidifying the growing economic links between Germany and Russia. 1645 GMT Filipino Vice President Teofisto Guingona officially gave notice July 2 of his resignation from the post of Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Manila Times reported. His action follows last week's confusion in which President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo wrote a letter accepting a resignation that Guingona later said he had not given. 1630 GMT Two airplanes, a Tupolev and a Boeing, have collided and crashed near the town of Sigmariegen, Germany, the BBC reports. Casualty numbers are not yet known. 0018 GMT 01 Jul 2002 Violent clashes and riots broke out in Nigeria on June 30 as the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) prepared to choose its candidates for local elections in August. Rival PDP factions clashed in the city of Warri, Delta State, where members burned the homes of party officials and stormed the police building. No one was killed. The PDP primaries, held in 7,000 local government areas, began July 1. The local elections on Aug. 10 will be the first since Nigeria's return to civilian rule. 2105 GMT Pakistani and U.S. Special Forces will begin joint exercises involving the army, navy and air force by the end of July, and which will be larger in scale than those India carried out with U.S. Special Forces in May, Pakistan Daily the Dawn reported. 1652 GMT Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who is assuming the rotating six- month presidency of the European Union July 1, said he agrees with a recent U.S. call for the Palestinians to replace Yasser Arafat as their leader, the Jerusalem Post reported. 1650 GMT Two rocket-propelled grenades were fired at a U.S. Special Forces air base in southern Afghanistan July 1. No casualties were reported, and U.S. Col. Roger King said that the U.S. forces did not return fire because they could not tell which direction the attack came from, BBC reported. 1642 GMT Saudi Arabian delegates have been granted permission to visit Saudi citizens being held at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, BBC reported. The more than 100 Saudis there make up about one-fifth of the suspected Taliban or al Qaeda members from 30 different countries being detained. 1635 GMT China, looking to bolster consumer spending, gave a 10 percent to 15 percent raise to civil servants on July 1, Bloomberg reported. This raise, however, may not succeed as a method to buoy economic growth, as more Chinese citizens save their earnings as a safeguard against massive state layoffs that have already claimed hundreds of thousands of jobs, Bloomberg reported. 1630 GMT 06 Jul 2002 Afghan Vice President Abdul Qadir was assassinated July 6 as he left a government building in Kabul. Two gunmen leapt out of the shrubbery firing assault rifles, killing Qadir and his driver, before escaping in a car that sped to the scene shortly afterward. The Kabul police chief says some 36 rounds were fired at Qadir's vehicle, which went out of control and smashed into a brick wall. Ten uniformed guards from the Ministry of Public Works, which Qadir had just departed, were arrested for failing to react properly. The victim, an ethnic Pushtun, was one of three vice presidents elected by the Loya Jirga in June in efforts to make up an ethnically balanced government. However, Qadir is not the first Afghan official to be assassinated since the Taliban's ouster last year -- the civil aviation and tourism minister was murdered in February under mysterious circumstances at Kabul airport -- and he likely won't be the last. Taliban and al Qaeda fighters are not the only ones on the suspect list. Innumerable factions are dissatisfied with the distribution of power in Afghanistan, and it will be a monumental task for the government to avoid a descent into open factional fighting. 1644 GMT 05 Jul 2002 Egyptian Mohamed Hadayet has been identified as the man who opened fire at a ticket counter for Israeli airline El Al July 4, killing three people, AP reported. The FBI said the man had California driver's licenses listing two different birth dates -- April 7, 1961, and July 4, 1961. 1715 GMT Authorities in Kyrgyzstan said a Chinese diplomat killed last weekend in the capital Bishkek was an accidental victim of an attack on a Chinese businessman the diplomat was traveling with, who was also killed, BBC reported. 1710 GMT Colombia's government July 4 reduced its forecast of the economy's growth in 2002 from 2.5 percent to 1.5 percent, and postponed over $1 billion in planned investments. Finance Minister Juan Manuel Santos told the Bogota daily El Tiempo that it was deemed prudent to postpone these investments because the country needed to insulate itself more effectively against the spillover consequences of the economic crisis in Argentina. However, critics in Bogota said that postponing needed investments could slow the economy further, cutting into fiscal revenues and complicating the government's financial stability anyway. 1500 GMT 03 Jul 2002 Venezuela's new defense minister is a retired army brigadier general who was chosen mainly for his strong personal and political loyalty to President Hugo Chavez, Union Radio network broadcast from Caracas July 3. Jose Luis Prieto Silva, a former professor at the Venezuelan Military Academy, was serving as president of the National Institute of Educational Cooperation (INCE) when Chavez tapped him to succeed retiring Gen. Lucas Rincon Romero at the defense ministry. Critics warned that Prieto Silva's appointment could aggravate tensions within the armed forces, due to his strong political identification with Chavez. 2146 GMT The chief of Peru's national intelligence service (CNI) said July 3 that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is believed to have established contact with a Maoist faction of the Peruvian Communist Party (PCP) called Red Homeland (PR), according to the Bogota daily El Espectador. CNI head Juan Velit also said there are indications that FARC units have been entering Peruvian territory with growing frequency recently, and that the FARC is believed to have provided PR with cash. However, PR leader Alberto Moreno denied Velit's allegations. 2145 GMT While patrolling the banks of the Miguel River in Ecuador's northern province of Sucumbios on July 2, four members of Ecuador's national police were attacked and wounded by a group of men wearing jungle camouflage uniforms and armed with automatic assault rifles, Quito daily El Comercio reported July 3. The attack occurred near the settlement of General Farfan, about 500 meters from the border with Colombia. Col. Edgar Riofrio, police commander in the province's capital city of Lago Agrio, said he did not know if the attackers fled toward Colombia. 2139 GMT Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has ordered Iskandar Muda military Commander Maj. Gen. Djali Yusuf to "sternly punish" rebels of the Free Aceh Movement for committing violence and disturbing public order, the Jakarta Post reported July 3. 1848 GMT Dominican Republic authorities have allegedly seized a Venezuelan air force aircraft after "42 kilograms of pure heroin were discovered aboard the plane," U.S. congressional sources told STRATFOR July 3. Dominican treasury police reportedly impounded the aircraft within the past 72 hours. 1740 GMT Israel has begun loosening curfews for Palestinians, the Jerusalem Post reports. The Israeli security cabinet reportedly has decided to apply curfews only at night in some cities and to allow around 5,000 Palestinians to work again inside Israel. 1535 GMT The French embassy acknowledged Madagascar's Marc Ravalomanana as "President of the Republic" in a written statement issued July 3. The statement comes after days of discord with the United States, which became the first world power to recognize Ravalomanana as president last week. Former Madagascan leader Didier Ratsiraka has continued to claim the office since December's presidential election. 1534 GMT The U.S. Air Force will deliver AIM-120 medium- range air-to-air missiles to Taiwan to counteract the AA-12 missiles China recently acquired from Russia, the Taipei Times reported July 3. Whether Taiwan will gain possession of all 200 AIM-120 missiles it ordered from the United States in 2000 is unknown. 1527 GMT Standard & Poor's has lowered Brazil's long-term foreign currency debt rating to B+ from BB-, Bloomberg reported July 2. Brazil's local currency rating also dropped from BB+ to BB. A lower credit rating raises the costs of government borrowing, a critical factor in the current presidential campaign. The country's outlook remains "negative." 1525 GMT 02 Jul 2002 One U.S. soldier was wounded in an air attack July 2 about 1.5 miles outside of the Afghan city of Kandahar, AP reported. The soldier was part of a U.S. military convoy returning from a hospital in Kandahar. 2320 GMT Fitch Ratings agency has lowered Venezuela's long- term foreign currency rating from B+ to B and similarly downgraded senior unsecured currency ratings for state- owned Electricidad de Caracas S.A. and Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). Several other entities have been placed on a negative watch, including PDVSA- affiliated Petrozuata Finance Inc. (Petrozuata), Cerro Negro Finance Ltd. (Cerro Negro) and Sincrudos de Oriente Sincor C.A. (Sincor Project). 1835 GMT The purchasing managers' index increased by half a point, to 56.2, from May to June -- the highest point in two and a half years for the U.S. manufacturing sector, the Institute for Supply Management reports. Since manufacturing is normally the last sector to recover in an information-based economy, this signals that the U.S. economy is in full recovery. If consumer confidence tapers off, manufacturing levels should be able to make up the difference. 1733 GMT The Brazilian real fell July 2 by 1 percent, to a record 2.923 to the dollar -- the lowest level in the currency's eight-year history, Bloomberg reports. The drop complicates Brazil's ability to repay its $330 billion debt, almost 40 percent of which is in dollar- linked local bonds. Although Brazil's debt is proportionally less dollar- denominated than that of Argentina, the two country's overall debt loads as a percentage of GDP are similar. A strong external shock could force Brasilia into an economic situation much like that of Buenos Aires. 1717 GMT China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC) has announced plans for a joint venture with Nigeria to manage Nigerian railways, which CCECC is currently restoring. CCECC Chairman Di Yu Chung said this joint venture, as well as future ventures in the energy sector, will provide Chinese technology to Nigeria in efforts to promote the country's self-sustenance, the Daily Trust, an Abuja newspaper, reported. 1710 GMT The United Nations reported July 2 that conflict and the growth of towns and cities in West Africa are causing the HIV virus to spread. HIV1, a more virulent strain of the disease normally found in southern Africa, now is traveling with migrants to West Africa, causing HIV/AIDS rates to double in countries such as Cameroon and Nigeria, the BBC reports. The new, stronger strain of HIV leaves patients with a life expectancy of nine to 10 years, compared to 30 to 40 years for those with the strain that has been common in West Africa. 1655 GMT German gas distributor Ruhrgas has upped its stake in Russian gas giant Gazprom by 0.3 percent -- or $68.8 million on the internal market and $116.5 million on the overseas market - to 5.3 percent, Russian daily Vedemosti reports. Ruhrgas executives hope eventually to gain control of 8 to 10 percent of Gazprom. The deal benefits both companies: Gazprom desperately needed the cash injection, and Ruhrgas has been seeking a gas supplier. Officials in Moscow and Berlin also will take a positive view of the deal, which furthers their mutual goal of solidifying the growing economic links between Germany and Russia. 1645 GMT Filipino Vice President Teofisto Guingona officially gave notice July 2 of his resignation from the post of Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Manila Times reported. His action follows last week's confusion in which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wrote a letter accepting a resignation that Guingona later said he had not given. 1630 GMT Two airplanes, a Tupolev and a Boeing, have collided and crashed near the town of Sigmariegen, Germany, the BBC reports. Casualty numbers are not yet known. 0018 GMT 01 Jul 2002 Violent clashes and riots broke out in Nigeria on June 30 as the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) prepared to choose its candidates for local elections in August. Rival PDP factions clashed in the city of Warri, Delta State, where members burned the homes of party officials and stormed the police building. No one was killed. The PDP primaries, held in 7,000 local government areas, began July 1. The local elections on Aug. 10 will be the first since Nigeria's return to civilian rule. 2105 GMT Pakistani and U.S. Special Forces will begin joint exercises involving the army, navy and air force by the end of July, and which will be larger in scale than those India carried out with U.S. Special Forces in May, Pakistan Daily the Dawn reported. 1652 GMT Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who is assuming the rotating six- month presidency of the European Union July 1, said he agrees with a recent U.S. call for the Palestinians to replace Yasser Arafat as their leader, the Jerusalem Post reported. 1650 GMT Two rocket-propelled grenades were fired at a U.S. Special Forces air base in southern Afghanistan July 1. No casualties were reported, and U.S. Col. Roger King said that the U.S. forces did not return fire because they could not tell which direction the attack came from, BBC reported. 1642 GMT Saudi Arabian delegates have been granted permission to visit Saudi citizens being held at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, BBC reported. The more than 100 Saudis there make up about one-fifth of the suspected Taliban or al Qaeda members from 30 different countries being detained. 1635 GMT China, looking to bolster consumer spending, gave a 10 percent to 15 percent raise to civil servants on July 1, Bloomberg reported. This raise, however, may not succeed as a method to buoy economic growth, as more Chinese citizens save their earnings as a safeguard against massive state layoffs that have already claimed hundreds of thousands of jobs, Bloomberg reported. 1630 GMT 28 Jun 2002 A temporary military outpost near the Colombian border, in northern Ecuador's Carchi province, was demolished June 27 during a firefight between Colombian army units and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Quito daily El Comercio reports. The outpost near La Pintada, manned by 22 soldiers, was attacked after the skirmish spilled across the border of Ecuador. Instead of stopping at the border as they pursued fleeing FARC units, Colombian soldiers crossed over to continue the engagement. Once inside Ecuadorian territory, the battle continued for about 45 minutes. In the confusion, both the FARC and Colombian army units fired on the Ecuadorian army outpost. Colombian military forces also mortared the outpost, mistakenly believing they were firing at the FARC. 2105 GMT Russian President Vladimir Putin strengthened his control of natural gas giant OAO Gazprom on June 28, when the company's board chose a close Putin ally, Dmitri Medvedev, as its new chairman. Medvedev, who also is deputy head of the presidential administration, replaces Rem Vyakhirev, who was fired as Gazprom's CEO last year but stayed on as chairman, a largely ceremonial post. In a related move coordinated by the Kremlin, Vyakhirev officially was named as Medvedev's adviser earlier this week. This was likely part of a transitional agreement designed to slowly ease the former CEO completely out of Gazprom, rather than a sign that Vyakhirev is back in the Kremlin's good graces or staging a political comeback. Meanwhile, Gazprom's new CEO, Putin ally Alexei Miller, continues to clean house -- steadily recouping assets that strayed (or were stripped) during Vyakhirev's tenure. 1835 GMT Mexico's energy minister has announced that his country will keep export levels unchanged in the third quarter in order to continue supporting OPEC's efforts to boost prices, Bloomberg reports. But the export limit he gave for the third quarter is 1.66 million barrels per day (bpd) - 100,000 bpd higher than Mexico's initial commitment under the export curbs. This brings Mexican output back to where it was before the coordinated export cut began Jan. 1. 1802 GMT Japan's unemployment rate has continued to climb, reaching 5.4 percent in May, AP reported. Unemployment, which had been focused on Japanese men, has begun to affect women as well, with 5.3 percent female unemployment in May -- up from 4.9 percent in April -- compared to 5.5 percent for men. Japan has had over 5 percent unemployment for 11 consecutive months. 1740 GMT A bomb exploded on a train in India on June 28, injuring more than 11 in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, BBC reported. Although authorities have not yet confirmed a motive, BBC correspondents say a communist rebel group may have planted the bomb. 1730 GMT G8 leaders agreed June 27 to supply Russia with $20 billion -- $10 billion from the United States and $10 billion combined from Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Japan -- to decommission the former Soviet nuclear arsenal. Part of the plan involves the construction of a mixed-oxide plant that will transform plutonium into fuel for nuclear reactors. The plan's framework -- which also involves serious WMD proliferation risks -- was first agreed to at the Clinton- Putin summit in June 2000. 1640 GMT India has acquired the advanced Green Pine radars from Israel to strengthen its missile defenses, the Times of India reported. French naval construction company DCN will also reportedly sign a contract in September or October to supply India with six Scorpene-type submarines, La Tribune reported. 1625 GMT Chinese factory workers staged a three-day riot ending on June 28, in what local officials have deemed one of worst examples of labor unrest in recent years, BBC reported. The uprising took place in the Nanxuan Wool Textile Factory in Guangdong province, resulting in 63 injured, including about a dozen guards, AP reported. 1618 GMT At least 10 Afghans were killed and at least 31 others injured in a munitions explosion on June 27 in the southern Afghani town of Spinboldak, Reuters reported. Residents of the nearby town of Chaman told reporters that the explosion of the Taliban munitions stored in the town sent rockets flying, destroying buildings and lasting for hours. The cause of the blast has not been determined. 1615 GMT U.S. officials reportedly believe that Adham Hassoun, a Palestinian man arrested in Florida earlier this month, was an "important link" to accused American al Qaeda member Jose Padilla, CBS reported. 1600 GMT 27 Jun 2002 Investigators have evidence that al Qaeda may be attempting to use Internet switches that run power, water, transport and communication grids to launch an attack or increase the effectiveness of a conventional attack, The Washington Post reported June 27. The FBI is looking at browsers from West and South Asia believed to be the source of suspicious computer surveillance patterns. Al Qaeda suspects in custody also have revealed information regarding the use of cyber tools. 2220 GMT Dozens of Muslim Brotherhood supporters were arrested on June 27 during Egyptian parliamentary by-elections when fighting broke out between the outlawed political group and the National Democratic Party, AFP reported. As the throwing of stones and bottles began, an AP reporter on the scene was beaten, witnesses said, and the tapes from two German TV crews (ZDF and Abu Dhabi TV) were confiscated by the police. 2150 GMT A U.S. Air Force A10 crashed June 27 in the forest in eastern France while on a training mission, AP reported. Two people may have been killed, but regional and U.S. military sources conflict on whether there actually were any casualties. The plane was from the Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany. 1920 GMT Vice President Teofisto T. Guingona has not resigned as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, despite an earlier letter by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo accepting his resignation after an hour-long meeting June 26, Business World reported. Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable took responsibility for the misunderstanding, stating "It was a mistake on my part. [The letter] was really meant to be torn up because it was not meant to be sent to the Vice President." 1730 GMT An armed man raided the American Express offices in central London on June 27, taking a female employee hostage, AFP reported. Armed police and hostage negotiators have been sent to the scene of what officials believe to be a botched armed robbery attempt. A police official told reporters that the gunman has made no demands and has remained "calm" during negotiations. 1655 GMT Police dispersed protesters outside of Buenos Aires on June 26, detaining 160 people, injuring 90 and killing two, Bloomberg reported. The demonstrators were reportedly protesting the country's rising 24 percent unemployment rate and soaring prices from currency devaluation. The Argentine Workers' Congress trade union has planned a demonstration June 27 to protest the violence and call for President Eduardo Duhalde's resignation. 1650 GMT The U.S. Commerce Department has revised its economic growth figures for the first quarter to 6.1 percent, up from the previous estimate of 5.6 percent, marking the fastest quarterly growth rate in two years. A Bloomberg poll of economists projects a 2.7 percent rate in the second quarter, 3.2 percent in the third quarter and 3.5 percent in the fourth. 1600 GMT The president of state-run Petroecuador decreed force majeure on crude exports late June 26 after anti-government protests in the Amazon province of Napo halted the pumping of crude through the Trans-Ecuador Crude Pipeline (SOTE), Platts reports. Authorities decided that crude stocks at the port of Esmeraldas should be kept in the country to avoid a domestic fuel crisis. The protests also have disrupted construction on a new 450,000 barrel per day heavy crude pipeline scheduled for completion in late 2003. 1556 GMT 26 Jun 2002 Suspected Al Qaeda members killed 10 Pakistani soldiers June 26, during a raid on the small town of Wana, Fox News reported. A government official told AP that the Pakistani forces were acting on tips from the FBI. Fox News also reported that one Al Qaeda member was captured. This is the first al Qaeda shooting resulting in Pakistani military casualties in the area. 1705 GMT Norwegian Defense Minister Kristin Krohn Devold announced to reporters on June 25 that Norway would send F-16 fighters to Bishkek's Manas international airport by the end of 2002, Interfax-AVN reported. These fighters are expected to replace French Mirage fighters and provide support for the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan. 1700 GMT Palestinian officials have announced that presidential and legislative elections are planned for January 2003, and current Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will run for re-election, AP reported. 1658 GMT French and Saudi Finance Ministers signed an agreement June 26 to promote investment between the two countries, AFP reported. France is the fourth-largest investor in the kingdom, with direct investments of $299 million dollars. 1653 GMT Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer said he wants to remove 20 unidentified "illegal" Jewish settlements in the West Bank, BBC reported. 1650 GMT 25 Jun 2002 The Argentine peso fell 2.5 percent on June 25 to a record low of 3.86 to the dollar, after President Eduardo Duhalde named Aldo Pignanelli as Central Bank president. The previous president, Mario Blejer, resigned after complaining that the government limited his independence, Bloomberg reports. Pignanelli belongs to Duhalde's Peronist party and has more of a political background than Blejer. He also may be more susceptible to political pressures to print money. Blejer spent 20 years working for the International Monetary Fund, and his departure potentially could delay IMF negotiations. 2221 GMT China has begun negotiations with four Russian producers bidding for a $1.6 billion contract to build eight diesel- powered Project 636 Kilo-class vessels, the Washington Post reported. Defense experts stated that the subs will be equipped with Klub long-range, anti-ship missile systems. The Post reported that these subs are part of a $4 billion agreement with Russia as China's weapons provider over the next half decade. 1653 GMT Former Pakistan federal minister Omar Asghar Khan was found dead June 25, the result of a possible suicide attempt in his Karachi residence, the IRNA reported. Investigations into the cause of death are currently taking place, as conflicting rumors fly as to where and how he died. 1645 GMT Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's ruling party announced June 25 that he will step down and be replaced by his deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi next year, AFP reported. 1630 GMT 24 Jun 2002 The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has added the names of officials from nine more provinces, or departments, to its list of municipal authorities who must resign or become targets, El Tiempo reported June 24. That brings the number of affected departments to 21, out of a total of 32. The extended list names officials from the capital, Bogota, including Mayor Antanas Mockus. "Our order is not to allow a single representative of the state to function in any of these departments," FARC leaders reportedly told various fronts in a statement intercepted by Colombian authorities. 2236 GMT Yugoslav army chief Gen. Nebojsa Pavkovic, after first responding to the termination of his position by Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica by deeming it "illegal and meaningless," later tempered his remarks, reported AP. Pavkovic now says he will file a complaint with the national parliament, but will not oppose his replacement by Gen. Branko Krga. 2216 GMT Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica fired army chief Gen. Nebojsa Pavkovic by decree June 24, BBC reported. Pavkovic was appointed by former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic and headed the Yugoslav army during the confrontation with NATO in 1999. Pavkovic immediately rejected his termination as a case of "personal vengeance." According to Pavkovic, the president "decided on his own initiative, without a decision by the Supreme Defense Council, to fire me in an illegal manner, which of course I rejected." Kostunica has twice attempted to fire Pavkovic, but has been outvoted by other senior government officials. 2205 GMT U.S. President George W. Bush has outlined his Middle East peace proposal, calling for the Palestinian people to elect new leaders and build a practicing democracy. Bush said local multiparty elections should be held by the end of the year, with national elections to follow. He also said the United States will support the creation of a provisional Palestinian state once political and security reforms are enacted, and stated that a comprehensive peace likely would require Israel to give up the Gaza Strip, West Bank and Golan Heights. The president also called for Middle Eastern states such as Syria, Iran and Iraq to end their support for terrorism. 2125 GMT Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has announced plans to launch a "massive operation" targeting Hamas in the Gaza Strip, The Associated Press reports. Sharon said the beginning of the operation was seen in the apparent assassination of two Hamas leaders and four others, who were killed by missiles fired from Israeli helicopter gunships early June 24. Hamas reportedly has vowed to step up suicide attacks against Israelis in revenge for the deaths. 2040 GMT The president of Cameroon has postponed parliamentary and municipal elections scheduled for June 23 for one week, after the state-run printing press failed to finish producing the necessary ballots, the BBC reports. President Paul Biya's decision was made early on election day, and voting had already started in some regions when it was announced. Election observers cited by BBC and Nairobi-based Africa Church Information Service noted that violence was likely if the election had continued as planned, and that this may have encouraged Biya's decision to delay. The president later fired Interior Minister Ferdinand Koungou Edima for failing to properly prepare the ballots. 1735 GMT U.S. soldiers will remain in the Philippines past the end of the joint military training program known as "Balikatan 02- 1," the Manila Bulletin reported. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and U.S. President George W. Bush have agreed to commence a new training session, "Balikatan 02-03," to begin immediately after the current training in the hunt for the Abu Sayyaf rebel group ends at the end of July. Arroyo also announced that American soldiers may now join Filipino soldiers on the company level. 1650 GMT A bomb exploded June 24 under the car of a schoolteacher just outside of Ein el- Hilweh, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, AP reported. There were no injuries. 1630 GMT Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica and the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) have dropped out of the ruling coalition due to problems with Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, RFE/RL reported. Regular parliamentary elections will take place in 2004. 1622 GMT The black box on China Airlines Flight CI 611 that crashed May 25 offers confusion rather than answers as to why the plane split into four parts shortly after takeoff, killing 225 people. The recording from the black box revealed unusual thumping noises, but no sign that those in the cockpit were aware of a problem, BBC reported. The second black box with flight data is still under analysis. 1610 GMT Russia failed to secure guarantees from Iran for the return of spent nuclear fuel, able to be converted into weapons- grade plutonium, from the Russian-built reactor at Bushehr, despite repeated requests from Moscow, the Guardian reported. 1605 GMT 21 Jun 2002 Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov has announced that Russia will provide Ukraine with $44 million in credit to complete the construction of two nuclear reactors, AFP reported June 21. The new reactors are to replace the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The FBI has issued an alert that fuel tanker trucks could be used against U.S. interests in the United States and overseas, Agence France Presse reports. An FBI spokesman, who said the warnings were based on uncorroborated and unconfirmed evidence, specifically noted the possibility of attacks against Jewish targets, including schools and synagogues. Nineteen people were killed April 11 when a fuel truck blew up outside a Tunisian synagogue. Venezuela will exceed its oil production quota by 400,000 barrels per day in order to meet immediate economic needs, according to HSBC. The International Energy Agency reports that Venezuela has been exceeding its quota since December -- about the time that protests against President Hugo Chavez began breaking out into the open. 2125 GMT Philippine troops have recovered the bodies of Abu Sabaya, the well-known Abu Sayyaf leader, along with those of fellow militants Abu Musa and Ibno Hajim from waters near the southern town of Sibuco, AFP reports. The Abu Sayyaf members were shot during a clash with Philippine special troops on June 21. 1708 GMT Abu Sabaya, a leader of the Philippine Abu Sayyaf rebel group, was shot by special forces of the Philippine navy near the coast of southern Zamboanga peninsula, President Gloria Arroyo announced June 21, AFP reported. Government forces are currently combing the coast for the body, and both Philippine and U.S officials say U.S. troops were not directly involved in the fighting. 1557 GMT Raids by Pakistani police in Karachi have resulted in seven Arab suspects held due to alleged links with al Qaeda, but Pakistani newspapers stated June 21 that these suspects -- as well as seven other Pakistanis detained -- have not been charged yet, IRNA reported. The papers also stated that Pakistani police were working with the FBI in the security crackdown against the al Qaeda network. 1550 GMT A homemade bomb exploded in Athens, Greece, damaging a car with Egyptian diplomatic plates, police told reporters. The explosion occurred in the eastern Pangrati district in Athens and is the second time in eight days that gas canisters have been used as explosives there AFP reported. 1545 GMT Two separate car bombs exploded in resort towns along Spain's Costa del Sol June 21. The first attack in Fuengirola injured five foreign tourists and one Spaniard and was claimed by the Basque separatist group ETA. A second car bomb exploded hours later in Marbella. The attacks come as the EU summit gets underway in Seville. On June 10, Spanish officials arrested a suspected ETA member for allegedly planning a bomb attack during the summit, and later uncovered a stash of explosives thought to belong to ETA. Tourism accounts for about 12 percent of Spain's economy and tourist centers have been a target of ETA attacks in the past. 0000 GMT 20 Jun 2002 Venezuela's UnionRadio broadcast network reported late afternoon June 20 that retired Col. Hidalgo Valero, who organized a June 20 march of retired military officers seeking the resignation of President Hugo Chavez, was intercepted and seized after the march by at least 10 heavily armed men while traveling in his car on the Francisco Fajardo highway in the Bello Monte district of Caracas. Venezuelan Interior and Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed late June 20 that Valero, was arrested by the ministry's political police (DISIP) and faces criminal charges and prosecution for "inappropriate use of the military uniform by a retired officer," according to the Globovision television network in Caracas. Cabello confirmed the DISIP agents acted on his orders, and dismissed eyewitness reports that Hidalgo was roughed up before he was driven away. 2215 GMT The constitutional chamber of Venezuela's Supreme Court ruled unanimously June 20 that private attorney Tulio Alvarez, who filed a suit before the high court seeking the impeachment of President Hugo Chavez on corruption charges, may litigate his suit directly without the intervention or participation of Attorney General Isaias Rodriguez. This decision -- along with one June 19 that challenged the attorney general's impartiality -- indicates that one group of Supreme Court justices loyal to former Interior and Justice Minister Luis Miquilena is gradually gaining the upper hand against pro-Chavez justices determined to block any moves to impeach the president. Chavez did not respond directly to the decision, but he warned during an earlier speech that "millions" of his followers would seize the streets of Venezuela's cities to defend against any attempts to topple his regime by violent or judicial means. Chavez also assured his listeners that the country's armed forces fully support his government. 2210 GMT Dozens of retired Venezuelan military officers and hundreds of civilians marched June 20 in Caracas to protest the politicization of the military and to demand the resignation of President Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's Union Radio reports. The retired officers marched toward Miraflores, the presidential palace, where they reportedly plan to deliver a letter to Chavez asking for his resignation. Meanwhile, groups of Chavez supporters -- possibly members of the Bolivarian Circles -- gathered at Miraflores to repel the demonstrators. As of early afternoon, no major violence had been reported. About 2,000 security forces, including municipal police and National Guard troops, were in the streets to prevent violence. 2120 GMT A single-engine Cessna flew into restricted airspace on the evening of June 19, forcing the partial evacuation of the White House. The aircraft flew within 4.5 miles of the White House at an altitude of 10,500 feet - 8,000 feet below the allowable altitude, according to Agence France-Presse. The plane, en route from Massachusetts to North Carolina, reportedly was seeking to avoid bad weather when it was intercepted by F-16 fighters and escorted to Richmond, Va., where federal agents questioned and then released the Cessna pilots. Secret Service agents cleared the White House around 8:20 p.m., but staff and reporters were allowed to return after about 15 minutes. Reuters reported that President George W. Bush remained in the White House and was not taken to a bunker. 2118 GMT A British man was killed June 20 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when a bomb thought to have been planted in his car exploded. The victim, Simon Veness, was killed while driving on Prince Turki II Street in Riyadh's Nakhil neighborhood. The bombing is the latest in a string of attacks against Westerners in Saudi Arabia. In early June, a sniper shot at an Australian employee of British company BAE Systems as the man left the BAE compound in Tabuk, in the northern part of the country. 1645 GMT The Pentagon announced June 19 that it has agreed to send U.S. troops on patrol with Philippine soldiers who are fighting Abu Sayyaf rebels on the southern Philippine island of Basilan, Reuters reported. A U.S. official said that plans were not final for the joint-training patrols, but stressed that U.S. soldiers would be allowed to fire if fired upon. On June 18 unknown gunmen opened fire on U.S. troops on Basilan, injuring none, in the first known attack on U.S. forces on the island. 1640 GMT Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde has vetoed a law that allowed bankers to be prosecuted on charges of contributing to the country's economic crisis, Bloomberg reported June 20. By doing so, the president has met one of the conditions demanded by the International Monetary Fund as a condition for renewed aid. 1637 GMT Uruguay's Economy Minister Alberto Bension and Central Bank President Cesar Rodriguez Batlle announced June 20 that the peso would be allowed to float freely effective immediately. The two cited the recent Brazilian and Argentine devaluations as rationale for the shift. Uruguay's economy is approximately one-fourteenth the size of Argentina's and one-thirtieth the size of Brazil's. 1630 GMT 19 Jun 2002 New Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy admitted his role as a counter- intelligence officer in Hungary's Communist-era secret services to parliament June 19. The revelation threatens to bring down the prime minister's coalition government just weeks after it was formed. The Financial Times reports that Medgyessy may have lost the support of his minority coalition partner, the Freedom Democrats. Without their support, and their 20 parliamentary seats, Medgyessy's Socialist Party would lose its parliamentary majority and the prime minister could be forced to resign. 2200 GMT The Palestinian militant group Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Jerusalem June 19 that killed seven people, AFP reported. The bombing followed the Israeli government's announcement of a new policy to seize and occupy Palestinian territory for each new attack. 1904 GMT Spain's first general labor strike in more than a decade is set to begin at midnight on June 20. The country's two largest labor unions called on their 15 million members to join the 24-hour strike to protest labor reforms being sought by Madrid. The strike comes one day before a European Union summit in Seville that will mark the end of Spain's six- month term as EU president. 1900 GMT Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's extended inner Cabinet June 19 approved a new policy authorizing the army to seize Palestinian Authority territory in response to every future terrorist attack, Israeli daily Haaretz reported. The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that the army would soon seize Palestinian land in response to a bombing in Jerusalem June 18 that killed 19 people. 1643 GMT A suspected senior al Qaeda official captured by Moroccan authorities last week is believed to have plotted attacks against Western interests in the country and has close links with Abu Zubaydah, a senior al Qaeda leader captured in Pakistan in March, AP reported. 1635 GMT The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) is scheduled to launch a third H2-A unmanned space lab between late August and September this year, officials reported to Kyodo News. 1630 GMT China has given Japan permission to raise a suspected North Korean spy ship that was sunk in China's exclusive economic zone by Japan late last year, Japan Times reported. This long-stalled decision to allow Japan to salvage the ship may be the first move toward easing tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over the sinking of the ship in Chinese waters. 1620 GMT Russian government minister Ilya Klebanov, who heads Moscow's official investigation into the sinking of the Kursk submarine two years ago, has publicly blamed the incident on a faulty torpedo, Reuters reports. His statements clear NATO or any foreign power of fault in the incident. Senior naval officials in Russia initially claimed a NATO submarine could have collided with the vessel, leading to a sharp deterioration in relations between the two Cold War foes. 1556 GMT At the next OPEC meeting on June 26, Indonesia will ask the cartel to maintain its existing production levels, which were last cut by 1.5 million barrels per day on Jan. 1, Indonesian Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said June 18. Unlike those of many other OPEC states, Indonesia's oil complex has degraded significantly in recent years and the country has little -- if any -- spare production capacity. 1553 GMT 18 Jun 2002 The president of the powerful Venezuelan Worker's Confederation (CTV), Carlos Ortega, said June 18 that his organization is willing to initiate a national strike in the shortest possible time, according to Venezuelan daily El Nacional. Ortega did not say a strike is definite, but that CTV would "analyze and evaluate" such a measure in light of the country's labor situation and new economic measures that it deems harmful to business. CTV helped lead national strikes in April that precipitated the brief overthrow of President Hugo Chavez. 2155 GMT Nineteen people were killed and dozens wounded after a Palestinian man blew himself up on a crowded bus in Jerusalem June 18, AFP reported. Credit for the attack was claimed by the armed wing of the radical Palestinian group Hamas. 1605 GMT U.S. troops on the southern Philippine island of Basilan were fired upon by unknown gunman June 17, but no injuries were reported, ABS-CBN News reported. It was the first attack on U.S. forces on Basilan since they were deployed early this year to help train Filipino forces in fighting the Abu Sayyaf rebel group. 1600 GMT Assembly election in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir will be held in October, Indian Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah announced June 18, the Times of India reported. The new assembly and government will take over Oct. 13 or 14, he added. 1550 GMT 17 Jun 2002 French President Jacques Chirac confirmed Jean- Pierre Raffarin as prime minister on June 17. Chirac's recently appointed "crime czar," Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, was appointed deputy premier. 2220 GMT During a regular radio program on June 16, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he would accept a national referendum on his presidency on Aug. 19, 2003 -- the date he considers to be the mid-point of his presidency -- but reiterated that he would not quit or be forced out of office, daily El Nacional reports. Opposition forces are pushing for a much earlier referendum. Chavez's comments came one day after large but mostly peaceful demonstrations in Caracas; tens of thousands of people gathered to commemorate the deaths of 17 people during anti-government protests in April. 2042 GMT Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs reported a $1.21 billion increase in Taiwanese business funds going into China during the first five months of this year, a 13 percent increase from the same period in 2001 , Reuters reported. China's rapidly growing economy has attracted investment from Taiwan, whose struggling technologies market faced a 40 percent drop in foreign investment earlier this year. Taiwan saw investment increase 102 percent to $351 million from April to May, but it is still too early to assume a turnaround, according to the ministry's investment commission. 1945 GMT Center-right parties backing French President Jacques Chirac swept to a convincing victory in June 16's parliamentary elections, taking 399 of the 577 seats in the National Assembly. The victories end four years of cohabitation between Chirac and France's Socialists. Chirac's UMP alliance garnered 354 of the seats for itself, giving it the wherewithal to easily pass any legislation without assistance from coalition partners -- and to approve constitutional changes without need of national referendums. 1825 GMT The government of Peru has declared a state of emergency and established military control in the southern city of Arequipa, the country's second-largest city, after three days of violent protests over plans to privatize two state-owned electricity companies, Egasa and Egasur. More than 100 people were injured June 15 and 16 as rioters blocked city streets and highways and briefly seized control of a landing strip at Arequipa's airport, according to EFE news service. Vice President Raul Diez Canseco announced June 16 that a political- military command would assume control of Arequipa for 30 days in order to "recover tranquility." 1647 GMT U.S. President George W. Bush has assigned the CIA to use "all available tools" -- including lethal force -- to remove or capture Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the Washington Post reported. This comes as part of a presidential intelligence order signed earlier this year, which also includes the possible use of U.S. Special Forces in the area. CIA Director George J. Tenet has reportedly told the administration that there is only a 10 or 20 percent chance of a covert CIA campaign succeeding without military action. 1645 GMT An Indian government official said June 17 that New Delhi needs more evidence that Pakistan is cracking down on Islamic militants before it will consider pulling back its forces from the frontier, AFP reported. He also denied a recent news report alleging that Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said the nation was close to war and even prepared for a nuclear conflict a few weeks ago. 1630 GMT The European Union has added the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade to its list of terrorist groups, the first time the EU has given that classification to groups close to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, AFP reported. 1620 GMT 14 Jun 2002 Agence France Presse reports that a previously unknown militant group calling itself al-Qanoon has claimed responsibility for the June 14 suicide bomb attack at the U.S. consulate in Karachi, which killed 11 people. 2229 GMT Venezuela's armed forces (FAN) were placed on a heightened state of alert and confined to barracks by presidential order on June 9, the Caracas daily TalCual reported June 14. President Hugo Chavez ordered the alert, and confined all FAN units to their garrisons, after reviewing a military intelligence (DIM) report that predicted violence over the weekend of June 15-16. TalCual reported the FAN had been placed on alert status B, meaning that soldiers can leave their garrisons with permission from their commanders. However, active- duty FAN sources in Caracas told STRATFOR June 14 that the FAN is on alert status A, which means all officers and soldiers are confined to their garrisons until new orders are issued. 2130 GMT Serious clashes broke out early June 14 on the outskirts of Brazzaville, capital of the oil-rich Congo Republic. "Ninja" rebels set fire to a military camp near the Maya Maya international airport, and several hours of gunfire between rebels and government forces ensued, Reuters reported. Militia fighting has been sporadic since President Denis Sassou Nguessou seized power in 1997. However, attacks by the Ninjas, who hail from the south, have increased since March, when Sassou -- a northerner -- won elections from which his main rivals were excluded. Today's violence, the first such outbreak in Brazzaville in four years, occurred before Sassou returned to the Congo from the recent world food summit in Rome. 1805 GMT The death toll from a suicide bombing in Karachi has climbed to 11 as officials continue to collect evidence from the scene. Police earlier said eight were killed when a bomb-laden vehicle crashed into a guard post outside the U.S. consulate building. No Americans were killed, but the Bush administration -- which already has reduced diplomatic staffing levels in Pakistan -- plans to evaluate how many U.S. personnel should remain in the country, The Associated Press reports. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said it is possible the consulate was not the ultimate target. Islamabad has not ruled out the possibility that the bombing was an attempt to destabilize Pakistan and its economy. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. 1744 GMT Protesting tax hike proposals and a scandal over alleged misuse of funds by the government, Venezuelan businesses have threatened to stop paying taxes, Bloomberg reports. The Finance Ministry has proposed increases to the value- added and financial transactions taxes as a way to reduce the federal budget deficit. However, the director of the Federation of Venezuelan Chambers of Commerce and Industry said businesses should not be asked to pay higher taxes until the government accounts for $2.3 billion that it failed to deposit into a rainy-day oil income fund. 1623 GMT Eight people were killed and dozens were injured June 14 following an apparent suicide bombing outside the U.S. consulate in Karachi. The explosion -- the fourth attack this year that apparently targeted foreigners in Pakistan -- came less than 24 hours after U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld left the country. Reuters reports that Karachi police had been tipped off about a week ago that another suicide bombing was imminent but were given no specific details. Officials believe the bomb was carried in a van and detonated as it was driven past the consulate. No foreigners or staff at the consulate were killed. 1422 GMT 13 Jun 2002 Colombia's House of Representatives approved a bill June 13 that would turn a temporary sliding scale for oil royalties, which has been used as a matter of government policy since 1999, into a permanent system, El Tiempo reported. The bill now goes before the Senate, where approval is likely next week. Congress has a court-imposed deadline of June 20 to legalize the royalty regime; after that date, royalties would revert to a flat rate of 20 percent, which most oil companies consider unfavorable. The bill under consideration would set minimum royalties to the government of 8 percent for fields producing less than 5,000 barrels per day (bpd) and a maximum of 25 percent for fields producing more than 400,000 bpd. 1938 GMT Hamid Karzai, head of the interim Afghan government, was overwhelmingly elected the country's new head of state by delegates at the Loya Jirga traditional assembly, AP reported. 1910 GMT The European Union's Committee of Permanent Representatives in Brussels has decided to add Colombia's main leftist guerilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, to its official list of terrorist organizations, Colombian daily El Tiempo reported June 13. El Tiempo also noted that the National Liberation Army (ELN), a smaller guerrilla group, will also be added to the list in the coming weeks. Colombia complained bitterly after the two leftist groups were excluded from the first list released in May, while the far-right paramilitaries of the United Self-Defense Forces (AUC) were included. 1700 GMT According to the annual report for the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia has surpassed the United States in becoming the world's number one conventional arms exporter, increasing deliveries six-fold over the previous five years. Russia's arms exports rose 24 percent to nearly $5 billion in 2001 compared to $4.6 billion for the United States. 1635 GMT India June 13 rejected the idea of deploying foreign troops in its territory to help find al Qaeda fighters, after U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said members of the terrorist organization were likely operating in Kashmir, AFP reported. India asserts that it is capable of dealing with the threats by itself and does not need foreign military assistance. 1620 GMT The chief of the general staff of the Turkish armed forces signed an agreement June 11 to fund the Georgian military with a $2.8 million grant to provide equipment and to continue to improve infrastructure, Caucasus Press reported. Turkish support has traditionally been a financial pillar of the Georgian defense budget. Most of the recent batch of funding will assist the reconstruction of the Vaziani base near Tbilisi. Russian forces only left Vaziani earlier this year; now American forces are using the base to train the Georgian military. 1555 GMT Italy has canceled Mozambique's $524 million foreign debt in an effort to alleviate suffering in the nation, which is currently plagued by hunger and AIDS and recovering from devastating floods in 2000 and 2001 , BBC reported. The cancellation reduces Mozambique's debt load by approximately 40 percent. 1550 GMT Brazil will seek $11 billion in loans from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to bolster its balance sheet and soothe investor concerns over its ability to meet short-term debt obligations, Bloomberg reported June 13, citing Brazilian Globo TV News. Brazil is trying to stop a sharp fall in its currency, the real, which was down more than 17 percent for the year at its June 12 close. Markets reacted positively to Brazil's announcement: The real rose 3.2 percent against the dollar in early trading June 13, reversing sharp declines from the previous day. 1542 GMT 12 Jun 2002 A U.S. MC-130 Special Operations aircraft believed to be carrying 10 to 15 people crashed on takeoff near Gardez, Afghanistan, CNN reports. There was no evidence of hostile fire. The accident occurred about 80 miles southwest of the capital, Kabul. There is no word yet on any injuries. The plane had been doing a "milk run," resupplying various U.S. operations in the country, according to ABC News. 2108 GMT Radio Caracas Radio reports on its live broadcast that several military officers were arrested June 11 in Valencia, in Carabobo state, for plotting a military action against President Hugo Chavez's regime this coming weekend. No names were provided in the broadcast, but RCR said two generals, three captains and several "sub- alternos," or subordinates, were under arrest. 1900 GMT An alleged associate of Jose Padilla, the man accused of plotting to set off a "dirty" bomb in the United States, is in custody in Pakistan, AP reports. Pakistani intelligence said Benjamin Ahmed Mohammed is being held and questioned by the FBI. 1735 GMT Abu Sayyaf rebels in the Philippines are suspected of kidnapping new hostages six days after a U.S. missionary and a nurse held captive for nearly a year were killed in an attempted rescue. According to Reuters, rebels were sighted with some unarmed people in a cluster of islets in the southern Philippines. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on June 12 restated its commitment to help the government destroy the Abu Sayyaf as a way of demonstrating its sincerity in restoring peace in Mindanao. The MILF warned the Abu Sayyaf that they would be shot if they enter MILF territories. 1722 GMT The Iranian news service reported June 12 that a U.S. unmanned vehicle, or UAV, crashed in northwestern Iran in late May. A senior State Department official recently expressed concern to the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs committee that UAV technology could end up in enemy hands and be used in terror attacks. 1715 GMT First Sergeant Liu Yueh-lung, a non-commissioned officer and radio operator in the Taiwanese navy, was taken into custody June 5 for allegedly sending photographs of military ports, vessels and weapons to China, Taiwan's China Times reported. 1710 GMT The euro broke the 95-cent mark June 12 for the first time since January 2001 , amid continuing investor concerns over the U.S. stock market. Bloomberg reports that U.S. stock purchases by foreign investors dropped 47 percent in the first quarter from the fourth quarter 2001 . The euro is up 6.7 percent this year against the dollar. 1706 GMT At least 10 people were injured June 11 in Venezuela when supporters of President Hugo Chavez rallied in the industrial city of Valencia and clashed with police, the daily El Nacional reports. Pro-Chavez groups also attacked Chavez opponents, who were collecting signatures to alter Venezuela's constitution and shorten the presidential term of office, according to Bloomberg. Anti-Chavez groups are planning a demonstration June 15 to commemorate the deaths of 17 people killed by gunfire during protest marches on April 11. 1516 GMT The U.S. State Department has issued a travel alert for Venezuela, warning that an increasingly unstable political environment could lead to violent clashes. The warning noted increasing reports of U.S. citizens being singled out for threats and harassment. 1515 GMT 11 Jun 2002 A massive money-laundering sting operation resulted in the arrests June 11 of 50 people in Europe and Canada. More than half of those arrested were Russian citizens. Italian authorities led the operation, working in conjunction with the FBI and a variety of their European counterparts. The head of the unit leading the operation, Francesco Gratteri, said 150 more people are under investigation in connection with the sting. The operation -- two years in the making -- targeted Russian money launderers operating in the West who sent cash to Russia for reinvestment in a variety of legal and illegal activities. 1710 GMT Afghanistan's former president, Burhanuddin Rabbani, stepped out of the race for head of state and announced his support for interim leader Hamid Karzai shortly before the opening of a grand council to choose a new Afghan government June 11, BBC reported. His withdrawal came a day after Afghanistan's former king, Mohammad Zahir Shah, renounced any role in the new government and endorsed Karzai. 1645 GMT Government officials said June 10 that Moroccan police arrested three Saudi nationals who were allegedly planning attacks against U.S. and British warships in the Strait of Gibraltar, AP reported. The men were arrested in May and claimed to be members of al Qaeda. Officials said the suspects planned to sail a small boat loaded with explosives into the strait to attack navy ships. A similar plan was carried out in October 2000 by two suicide bombers who rammed the destroyer USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 sailors. 1635 GMT India began withdrawing warships in the Arabian Sea on June 11 in a new effort to ease tensions with Pakistan, AP reported. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is heading to the region this week to meet with the leaders of both countries. 1630 GMT 10 Jun 2002 According to STRATFOR's various human sources in Pakistan, India and Central Asia, U.S. troops may be evacuating from the Jacobobad Air Base in Pakistan. The reasons for the possible evacuation could be the ongoing threat of an Indian- Pakistan conflict, possible new attacks on the base or the decreasing importance of the base since the United States got more air and land bases in Afghanistan. 2130 GMT The opening session of the Afghan grand council, the loya jirga, was delayed June 10 because of a dispute over the role of former king Mohammad Zahir Shah in a new government, AFP reported. Aides to interim leader Hamid Karzai said a one-day delay was likely. Leaders of the Northern Alliance, which is dominated by ethnic Tajiks, strongly opposed any role for the former monarch in the new government. However, many of the 1,550 delegates, many of whom are Pushtuns, want the Pushtun ex-king to be a part of the next government. 1900 GMT The Indian government says it is restoring the right of Pakistani civilian aircraft to fly over India, effective immediately, the BBC reported. The concession came after recent intense diplomatic pressure to check the current military stand off between two nations. The flight ban was imposed after militants allegedly backed by Pakistan engaged in a suicide attack on the Indian parliament in December 2001 . 1635 GMT U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced June 10 that U.S. officials last month apprehended an alleged al Qaeda operative said to be planning to build and detonate a radiological "dirty" bomb, the Associated Press reported. Abdullah Al Mujahir, a U.S. citizen also known as Jose Padilla, was attempting to fly to Chicago from Pakistan and had spent time in a U.S. prison in the early 1990s. 1630 GMT Nepalese Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala reported June 9 after a weeklong visit to China that Beijing promised to extend help to Nepal in its efforts to crush Maoist rebels, Reuters reported. 1625 GMT French President Jacques Chirac's conservative party moved toward a landslide victory in next week's parliamentary elections after heavily defeating left-wing parties and weakening the advance of the far right in the first round of elections June 9, Reuters reported. The mainstream right received 43.7 percent of the vote and the left received 36.8 percent, according to the polling group Ipsos. The popularity of Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front declined despite strong showings earlier in the year, slipping to 11.6 percent from 14.9 percent in 1997. 1620 GMT 09 Jun 2002 The Palestinian Authority's information minister, Yasser Abed Rabbo, announced plans June 9 to restructure the PA cabinet. The number of cabinet ministers will be reduced by about one-third from the current 32, and Maj. Gen. Abdel- Razzek al- Yehiye has been tapped to fill the new position of interior minister, the BBC reports. The Interior Ministry will take over the internal security issues that previously were part of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's direct responsibilities. Arafat has been heavily pressured to reform the PA, including the security services. 1641 GMT 07 Jun 2002 An American missionary was killed and his wife wounded during an attempt by the Philippine military June 7 to rescue the couple, Reuters reported. Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf had held Martin and Gracia Burnham hostage for more than a year. A Filipino nurse held with the couple was shot during the rescue and died soon afterward. 1812 GMT Statistics released by the U.S. Labor Department indicated that U.S. unemployment levels dipped from 6 percent, their peak in the 2001 -2002 recession, to 5.8 percent in May. 1810 GMT After meeting with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to defuse tensions between Pakistan and India, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar offered his resignation to President Pervez Musharraf because of health concerns, AP reported. 1805 GMT U.S. President George W. Bush said June 7 that he plans to announce his administration's new strategy to "move forward" the Middle East peace process following his upcoming meetings with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported. Aides say the president hopes to have the new initiative in place before July's Middle East peace conference in Turkey. 1800 GMT 06 Jun 2002 BP, Europe's largest energy company, announced today it and its partners had completed all agreements to construct the Baku- Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline that would transport Caspian oil to the Mediterranean Sea. BP expects final, formal approval of the $2.9 billion project by the end of June. If completed as scheduled, the line will become operational in 2004 and reach its full capacity of one million barrels by 2008. 2210 GMT A high-speed freight train left the city of Nakhodka in the Russian Far East on a nine-day trip for the Finnish border in an attempt to prove that Russia can reliably serve as a corridor for European-Asian trade. Russia claims it can provide transport between the two economic hubs in one-third the time it takes between the southern sea rough via the Strait of Malacca and the Suez canal. To date its efforts to convince the Asians and Europeans have largely fallen flat, as Russia's political prickliness, overbearing bureaucracy and tendency for power outages on the Trans-Siberian rail line have led to cargo delays. 2000 GMT The Philippine military will reportedly form special rapid-response units to take over from U.S. Special Forces in dealing with terrorists and other armed threats on the southern island of Basilan, where Muslim extremist rebels are based. Two companies of 90 soldiers each will assist in keeping stability on the island after the scheduled departure of U.S. Special Forces next month, although it's been reported that the U.S. presence may be extended, AP reported. 1655 GMT In reprisal for a Palestinian car bombing June 5 in the northern Israel town of Megiddo, Israeli armor and troops attacked Yasser Arafat's compound in the West Bank June 6, Reuters reported. Arafat was not injured, but one of his intelligence officers was killed. 1635 GMT Kuwaiti security officials have arrested a Kuwaiti national suspected of leading the training wing of al Qaeda, with the arrest coming after U.S. investigators identified a Kuwaiti as the originator of the plan for the Sept. 11 attacks, AFP reported. 1623 GMT The Israeli parliament adopted a controversial emergency economic plan June 6 created to deal with the financial strains of the fighting the Palestinian uprising, AFP reported. The plan was approved with various amendments in its third reading by 74 votes to 28 in the 120-deputy assembly. The economic package aims to cut the budget deficit by $2.6 billion in 2002 . 1610 GMT According to a leaked document from the Belgium Parliament's intelligence committee, Islamic terrorists have turned the country into a base of operations for future attacks across Europe, the Telegraph reported June 5. Primarily because of the nation's open-door immigration policy there are 350,000 Muslims in Belgium, and the report alleges that several of the country's influential clerics are tied to al Qaeda. 1600 GMT 05 Jun 2002 Oil prices fell June 5 to $24.24, down 21 cents from the May 31 close, after an American Petroleum Institute report revealed a sharp rise in U.S. crude stock levels. The news helped to offset the impact of a fresh suicide attack in Israel, according to AFP. 1805 GMT Israel's military intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi, told a parliamentary committee June 4 that a bomber tried unsuccessfully to use cyanide gas in the March 27 attack on the Park Hotel in Netanya, the Associated Press reports. The attack killed 29 people and sparked a six-week Israeli military offensive targeting Palestinian militants in the West Bank. Israeli security experts recently have said Palestinian militants were trying to escalate the number of casualties in their attacks to create a major terror assault. 1800 GMT Col. Mohammed Dahlan, head of the Gaza Strip's preventive security force -- the body responsible for stopping militant Palestinian attacks -- announced his resignation June 5. The resignation came days after news reports surfaced that Dahlan was Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's choice to lead the Palestinian security services, Agence France Presse reported. 1755 GMT The Pentagon is planning to sell Kuwait advanced air-to-air missiles as part of a $58 million deal that would include 80 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), launch equipment and training missiles, AP reported. 1712 GMT Nearly 2,500 to 3,000 American troops from the 82nd Airborne Division will be deployed to Afghanistan this summer, AP reported. Fort Bragg officials also announced that soldiers from the 1st Corps Support Command will be deployed to Uzbekistan. 1705 GMT Speaking June 5 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said New Delhi would consider joint patrols along the border of Kashmir if Islamabad halted attacks by Pakistan-based militants into India. However, Pakistan rejected the proposal, stating it was nothing new and "unlikely to work," according to Reuters. 1631 GMT A car bomb exploded June 5 near a crowded bus close to the town of Megiddo in northern Israel, killing 16 people and seriously wounding more than 10 others. Israeli military forces entered the nearby West Bank city of Jenin in response to the attack, Ha'aretz reported. 1630 GMT 04 Jun 2002 A Colombian Army spokesman said June 4 that the military foiled an attempt by four suspected guerillas in Arauca Department to bomb the country's second-largest oil pipeline, the Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline, Colombian daily El Tiempo reported. An army battalion in Antioquia Department also managed to free eight adults and nine children who were held hostage for several hours on June 3 by the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia's second-largest guerilla group. And in Atlantico Department, the army reportedly captured eight members of the paramilitary United Defense Forces (AUC) and seized a weapons arsenal. 2350 GMT A clandestine group of active-duty Venezuelan military officers who call themselves the "comacates" issued a communiqué and video June 4 calling for President Hugo Chavez to immediately dismantle and disarm the militias known as Bolivarian Circles, which are loyal to his regime. The officers also demanded that the president terminate all contacts with Colombian rebels, Cuban leader Fidel Castro and other rogue regimes, and condemned senior commanders for allowing Chavez to destroy the military as an institution. The comacates went on to demand the resignation of senior government officials who were "illegally" appointed by Chavez. And they warned that if even one Bolivarian Circle member opens fire on innocent civilians, the comacates would hunt down "and kill the first to the last member of these circles," Caracas daily El Nacional reported. 2213 GMT Iran passed its first foreign investment law in over 50 years as part of reforms to open the economy and reduce dependence on oil revenues. Among other provisions, the new law allows foreign investment in all sectors that are open to domestic private companies and compensation at market value in the event of nationalization, the Financial Times reported. 1940 GMT Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on June 4 accused India of "continuously threatening" to attack his country while refusing to enter into talks, after Russian President Vladimir Putin held separate meetings with Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in an effort to bring the two leaders together, AFP reported. A day earlier, Vajpayee once again rejected Pakistan's offer of talks until Islamabad cracks down harder on suspected militants. 1722 GMT The CIA reportedly has created a secret paramilitary unit to target known terrorists and their leaders abroad. The unit will operate under the command of the agency's counter-terrorism center, the Straits Times reported. 1715 GMT Cuban leader Fidel Castro has reportedly offered the Soviet-built electronic intelligence-gathering base near Lourdes -- which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced would be shut down last October -- to China for operations against the United States, the Russian newspaper Izvestia reported. 1710 GMT Japan has ratified the Kyoto Protocol, an international accord aimed at cutting emissions of heat-trapping gases, and urged the United States and other countries to fight global warming. The 15 European Union countries signed the Kyoto Protocol on May 31. In a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report sent to the United Nations May 31, the Bush administration for the first time acknowledged that human activity, including burning fossil fuels, is a major contributor to global warming, AP reported. 1700 GMT 03 Jun 2002 Representatives of Morocco's separatist Saharawi movement recently signed an oil exploration agreement allowing Australia-based Fusion Oil & Gas to prospect off the southern Moroccan coast, according to Petroleum Intelligence Weekly. In October, the government of Morocco awarded exploration licenses covering roughly the same area to U.S.- based Kerr-McGee and France's TotalFinaElf. 2250 GMT Chinese President Jiang Zemin will meet Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee June 4 in an effort to ease tensions between the two countries, China Daily reported. Indian border guards killed a top commander of a Pakistan-based militant group which India accuses of being behind an attack on its parliament last December, while the Indian military June 3 categorically ruled out the use of nuclear weapons against Pakistan. 1625 GMT The Palestinian High Court on June 3 ordered the release of Ahmed Saadat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), who is accused by Israel of involvement in the October assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi, AFP reported. Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer warned that Israel would have a free hand to act against Saadat if he was released. 1610 GMT Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said his government is considering resuming diplomatic ties with Libya after a 15- year suspension, BBC reported. The U.S. State Department is believed to have raised no objections to Canberra's moves. 1600 GMT 28 May 2002 The Iranian Foreign Ministry has denied earlier reports that Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi resigned, according to the centrist Entekhab newspaper. However, the paper reported that several parliament members had signed a petition for Kharrazi's impeachment. 2047 GMT Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes has said al Qaeda and Taliban fighters are seeking sanctuary in Pakistan- controlled Kashmir, following claims by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf that there was no more infiltration of militants across the cease-fire line that separates the Indian and Pakistani portions of Kashmir, the New York Times reported. The Indian government ruled out talks with Pakistan on May 28, the same day that British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was due to arrive in New Delhi following talks with Musharraf in Islamabad. 1705 GMT U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said May 28 that the United States was not ready to put forward a Middle East peace plan, but he announced plans to send envoy William Burns to the region, AFP reported. Burns will be joined by Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet later this week. 1702 GMT Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit May 28 said he would stay in power through the 2004 elections despite calls for him to step down due to poor health, AP reported. Ecevit's leadership is seen as crucial in holding his three-party governing coalition together. 1700 GMT 26 May 2002 According to CNN, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will address his nation on Monday, May 27. The speech was initially scheduled for Sunday, but was delayed for unknown reasons. 1605 GMT Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf reportedly received calls from the French President Jacques Chirac, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, and former South African President Nelson Mandela on May 26, with all three leaders urging both sides in the India-Pakistan conflict to exhibit restraint. Musharraf not unexpectedly blamed India for the current crisis and insisted Pakistan was working for peace. 1600 GMT Pakistani and Indian troops reportedly exchanged heavy artillery fire across the line of control on May 26, between the Samahni sector of southern Bhimbher district of Pakistani controlled Kashmir and the Nowshera sector of Indian controlled Kashmir. There have been no reported casualties on the Pakistani side in this exchange, according to Pakistani media, however Indian media reported five civilian casualties from overnight artillery exhanges. 1545 GMT Pakistan successfully tested a short range Hatf- III "Ghaznavi" ballistic missile on May 26. It was the first test of the Ghaznavi, according to official Pakistani media, and the second Pakistani missile test in less than 24 hours. As it had with Saturday's test of the medium range Ghauri ballistic missile, India again downplayed the Ghaznavi test as nothing more than pandering to Pakistan's domestic audience. 1352 GMT India has given Pakistan a two-week deadline to end cross-border attacks and to dismantle camps housing anti-Indian paramilitary forces. The decision not to attack immediately was based, according to the Times of India, on assurances from the United States and the United Kingdom that Pakistan would accede to India's demands. The United States has also assured India that it would provide them with state-of-the-art equipment for border surveillance. 0130 GMT 25 May 2002 Pakistan has test-fired a Ghauri missile, the first in a series of tests that Pakistan announced on Friday. There are to be multiple test launches between Saturday and Tuesday. While Pakistan has denied any connection between the tests and the intense crisis in Indian-Pakistani relations, the tests are clearly intended to serve as a signal of Pakistani resolve. 0645 GMT 0000 GMT 24 May 2002 Argentina's Chamber of Deputies has shelved proposed reforms to an "economic subversion" law, which courts have used since December to punish bankers for real or alleged abuses. The vote is a setback for President Eduardo Duhalde, who reportedly threatened earlier this week to resign if Congress did not change the law. The International Monetary Fund has made billions in aid contingent upon reforms to the "economic subversion" law. The Senate, which voted earlier this month to repeal the law rather than approving a partial reform proposed by Duhalde, now must vote again on the bill and could override the Chamber's action. 2247 GMT Six Indian security personnel were injured in two separate mine blasts in Anantnag and Udhampur districts in Kashmir May 24. Hizbul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the blast in Anantnag, AFP reported. 1737 GMT Pakistan has announced a series of short- and medium-ranged missile tests from May 25-28, but Pakistani officials say they are routine and not linked to the present military standoff with India, Reuters reports. 1705 GMT Fears of war in Southeast Asia lessened as Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee announced plans to take a three-day vacation from May 24-26 in the Himalayan town of Hamil. Karachi and Bombay stock exchanges rallied 8.8 percent and 4.4 percent respectively after receiving the news, AFP reported.Two people were killed by Indian shelling overnight in the Kahuta sector of Kashmir May 24, raising the number of killed in the past week to 26. 1700 GMT The Indian government has reportedly decided to give Pakistan about two months to adequately address cross-border terrorism before assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Hindustan Times reported. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage will leave Washington on June 4 to meet the leaders of India and Pakistan, while Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf twice by telephone May 24. 1550 GMT Senior Pentagon officials have said that top U.S. generals are trying to convince the White House to postpone or cancel a military campaign against Iraq, the Washington Post reported. The Bush administration is now reportedly focusing on undermining the Iraqi government through covert intelligence operations. 1525 GMT British and Chinese officials held the first defense talks between the two countries May 23 in London, BBC reported. The talks covered relations between the two armed forces and global anti- terrorism and peacekeeping operations. 1515 GMT U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty to reduce their nuclear arsenals to between 1,700 and 2,200 warheads over the next decade, which would be their lowest level ever, AFP reported. The treaty is the first strategic arms reduction pact in nearly 10 years. 1505 GMT Iran recently conducted a successful flight test of its Shahab-3 ballistic missile, which is capable of reaching Israel and U.S. troops stationed in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Turkey, AP reported. 1500 GMT 23 May 2002 The United States and India condemned terrorist attacks against India in a joint statement issued May 23. The statement came after the end of a three- day meeting of senior U.S. and Indian defense officials in Washington aimed at improving military relations. 2330 GMT Pakistani Information Minister Nisar Memon said May 23 that Pakistan is redeploying its troops from the western border with Afghanistan to the eastern border with India in response to the growing tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi, AFP reported. Pakistan is also requesting the United Nations release more than 4,000 Pakistani troops participating in a peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone. 1750 GMT Four U.S. warplanes struck two separate Iraqi military sites May 23. Two of the four U.S. planes struck an Iraqi aircraft and missile control center located near the city of Talil. Two other U.S. warplanes bombed an anti- aircraft missile system near Nasiriyah. These are the second such strikes within a week, AP reported. 1635 GMT On May 23 Nepal's ruling party suspended Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, after he advised Nepal's King Gyanendra to dissolve the country's lower house of parliament and call for new elections in November. In an additional protest, three senior Cabinet ministers resigned, AP reported. 1610 GMT Indian Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee held talks May 23 with senior Cabinet ministers and military officials in the disputed Kashmir state, as at least one Indian soldier was killed and seven civilians injured during cross-border shelling between the two countries, AP reported. Pakistani authorities have alerted public health, civil defense and highway departments to launch emergency preparations in the event of war, while Vajpayee said there would be no talks over Kashmir until Pakistan clamps down on cross-border militancy. 1555 GMT Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde told legislators and provincial governors May 23 that he would resign unless they meet the necessary conditions for receiving International Monetary Fund aid, Bloomberg reported. The IMF wants Congress to revise the so-called economic subversion law used to prosecute bankers, while it also wants all provinces to sign spending reduction accords. 1545 GMT A bomb attached to a tanker truck exploded May 23 at Israel's largest fuel depot in Tel Aviv, with police assuming the attack was conducted by Palestinian militants. The blast destroyed the truck and spilled fuel on the tarmac, but the fire was quickly extinguished and none were injured, The Associated Press reported. A fire also destroyed the Israeli embassy in Paris, but officials said they doubted foul play was the cause. 1530 GMT China has discovered its largest natural gas field in the Ih Ju Meng League of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in North China. An estimated 602.5 billion cubic meters in size, it is expected to produce an average 6.5 billion cubic meters annually in the next five years and supply northern China's energy sector, China Daily reported. 1510 GMT 22 May 2002 The FBI has warned energy companies about unconfirmed allegations that Islamic militants, as of mid-April, were targeting U.S. petroleum terminals, pipelines, refineries and ships. The warning also said there are indications that extremists are actively seeking detailed information on the operations of U.S. oil companies and considering the impact that disruptions could have on the nation's economy. 2253 GMT A suicide bomber killed himself and at least one other person and wounded more than 20 others May 22 in Rishon Letzion, on the southern outskirts of Tel Aviv, AFP reported. Rishon Letzion was the site of another suicide bombing May 7 that killed 15 people. 2000 GMT Acting on the advice of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Nepal's King Gyanendra dissolved the country's lower house parliament May 22 and called for new elections in November, Reuters reports. The move came a day before parliament was to debate a six-month extension of emergency rule, which allowed Deuba to use the army to fight the ongoing Maoist rebellion. Some members of the ruling Nepali Congress party opposed extending the state of emergency, and Deuba reportedly felt he could not carry out his "constitutional obligations" under the current parliament. 1922 GMT British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said May 22 that all the country's visa offices in Pakistan would close immediately, due to threats to the safety of British citizens. 1647 GMT Speaking May 22 in Kashmir, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee bluntly said there is a limit to India's tolerance for the proxy war he said Pakistan is waging through militant groups, who are believed to be responsible for a recent attack on an Indian army base that left 34 people dead. Vajpayee said the world knows India has "been wronged" but does not express its views openly, according to The Times of India. He also told troops to prepare for a "decisive battle" with Pakistan from which would emerge "a new chapter of victory." 1638 GMT Five North Korean asylum-seekers seized by Chinese police at a Japanese consulate in Shenyang, China, on May 8 left for the Philippines May 22 en route to their final destination of South Korea. Their seizure led to a diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Tokyo. Tokyo alleged that the Chinese police entered the Japanese consulate without its consent, AP reported. 1620 GMT The Israeli government's emergency economic package was passed by parliament May 22 on its second attempt, after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon fired four Cabinet ministers belonging to the Shas party, which refused to support the bill the first time, the Financial Times reported. Failure to win a majority in the second vote would have raised the prospect of new Knesset elections. 1615 GMT 0000 GMT 21 May 2002 The Bush administration May 21 affirmed that Yugoslavia was cooperating with the U.N. war crimes tribunal, adding that the United States would resume aid to Yugoslavia. The United States requires that Yugoslavia cooperate with The Hague or risk losing $120 million in aid, AP reported. Yugoslavia has recently passed legislation that permits the extradition of suspected war criminals and set up a council to cooperate with the U.N. tribunal. 2120 GMT In an annual report to Congress on May 21, the U.S. State Department claimed that Iran remains the world's most active state sponsor of terrorism, The Associated Press reported. The report also named Sudan, Libya, Iraq, North Korea, Cuba and Syria as terrorism sponsors. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said it was inevitable that terrorists sponsored by a government eventually would acquire weapons of mass destruction. 2112 GMT Venezuela's Energy Ministry verbally ordered state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) on May 13 to increase oil production by 150,000 to 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) over its OPEC quota in order to meet short-term government financing needs, Platt's energy news service reported May 21. The ministry has denied giving the order. The country's current OPEC quota is 2.497 million bpd. President Hugo Chavez has been among OPEC's loudest price hawks since taking office three years ago; the current round of OPEC production cuts would have been very difficult without his coordination. Chavez was briefly ousted in a failed coup last month, and his government is running a budget deficit of $8 billion - or approximately 7 percent of GDP. 2106 GMT The Bush administration is planning to send Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to India and Pakistan in an effort to ease tensions after suspected Islamic militants carried out another attack in the disputed Kashmir region May 20, killing two Indian soldiers and wounding several others, AP reported. Pakistan's government condemned May 21 the killing of Abdul Ghani Lone, a senior Muslim separatist leader in Kashmir who was shot by unidentified assailants. 1650 GMT Representatives from al Qaeda reportedly held a meeting in March in Lebanon with members of the Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas militant groups, ABC reported. The sides allegedly discussed possible coordination of attacks against U.S. and Britain targets. 1640 GMT Brazil has sent 4,000 soldiers, along with helicopters, planes and gunboats, to reinforce its border with Colombia in advance of that country's presidential elections May 26, Bloomberg reported, citing Brazilian daily Folha de S. Paulo. The military is apparently worried that Colombian guerillas or troops will cross into Brazilian territory, which is largely Amazon jungle along the border. Brazil deployed units from the army, air force and navy. 1630 GMT 20 May 2002 Various national organizations representing Argentina's growing number of unemployed staged protests May 20 that blocked major roads and bridges in numerous provinces across the country. Argentine news agency Clarin reports that the protests cut off major roads into the capital, Buenos Aires. The protests are part of a plan -- which will culminate in a nationwide strike on May 29 -- to pressure the government to provide food, medicine, special utility rates and other assistance for the poor. Colombian daily El Espectador estimated that over 10,000 people participated in today's protests. 2330 GMT Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon May 20 fired four of five Cabinet ministers from the Shas party after the party voted in opposition of an emergency economic package in parliament, Reuters reported. If the 17 Shas members in the 120-member parliament withdraw their support for Sharon, it would reduce his support in parliament from 82 to 65 members. 2252 GMT Iraqi ground troops May 20 fired anti-aircraft missiles at a U.S. warplane in the "no- fly" zone monitored by U.S. and British troops, reported AP. In retaliation U.S. warplanes, using precision- guided weapons, targeted sites they considered to be used by Iraqis for tracking U.S. and British aircraft. Iraq tries to shoot down allied planes because it considers the “no-fly” zone to be illegal and a violation of its sovereignty. 1920 GMT On May 20, opposition parties in the Turkish parliament intensified their demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit after he was hospitalized for the second time this month, reported AP. Financial markets fell by over 5 percent last week due to the fear that his resignation could result in early elections and deteriorate Turkey's already dismal economy, which contracted by over 9 percent over the last year. The primary fear that investors face is the recalling of billions of dollars of reform aid from the IMF due the economic uncertainty that another election could cause. 1910 GMT East Timor gained independence midnight May 20 when U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan relinquished U.N. control of the small, Southeast Asian nation. Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Australian Prime Minister John Howard attended the ceremonies. 1700 GMT Britain's Ministry of Defense announced May 20 it would replace the leader of the British forces in Afghanistan, Brig. Gen. Roger Lane, with Brig. Gen. Jim Dutton in June, the Associated Press reported. The ministry said the decision was made in February and would expand the Royal Marines' choice in personal planning, and it denied the decision was related to claims that Lane "mishandled operations, lost the confidence of his men and infuriated British and U.S. officials." 1640 GMT U.S. President George W. Bush said May 20 he would support lifting the Congressionally mandated, 40-year-old trade ban against Cuba if the country fulfils a list of U.S. conditions, including the release of political prisoners and allowing independently monitored elections, reported Associated Press. 1625 GMT A U.S. military spokesman said May 20 that a skirmish between U.S. Special Forces and fighters linked with al Qaeda and the Taliban left Sgt. Gene Arden Vance and one opponent dead, the Associated Press reported. 1620 GMT 17 May 2002 A group of tribes in Yemen have warned the United States not to target their strongholds as part of the war on terrorism. The tribes, which are based mainly in the central Marib province and the northeast al-Juf province, live largely beyond the control of the government in Sanaa. The United States recently has stepped up military cooperation with Yemen in its war against al Qaeda, focusing particularly on the tribal strongholds in these provinces. So far, retaliatory strikes have targeted only U.S. assets in Sanaa and Aden, but other entities such as U.S.- based Hunt Oil Co. -- which has assets in Marib - also could be targeted in the future. 1825 GMT Ugandan Defense Minister Amama Mbabazi lost his parliamentary seat May 17 after the nation's high court nullified his election victory on grounds of voter intimidation and bribery, Agence France Presse reports. Mbabazi is a top adviser to President Yoweri Museveni, and the bribery and intimidation charges will fuel mounting opposition to the president. 1820 GMT About 1,000 mostly British troops were deployed into the eastern Afghan mountains of Paktia province after an Australian special forces patrol came under fire May 16, Fox News reported. A U.S. military official said several air attacks have been launched against enemy fighters in the area, with the United States backing the mission with U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunships and Chinook and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. 1725 GMT Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said May 17 that elections will be held in the Palestinian territories, but only after Israel ends "the occupation" of Palestinian lands, AFP reported. A Palestinian parliamentary speaker said that Arafat welcomed a proposal by lawmakers to hold municipal elections this year and a legislative poll in 2003. 1710 GMT Russia announced May 17 that it would gradually lift restrictions on oil exports that had been requested by OPEC, BBC reported, even though it is widely believed that Moscow has already not been complying with its pledge. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said Moscow would restore oil exports within two months. 1700 GMT 16 May 2002 A report released by the State Department found "no clear evidence" that Yasser Arafat or other senior Palestinian officials planned or approved of terror attacks against Israeli targets in the second half of last year, AP reported. The report did say, however, that Palestinian officials were aware of the involvement of people in Arafat's circle -- including his bodyguards -- in anti-Israeli violence and did nothing to bring them to justice. 2050 GMT Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez left Caracas on May 15, bound for the European Union-Latin American summit in Madrid -- taking with him nearly 40 pieces of luggage for the three-day trip, sources say. Chavez's departure comes as tensions within the Venezuelan military are mounting and rumors are circulating that a second coup attempt may be afoot. Sources tell STRATFOR that Chavez's wife is currently in the Dominican Republic and other family members are in Aruba, suggesting he might not return to Venezuela. If not, the armed forces may be able to heal internal divisions between pro- and anti-Chavez factions. However, if the president should return from Madrid, sources believe a conflict between the military factions is virtually certain before mid-year. 2025 GMT Henry Ramos, the president of Venezuela's largest opposition party, the Democratic Action party, said that a military coup will remove President Hugo Chavez from power if he doesn't resign first, Bloomberg reported. More than 100,000 demonstrators marched in Caracas last weekend calling for the president's resignation, a month after he was briefly ousted from power. 1600 GMT The United States May 16 imposed sanctions against eight Chinese, two Armenian and two Moldovan firms and individuals for allegedly transferring sensitive technology and equipment to Iran, AFP reported. The sanctions were imposed under the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, which prohibits the sale of chemical and biological weapons components and missiles and missile technology. 1555 GMT NATO foreign ministers meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, May 14 formally accepted Croatia's application to join NATO. There are now 10 states actively campaigning to join the alliance. At a Prague summit in November, NATO leaders will decide which countries to grant membership to. 1550 GMT 15 May 2002 Spanish authorities said they prevented a plan by the Basque separatist group ETA to attack this weekend's EU-Latin American summit in Madrid by car bomb, AFP reported May 15. Four men and one woman were captured, along with 498 pounds of dynamite, in the operation ahead of the May 17-18 meeting, which heads of state and government will attend. 1700 GMT Milan Martic and former Yugoslav Gen. Mile Mrksic, two Serbs accused of war crimes during the Croatian war, left for The Hague May 15 to surrender to the U.N. war crimes tribunal, RFE reported. Martic is accused of ordering attacks on the Croatian capital of Zagreb in 1995, killing seven civilians and injuring dozens. 1635 GMT The International Monetary Fund refused to release $47 million to Malawi until the government submits a "constructive" budget, the Daily Nation reported, citing the IMF's southern Africa deputy chief Alfred Kammer. The announcement came at the end of a two-week meeting between the IMF and the government to review the budget. 1630 GMT 14 May 2002 The Uganda People's Defense Forces commissioned 10,000 soldiers for a military offensive code-named "Operation Iron Fist" meant to topple Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army rebels in Southern Sudan, allAfrica reported May 12. 2030 GMT The United States and Russia agreed May 14 to cut nuclear stockpiles by two- thirds, as part of an arms control treaty that will be signed next week, AFP reported. The two countries will reduce their stockpiles from roughly 6,000 nuclear weapons to between 1,700 and 2,200. 2020 GMT The U.N. Security Council May 14 unanimously approved a resolution co-drafted by all five permanent members to reform the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Iraq, Agence France-Presse reported. The United Nations' 12-year-old sanctions regime on Iraq will now have a goods-review list, which will begin May 30, instead of the vetting procedures under the current oil-for-food program. 1800 GMT A member of the Palestinian Legislative Council said May 14 that Fatah is preparing a plan that would limit the powers of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Haaratz reported. The move would be part of an internal reform process within the PA, which may also include the establishment of a "professional" government with only 15 ministers to serve the Palestinian people. 1600 GMT The U.S. Defense Department has awarded a $5 million contract to Abacus Technology Corp.to provide communications support for Saudi Arabia's fleet of F- 15 fighters, MENL reported. 1555 GMT NATO foreign ministers welcomed an agreement with Russia May 14 that sets up a new council where Moscow will sit alongside the 19 NATO nations to formulate joint security policy, AP reported. The new NATO- Russia Council will oversee issues including counterterrorism, controlling the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, missile defense and peacekeeping. 1550 GMT 13 May 2002 A 45-year-old Iranian man attempted to hijack a domestic flight May 12 with two homemade bombs and a container of flammable liquid, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. He was subdued by plainclothes Revolutionary Guards agents, who are present on all Iranian flights. 2211 GMT The White House is sending Christina Rocca, assistant secretary of state for Southeast Asia, to India and Pakistan for talks due to renewed fears that the two are preparing for confrontation over the disputed Kashmir territory, The Guardian reported. India has indicated in recent weeks that it is considering limited military action against Pakistan if militants continue to infiltrate the area. 1600 GMT Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has allagedly offered Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat sanctuary in Baghdad if Israel forces him into exile, the Sunday Telegraph reported. Hussein has also agreed to increase the compensation paid by Iraq to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers. 1500 GMT U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are calling for stronger links with Indonesia's military despite concerns from some in Congress who are concerned about the military's control over Jakarta's government, AP reported. The House Appropriations Committee this week scaled back two administration requests that would benefit Indonesia's armed forces, including $8 million in training assistance. 1340 GMT Russian President Vladimir Putin said May 13 that Russia and the United States had reached agreement on a historic accord to reduce strategic and offensive weapons from 6,000 warheads to between 1,700 and 2,200 over the next 10 years, AFP reported. Putin said that Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov relayed the news following Russian-U.S. negotiations in Moscow. 1220 GMT Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud party voted to reject the possibility of a Palestinian state May 12, AFP reported. Sharon has given conditional support to a limited Palestinian state, and warned that the vote would damage Israel's ties with the United States. 1200 GMT 0000 GMT 10 May 2002 Pakistan's government is preparing to test medium-range Ghauri and short-range Shaheen missiles within the next ten days, according to Lahore's The Daily Times. The paper reported that preparations for the launches were under way near Karachi and Jehlum. Earlier this year, India test-launched Agni- and Akash- class missiles. 1722 GMT British Prime Minister Tony Blair has told senior Labour party members that the country -- the United States' closest ally -- would back a military attack on Iraq only if the United Nations approved such a move and only after consulting with Britain's European allies. British daily The Independent reported May 10 that Blair made the pledge during a private meeting with his party's national executive committee, although the date of that meeting is unclear. 1625 GMT U.S. and Pakistani forces are delaying anti- Taliban and anti-al Qaeda operations in South Waziristan, Pakistan, according to the Pakistani daily Dawn. The unconfirmed report noted that anger over the presence of U.S. forces is growing among the local tribes. 1520 GMT Taiwan successfully test-fired a domestically produced Sky Bow II surface-to- air missile May 10 as President Chen Shui-bian warned that China "has not publicly abandoned its policy to attack Taiwan," according to The Associated Press. Taipei hopes that research from the Sky Bow program eventually will lead to a local version of the U.S.-made Patriot missile. Although Taiwan has purchased about 200 Patriots in recent years, Beijing has protested further sales of the missiles to the island. 1510 GMT The United States plans to sanction an unstated number of companies in China, Armenia and Moldova that are accused of transferring sensitive technology and equipment to Iran, Agence-France Presse reports. In announcing the decision May 9, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher did not name the companies or give detailed descriptions of the export, which he said violated the Iran nonproliferation act of 2000. The penalties do not apply to the governments of China, Armenia or Moldova. 1500 GMT 09 May 2002 The Israel Defense Forces began a partial emergency call-up of reservists May 9 in preparation for an offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israeli military forces were massed on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip overnight in preparation for an operation targeting Hamas networks. 2010 GMT Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered the Gaza Strip town of Rafah May 9 and the army massed troops on the Gaza border, after the Israeli security Cabinet reportedly endorsed a Gaza attack in response to a suicide bombing that killed 16 people on May 7, the Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported. Gaza is the headquarters of most of the leadership of Palestinian militant group Hamas, which claimed responsibility for the bombing. 1700 GMT U.S. officials said May 8 that the CIA made an unsuccessful attempt earlier this week to kill former Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of a hardline Islamic group, by firing a missile from an unmanned Predator in Kabul, AP reported. The missile missed Hekmatyar, who is accused of plotting to overthrow the new interim Afghan government and threatening American troops. 1640 GMT A bomb partly destroyed a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet early in the morning of May 9 in northern Lebanon, wounding a security guard, BBC reported. A campaign to boycott U.S. products to protest alleged U.S. bias for Israel has taken hold recently in many Arab countries. 1620 GMT Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said May 9 that China violated the Vienna Convention when Chinese police entered a Japanese consulate in China without Japan's consent and seized two North Koreans who were seeking asylum inside, Asahi Shimbun reported. 1614 GMT Nearly 30 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in the southern Russian town of Dagestan when a landmine blew up a bus carrying a military band during Victory Day festivities, Reuters reported. Dagestan is near the border with rebel Chechnya. 1600 GMT Pakistani newspaper Dawn, citing unidentified Pakistani intelligence officials, reported May 9 that al Qaeda is preparing a series of suicide attacks against the United States and its allies. The paper said about 300 suicide bombers in terrorist cells throughout the world will begin the attacks as soon as this month. 0000 GMT 08 May 2002 Five hundred Maoist rebels in Nepal retook a key mountain base lost two months ago in Western Nepal. According to an army official, none of the 40 soldiers and 60 police officers based in Gam survived the surprise attack, Associated Press reported. 2155 GMT Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has ordered his security forces to prevent "terrorist operations" against Israelis following the deaths of 15 people in a Hamas suicide bombing near Tel Aviv May 7, BBC reported. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cut short a visit to the United States and flew back to Israel for an emergency Cabinet meeting, while Israeli Chief of General Staff Lt.- Gen. Shaul Mofaz warned that the Israel Defense Forces will begin another operation similar to the recent West Bank offensive if there is another severe wave of terror attacks, the Jerusalem Post reported. A Palestinian youth was seriously wounded in an unsuccessful suicide bombing at a bus stop southeast of Haifa May 8. 1640 GMT Eleven French nationals were killed by a car bomb blast in Karachi, Pakistan May 8, in an attack which the French armed forces chief of staff blamed on al Qaeda, Pakistani daily The News reported. The victims were working on a joint Franco- Pakistani project to build three Agosta 90B class submarines. 1615 GMT The head of Iran's parliamentary foreign affairs committee has said Iran has been holding secret talks with U.S. officials, the official IRNA news agency reported. Mohsen Mirdamadi, a leading reformist parliamentarian allied to President Mohammad Khatami, contradicted denials by Iran's Foreign Ministry of any secret Tehran-Washington negotiations. 1600 GMT 07 May 2002 Iran's state television reported May 7 that an explosion destroyed several floors in a building in the southeast residential neighborhood of Char- e-Ray in Tehran, according to AFP. No other information was given. 2016 GMT Jordanian authorities have arrested four men in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba, 210 miles south of Amman, on suspicion of smuggling arms to Palestinians, officials said May 6. The detainees, said to be Jordanian citizens, were in possession of Soviet- made rockets, launchers and machine guns, officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. 1820 GMT Britain is set to lodge a protest with the United Nations based on evidence that Saudi Arabia is sheltering an aircraft that allegedly was used to supply arms to Osama bin Laden's forces in Afghanistan, according to the Guardian. The government plans to ask a U.N. sanctions committee to investigate an allegation that the plane is parked at Jeddah's airport. 1817 GMT Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok said May 7 a general election would proceed as planned on May 15. Officials had considered delaying the election following the assassination of rightist politician Pim Fortuyn. However, Fortuyn's own fledgling political party -- which polls showed could capture some 15 percent of the vote -- insisted that the election go ahead as scheduled. 1755 GMT Israeli and Palestinian officials have agreed on broad terms for ending a 36- day standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, including the deportation of 13 suspected militants hiding inside, the AP reports. The issue of where to send the deportees is still unsettled. Another 26 gunmen would be transferred from the besieged compound to the Gaza Strip. 1708 GMT Israel has turned over documents to U.S. officials that allegedly show Saudi financial support for the families of suicide bombers. Israeli officials claim the documents were discovered during recent military operations in the West Bank. U.S. President George W. Bush, who is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Washington today, has not seen the documents, Agence France Presse reported, but the White House has stated that it will act if the accusations prove true. 1700 GMT A large Israeli military force backed by helicopters reoccupied the northern West Bank town of Tulkarem early May 7. Israeli tanks and troops entered the center of town, took position on rooftops, began conducting house-to-house searches and imposed a curfew, Xinhua news service cited Palestinian eyewitnesses as saying. The Royal Nepalese Army used helicopters and night vision devices to strike 1,500 rebels assembled for a massive training program on May 7, according to The Associated Press. Nepalese officials say at least 560 Maoist guerrillas have been killed in the biggest military operation against the rebels since the insurgency began in 1996. 1645 GMT Dutch authorities have arrested a man described as a Dutch citizen who is suspected of killing right-wing politician Pim Fortuyn on May 6. Police sources cited by CNN said they believe the gunman acted alone and speculated that he acted on impulse after hearing Fortuyn on the radio. The Dutch Cabinet will decide today whether to postpone elections scheduled for May 15. 1510 GMT John Bolton, U.S. under-secretary of state for arms control, said in a speech May 6 that Libya, Syria and Cuba are developing chemical and biological weapons and sponsoring international terrorism, BBC reported. Bolton said the three states were breaching their obligations under international treaties by pursuing weapons of mass destruction. 1500 GMT 06 May 2002 An unknown assassin killed Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn of the rightist List Fortuyn party May 6. The 53-year-old was shot six times in the head, neck and chest after leaving a radio interview in Hilversum, 10 miles southeast of Amsterdam. Although right-wing by the Netherlands' liberal, tolerant standards, the openly gay Fortuyn was sharply critical of extreme right-wing European politicians such as France's Jean-Marie Le Pen and Austria's Joerg Haider. Opinion polls showed that List Fortuyn would likely be one of the leading parties in the new parliament; elections are scheduled for May 15. 1930 GMT Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington May 7, and will present a "peace plan" that is contingent upon a complete restructuring of the Palestinian Authority as well as a regional peace conference, AFP reported. 1655 GMT The Iraqi government will reportedly resume oil exports May 8 after a one-month suspension to protest Israel's recent offensive into the West Bank, Kyodo news wire reported. Despite calls by Iraq for other Arab governments to take similar measures, no other oil-producers followed Baghdad's lead. 1645 GMT Indonesia has arrested the leader of the Islamist Laskar Jihad militant group for inciting violence in the Moluccas and making threats against government officials, the Financial Times reported. Jakarta, which has been criticized by its neighbors for not doing enough to crack down on militants in its borders, will sign a counter- terrorism agreement with Malaysia and the Philippines May 6. 1635 GMT North Korea has cancelled talks on economic cooperation with the South -- scheduled to begin May 7 -- after South Korean Foreign Minister Choi Sung-Hong had suggested that by "carrying a big stick" the United States had helped push North Korea back into reconciliation talks, BBC reported. 1630 GMT 03 May 2002 The Israeli prime minister's office alleged that questioning of West Bank Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti and his aides has revealed that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat personally authorized funding for Fatah Tanzim activities with the knowledge they would be used to finance terrorist attacks, the Jerusalem Post reported. Hundreds of Fatah activists were arrested during Israel's recent offensive in the West Bank. 1530 GMT Saudi officials said May 3 that Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah will meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt next week, although Palestinian officials later said no decision has been made yet about whether Arafat will travel to Cairo, AP reported. Arafat emerged from his confinement by Israeli forces May 2, while Arab foreign ministers will also meet in Cairo next week to follow up on a Saudi-led Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal. 1505 GMT Philippine authorities detained two members of the Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebel group, including an intelligence officer of the group, AFP reported. Military officials in the south said elite Philippine forces were on standby to rescue two Americans and one Filipino held hostage for months by the group on the southern Basilan island. 1500 GMT 02 May 2002 The Israeli army moved May 2 into the towns of Rafah and Deir el- Balah in Palestinian-controlled areas of the Gaza strip, Agence France-Presse quoted Palestinian security sources as saying. 1750 GMT A top aide of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic arrived in The Hague May 2 from Belgrade after surrendering to the U.N. war crimes tribunal. Nikola Sainovic allegedly gave the order for Serb forces to attack the Kosovo village of Racak in 1999, leaving 45 Albanians dead and prompting Kosovo peace talks in France, reported Agence France-Presse. 1620 GMT Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat emerged from a 34-day Israeli siege May 2 after six Palestinian militants wanted by Israel were transferred to a prison in Jericho under the supervision of U.S. and British officials, AFP reported. Israel though has threatened to keep Arafat in exile if he travels abroad. 1600 GMT The White House May 1 certified that Colombia's military is meeting human rights standards, which was required by Congress before it could release about $60 million in additional U.S. aid to the Colombian military, Bloomberg reported. U.S. President George W. Bush is seeking another $439 million for military and development aid to Colombia next year, up from $380 million this year. 1520 GMT Gulf defense sources said the Saudi government has approved an expansion of Pakistan's military presence in the country to help train and maintain units of the armed forces, MENL reported. Riyadh has also reportedly approved of cooperation in defense research and development as well as the joint production of weapons. 1500 GMT 01 May 2002 A gunbattle has broken out at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where Israeli troops have kept several dozen Palestinian gunmen surrounded for weeks. Reuters cited witnesses as saying the gunbattle was among the worst fighting at the church -- revered as the traditional birthplace of Jesus -- since the standoff began. An Israeli army spokesman said the shooting was initiated by gunmen inside the compound, and military forces returned fire. Witnesses also said that flames appeared to have erupted inside the church compound. 2315 GMT Election officials in Pakistan said President Pervez Musharraf has won an overwhelming victory in a referendum to extend his presidency by five years, AFP reported. Chief Election Commissioner Irshad Hassan Khan said the number of votes cast for Musharraf was 42.8 million out of a total of 43.9 million. 1640 GMT Palestinian officials have agreed to transfer six men wanted by Israel from Yasser Arafat's compound to a West Bank prison, which would allow Arafat to be released from his confinement by Israeli forces, AP reported. The six men will be transferred to a prison in Jericho, where they will be guarded by American and British wardens. 1605 GMT Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan April 30 signed a security accord to cooperate in the fight against terrorism, the drugs trade, arms smuggling and human trafficking, Jang.com reported. 1520 GMT Jordan's King Abdullah II left for the United States May 1 ahead of his meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush next week to discuss recent Middle East developments, AFP reported. 1500 GMT 30 Apr 2002 The FBI April 30 arrested Enaam Arnauot, the 39-year-old executive director of Benevolence International Foundation, on perjury charges, according to Agence France-Presse. Arnauot, a Syrian-born U.S. citizen, allegedly lied in court papers about BIF's links with Islamic radical groups including al Qaeda, the Chechen Mujahideen and Hezb e Islami, a military group operating in Afghanistan and Azerbaijan. 2024 GMT Election officials in Pakistan said April 30 that the first results in Pakistan's referendum to extend President Pervez Musharraf's presidency for five years leaned heavily in Musharraf's favor, AFP reported. The final results are expected May 1. 1933 GMT Israel Radio said military forces found documents during Operation Defensive Shield indicating Saudi Arabia paid some $5,000 to each of the families of 200 Palestinian suicide bombers in 2000, the Jerusalem Post reported April 30. 1914 GMT Argentina was forced to pay a record 95 percent interest rate in order to sell $20.7 million in peso-denominated, 15-day treasury bills April 29, Bloomberg reports. That compares to a 75 percent interest rate attached to a similar issue less than two weeks ago. The central bank auctioned off the debt in order to absorb excess pesos and support its currency, which rose 5.5 percent against the dollar April 29 after more than a week of suspended trading. A similar auction of dollar-denominated debt was cancelled due to a lack of offers. 1555 GMT Vote counting began April 30 in a controversial referendum to extend Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's term for another five years, AP reported. Musharraf is expected to handily win the referendum, although instances of poll rigging were reported. 1555 GMT Israeli forces on April 30 began pulling out of parts of Hebron, the last major West Bank area occupied by Israel during its recent offensive, Reuters reported. Israel's security cabinet decided not to cooperate with a U.N. inquiry into fighting in the Jenin refugee camp until six Israeli demands had been met. Meanwhile, there has been no sign that Israel's confinement of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is over. 1530 GMT 29 Apr 2002 Ha'aretz reports that Israeli soldiers killed nine Palestinians April 29, as Israel Defense Forces tanks and infantry entered and occupied large portions of the West Bank city of Hebron. Hamas sources said that one of those killed was Tarek al- Dufashi, one of the men reportedly involved in the April 27 attack on the West Bank settlement of Adura, where four Israelis were killed. Other Palestinians killed reportedly included a member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and a member of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Force 17 presidential guard. The army also arrested 45 Tanzim, Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, Ha'aretz said. 2041 GMT Palestinian officials met with U.S. and British security experts in Ramallah April 29 to discuss a plan to lift Israel's siege on Yasser Arafat's West Bank compound, after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed over the weekend to allow Arafat to travel in exchange for six Palestinians wanted by the Israeli government, AFP reported. 2030 GMT Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf confirmed April 29 that U.S. soldiers are assisting Pakistani troops in the hunt for al Qaeda militants in tribal areas on the Afghan border, Reuters reported. Musharraf said the size of the U.S. force is less than double figures 1730 GMT The Turkish government says it has officially agreed to take over command of the international security force in the Afghan capital Kabul from Britain for a period of six months, BBC reported. The date at which Britain will hand over command has yet to be determined. 1710 GMT Argentine banks and foreign exchange houses opened April 29 after being closed for a week. Banks were selling dollars early for 3.25 pesos, compared with 3.15 on the last day of trading April 19, Bloomberg reports. New Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna has said Argentina will allow the peso to float, discounting reports last week that President Eduardo Duhalde was considering refixing the exchange rate. Citing financial daily Buenos Aires Economico, Bloomberg reported that the central bank is willing to use up to $2 billion of its $12.3 billion in foreign reserves to keep the peso trading in a range of 3 to 3.3 against the dollar. The peso was trading on the local black market at 3.5 to the dollar over the weekend, according to the BBC. 1616 GMT Amid a cabinet reshuffling, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has designated former defense minister Jose Vicente Rangel as the country's new vice president, replacing Diosdado Cabello. La Nacion reports that further cabinet changes will include a revamp to the economic ministry. 1528 GMT The Chechen separatist news agency Kavkaz-Center has confirmed that Chechen warlord Khattab is dead, after Russian intelligence said last week it had killed the rebel leader during an undercover operation. Khattab has been considered the brains behind most of the military activity in Chechnya. 1430 GMT 26 Apr 2002 La Nacion reports that Argentine banks opened for five hours of limited operations on the afternoon of April 26 after being closed for the first four days of the week, but only to handle pending operations and to make some types of electronic transfers. 2200 GMT Nine farm workers were killed and 18 injured April 25 on a banana farm in a paramilitary controlled region of the central Colombian state of Antioquia, El Tiempo reports. The mayor of the municipality blamed the massacre on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), saying the assailants came to the farm with a list of men, whom they took away and executed. They also apparently shot more workers in the process of the incursion. Guerilla and paramilitary groups often kill large numbers of villagers if they are suspected of supporting the opposition group. 2100 GMT Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde April 26 designated Roberto Lavagna -- Argentina's ambassador to the European Union -- to be his new economy minister, two days after Jorge Remes Lenicov quit the job over lack of political support for his economic recovery plan, AP reported. 1805 GMT An opinion poll published April 26 showed that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's popularity is climbing in the country following Israel's recent offensive in the West Bank, AFP reported. Members of the Lebanese Hezbollah group wounded two Israeli soldiers, one seriously, in a rocket and mortar attack April 26 on Israeli army positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms border area. 1800 GMT Indonesia is preparing to pardon a Muslim cleric who is wanted in Malaysia and Singapore for alleged ties to terrorism. Jakarta has detained - and then freed - the cleric, Abu Bakar Bashir, in the past, upsetting Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. More recently, Indonesian officials have been debating whether to jail Bashir over a 1985 subversion conviction that stems from a now- defunct law. However, the country's justice and human rights minister has recommended that President Megawati Sukarnoputri pardon Bashir and absolve him of any wrongdoing. 1550 GMT 25 Apr 2002 The United States is considering offering more financial aid to Israel that is not included in the current counter- terrorism bill, Ha'aretz reported April 25. 2130 GMT Radical members of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) party have publicly accused the Bush administration of encouraging and supporting a military plot to oust Chavez. The U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, Charles Shapiro, has denied the accusations as "ridiculous, irresponsible and totally without any foundation." However, the charges likely will deepen the chill between the Chavez regime and the United States. 2120 GMT The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are trying to move nearly 30 tons of cocaine that were warehoused inside the former FARC-controlled demilitarized zone to export staging areas along Colombia's Pacific coast, according to Colombian military intelligence sources cited by Bogota daily El Tiempo. The cocaine is being moved in quarter-ton loads destined for transportation by sea to Mexican drug traffickers in the states of Sinaloa, Guerrero and Baja California, according to STRATFOR law enforcement sources in Tijuana. El Tiempo also reported that in the past two months, Colombian army forces have seized nearly 16 tons of cocaine in the Colombian departments of Narino and Cauca. 2117 GMT Venezuelan Army Brig. Gen. Carlos Enrique Acosta Perez, commander of Operations Theater 1 -- which includes the states of Tachira, Barinas and Apure -- told Caracas daily El Nacional on April 24 that Colombian guerrillas calling themselves the Bolivarian Liberation Force are operating inside Venezuelan territory. The general's assertion publicly contradicts Defense Minister Jose Vicente Rangel, Interior and Justice Minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacin and President Hugo Chavez, all of whom have repeatedly denied the presence of Colombian guerrillas in Venezuelan territory. 2116 GMT Colombian government sources told the Associated Press on April 24 that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was behind the recent import from Nicaragua, through Panama, of 3,000 AK-47 assault rifles and more than 5 million rounds of 7.62-mm ammunition. According to Bogota daily El Tiempo, the weapons and ammunition originally were acquired by Nicaragua's government from Israeli arms dealer Ori Zoller, co-owner of a Guatemala-based military arms company Grupo Internacional de Representaciones (GIRSA). However, the weapons shipment wound up in Colombia. The governments of Nicaragua and Panama have denied any complicity in the arms smuggling. Colombian Attorney General Luis Camilo Osorio said the arms shipment indicates the FARC is adding to its arsenals of weapons and explosives in preparation for a sustained offensive. 2115 GMT The Caracas daily TalCual reports that at least 20 percent of the estimated 30,000 civilian Bolivarian Circle members who support Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are armed with handguns and automatic weapons. The newspaper adds that these armed militia groups are coordinated by veteran police and intelligence officials like Libertador Municipality Mayor Freddy Bernal and Eliecer Otayza, former head of the Interior and Justice Ministry's political police (DISIP). 2111 GMT STRATFOR sources in Caracas report that the Super Puma helicopter that crashed last week, killing the Venezuelan Navy's new commander and nine other officers, originally had been assigned to transport armed forces (FAN) Inspector General Lucas Rincon Romero. Our sources also believe the helicopter's crash may have been due not to bad weather, but to a sabotage attempt by military supporters of President Hugo Chavez who intended to kill Rincon Romero, the highest ranking officer in the FAN. 2110 GMT Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's April 24 appointment of Navy Capt. Carlos Canelon to head the Interior and Justice Ministry's political police (DISIP) strengthens the political base of Interior and Justice Minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacin, the Caracas daily Tal Cual reports. However, Chavez's decision likely will not be well received by Army Generals Raul Baduell and Luis Garcia Montoya, whose continued support is essential to Chavez's hopes of staying in office until the end of 2006. Canelon, a longtime supporter of Rodriguez Chacin, was arrested for sedition on Nov. 27, 1992, after the second of two failed coup attempts that year against former President Carlos Andres Perez. 2107 GMT The United States is considering offering more monetary aid to Israel that is not included in the current counterterrorism bill, Ha'aretz reported April 25. 2101 GMT Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he would consider allowing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to travel to Gaza if he commits himself to fighting terrorism and cracking down on militant groups, the Associated Press reported April 25. The military planning head for the Israel Defense Forces said April 25 that security "is in our hands, we expect nothing from the [Palestinian Authority]," according to Ha'aretz. 2017 GMT Iranian President Mohammad Khatami condemned April 24 the U.S military presence in Central Asia, saying it causes "the humiliation for the people in those states," according to the Associated Press. 2010 GMT Adm. Dennis Blair, the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, has proposed that U.S. military advisers join Filipino troops on combat patrols in the southern Philippines island of Basilan, AFP reported. There are currently more than 900 U.S. troops in the south providing training and assistance to the Filipino forces hunting the Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebel group, which is linked to al Qaeda. 1605 GMT Federal Security Service officials said April 25 that Russian forces had killed Jordanian Omar Ibn al Khattab, a reputed Chechen warlord who has been accused by the United States of having ties to al Qaeda, AP reported. A Chechen leader said he would believe the reports only if he saw Khattab's corpse. 1600 GMT Four Palestinians were convicted April 25 by a court in Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's compound for the killing last year of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi, AP reported. The Israeli government has said it would not lift its siege on Arafat's compound until the suspected assassins were turned over to Israeli custody. 1553 GMT Unidentified gunmen shot and killed Hafiz Abdul Majid, a senior commander of the Taliban militia in southwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border, AFP reported. 1540 GMT 24 Apr 2002 In an interview with Qatar-based television station Al Jazeera, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the "first intention" of the April 11 coup plotters was to withdraw Venezuela from OPEC in order to drive down oil prices. Chavez also accused other, unnamed countries of participating in the coup attempt. 2112 GMT Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon indicated April 23 that the Israel Defense Forces may increase operations against suspected militants in the Gaza Strip, the Jerusalem Post reported. Twenty-five gunmen have reportedly been killed in clashes with the IDF in the Gaza Strip in the past few weeks. 1740 GMT Pedro Solbes, the European Union commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, said April 24 that conditions in Argentina do not currently support the release of further aid from the International Monetary Fund, Clarin reports. 1720 GMT An Argentine presidential spokesperson announced April 24 that the government plans to refix the peso exchange rate to the dollar. Unconfirmed local reports say the new fixed exchange rate will be around 3 pesos to one U.S. dollar. The spokesman also said that a banking holiday will continue until Argentina's Congress passes a new law that will ensure the government controls personal withdrawals from banking accounts, Clarin reports. That law reportedly will be presented to Congress today. Despite government attempts to control withdrawals from cash-strapped banks, courts for weeks have been issuing injunctions that allowed citizens to withdraw their funds. 1708 GMT Spanish police have arrested Muhammed Galeb Kalaje Zouayd, who is alleged to have helped finance the al Qaeda network in several countries using funds from Spain, Reuters reported. The arrest came less than two weeks after police arrested another suspected al Qaeda member in Barcelona, who allegedly helped finance the 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. 1450 GMT 23 Apr 2002 Citigroup and six other international banks have combined losses in Argentina of $8.5 billion, a 60 percent increase from what the banks reported in January, according to Bloomberg. Together, Citigroup, FleetBoston Financial Corp., J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., HSBC Holdings Plc and Spain's two biggest banks -- Santander Central Hispano SA and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA -- had $23.6 billion of Argentine loans on their books at year-end. 2235 GMT Argentine Economy Minister Jorge Remes Lenicov and his economic team resigned April 23 after the Senate refused for the second consecutive day to consider the government's emergency economic plan, La Nacion reports. The Economy Ministry's "Bonex" plan would force the exchange of certain frozen bank deposits for government-backed bonds. The resignations came a day after that of Argentina's Central Bank governor. The government on April 19 ordered all banks and foreign exchange houses to remain closed until the Senate passed the plan. It is still unclear whether the Bonex plan is completely dead or when banks may reopen. 2130 GMT Federal officials have arrested some 94 airport employees in the Washington, D.C., area on charges ranging from illegal immigration to lying about criminal backgrounds, the Associated Press reports. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the arrests in a press conference that included officials from the FBI, the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Department of Transportation. Workers from Dulles International, Reagan National and Baltimore Washington International airports were detained - repeating a scene that has played out in other cities in recent weeks. Officials said a total of about 400 workers - many of whom had access to high- security areas but none of whom had been linked to terrorism - have been arrested since Sept. 11. 2105 GMT Saudi Arabia has deployed 8,000 troops to the northwestern border with Jordan, reported the Associated Press April 23. The eight brigades, equipped with armored personnel carriers and missile launchers, were sent to the Tabuk region in northeastern Saudi Arabia, Saudi officials said. 1857 GMT Javier Solana and Miguel Angel Moratinos, the European Union's foreign policy chief and its special Middle East envoy respectively, will leave for Ramallah late April 23 to meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, after getting permission from Israel, AFP reported. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon also said April 23 he was "concerned" about the possible outcome of a U.N. fact-finding mission to the Palestinian refugee camp of Jenin. 1555 GMT German police have arrested 11 members of an extremist Islamic group on suspicion of supporting a holy war, AP reported. One of the suspects was identified as a Palestinian German resident. 1550 GMT The Chinese government April 22 postponed a visit by Japan's defense minister, following a weekend trip by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to a shrine that honors Japanese war dead, including 14 Class A war criminals from World War II, Reuters reported. China and Japan are marking 30 years of normal diplomatic relations later this year. 1540 GMT 22 Apr 2002 Argentine Central Bank President Enrique Olivera resigned April 22 "for personal reasons," La Nacion reports. Olivera also seemed to criticize the government's current economic plan -- which imposed an indefinite banking and foreign exchange holiday until Congress approves a plan to exchange savings deposits for government-backed loans -- saying "isolated measures at this moment" are not sufficient to solve the country's economic crisis. 1725 GMT Argentina's financial markets, including the main Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, followed the lead of the country's banks by closing April 22, Bloomberg reports, citing a stock exchange news release. Late on April 19, the Central Bank ordered all banks and foreign exchange houses to close indefinitely beginning April 22 until Congress passes a new package of emergency measures to deal with the country's severe liquidity crisis. 1615 GMT Colombia's Interior Ministry has released a statement saying officials believe Colombian guerrillas kidnapped Antioquia state Gov. Guillermo Gaviria, as well as a former defense minister and a chaplain, sometime on April 21 or 22, according to the BBC. Gaviria was attempting to mediate with members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) April 21 for the passage of a peace march through FARC-held territory, but he has not been heard from since then. The FARC increasingly has targeted political figures for abduction in the last several months. 1612 GMT The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group issued a communiqué April 18 calling for a constitutional assembly to be held within a FARC-controlled demilitarized zone, the Bogota daily El Espectador reported April 19. The FARC also proposed swapping all military personnel, police officials and political figures it currently holds captive for all FARC rebels now in jail. 1530 GMT French police have arrested veteran Basque Homeland and Freedom (ETA) member Jose Maria Zaldua Corte, Spanish Interior Minister Mariano Rajoy announced April 20 in Madrid. The 53-year-old Zaldua Corte, wanted for at least 16 murders and a fugitive since 1985, reportedly was returning to Spain from an undisclosed location in Latin America to join ETA's high command, which has been decimated since 1999 by Spanish anti- terrorism and law enforcement agencies, according to Reuters. 1527 GMT Ecuador President Gustavo Noboa denied April 20 that al Qaeda and Hezbollah terrorists are operating on Ecuador's shared border with Peru and Colombia, the Associated Press reported. Noboa's denial was in response to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Armitage's April 18 statement, during a congressional hearing in Washington, that the U.S. government "believes" al Qaeda and Hezbollah are operating in that area. U.S. Embassy officials in Quito also refuted Armitage, saying the United States is more concerned with fundraising for these organizations within Ecuador's sizeable Islamic community. However, on Sept. 10, 2001 , the U.S. Congressional Research Service published a report on terrorism that identified Ecuador and Uruguay as countries where al Qaeda was believed to have a presence. Other Latin American countries that have reported the presence of Islamic extremist groups include Paraguay, Brazil and Colombia. 1525 GMT An investigative commission was created April 20 by Venezuela's Defense Ministry to determine the causes of a helicopter crash April 19 in which 10 air force officers died, including new Air Force commander Gen. Luis Acevedo Quintero, who was appointed last week after President Hugo Chavez was ousted and restored to power. Brigadier Gen. Pedro Torres Finol, who had just been appointed chief of the air operations command thanks to his loyalty toward Chavez, also died in the crash of an air force Super Puma (FAV-4423). Although the crash was attributed to poor weather, Defense Ministry sources said the possibility that the helicopter was sabotaged has not been ruled out yet. 1520 GMT After a 19-month investigation, Colombian government investigators have concluded that a partly assembled submarine found Sept. 6, 2000, in a warehouse near Bogota was owned by a partnership of Colombian paramilitaries and Russian- and Dutch- organized crime syndicates, Bogota's Semana magazine reported April 21. 1510 GMT 21 Apr 2002 The Associated Press reported that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said April 21 that the current stage of the campaign against Palestinian militants is over. Israel on Sunday withdrew its forces from Nablus, the largest city in the West Bank, and from most of Ramallah, though the government has said it will maintain the siege of Yasser Arafat's headquarters until he surrenders four men wanted for the assassination an Israeli Cabinet minister. 1850 GMT 20 Apr 2002 CNN reported that US military officials are concerned that the operational tempo in Afghanistan is causing too much strain on the 6,000 US forces in the nation, and are reportedly asking for 50,000 more troops to carry out the Afghan mission. Note: Soviet forces in Afghanistan numbered 118,000 at the height of the occupation. 1804 GMT Venezuela's newly appointed air force chief Gen. Luis Acevedo was among 10 people killed when a military helicopter crashed in bad weather April 19 in mountains north of the capital, according to a Venezuelan military spokesman cited by Reuters. Another helicopter carrying armed forces chief Gen. Lucas Rincon was reportedly caught in the same bad weather and had to make an emergency landing. Rincon said he and all the other passengers on board were safe. 1740 GMT 19 Apr 2002 A Palestinian detonated explosives in his car at the Kissufim crossing April 19, injuring two Israeli soldiers. Witnesses said the Israelis arrested three Palestinians and announced a curfew on loudspeakers. The violence in Gaza ended the relative quiet there during Israel's three-week operations in the West Bank. 1545 GMT Israeli tanks rolled into the edges of a Palestinian refugee camp in Gaza Strip and opened fire with heavy machine guns today, killing two men, Palestinian witnesses and officials told Reuters. They said Israeli armor, under cover of darkness, penetrated 200 meters into Rafah camp in Gaza, which has been mostly quiet during a three-week-old military offensive in the West Bank, and exchanged fire with Palestinian gunmen. Palestinian security officials said 15 tanks and armored vehicles were involved in the incursion into Palestinian- ruled territory near the Egyptian border. Armored bulldozers flattened several buildings that had been demolished in previous raids, the officials said. 1500 GMT Yugoslavia's Beta news agency reports that Montenegran Prime Minister Filip Vujanovic resigned April 19 and that his coalition government has fallen. The coalition was reportedly split over an EU-brokered deal with Serbia to alter the current federation. 1447 GMT NATO is planning a major cutback of at least 10,000 soldiers from its 58,000 member-peacekeeping force in Kosovo and Bosnia, Yugoslav news service B92 reported April 19. Citing KFOR sources, the 40,000-strong Kosovo force will be reduced by 5,000 soldiers to 10,000 by June 2003. Meanwhile, AFP reports that NATO plans to reduce the number of operational sectors in Kosovo from five to three. 1445 GMT Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's warned April 18 that Argentina's economy is barreling towards "a total collapse" that likely will include a powerful hyperinflationary cycle. S&P analyst Bruno Boccara told a New York City business audience that Argentina's collapse is inevitable because its political leadership and people are unwilling to undertake the deep structural reforms the country needs. He added that the International Monetary Fund and World Bank likely will not provide any significant additional aid to Argentina, and that the Argentine government's current control measures are only "artificially postponing collapse." 1432 GMT Venezuelan army Col. Julio Rodriguez Salas, who was in charge of President Hugo Chavez while the latter was under arrest after he was briefly toppled by the military April 11, told the Caracas daily El Nacional that Chavez did resign in writing and also fired Vice President Diosdado Cabello while he was being held at a military installation on La Orchila Island off Venezuela's coast. Rodriguez Salas also said that Chavez's assurances April 15 that he never resigned "are plagued with lies." The colonel, who is vice president of the CAVIM military industries group, also said Chavez "lied" when he stated April 15 that he was held incommunicado. In fact, he said, Chavez used the colonel's cell phone repeatedly to call his family and friends, but could not remember his wife's telephone number.1430 GMT Argentina's government has rejected Venezuela's proposed new ambassador in Buenos Aires, according to the Argentine government's Telam news agency. Argentine Foreign Ministry sources said proposed Venezuelan ambassador Elias Jaua was rejected because his "fluid contacts" with extremist military groups and leftist organizations in the Buenos Aires region are viewed as a threat to Argentina. Jaua is President Hugo Chavez's former minister of the presidential secretariat, a Cabinet-level job similar to the U.S. president's chief of staff. 1425 GMT Venezuela's economy will contract 0.8 percent in 2002, the International Monetary Fund predicted in its most recent edition of World Economic Outlook. 1420 Venezuelan Defense Minister Jose Vicente Rangel denied again that there are any Colombian guerrillas in Venezuelan territory, the Caracas daily El Universal reported April 19. Rangel's denials contradict assertions by senior Venezuelan military and Colombian government and military officials, who insist that since 1999 Colombian guerrillas have been operating inside Venezuelan territory with impunity. 1415 GMT Venezuelan Foreign Minister Luis Avila has rejected a proposal by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell that OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria be designated as an international "facilitator" of the conciliation dialogue announced by President Hugo Chavez, OAS sources tell STRATFOR. 1410 GMT Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expected the Organization of American States (OAS) to condemn the short-lived coup that toppled him from power April 11-14. However, at an evening session of OAS foreign ministers in Washington, D.C., April 18, OAS Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria issued a report criticizing Chavez for instigating the violence that rocked Venezuela in the past week, and praised Venezuela's armed forces for preserving Venezuela's democratic institutions. Only seven regional foreign ministers showed up for the session, including U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. None of the region's most important players -- including Mexico and Brazil -- sent their foreign ministers. Moreover, if Chavez hoped to win some OAS support, those expectations were demolished when Venezuelan Foreign Minister Luis Davila went on a rhetorical rampage that observers at the meeting described to STRATFOR as "a hysterical rant." 1400 GMT 18 Apr 2002 Italian officials have ruled out terrorism as the cause of a small plane crashing into a Milan skyscraper, Reuters reports. A National Air Safety Agency official told the news agency the crash was "clearly an accident." At least three people were killed and dozens injured when the propeller-driven aircraft plowed into it near the 25th floor. However, officials said the upper five floors of the 30-storey Pirelli building were nearly vacant at the time due to renovations. 2110 GMT The latest casualty count from Milan, where a small plane crashed into a 30- storey building on April 18, is three dead and several dozen injured. Also, Reuters reports that the pilot of the aircraft -- tentatively identified as a 67-year-old Swiss citizen -- was alone in the single-engine plane when it struck the building. The news agency cited a television report as saying the plane took off from the Swiss city of Locarno and was bound for Milan's Linate airport. 2032 GMT Explosions were heard in the vicinity of the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ, in Bethlehem on April 18, daily newspaper Haaretz reported, citing CNN. 2025 GMT The pilot of a small airplane that crashed into a Milan skyscraper had reported problems with his aircraft's undercarriage as he approached Milan, Reuters reported, citing a local air transport official. The plane approached the city in bright, late- afternoon sunshine. Italian radio reported that several witnesses saw flames coming from the aircraft before it struck the building, killing at least two people and injuring 20 others. 1843 GMT At least two people were killed when a small Piper airplane struck the upper floors of the Pirelli skyscraper in downtown Milan on April 18, officials said. Reports on the possibility of a terrorist attack conflicted, according to MSNBC. 1820 GMT Globovision reported April 18 that OPEC Secretary- General Alí Rodríguez will be appointed the new president of Venezuelan state- owned oil company PDVSA. The report has not been confirmed by official sources. 1757 GMT Sea pirates boarded the container vessel Sea Tiger at 1 a.m. local time April 16, some 14 miles before arriving at the data buoy that marks the entrance to the port of Guayaquil in Ecuador, according to a confidential Office of Naval Intelligence report to which STRATFOR obtained access. The nationality of the vessel was not mentioned, but the report states that four crew members were slightly injured and 11 containers were breached and looted. 1745 GMT Cesar Gaviria, secretary-general of the Organization of American States, says the involvement of Venezuela's armed forces (FAN) in politics is causing the country "great harm," Caracas daily El Nacional reported April 18. However, Gaviria did not mention that under the new Bolivarian Constitution drafted in 1999-2000, active- duty military personnel are allowed to participate in politics and publicly express political opinions. 1742 GMT STRATFOR sources within non-governmental organizations and civic opposition groups in Venezuela report that they are being harassed and intimidated with telephone death threats. Venezuelan embassy sources in Washington, D.C., deny the Chavez government in Caracas is intimidating or harassing its opponents. However, STRATFOR sources at Globovision television in Caracas report the government has sent the station a list of opposition leaders who should not be interviewed or given airtime. 1741 GMT Venezuelan Defense Minister Jose Vicente Rangel claims "over 90 percent" of the 15 people killed during an April 11 march protesting the regime of President Hugo Chavez were supporters of the government, Caracas daily El Nacional reports. Rangel also rejected any government responsibility for the carnage, which he blamed on "opposition sharpshooters." The minister's statements reflect what appears to be an evolving government strategy to blame all violence of April 11-15 on the anti- Chavez political opposition. 1740 GMT A small tourist plane hit a skyscraper which houses the Lombardy regional authority headquarters in central Milan April 18, setting the top floors of the 30-story building on fire, AFP reported. The pilot of the light aircraft had radioed the control tower to say he had lost control of the aircraft, Italian private television reported. 1727 GMT Israel's unemployment rate jumped to 261,000 in February, the highest number of unemployed since the founding of the state. February's unemployment rate was 10.3 percent of the work force, the highest since 1993, reported Haaretz April 18. 1720 GMT Three people were killed April 19 when Israel Defense Forces raided the West Bank villages of Bal'a, east of Tulkarem and Silat al- Harthiyeh, north of Jenin, reported the Pakistani news syndicate Jang.com. 1715 GMT More than 100,000 protestors have rallied in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa to demonstrate against the Israel military campaign in the West Bank, reports Ha'aretz April 18. 1700 GMT In the first arms deal between the United States and India in more than a decade, New Delhi will buy eight long-range, weapon- locating military radars from a U.S. company, VOA news reported, citing the Defense Department. 1549 GMT An Iranian naval official said that the country's army will soon launch its own destroyer, which he said has the capability of providing a surface, underwater and air defense shield, IRNA reported. 1540 GMT El Universal reports that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has named Jesus Bermudez as the country's new finance minister. Bermudez, who formerly served as director of public finance, replaces Gen. Francisco Uson, who resigned April 11. Bermudez will be Venezuela's fourth finance minister since July 2001 . 1521 GMT 17 Apr 2002 The Yugoslav government published a list April 17 of 23 people it said must surrender or face extradition to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague. The tribunal is currently trying former President Slobodan Milosevic. The 23 suspects -- 10 of whom are Yugoslav citizens -- have three days to surrender before they face arrest. People on the list include former Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. The current Serbian president, Milan Milutinovic, also was named but cannot be arrested due to parliamentary immunity. 2329 GMT A spokesman for Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network claimed responsibility for the Sept. 11 attacks in a videotape aired April 17 by a Saudi-owned television station, Agence France Presse reported. 2030 GMT Lebanese security forces established nine roadblocks near the southern border with Israel April 17. Three hundred troops with armed vehicles and heavy machine guns were sent to man the roadblocks, which were erected on six roads that connect to the center and western parts of the Blue Line, the U.N.-demarcated border separating Israel and Lebanon, according to Agence France Presse. The Lebanese troops were drawn from the army and the Interior Security Forces. Israel repeatedly has called upon Beirut to take responsibility for security in the south. The deployment may be part of an expansion of the Lebanese army presence in the region. 1903 GMT A priest was shot near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Israeli daily Haaretz reported April 17. No information on the source of the shootings has yet been made available, and the condition of the priest is unknown. 1855 GMT Britain will tighten controls on arms exports to Israel after the Israeli government refused to affirm that such arms would not be used against Palestinians, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported April 17. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said during a parliamentary debate, "We did not decide on an arms embargo, but we concluded that the European code of conduct -- a common position followed by all European Union members -- ought rigorously to be applied to those exports as to others." 1804 GMT Approximately 30 Israeli tanks reportedly were leaving the West Bank town of Jenin on April 17, according to Haaretz. 1730 GMT U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Cairo April 17 on the last stop of his Middle East peace mission, despite the cancellation of a planned meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, AFP reported. Powell instead held talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher and Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Moasher, while Powell said the cancellation of the Mubarak meeting was not a snub. 1718 GMT Three retired Venezuelan officers have sought asylum at the Bolivian embassy in Caracas, El Universal reports. Retired Venezuelan Air Force colonels Pedro Soto and Silvino Bustillos and retired National Guard officer Luis García Morales sent a joint declaration to El Universal denouncing President Hugo Chavez and saying they had received death threats since his return to office. Soto made a name for himself in February by speaking out dramatically against Chavez. The Bolivian embassy confirmed that it has received the officers, and officials reportedly are studying asylum requests for them and seven family members. 1704 GMT Rumors are circulating in Venezuela that OPEC Secretary-General Ali Rodriguez is being considered for the top job at state-owned oil company PDVSA. Rodriguez reportedly has extended his current visit to Caracas. However, El Universal reported today that Rodriguez said by telephone that he was "not inclined to (take the job), as it would generate problems inside OPEC." If President Hugo Chavez were to appoint Rodriguez as PDVSA's president, it would signal that he does not intend to change his policy of tight control where the company is concerned. 1604 GMT Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon apparently has dropped his opposition to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's attendance at a Middle East summit on the current conflict. Sharon said the question of who might represent the Palestinian delegation at the summit, likely to take place in the United States in June, was "a secondary issue," according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Last week, Sharon insisted that Arafat should not be allowed to attend. 1600 GMT 16 Apr 2002 U.S. State Department officials announced April 16 that Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, the de facto Saudi ruler, cancelled his planned April 22 visit to the United States to protest continued Israeli military activities in the occupied territories, Arabicnews.com reported. 2220 GMT Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri will meet with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington April 17, as well as with various Cabinet, congressional, and World Bank leaders. Finance Minister Fouad Siniora, Economy Minister Basil Fuleihan and Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh accompany him. 2218 GMT Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque arrived in Caracas April 16 on a "diplomatic mission," Union Radio reported April 16. 2135 GMT The Caracas daily TalCual reported April 16 that the Venezuelan military attaches to Washington, Bogota and Brasilia were involved in the center-right move to oust Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. 2134 GMT The Economist reports that top Venezuelan media executives met with interim President Pedro Carmona Estanga early April 13 in Miraflores presidential palace to toast the change of regime with 18-year-old scotch and to pledge their support. The media owners included Gustavo Cisneros of Venevision, Miguel Henrique Otero of the daily El Nacional, Alfredo Federico Ravell of Globovision and Marcel Granier of Radio Caracas Television. 2133 GMT Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is speaking of dialogue and conciliation to the national and foreign press. However, in his April 14 remarks at the Maracay headquarters of the Army's 42nd Parachutists Brigade, Chavez described his political opponents as "tyrants, adventurers, traitors and oligarchs," the daily El Universal reports. 2132 GMT Standard & Poor's international credit rating firm confirmed from New York that it would maintain its negative "B" rating for sovereign Venezuelan debt. This places the world's fourth-largest oil exporter only five levels above a junk bond rating. 2131 GMT National Guard Gen. Rafael Damiani Bustillos, the designated interior and justice minister of Pedro Carmona Estanga's short-lived interim government, charges that the Bolivarian Circles that support President Hugo Chavez are a paramilitary organization, El Nacional reported April 16. 2130 GMT The Caracas daily El Nacional reported April 16 that the government has seized documents from interim President Pedro Carmona Estanga that implicate numerous leading Venezuelans in the coup against President Hugo Chavez. The newspaper says the list includes several media owners, at least a dozen journalists, Catholic church leaders, businessmen and military officials. 2129 GMT Venezuelan national police officials report that 57 people were killed in Caracas and 64 killed in the country's interior between 6 a.m. EST April 11 and 6 a.m. EST April 15. Officially, however, only 22 deaths in Caracas were attributed to the political disturbances of April 11-15. 2128 GMT The Venezuelan Labor Confederation (CTV), which represents more than 1 million public- and private-sector workers and ardently opposes President Hugo Chavez, has called for a national referendum to consult voters on whether Chavez should be compelled to resign, the El Nacional daily reported April 16. 2127 GMT Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced a complete change of command at the highest levels of the country's armed forces (FAN), but assured middle and lower-ranking officers that they are secure in their present ranks and commands, El Nacional reports. Chavez appears to be trying to repair his relations with the so- called "Comacates," or lower-ranking majors, captains and lieutenants, who have not had a share in the generous economic benefits the Chavez regime has dispensed to generals and colonels since 1999. 2126 GMT Looters completely destroyed numerous food distribution centers in western Caracas that are owned by large foreign and Venezuelan companies on April 14 and 15, the daily El Nacional reports. National Guard soldiers witnessed the looting but did nothing to stop it. Companies reporting total devastation of their distribution centers included Monaca - now owned by Mexico's Gruma group and previously owned by Multifoods of Minneapolis -- Coca Cola, Polar, Frito Lay, Inlaca and the Café Fama de America coffee manufacturer. 2125 GMT Venezuelan Vice President Diosdado Cabello met with several top PDVSA executives April 16, Union Radio reported. According to Edgar Paredes, who manages PDVSA's refining, supply and marketing operations, the meeting was excellent - it included an interchange of opinions as to a solution to the conflict within the state energy sector. Cabello is seeking to reduce opposition within PDVSA to strengthen Chavez's domestic and international support, but the real test will come with the appointment of a new company board and president. 2105 GMT U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met in Jerusalem the afternoon of April 16, Israel Radio reported. Powell plans to visit Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat the morning of April 17 before wrapping up his trip to Israel. After leaving Israel on April 17 he will travel briefly to Cairo before returning to Washington. Powell revealed April 16 that while negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians were making progress, the outcome could be something less than a mutual cease-fire. 1802 GMT Israeli daily Haaretz reports that Israel Defense Forces have imposed a curfew on all Arab neighborhoods in Isawiayah, north of Jerusalem, where they are conducting searches for Palestinian militants. Curfews are also in place on Izriya and Abu Di, both in Area B. IDF tanks have entered both of these villages and they remain under IDF control. 1800 GMT Local residents in eastern Jerusalem reported at noon local time that Israel Defense Forces had taken up positions in the Abu Dis, Azariya, and Ras Al Amud neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. The area is currently under curfew. 1755 GMT Israeli military officials confirmed April 16 that they had reopened the Ketziot detention camp in the Negev desert last used during the 1987 intifada, reports the Jerusalem Post. 1750 GMT Israeli tanks, supported by helicopter gunships, rolled into to the West Bank city of Tulkarem from four different directions April 16, just a week after ending an earlier occupation. No fighting was reported. The Israeli military says it will arrest Palestinian militants in a limited operation. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stated April 15 that Israeli troops could withdraw from the West Bank cities of Jenin and Nablus within seven days, while Israeli forces would remain in Bethlehem and Ramallah until the estimated 200 Palestinians taking refuge in the Church of the Nativity surrender. 1720 GMT Venezuelan daily El Nacional reports that the mayors of Baruta and Chacao municipalities in Caracas denied government accusations that their security bodies violated the human rights of President Hugo Chavez's Interior and Justice Minister Ramón Rodríguez Chacín by breaking into an apartment where Chacin was located shortly after Chavez's brief ouster April 12. The mayor of Baruta municipality, Henrique Capriles, defended himself by arguing that the interior minister was culpable for the deaths that occurred in the April 11 march, as his ministry is responsible for the security of all the country's citizens. The Chavez government's accusations are indicative of the manner in which they will seek reprisals against the political participants in his brief overthrow. 1520 GMT In Venezuela, Pedro Carmona, who served briefly as president of the interim government, was freed from Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas early April 16 and taken to his home, where he reportedly will remain under house arrest awaiting trial for his role in the brief insurrection against President Hugo Chavez, Union Radio reports. Carmona said he was treated with dignity during his detention. 1515 GMT In a telephone conversation, Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso exhorted Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to follow the example of Brazilian ex- president Juscelino Kubitscheck, who granted amnesty to the authors of a failed military coup during his presidency from 1956 to 1961, El Nacional reported April 16. 1510 GMT Hundreds of British, American and Afghan soldiers have moved into the eastern Afghan mountains in search of al Qaeda and Taliban forces believed hiding there, AP reported. The mission marked the official start of combat operations for the British Royal Marines. 1435 GMT Millions of Italian workers have joined a general strike called by the country's three main union federations, in the first general all- day work stoppage in Italy for 20 years, BBC reported. 1400 GMT 15 Apr 2002 In an afternoon press conference April 15, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said military officers were not the authors of his ouster, but rather that they were used by other, unnamed actors responsible for orchestrating the action against his government, El Universal reports. Chavez said "a confusion" led Gen. Lucas Rincón Romero to declare April 12 that Chavez had resigned. Chavez praised Rincon Romero, the country's highest-ranking military officer, as noble, valiant, courageous and faithful to the government at all times. Explaining the circumstances of his non- resignation, Chavez said that "rebels" faxed him a resignation statement April 11 and that he agreed to resign if certain conditions were met. The conditions were not met, nor were they fully explained to Lucas Rincon, who was attempting to mediate, he said. Chavez also noted that the National Assembly would have had to approve his resignation. The explanation is an attempt to regain support within the military by shifting the blame away from certain officers. At the same time, Chavez is hinting at a wider conspiracy on the part of unnamed enemies, allowing room for speculation as to what parties may have been involved. 2350 GMT Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's lowered Israel's credit outlook, World Markets Analysis reported April 15, blaming the uncertainty stemming from the conflict with the Palestinians for the reduction. The current security crisis could prevent Israel's economy from bouncing back with the global rebound, leaving the country in a recession for a second successive year. 2223 GMT The State Department said that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will see Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon April 16 and plans to meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat April 17, AFP reported. 2219 GMT Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's has updated Japan's rating, lowering it to AA-, the lowest rating of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, Bloomberg reported April 15. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has failed to clean up bad loans in order to pull the country out of its third recession in a decade. 2212 GMT Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said April 15 that the country would continue sending oil to Cuba, Agence France Presse reported. Edgar Parades, manager of state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), announced April 12 during the short-lived removal of Chavez that PDVSA no longer would send oil to Cuba. This reversal is a sign that Chavez will seek to re-exert control over the company. 2158 GMT The Bush administration gave its support April 15 to a mission of the Organization of American States to Venezuela aimed at strengthening democracy, Agence France- Presse said. State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said the United States is "encouraged by President [Hugo] Chavez's call for national reflection" and urged Venezuelans to promote national reconciliation. The statement likely is meant for public consumption, while behind the scenes confusion appears to rein. State officials have admitted privately that they have no idea what is really going on following Chavez's return to the presidency over the weekend. 2134 GMT U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri at the Pentagon April 16, according to a U.S. Department of Defense press release. Hariri's visit is part of a recent round of shuttle diplomacy between the United States and Syria. Hariri met with Syrian President Bashar Assad April 14 to compare notes before coming to the United States. Back in the Levant, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell traveled to Damascus to meet with Assad April 15. The talks are aimed at securing Syrian and Lebanese guarantees to rein in Hezbollah militants along Lebanon's southern border with Israel in order to prevent an expansion of the war in Israel into a regional conflict. 2133 GMT U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke April 15 with Arab and Israeli leaders about a proposal from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for a Middle East peace conference without the participation of Yasser Arafat, according to the Associated Press. Powell said that while the conference itself isn't the solution, it is a way to get the two sides communicating, and that a high-level Palestinian official could represent Arafat. Sharon objected to Arafat's presence at such a conference, saying he didn't trust the Palestinian leader. Powell's willingness to hold a conference plays to the Israeli strategy of eliminating Arafat's role in Middle East politics. 2125 GMT Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said April 15 he would put together a government advisory council made up of Venezuelan business leaders, political parties, church officials and the heads of communication media, AFP reported. The advisory council will begin meeting April 16 to prepare. Chavez -- who returned to the presidency last weekend following a temporary removal -- also said, "The country needs an opposition that is loyal to the country, (that) offers the nation real criticism and alternatives." 2100 GMT U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat a second time in Ramallah April 17, reported Israeli daily Haaretz. 2045 GMT Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in an April 15 interview with CNN that he could not reach a peace agreement with Palestinian leader Yassar Arafat, as Arafat was involved in "terror, terror, and more terror." Sharon did say that he thought there are other Palestinians with whom he could reach an agreement, but he did not specify to whom he was referring. Sharon also said in the interview that he did expect Israeli troops to withdraw in less than one week from all West Bank towns and villages except Ramallah and Bethlehem. 2018 GMT Colombian daily El Tiempo reports that the Colombian army on April 15 rescued 20 people who had been taken hostage hours earlier by guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia near Paujil, in Colombia's southern Caqueta department. 1910 GMT The president of the Venezuelan Workers Confederation (CTV), Carlos Ortega, confirmed April 15 that the group would maintain its previous agenda and continue to oppose the administration of President Hugo Chavez, El Nacional reports. The CTV leader also sought to distance his group from the failed transitional government. The powerful labor group was a leader in the anti- Chavez strikes and is seeking to maintain its legitimacy after aligning itself with Fedecamaras, the business association headed by Pedro Carmona Estanga, who served briefly as Venezuela's interim president over the weekend. 1825 GMT El Nacional reported April 15 that a Venezuelan military commission will seek to arrest rear admirals Carlos Molina Tamayo and Héctor Ramírez Pérez on orders of the Defense Ministry. The newspaper cited the lawyer for the two admirals, who were tapped by Pedro Carmona Estanga for top spots in the now-defunct transitional government. 1820 GMT Lebanese Information Minister Ghazi Aridi announced April 15 he would tell visiting U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell that cross-border attacks by guerrillas in Lebanon against the Israel Defense Forces would continue, said Israeli daily Haaretz. The minister said the fighting could not end without the Israeli recognition of Palestinian rights and withdrawal from Lebanon and Syria. Aridi also said the attacks would be confined to the disputed Shebaa Farms area. 1737 GMT Brazil's foreign ministry welcomed the return of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez April 15, calling it "a significant milestone in the reaffirmation of democratic principles and values in South America," Agence France Presse reported. 1732 GMT Governments across the globe sent out approximately the same message April 15 regarding Venezuela. China, Russia, Italy, Portugal and the European Union all called for the rapid re-establishment of democracy and the protection of human rights there, El Nacional reports. China emphasized its friendship with Venezuela and its hopes that previous stability can be restored. The EU called specifically on the military to continue the respect for human rights and the rule of law. Russia's foreign ministry expressed confidence that "the lawfully elected president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, will restore civic peace in the country, promote the development of democracy and ensure the lawful rights of the Venezuelan people," Agence France Presse reports. The U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, Charles Shapiro, also has called for respect for democracy and rule of law in Venezuela. However, Shapiro also noted that a freely and democratically elected government became a government that closed independent television stations and apparently opened fire on its own citizens. The United States currently stands almost alone in this open criticism of the Chavez regime. 1730 GMT Sources at major Venezuelan newspapers El Universal and El Nacional report that, though the Chavez administration is not formally repressing independent media, their reporters have been threatened repeatedly and attacked by pro-Chavez Bolivarian Circles, and that they are being driven from the streets. 1725 GMT STRATFOR's sources say that Cesar Gaviria, secretary-general of the Organization of American States, has refused to meet today in Caracas with the civic groups responsible for last week's 350,000-person demonstration against President Hugo Chavez, claiming he does not have time. Gaviria reportedly will meet only with Chavez, the National Assembly and representatives of the Catholic Church. 1723 GMT Sources in Venezuela indicate that there are currently strong contacts between the Cuban government and Hugo Chavez, as the Venezuelan president attempts to negotiate the troubled situation following his ouster and return. The Cuban ambassador was reportedly the only ambassador at the presidential palace in Caracas when Chavez returned the night of April 13. 1721 GMT The Associated Press reported April 15 that more than 100 military officials had been detained in Venezuela. Meanwhile, Vice President Diosdado Cabello has said that officers involved in efforts to topple President Hugo Chavez could face criminal charges -- confirming STRATFOR's April 14 report. 1715 GMT Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned Syria and Lebanon April 14 that despite the current military operations in the Palestinian territories, Israel was still "capable of striking a heavy blow" against the two countries, according to Haaretz. Speaking at a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Sharon said that Israel would stick to its decision to exercise restraint for the time being. 1705 GMT West Bank Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti was arrested April 15 in Ramallah by an elite Israel Defense Forces unit, according to Israeli daily Haaretz. Barghouti is a leading figure in the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a radical offshoot of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement. IDF units had reportedly been hunting for Barghouti since the start of operations in the West Bank more than two weeks ago. 1650 GMT Venezuelan daily El Universal reports that 20 people were killed and more than 300 injured in Caracas April 13, when violence and looting overtook various parts of the city in response to the temporary overthrow of President Hugo Chavez. The casualty count brings to 47 the number of confirmed deaths since violence erupted during an April 11 protest March. The capital was calmer on April 14, though rioting continued and groups of armed gangs roamed the streets looting and setting fires to shops and factories, the newspaper said. As of late April 14, the Caracas fire department had reported 45 intentional fires that had been set throughout the weekend. 1635 GMT A French foreign ministry spokesman said April 15 that the return of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela should permit the reestablishment of institutional order, El Nacional reports. The spokesman called on Venezuelans to rapidly find the means for national reconciliation and the re-establishment of democracy and the rule of law. The spokesman also recalled that France on April 12 denounced the attempted overthrow of institutional order in Venezuela. 1625 GMT Sources in Venezuela indicate that there are currently strong contacts between the Cuban government and Hugo Chavez, as the Venezuelan president attempts to negotiate the troubled situation following his ouster and return. The Cuban ambassador was reportedly the only ambassador at the presidential palace in Caracas when Chavez returned the night of April 13. 1517 GMT Foreign financial markets April 15 responded negatively to the return of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, with Venezuela's five-year and 20-year bonds both falling 8 percent in trading in London. Yield on the 20-year bond lost almost all of its gains from April 12. 1450 GMT Israeli soldiers early April 15 shot and killed two Palestinians reportedly attempting to attack the settlement of Kfar Darom, in Gaza. 1430 GMT Oil prices were slightly higher in early trading April 15 in response to the return of Hugo Chavez to the Venezuelan presidency. Crude oil in London was up by as much as 43 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $24.72 a barrel, Bloomberg reports. So far the price rises have failed to match the sharp drops April 12 following Chavez's initial ouster, when Brent crude dropped by $1.52 in New York. Chavez has made conciliatory moves toward state-owned oil company PDVSA, including accepting the resignation of his controversial board appointees, and workers and managers don't plan to resume their strike, meaning oil exports will resume. Nevertheless, the longer- term prospects for the growth of Venezuela's oil sector are less optimistic with Chavez's return. 1420 GMT Well-placed U.S. State Department sources in Washington have denied reports from Caracas that a counter-countercoup against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is under way. Chavez was scheduled to give a press conference at a military air base in Maracay at 6 p.m. EST on April 14, but he never showed up -- sparking rumors that he was under arrest again at an army base in Maracay. However, another STRATFOR source inside the Venezuelan government's military and political intelligence establishments reported that Chavez has not been arrested and is currently at the Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas. The conflicting reports reflect the continued high state of tension and instability in Venezuela, where sporadic looting of supermarkets and ATM machine break-ins continued in Caracas late April 14. 0353 GMT Colombian presidential front-runner Alvaro Uribe Velez escaped yet another assassination attempt on April 14 when a bomb exploded near his campaign caravan in the coastal city of Barranquilla, Reuters reported. At least three people were killed and a dozen or more were injured in the explosion, which appeared to be the work of leftist rebels. The bomb was placed inside a city bus and detonated as Uribe Velez's motorcade passed by, officials said. Uribe Velez, the target of at least 16 known or foiled assassination attempts, has taken a hard-line stance against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the country's largest guerrilla group. The FARC has been stepping up attacks against infrastructure, politicians and other targets since government peace talks collapsed in February. 0128 GMT 14 Apr 2002 Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri met April 14 with Syrian President Bashar Assad to discuss events in the Palestinian territories and throughout the region. The two officials likely were comparing notes ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's planned visit to Beirut and Damascus on April 15. 2236 GMT Palestinian gunmen fired shots at Israeli Defense Force positions late April 14 in separate incidents near the Israeli settlement of Ofra, north of Ramallah, and near the security fence in central Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported in either incident. 2235 GMT Emerging from a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on April 14 proposed an international summit to discuss the problems of peace in the Middle East. Sharon suggested the summit would be hosted by the United States and could include Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian representatives and others. He told reporters that Washington agreed with the idea, and that such a summit may be convened soon. U.S. officials declined to say whether they had agreed to a regional summit, saying it was too early to discuss the idea. The proposal, which Sharon has offered before, has met with scorn from the Palestinians, who see it as a ploy to sideline Yasser Arafat and other Palestinian leaders and who put their faith in the hands of neighboring states. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters the proposed summit is a "waste of time," and that Israel should instead either accept the Arab peace initiative or withdraw altogether from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 2203 GMT The Bush administration is advising Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to make good use of his new chance to govern and to "respect constitutional processes," the Associated Press reported April 14. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice was quoted as saying, "We do hope that Chavez recognizes that the whole world is watching and that he takes advantage of this opportunity to right his own ship, which has been moving, frankly, in the wrong direction for quite a long time." The United States was the only foreign government to publicly welcome Chavez's brief ouster on April 12, saying the Venezuelan president had brought his troubles upon himself. 2014 GMT U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell held a second meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Tel Aviv on April 14, CNN reported. The leaders again failed to agree on a timetable for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the West Bank, Israeli government spokesman Raanan Gissin said. 1954 GMT The governments of Iraq and Iran applauded Hugo Chavez's return to the Venezuelan presidency April 14. Both countries have developed close ties to Venezuela, a fellow OPEC member, since Chavez first came to power in 1999. Iranian hard-liners accused the Bush administration of helping to orchestrate Chavez's brief ouster, claiming the alleged action was prompted by concerns about oil supplies, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz congratulated Venezuelans for "their victory against the American conspiracy." He also warned that the United States would "fail not only in Venezuela but in all parts of the world" -- an apparent reference to plans for ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, according to Reuters. 1935 GMT Only a few hours after reinstated Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called for a national conciliation effort -- promising there would be no rancor or retaliations against his opponents -- Interior and Justice Minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacin declared that all military officers who participated in ousting Chavez April 11 would be legally sanctioned for placing Venezuela "on the edge of a civil war," Caracas daily El Nacional reported April 14. With tensions still running high within the armed forces (FAN), legal actions by the Chavez regime against officers who rebelled April 11-12 could unleash more violence and fighting between pro- and anti- Chavez military forces. 1830 GMT Cesar Gaviria, secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS), will arrive in Caracas April 15 to "investigate the facts" surrounding the political violence that rocked Venezuela in recent days, OAS officials in Washington said April 14. An official OAS communiquŽ stated that Gaviria, who was president of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, will visit Venezuela on a goodwill mission "to promote the fastest normalization" of democratic government there. However, it is not clear what Gaviria hopes to accomplish on behalf of the OAS. For one thing, Gaviria and President Hugo Chavez reportedly dislike each other intensely despite the friendly diplomatic masks they wear in public, according to STRATFOR sources in Washington and Caracas. Additionally, the OAS has shown itself to be a feckless institution since Venezuela's crisis erupted April 11. 1827 GMT Colombian politicians warned that bilateral relations with Venezuela under the reinstated government of President Hugo Chavez will be "difficult" until Chavez clarifies amply documented reports of Colombian guerrilla activity in Venezuela, the Associated Press reported April 14. Reports in both countries have said that guerrillas with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) are using Venezuelan territory as a safe haven to escape pursuit by the Colombian army and as a staging area to launch assaults at targets in Colombia. 1819 GMT Venezuelan National Guard commander Gen. Belisario Landis acknowledged April 14 that deep fractures exist in the country's armed forces (FAN) and called on his military colleagues to bury their differences and unite for Venezuela's benefit. He also admitted that sporadic disturbances continue in different parts of Caracas. STRATFOR's human intelligence sources in that city report that the number of confirmed dead and injured in disturbances since early April 13 likely will increase. Landis called for unity inside the FAN on behalf of the senior military officers who were aligned with the government of President Hugo Chavez before the violent events of April 11 triggered Chavez's brief ouster. His remarks were directed at the military factions opposed to Chavez. STRATFOR's sources in the FAN say at least 85 percent of the FAN's officers oppose Chavez, but the unity created within the military by the deaths of 15 unarmed protesters April 11 was fractured when a group of ultra-conservative civilians and military officers tried unsuccessfully to hijack interim President Pedro Carmona Estanga's center-right, labor-backed coalition. 1812 GMT The Israeli Defense Force now estimates that only 45 Palestinians were killed in the Jenin refugee camp, according to Haaretz. Palestinians claim that more than 500 were killed, and that Israeli troops have attempted to hide evidence of a massacre in mass graves. 1748 GMT Israel's security cabinet on April 14 approved a plan to fortify three sections of the 1967 Green Line border between Israel and the West Bank, in an effort to prevent Palestinian militants from entering Israel. The roughly 57 kilometers of fortifications include electronic sensors and troop deployments, and will cover an area from Gilboa in the north to the Judean Desert in the south. Fortifying the border could presage the early stages of an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and a longer-term security solution for Israel alongside a Palestinian state, but the security of Israeli settlements within Palestinian territory still must be addressed. 1745 GMT STRATFOR has received information from multiple sources in Caracas and Washington that the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department were involved separately in the events unfolding in Caracas since April 11. If this information from our human intelligence sources is correct, the CIA reportedly had advance knowledge that a group of ultra- conservative civilians and military officers planned to hijack the center-right transition government that Pedro Carmona Estanga was tapped to lead by a consensus of labor and business groups, civic leaders and a moderate faction of the army led by Gen. Efrain Vasquez Velasco. Our sources indicated that the CIA might have aided this group, although it is very possible that the sources that provided us with this information have their own motivations for doing so. Simultaneously, however, the State Department reportedly was backing the center- right coalition that united to support Carmona Estanga's interim presidency, according to our sources. This explains why the State Department issued a statement April 12 praising the civic movement that had ousted Chavez after government gunmen shot at unarmed anti-Chavez protesters. If STRATFOR's sources are correct -- and the Chavez government finds and makes public any evidence of alleged CIA or U.S. government involvement in the violence that Venezuela has experienced this past week -- it could have disastrous implications for the Bush administration's foreign policy in Latin America. 1741 GMT A meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat lasted for more than three hours April 14. Powell called the talks "useful and constructive" and said aides for the two men would continue discussions on Monday. Five senior Palestinian officials attended the meeting between Powell and Arafat, including Abu Ala, Abu Maazen, Mohammed Dahlan, Mohammed Rashid and Yasser Abed Rabbo. Powell will now reportedly meet for a second time with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. According to the Israeli press, Powell will then travel to Damascus in two days to meet with President Bashar Assad before returning to Israel. 1645 GMT Following a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat April 14, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat reiterated the Palestinian position that no cease-fire could take effect until Israel withdraws its troops from Palestinian territories. Palestinian sources claim that Israeli troops entered another town, Tamoun, near Jenin, on April 14. 1640 GMT According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, documents found in Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's compound prove the Palestinian Authority was trying to involve Israeli Arabs in terrorist activities. Arab citizens of Israel would be much more difficult to contain, should they join the fight alongside Palestinians from the occupied territories. 1635 GMT Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived by military helicopter at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas at 2:45 a.m. EST April 14, Union Radio reports. Chavez addressed his country by television at 4:35 a.m. EST April 14 from the presidential palace with a call for peace and conciliation, Union Radio reports. He said the events of April 11-12 were "a gigantic lesson...for all Venezuelans." Chavez also announced the formation of "round tables for a national dialogue." 1630 GMT While Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's reinstated government has not announced any restrictions on the news media, the major national newspapers and private television stations were still closed down at 8:30 a.m. EST April 14, STRATFOR's sources in Caracas report. These media -- including the dailies El Nacional and El Universal and the Radio Caracas Television, Venevision and Globovision television stations -- were forced to close down during the late afternoon and early evening of April 13 by pro-Chavez civilian militias. STRATFOR's Caracas sources reported that roughly 3,000 pro-Chavez civilian militias on motorcycles converged on all major private news media facilities shortly after ex-interim President Pedro Carmona Estanga reinstated the National Assembly he had dissolved by decree April 12. Carmona was compelled to reinstate the assembly and other government institutions whose appointed leaders had been fired, including the Supreme Court, after army commanding Gen. Efrain Vasquez Velasco demanded they be reinstated immediately as a condition for the army's continued support of his interim government. However, immediately after Carmona complied the pro-Chavez militias assaulted the media, in some cases breaking into installations and seizing control of broadcast facilities that were then connected to the government-owned Venezolana de Television signal. 1620 GMT Reinstated Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez pledged he would not retaliate against the groups that sought his resignation April11-12, Radio Union reports from Caracas. However, other senior Chavez regime officials said authorities have already arrested three sharpshooters responsible for several deaths during an April 11 anti- Chavez march by nearly 350,000 protesters. According to Chavez regime officials, the arrested men are security employees of municipal government agencies controlled by anti-Chavez officials like greater Caracas Metropolitan Mayor Alfredo Pena. Some STRATFOR sources believe the reinstalled Chavez regime will systematically go after its opposition while continuing to profess respect for democracy and rule of law. 1600 GMT At least nine people were killed and 48 injured during several disturbances that broke out across Caracas late on April 13, Union Radio reports. 0536 GMT Former Venezuelan President Pedro Carmona Estanga is under arrest at Venezuela's defense ministry, together with Gen. Antonio Rosendo, Rear Adm. Ramirez Perez and Col. Virgilio Lameda, Colombian daily El Tiempo reported late April 13. 0356 GMT Former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sent Vice President Diosdado Cabello a fax placing him in charge of the presidency until Chavez returns to Miraflores presidential palace from an undisclosed location, Union Radio reported from Caracas at 10:20 p.m. EST April 13. Several members of Chavez's deposed cabinet are telling Venezuelan news media that Chavez will be president again within hours. However, after the April 11 incident in which government security forces and pro-Chavez militia gunmen fired into a crowd of peaceful anti-Chavez protesters, the only way Chavez can stay in power now is to dissolve the National Assembly. STRATFOR sources in Caracas say that Venezuela will not have peace if Chavez is allowed to continue as president. Meanwhile, former Interior and Justice Minister Luis Miquilena reportedly is building support among the moderate wing of the pro-Chavez Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) in the National Assembly to replace Chavez with Teodoro Petkoff until new elections can be held. Petkoff is a socialist and former planning minister who now edits the daily newspaper TalCual. 0346 GMT Venezuelan National Assembly President William Lara has sworn in Vice President Diosdado Cabello as president of Venezuela, Union Radio reported from Caracas at 10 p.m. EST April 13. As the politial coalition that supported interim president Pedro Carmona Estanga continues to unravel, it appears increasingly likely that fighting could break out in the next 24 hours between military forces who want Hugo Chavez out of the presidency and military forces seeking to reinstate him in Miraflores presidential palace. 0343 GMT Venezuela's interim president, Pedro Carmona Estanga, resigned shortly after 10 p.m. EST April from the presidency he occupied less than 48 hours, Union Radio reports from Caracas. The report said Carmona has recognized the constitutional authority of Vice President Diosdado Cabello and has asked General Lucas Rincon Romero to guarantee his physical safety. 0333 GMT STRATFOR sources report that Libertador Municipality Mayor Freddy Bernal -- the alleged leader of the rooftop sharpshooters who fired April 11 into a peaceful protest of nearly 350,000 Venezuelans seeking the resignation of President Hugo Chavez - - has appeared outside privately-owned Radio Caracas Television. Bernal reportedly was leading several hundred pro-Chavez militia members, who broke into the television station and vandalized some of its offices. Sources also said that Eliecer Otayza, the former chief of the Interior and Justice Ministry's political police (DISIP), is with Bernal. 0204 GMT Former Venezuelan Vice President Diosdado Cabello and several other members of ousted President Hugo Chavez's cabinet are physically occupying Miraflores presidential palace, STRATFOR sources on site confirmed at 8:30 p.m. EST April 13. Meanwhile, Union Radio reported that government-owned television station Venezolana de Television has resumed broadcasting, and that pro-Chavez members of the reconstituted National Assembly have issued a call for the assembly to meet at the TV station immediately for an official session. If this session takes place, it is very possible that the assembly will vote to declare the interim regime of Pedro Carmona Estanga illegal and unconstitutional, and to demand Chavez's immediate return. STRATFOR also confirmed that at least 7,000 Chavez supporters have gathered outside the presidential palace, while hundreds more have surrounded the three principal private television stations -- Radio Caracas Television, Venevision and Globovision. Caracas daily El Universal also reported at 9 p.m. EST that it is evacuating its offices because pro-Chavez civilians are threatening to break in. 0201 GMT Retired Rear Adm. Jesus Briceno, a member of the Cabinet appointed April 12 by interim president Pedro Carmona Estanga, says former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was videotaped verbally resigning the presidency, according to Reuters. However, Briceno admitted Chavez has not yet signed a written resignation letter -- the only thing that would carry legal weight in Venezuela. This admission contradicts reports before sunrise April 12 that Chavez had resigned. In fact, Union Radio network posted that resignation letter on its Web site, but STRATFOR has learned that initial letter is not being accepted as legitimate by a faction of the armed forces (FAN) that is loyal to Chavez. That faction is exploiting a power struggle between two anti-Chavez groups in the FAN to press for Chavez's immediate reinstatement as president. Meanwhile, STRATFOR sources also report that Chavez has interpreted Carmona's April 13 reinstatement of the National Assembly and other powers he dissolved April 12 as a sign of weakness and is now refusing to sign a second legal resignation letter. 0200 GMT Sources at Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas, where former President Hugo Chavez reportedly is being detained, told STRATFOR 13 that preparations are being made to transfer Chavez to an airport so he can depart Venezuela. Although his destination has not been confirmed, Chavez very likely will have breakfast April 14 in Havana with his close friend Fidel Castro. The military likely will try to transport Chavez secretly to prevent his supporters from massing at the airport. Two possible points of departure are Simon Bolivar International Airport at Maiquetia, on the coast near Caracas, or the Generalismo Francisco de Miranda Air Force base at La Carlota in eastern Caracas. However, it also is possible that Chavez may be airlifted by helicopter to another airport outside Caracas. 0008 GMT 13 Apr 2002 According to Israeli media, Israeli troops raided several Palestinian Authority ministries and schools on the West Bank late April 13. Israeli troops also reportedly killed an armed Palestinian near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and Hamas activist Mohammed Haj Ali at the Tapuah junction near Nablus. 2243 GMT Venezuelan military officers loyal to former President Hugo Chavez have taken control of Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, STRATFOR sources on the scene report. The group includes members of the presidential honor guard, Chavez's former paratroop unit based in Maracay city, and Air Force officers. Chavez's personal security chief and several of his Cabinet officials are inside the palace awaiting the arrival of former Vice President Diosdado Cabello. Outside the palace, a pro-Chavez crowd estimated at up to 7,000 people has gathered. 2241 GMT Venezuela's interim president, Pedro Carmona Estanga, announced at 4:15 p.m. EST April 13 that he will immediately issue a decree reconstituting the National Assembly for extraordinary sessions, during which Venezuela's new president will be designated. The assembly also will appoint new representatives to head the country's public institutions -- including the Supreme Court, the National Election Council, and the attorney general, comptroller general and public defender offices. STRATFOR believes the National Assembly will not confirm Carmona Estanga and instead will appoint someone else as president until new elections are held. 2229 GMT Gen. Efrain Vasquez Velasco, the commander of Venezuela's army, on April 13 confirmed "all army officers in their current ranks and commands." He specifically said army but did not mention navy, air force or National Guard branches in his brief remarks. Vasquez Velasco also warned, "Only I can transfer the people with me." His remarks appeared to be directed at the new defense minister, a navy officer who reportedly is trying to transfer army officers loyal to Vasquez Velasco in what appears to be a deliberate effort to disperse the army commander's base of support. STRATFOR sources inside Fort Tiuna report that a conflict has developed between the group of mainly army officers led by Vasquez Velasco and a second group of officers controlled by retired Gen. Ruben Rojas, a son-in-law of former President Rafael Caldera. 2213 GMT Venezuelan Army commander Gen. Efrain Vasquez Velasco said April 13 that interim President Pedro Carmona Estanga must "reconstitute immediately all public powers, including the Supreme Court." Although Vasquez did not specify the other powers, these likely include the National Electoral Commission (CNE) as well as the attorney general, comptroller of the republic and the public defender, who all were fired April 12 by Carmona. 2201 GMT Venezuelan Army commander Gen. Efrain Vasquez Velasco announced at 4:35 p.m. EST April that the country's armed forces (FAN) will support interim President Pedro Carmona Estanga only if he "corrects the mistakes" committed April 12 in his inaugural speech. Speaking from the Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas, Vasquez Velasco -- accompanied by the FAN's new high command but not by Carmona or any members of the interim president's new cabinet -- said during a nationally televised press conference that "the National Assembly will be reconstituted immediately, and the legitimacy of all elected members of the assembly, state governors, municipal mayors and other elected public officials will be respected." 2149 GMT Union Radio reported from Caracas at 4:30 p.m. EST April 13 that a videotape of former President Hugo Chavez confirming his resignation from the presidency would be broadcast nationally within minutes. 2137 GMT Venezuelan sources inside the Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas told STRATFOR at 4:15 p.m. EST April 13 that Interim President Pedro Carmona Estanga has been moved from the Miraflores presidential palace to the base. Officially, the move was intended to safeguard Venezuela's new interim president in the midst of multiplying reports that scattered disturbances have erupted in different sectors of Caracas that border the city's largest poor neighborhoods. 2136 GMT Venezuela's new interim president, Pedro Carmona Estanga, began his administration with a colossal political mistake that could force his resignation in a week or less, STRATFOR sources reported from Caracas April 13. Carmona's dissolution of the National Assembly the previous day fractured the political/military coalition that brought him to power. Army commander Gen. Efrain Vasquez Velasco, whose support is vital for the stability of Carmona's interim presidency, reportedly is furious with the new president, sources inside the Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas told STRATFOR. The sources say the economic and political measures Carmona announced April 12, including the National Assembly's dissolution, were "completely different" from what had been previously agreed by the political, military and civic groups that backed Carmona's appointment as interim president. Sources also report that Carmona will be compelled to re-open the National Assembly and that quite possibly he may be forced to quit the presidency and his entire new Cabinet forced to resign. 2134 GMT Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez officially resigned in writing and by videotape April 13 as part on an agreement that will allow him to leave the country and take up residence in Cuba, STRATFOR sources reported from the Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas at 4:15 p.m. EST April 13. 2115 GMT According to Israeli media, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian and pursued two others who were attempting to infiltrate the settlement of Dugit, in Gaza, on April 13. 2045 GMT According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, an Israel Defense Force officer was seriously injured when a bomb exploded April 13 in Bethlehem. Israeli troops continued military operations April 13 in Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus and Ramallah. According to witnesses, Israeli troops also entered the towns of Arabe, Birqin and Hashmiyah, all near Jenin, but reportedly pulled out of Dahariyeh overnight. Israeli troops reportedly arrested four wanted Palestinian activists on April 13 -- including Nasser Arwis, a senior Fatah-Tanzim member and head of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in the Balata refugee camp -- who was seized in the town of Tubas, near Nablus, in the early morning hours. Israeli troops also arrested senior Tanzim member Mohammed Hader. Hezbollah reportedly attacked Israeli positions in Har Dov on April 13 with anti-tank missiles, mortars and machine guns. Israel responded by shelling targets near the Lebanese town of Kfar Shouba. 1845 GMT Israeli troops entered the West Bank towns of Arabeh and Burqeen on April 13. Hassan Afarideh, a member of the Iranian parliament's Energy Commission, told the daily Iran News that OPEC should act to bring down and stabilize crude oil prices in order to avoid losing market share to non-OPEC producers. He blamed the current price spike on Iraq's unilateral halt in oil exports. Afarideh predicted that oil prices soon would fall to a "fair price" of $18 to $20 per barrel. Speaking in Lebanon on April 12, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said any oil embargo in support of the Palestinians would require the support of all oil-producing Islamic states. Kharrazi suggested that if the states were not in a position to do so, they could instead dedicate a portion of their oil revenues to the Palestinian cause. Yasser Arafat and other Palestinian Authority leaders issued a statement in Ramallah on April 13 condemning attacks on Israeli civilians, including the suicide bombing in Jerusalem the previous day. The statement also condemned Israeli violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. Though Israel downplayed the statement as part of an ongoing pattern of violence and political ambiguities, the United States reportedly is considering going ahead with plans for a meeting between Secretary of State Colin Powell and Arafat on April 14. Palestinian witnesses cited by CNN claimed that Israeli troops entered the home of Palestinian Health Minister Hassan Asfour on April 13, searched the house and detained Asfour. Israeli bulldozers also reportedly flattened the Palestinian Health Ministry. Reuters reports that supporters of ousted Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Caracas slums "seethed with rage" April 13, predicting a civil war -- though protests thus far have been small, scattered and sporadic. Meanwhile, members of Chavez's toppled government reportedly are attempting to organize the opposition to Venezuela's new military-backed regime. Pro-Chavez members of the now- dissolved parliament decried Chavez's ouster as a coup d'etat and said they would attempt to take their seats for a scheduled session on April 15. William Lara, president of the now-dissolved National Assembly, claims ousted Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been moved to the Caribbean island of La Orchila, though there has been no confirmation of this. 1830 GMT Israeli public radio reported April 13 that the country's Supreme Court has ordered the army not to bury the bodies of Palestinians killed in recent fighting in the Jenin refugee camp. Palestinians have alleged that Israeli troops are bulldozing bodies into mass graves to cover up a massacre of more than 500 refugees, including women and children. Israeli officials deny the charges, calling them propaganda, and estimate that approximately 250 Palestinians died in pitched battles in the camp. Jenin is off- limits to foreign reporters, so neither claim can be independently investigated. Citing unnamed official sources, The Guardian reported April 13 that Britain has imposed a de facto arms embargo on Israel for the first time in 20 years. According to the sources, the ban is neither formal nor complete, but it covers military equipment that could be used during the current Israeli operations in Palestinian territories. Germany has confirmed that it has withheld export permits for some arms sales to Israel, and France has reportedly suspended sales of some arms to Israel as well. IRNA cites a British Foreign Office spokesman as saying British policy on arms exports has not changed, and all applications for arms export licenses continue to be addressed on a case-by-case basis. The denial does not fully contradict the Guardian's report, however, which noted the alleged embargo was de facto, did not include all arms exports to Israel, and cohered with existing British policy against arms exports that could contribute to regional instability or be used for repression. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi on April 13 condemned the ouster of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as a coup d'etat. Tehran had nurtured good relations with Chavez. The Iranian English-language daily Kayhan International alleged in an April 13 editorial that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency had orchestrated a coup that overthrew Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The paper alleged that the Bush administration, angered at Chavez's connections with Iran, Iraq, Libya and Cuba, and concerned about his independent-minded oil policies, resolved last October to oust the Venezuelan leader. Though the newspaper noted the precedent of the CIA- sponsored assassination of Salvador Allende in Chile and the ouster of Prime Minister Muhammad Mussadegh in Iran, it offered no further evidence to bolster its allegations about a conspiracy in Venezuela. 1800 GMT 12 Apr 2002 During his inaugural speech, Venezuela's interim President Pedros Carmona Estanga announced that new national elections would be held no later than a year from today, although he personally would not seek election. 2325 GMT During a speech marking his inauguration as Venezuela's interim president, Pedro Carmona Estanga within 30 minutes dismantled Hugo Chavez's entire Bolivarian revolution. Among other reforms, Carmona said Venezuela would return immediately to its 1999 constitution; the Bolivarian constitution approved in 2000 has been abolished. He also rescinded all 43 controversial laws that were implemented in November by executive decree -- sparking the confrontation that eventually led to Chavez's ouster. The interim leader also dissolved the National Assembly and fired the entire Supreme Court, the members of the National Electoral Commission (CNE) and the attorney general, comptroller general and public defender. All of the institutions had been firmly under Chavez's control, and the three individuals were appointed more than a year ago in violation of Bolivarian constitutional rules. 2322 GMT The White House postponed a meeting between Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell April 12, reports the Associated Press. The meeting was originally scheduled for April 13 and may possibly take place April 14. 2315 GMT Nineteen Latin American leaders attending the Rio Group summit in Costa Rica issued a joint statement on April 12, condemning the violence in Venezuela but also condemning "the interruption of constitutional order," the Associated Press reports. Mexican President Vicente Fox said at the meeting that his country would not recognize the new government until new elections were held. 2315 GMT Oil prices plummeted April 12, largely in response to the resignation of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Crude oil for May delivery fell $1.52 to $23.47 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), its lowest level in five weeks. Gasoline prices also dropped sharply, falling 6 cents a gallon on NYMEX to 72.96 a gallon. 2250 GMT Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze gained an agreement April 12 from Russian commander Gen. Alexander Yebteyev that Russian troops would withdraw from the Kodori gorge, after the Georgian government accused Moscow of airlifting 100 troops to the Georgian-held village of Azhara in the breakaway zone of Abkhazia, Reuters reported. 2120 GMT The commander of the Caracas Capital District Fire Department, Rodolfo Briceno, told Union Radio that as of 6 a.m. EST April 12, 15 people had been confirmed dead and 350 others were treated at public hospitals for injuries sustained during an anti- Chavez protest march in Caracas on April 11. The injured included 157 wounded by gunfire. 2117 GMT Venezuelan Attorney General Isaias Rodriguez claims that Hugo Chavez remains the country's legal president, and that his detention at Fort Tiuna in Caracas is "a constitutional coup," Caracas daily El Universal reported April 12. Comptroller General Clodovaldo Russian added that Chavez was toppled in a military coup. Neither official made any reference to the April 11 violence in which pro-Chavez civilian militias and some government security forces fired upon unarmed protesters. The shootings prompted the armed forces (FAN) to demand Chavez's immediate resignation. However, Venezuela's new government appears to be ignoring both officials. That may be because their appointments by Chavez violated constitutional rules, and both have been accused repeatedly of burying corruption investigations against prominent officials of the now defunct Chavez regime. STRATFOR believes both officials likely will be fired very soon as interim President Pedro Carmona Estanga structures his government. It also is possible that one or both officials could be arrested and charged with abetting or facilitating corruption. 2112 GMT Venezuela's interim leader Pedro Carmona promised April 12 to revise economic laws decreed by his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, that were opposed by the private sector. This move likely will include the rescinding of the controversial hydrocarbons law, which placed severe restrictions on foreign investment into the oil sector, as well as a land law that would have allowed the government to seize large amounts of privately owned land. 2100 GMT Egypt cancelled all flights to Israel April 12 in response to domestic outcry toward Israel, reported Ha'aretz. 2050 GMT A senior official at Venezuela's state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, said in a news conference that in the future the company will not send "even one barrel" of oil to Cuba, El Nacional reported April 12. 2020 GMT East Timor will hold presidential elections April 14, with Alexander Gusmao significantly favored to win. Gusmao indicated in an interview with Kompas Daily, published April 9, that he will only serve for 5 years. 2010 GMT In a press conference at the Miraflores presidential palace, Venezuela's interim leader Pedro Carmona announced the formation of a 25- person Government Advisory Commission, but details about the commission's duties were not immediately available. Carmona also said he would reinstate high-level managers of state- owned oil company PDVSA who were forced out by former President Hugo Chavez, and that new national elections would be held no later than April 12, 2003. 2005 GMT Clashes between Lebanese students and police in Beirut left dozens injured during an April 12 anti-Israeli protest, Reuters reported. 2000 GMT U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on the U.N. Security Council April 12 to consider establishing an international force in the Middle East to reduce the violence between Palestinians and Israelis, Reuters reported. While the Palestinians approved of the proposal, an anonymous U.S. official said the plan could not work unless both parties agree to it. 1955 GMT U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is reportedly reconsidering a planned meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat April 13 after a suicide bomber struck a Jerusalem marketplace April 12, AFP reported. Responding to questions about Powell's decision to meet with Arafat, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said, "Today would be a very good day for Yasser Arafat to publicly denounce terrorism and show some statesmanship." 1941 GMT Former Venezuelan Interior and Justice Minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacin was arrested by police officials at mid-day April 12 in Caracas at a small hotel where he was hiding, Union Radio reports. 1845 GMT Following talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon April 12, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said no timetable has been set for an Israeli troop withdrawal from the West Bank, BBC reported. Israel pulled out of two dozen small West Bank towns and villages April 11, while the army said 4,185 Palestinians have been detained in the current military operation. 1840 GMT White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said April 12 that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government provoked the president's own downfall after suppressing a peaceful demonstration by ordering supporters to fire on unarmed demonstrators and preventing the news media from covering the events, Agence France-Presse reported. Chavez's education minister, Aristobulo Isturiz, denied April 12 that Chavez had resigned, and alleged that he was taken prisoner by the military. 1738 GMT An anonymous senior Israeli military official estimated the number of Palestinian deaths in the Jenin refugee camp at 250, while Israeli Defense Forces lost 23 soldiers, said Agence France-Presse. The Palestinian Authority called for an international inquiry into the fighting at Jenin and invited U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to inspect the camp. 1735 GMT The Georgian government April 12 accused Russia of airlifting 100 troops, with four military and four civilian helicopters, to the Georgian-held village of Azhara in the breakaway zone of Abkhazia, reported Agence France-Presse. Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze reportedly flew to the area, demanded an explanation and said that the Russians should pull out of the Kodori gorge by this evening, adding that it could result in the end of Russia's peacekeeping mission in Abkhazia. Shevardnadze's envoy to the Kodori region cited unconfirmed reports that one of the helicopters was seized by 40 armed Georgians. 1730 GMT Members of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group reportedly attacked Israel Defense Force bases at Har Dov, on the northern border, with anti-tank rockets and mortars, according to Ha'aretz. 1630 GMT A recent poll showed that 62 percent of Israelis surveyed support the expulsion of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, while 29 percent oppose the move and 9 percent did not answer, reported Israeli Daily Maariv April 12. 1615 GMT After visiting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat April 12, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Maher called on Israel to abide by international will and pull out of Palestinian territories, reported Agence France- Presse. Maher is the highest- ranking Arab official to meet Arafat at his headquarters since Israel began its offensive in the West Bank two weeks ago. 1600 GMT Quoting Palestinian sources, Ha'aretz reports that Palestinians in Gaza are readying for a possible Israel offensive, with panic buying leading to flour shortages. The nearly three-week-old Israeli military campaign in the West Bank has so far not been matched by a similar one in Gaza. But a number of recent incidents -- including placing the southern Negev region on alert and several cross-border shootings -- as well as the logic of the Israeli campaign aimed at destroying Palestinian militant infrastructure suggests that Gaza will be the focus of an upcoming Israeli military offensive. 1516 GMT A suicide bombing by a Palestinian woman at 4:15 pm local time at a bus stop near Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda open-air market killed 6 and left 50 injured April 12, reported the Jerusalem Post. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the military wing of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah organization, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to guerrilla group Hezbollah's Al-Manar television. Israeli news source Channel 1 reported April 12 that the suicide bomber came from Jenin, the same place as the bomber who attacked Haifa April 10. The Haifa attack was claimed by Hamas, however, not Al-Aqsa. 1510 GMT Financial markets responded positively April 12 to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's resignation. Long-term Venezuelan bonds due in 2027 gained about 6 percent in London, according to Bloomberg, reaching their highest price since Chavez became president in 1999. 1453 GMT The resignation of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sent oil prices down in early trading April 12. Brent crude for May delivery fell 46 cents from its overnight level to $24.58, its lowest level in weeks. Chavez's ouster -- and the quick removal of pro- Chavez board members and managers from state-owned oil company PDVSA -- effectively ends labor strikes that have disrupted production. This will allow Venezuela to resume normal exports over the next couple of weeks as production facilities are slowly brought back on line. 1430 GMT Venezuela's new transition president, Pedro Carmona Estanga, told Union Radio in Caracas that one of his first executive actions would to drop the word "Bolivarian" from the phrase "Republic of Venezuela." Carmona also announced that all of the military officers and Petroleos de Venezuela managers and employees fired in the past three years by former President Hugo Chavez would be given the opportunity quickly to resume active military duty or return to work at the oil industry "with the honor they deserve." 1230 GMT Former President Hugo Chavez tried to negotiate an agreement with the generals who toppled his regime that would have allowed him to leave the country for exile, most likely in Cuba, the Caracas daily El Nacional reported April 12. However, army commanding Gen.Efrain Vasquez Velasco denied Chavez's request, insisting instead that the former president remain in Venezuela to face possible criminal prosecution for the deaths of 12 unarmed protesters April 11. 1228 GMT Venezuelan army commanding Gen.Efrain Vasquez Velasco said former President Hugo Chavez would be kept under arrest at Fort Tiuna in Caracas until a decision is made on where to confine him pending possible criminal prosecution. Vasquez Velasco said Chavez likely would be confined in a prison while an investigation is conducted to determine what, if any, criminal charges might be filed against the former president. Vasquez Velasco also said all military units have been ordered back to their barracks, and that the country's civilian law enforcement agencies should be sufficient to maintain public order. However, he admitted there could be small confrontations in coming days as the armed forces (FAN) locate and disarm any remaining pro-Chavez civilian militias, and he warned that anyone caught in possession of an unregistered weapon would be arrested immediately. 1225 GMT Venezuela's new military command is led by army commanding Gen.Efrain Vasquez Velasco, and includes navy Gen. Hector Ramirez Perez, air force Gen.Jesus Pereira and National Guard General Carlos Martinez, according to Globovision television in Caracas. It was also reported that Rear Adm.Carlos Molina Tamayo could be named chief of the presidential guard, and retired army Gen. Ovidio Poggioli could be appointed director of the Interior and Justice Ministry's political police (DISIP). 1220 GMT Caracas daily El Nacional reported at 5 a.m. EST April 12 that Pedro Carmona Estanga has been chosen by consensus among civic and military leaders to preside over the transition government that will rule Venezuela until new national elections can be held. Carmona Estanga is president of the Federation of Business and Commerce Chambers (Fedecamaras), which traditionally has represented the interests of Venezuela's largest business groups. However, he is not a business owner, but rather a professional business bureaucrat who has spent his career lobbying for privately owned groups like Venoco or presiding over business chambers like Fedecamaras. Choosing Carmona Estanga to preside over the transition government was an astute political move. Although he has spent his career working for big business, Carmona Estanga is not publicly identified as an owner or key associate of any specific business group, and he has no links to any old discredited political parties or new political organizations created since 1998. Moreover, longtime associates say he does not have any personal political ambitions, and he is well regarded by labor leaders whose support will be crucial in coming months. 1217 GMT Army commander Gen. Efrain Vasquez Velasco is the chief of a new senior military command that includes three other generals, Globovision.com reported from Caracas at 4:30 a.m. EST April 12. The report did not disclose whether the other three generals represent the National Guard, air force and navy, or if the new high command is dominated by the army. 1215 GMT Former President Hugo Chavez abandoned Miraflores presidential palace at 3:50 a.m. EST April 12 in an armored sedan, accompanied former Defense Minister Jose Vicente Rangel and generals Ismael Hurtado Soucre and Manuel Rosendo, Union Radio reports from Caracas. Chavez was driven to Fort Tiuna, where he reportedly will be held until a decision is made on whether he should be prosecuted for alleged crimes or sent into permanent exile, most likely in Cuba. Before Chavez left the palace, a small group of supporters and former ministers sang the national hymn and applauded. The group included ex-Interior and Justice Minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacin. However, former Vice President Diosdado Cabello was not present and has not been seen publicly since April 10. Chavez and several of his former ministers appeared to be seeking a deal that would grant them amnesty for any crimes in return for leaving Venezuela. However, retired Army General and former Petroleos de Venezuela President Guaicaipuro Lameda told Union Radio that Chavez "no longer has any possibility of decreeing anything, and events surrounding Hugo Chavez's destiny are already in progress." 1200 GMT Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has resigned. Armed Forces (FAN) Inspector General Lucas Rincon Romero officially confirmed the resignation at 3:27 a.m. EST on April 12 in Caracas, saying Chavez quit the presidency at the request of the country's senior military leaders. Rincon Romero, the country's highest- ranking military officer, also announced his immediate resignation as FAN inspector general and said the entire high command also had resigned. Chavez surrendered shortly after 1 a.m. EST April 12 to a committee of four generals, who were sent to Miraflores presidential palace to take him into custody by Army Commander General Efrain Vazquez Velasco. The committee included Army generals Enrique Medina Gomez, Carlos Rodriguez Grau, Rommel Fuenmayor and Nestor Gonzalez Gonzalez -- who on April 10 publicly accused Chavez of lying about the presence of Colombian guerrillas in Venezuelan territory. However, before officially confirming Chavez's resignation, the generals required that he fire his entire cabinet in order to prevent power from being transferred constitutionally to Vice President Diosdado Cabello. Separately, Union Radio reported that Petroleos de Venezuela President Gaston Parra Luzardo and the entire board of directors also resigned. 0800 GMT Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez resigned shortly after 1 a.m. EST on April 12 to three senior generals at the Miraflores presidential palace, Caracas-based Globovision television reports. The Caracas daily el Universal confirmed the report. 0650 GMT Former Venezuelan Finance Minister Francisco Uson reports that President Hugo Chavez is "analyzing the possibility" of resigning, according to Italian news agency ANSA. Uson, who resigned officially early April 12, said the killing of unarmed protesters on Chavez's orders had made the country "ungovernable." 0611 GMT Venezuela's Union Radio network in Caracas reported at 12:15 a.m. EST on April 12 that Armed Forces Inspector Gen. Luca Rincon Romero and National Guard Commander Gen. Belisario Landis will shortly hold a press conference at the inspector general's office. The two senior officials likely will announce the resignation of President Hugo Chavez and his replacement by a military-backed civilian junta until new elections will be called. Although CNN and other international news agencies are referring the regime change under way in Venezuela as a military coup, Chavez in effect toppled his own regime on April 11 when he ordered security forces to fire on unarmed protesters who were peacefully demanding Chavez's resignation. Sources in Caracas told STRATFOR that Chavez could be arrested and tried on criminal charges of crimes against humanity in connection with the deaths of 12 Venezuelan protesters. 0530 GMT Venezuelan Armed Forces Inspector Gen. Lucas Rincon Romero, Venezuela's highest- ranking military officer, has asked President Hugo Chavez to resign so new elections can be held quickly, according to Union Radio. Meanwhile, the daily El Universal reports that Pedro Carmona Estanga, president of the federation of business and commerce chambers (Fedecamaras), likely would be tapped to preside a transition civilian junta until new elections can be held in 12-18 months. 0520 GMT A Globovision reporter entered the facilities of government-owned television station Venezuelana de Television at 10:50 pm EST and confirmed that the facility has been abandoned. 0420 GMT Venezuelan Air Force Col. Marcos Salas reported from La Carlota Airport in Caracas that one of the two aircraft that left after dark from the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Air Force base was flying President Hugo Chavez's family out of the city of Barquisimeto in northwest Venezuela for humanitarian reasons, according to Union Radio. 0415 GMT Two private aircraft departed after dark April 11 from the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Air Force base in the Caracas district of La Carlota, the daily El Nacional reports. Reporters who visually saw the second aircraft take off identified it as a Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) corporate jet assigned to the presidency of Venezuela. The identities of the passengers aboard the departing aircraft is unknown, but El Nacional said unconfirmed reports indicated President Hugo Chavez's wife and children were on one of the aircraft. 0330 GMT Venezuela's vice minister for security, Gen. Camacho Kairuz, told a news conference at National Guard headquarters late on April 11 that he was quitting his post and said that, "from this moment, this government should end," Reuters reported. Surrounded by 30 fellow military officers, Kairuz called for the formation of a provisional government junta. Another group of 10 officers from various branches of the armed forces issued a joint statement saying they "reject the current government, the authority of [President] Hugo Chavez and the military high command." 0325 GMT Venezuelan Army Commander Gen. Efrain Vasquez Velasco has publicly ordered all army unit commanders to remain in their barracks with their units, Union Radio reports from Caracas. Vasquez said his orders were "not a coup, but rather a position of solidarity with the Venezuelan people." Vasquez Velasco also addressed himself directly to President Hugo Chavez, stating, "I was loyal to the end because I am a disciplined soldier, but today's dead are intolerable." 0310 GMT Caracas Fire Department Chief Col. Rodolfo Briceno said 12 Venezuelans were killed and 110 wounded mainly by gunfire in downtown Caracas April 11, when government security forces and civilian militia groups fired on unarmed protesters demanding the resignation of President Hugo Chavez, the Union Radio network reports. Briceno said emergency rescue and ambulance crews had a difficult time removing dozens of gunshot victims in downtown Caracas because of continual sniping from pro-Chavez sharpshooters posted atop buildings near the presidential palace. Caracas fire and police department officials also increased their estimates of the number of protesters against Chavez to between 300,000 and 350,000 people. 0305 GMT Univision television reported around 8:45 CST that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has left Venezuela by aircraft. STRATFOR has not confirmed this report independently. If Chavez has indeed left Venezuela he may well be en route to Cuba. 0300 GMT Caracas Metropolitan Police sources told STRATFOR at 7:30 p.m. EST that "heavy fighting" has been reported inside Fort Tiuna. The report indicates possible mutiny, although that remains unconfirmed. Fort Tiuna is the main military garrison inside the Caracas Metropolitan Area. It is the headquarters of several elite infantry and armored units, and whoever controls the fort can control the capital militarily. 0030 GMT Venezuelan daily El Universal reports that the military has blocked the major highway leading into Caracas from the central region of the country. The report states that the military and the national guard have taken control of toll gates and placed busses in the road to stop traffic into the city near the main Caracas military garrison of Fort Tiuna. 0029 GMT Two ex-presidents of Venezuela, Carlos Andrés Pérez and Luis Herrera Campins, predicted on Colombian radio April 11 that the government of President Hugo Chavez soon will fall, El Universal reports. Perez -- who Chavez attempted to overthrow in a failed 1992 coup -- said the use of arms against protestors in Caracas and the interruption of some television broadcasts "removed the mask from the dictator." He also called the alleged presence of Colombian guerrilla bases in Venezuela "intolerable." Perez predicted Chavez's ouster would be violent and that Chavez would leave office for a prison. Herrera Campins called the latest protests "serious, very serious," and said it would be difficult for the government to continue in the current circumstances. 0014 GMT 11 Apr 2002 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez spoke on national television for well over an hour during the late afternoon of April 11, while government security forces broke up an anti-Chavez protest march in downtown Caracas with bullets and tear gas. At least five people were killed and 41 injured, many by gunfire, according to Caracas daily El Nacional. The confrontation between the Chavez regime and the political opposition has ended any remaining ambiguities in this conflict. Chavez brutally asserted his authority April 11 in the opening salvo of what likely will be an increasingly violent conflict in coming months. The balance of power favors Chavez in the near term, but he cannot sustain his regime indefinitely by force. 2246 GMT Shiite dignitaries and political associations April 11 criticized Bahraini police efforts to break up a pro-Palestinian protest, calling it "unjustified," Agence France- Presse reported. The group also demanded the expulsion of the U.S. ambassador. Around 2,000 students heading for the U.S. Embassy April 10 were fired upon with tear gas by anti-riot police. 2238 GMT The Israel Defense Forces killed a Palestinian militiaman April 11 near a Jewish settlement in the northern Gaza Strip, reported Agence France-Presse. The Israeli troops returned fire after a group of armed militants shot at them. 2230 GMT STRATFOR sources on the scene at a pitched battle between Venezuelan government security forces and more than 100,000 protesters demanding the resignation of President Hugo Chavez confirm that five people have been killed and at least 17 have suffered gunshot wounds and other injuries. Meanwhile, the Chavez regime has blacked out all privately owned television media in the greater Caracas Metropolitan Area. The media censorship and violent suppression of what had been a peaceful protest march will aggravate the political conflict in Venezuela. It also likely will place Chavez on a collision course with the Bush administration in the United States. On April 10, a U.S. State Department spokesman warned that if Chavez deviated from democratic norms and censored speech, Venezuela could run afoul of the new democratic charter of the Organization of American States (OAS), which allows sanctions against Western Hemisphere countries that deviate from democracy. 2210 GMT Venezuela Online News reports that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez shut down Radio Caracas Television, Venevision and Televen late April 11. Chavez likely is clamping down on independent media sources critical of his regime in the midst of growing street violence, fearing the unrest will spread outside of Caracas. 2150 GMT U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Israel April 11 and was met by Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, Haaretz reported. 2133 GMT The United States is considering sending U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to Syria following his visit in Israel, Haaretz reported April 11. 2130 GMT El Nacional reports that at least two people have been seriously injured, possibly with bullet wounds, and an undetermined number of others injured in brief but violent confrontations between pro- and anti- Chavez forces near the presidential palace in Caracas. 2130 GMT Venezuelan government security forces have attacked the front lines of a protest march that is approaching the presidential palace in Caracas, demanding that President Hugo Chavez resign immediately, according to STRATFOR sources on the scene. No gunfire or casualties have been reported yet. However, hundreds of heavily armed officials of the Interior and Justice Ministry's political police (DISIP) have fired dozens of tear gas canisters at marchers. Venezuelan and foreign diplomatic sources observing the protest up close estimate that well over 100,000 people are participating in the march. The sources also estimate that more than 5,000 people who support the Chavez regime have surrounded the presidential palace. Sources say dozens of DISIP sharpshooters are positioned on rooftops and in and near the palace. 2125 GMT Between 20 and 25 armed commandos entered the provincial Legislative Assembly in Cali, Colombia, April 11 and took nine legislators hostage, according to local media reports. The commandos reportedly exploded a bomb and then escaped with the legislators in the midst of a shootout with police, taking them in a truck to a rural area south of Cali. El Espectador reports that five of the nine legislators were later rescued by a military operation in the mountains near Cali but that four remain hostages. Interior Minister Armando Estrada Villa attributed the kidnapping to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). 2100 GMT Hundreds of Caracas Metropolitan Police and National Guard officers reinforced by water cannon and trucks equipped to fire tear gas have formed a human chain near the Miraflores presidential palace in Venezuela's capital city, Union Radio network reports. The security cordon is trying to prevent followers of President Hugo Chavez from confronting thousands of protesters marching on the presidential palace to demand his resignation. STRATFOR sources near the palace report that many Chavez supporters on the scene have armed themselves with rocks and clubs as they prepare to repel the march, led by the Venezuelan Workers Confederation (CTV), which is now less than an hour's walking distance from the palace. 2040 GMT Metropolitan police in Caracas, Venezuela, have been ordered to block a large march involving opponents of President Hugo Chavez from reaching the Miraflores presidential palace, police commissioner Henry Vivas told El Nacional April 11. Vivas ordered the mobilization of 1,500 police to maintain public order and to "avoid conflicts" between pro and anti-Chavez demonstrators. El Nacional reported a growing police and national guard presence around Miraflores as of 2 p.m. local time. 2025 GMT The Israel Defense Forces will withdraw from several towns in the West Bank overnight April 11, Ha'aretz reported. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer also said that U.S. President George W. Bush believes Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is committed to finding peace in the region, Reuters reported. 2021 GMT Government intimidation tactics are making a strike at Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) worse, Caracas daily TalCual reported April 11. The 135,000 barrel-per- day El Palito refinery, which shut down April 5, will not restart operations April 12, as the government announced three days ago. The Puerto La Cruz refinery is already running at less than 50 percent of capacity and slowing even more. Natural gas production in eastern Venezuela's Anaco region, which supplies 75 percent of domestic natural gas consumption, has cut production back by more than 30 percent. Additionally, crude oil production in eastern Venezuela has plunged 62 percent since April 5, from 1.36 million bpd to only 518,000 bpd, according to TalCual. Moreover, all of PDVSA's export terminals have shut down or drastically reduced operations, and more than three dozen oil tankers are now stranded in port awaiting outbound cargoes of crude oil, gasoline and other products. 2020 GMT The strike at Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) is getting worse as industry workers rebel against psychological and physical intimidation tactics that government security officials are employing in an increasingly desperate attempt to re- start the oil industry's stalled production, refining and export operations. PDVSA sources in Caracas, Maracaibo and Puerto La Cruz tell STRATFOR that agents of the Interior and Justice Ministry's political police (DISIP), military intelligence (DIM) and civilian law enforcement institutions have engaged in what the sources described as "systematic harassment and intimidation" in an effort to end the strike at Venezuela's national oil company. 2015 GMT Venezuelan Armed Forces Inspector General Lucas Rincon Romero denied early afternoon rumors April 11 that President Hugo Chavez and the entire armed forces unified command (CUFAN) had resigned and that Chavez was under arrest at Fort Tiuna in Caracas, according to Union Radio network. "I categorically deny that President Chavez has resigned and is under arrest, and I categorically deny the resignation of the military's high command," Rincon Romero told the radio station. 2000 GMT The leader of Colombia's main paramilitary group, the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), told Venezuela's El Nacional daily April 11 that the group is contemplating whether to strike encampments of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) alleged to be in Venezuela. AUC leader Salvatore Mancuso accused Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez of allowing the presence of FARC camps and said that his group has so far abstained from crossing the border to attack them. 2000 GMT Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said April 11 that Moscow was pressing Syria, Iran and Lebanon to restrain the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah from launching cross-border attacks against Israel, Agence France-Presse reported, citing a senior U.S. official. The Russians are hoping to have a better chance of exerting influence in the region after U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney failed to gain a promise April 9 from Syria to restrain Hezbollah. 1845 GMT A march against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has departed from the Caracas headquarters of Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), heading toward the Miraflores presidential palace, where protesters plan to demand Chavez's resignation, Globovision reports. Pro-Chavez forces are gathering to block the march, making violence between the two groups likely this afternoon. 1845 GMT Palestinian militants of the Popular Resistance Committee shot and killed a Palestinian suspected of collaborating with Israel April 11, Agence France- Presse reported. Israel Defense Forces also returned to the West Bank town of Tulkarem during a 45-minute raid and arrested Shifar al- Qudsi, a would-be suicide bomber whose brother was arrested three months ago while trying to enter Israel strapped with explosives. These two incidents suggest Israeli forces are gaining greater active intelligence against Palestinian attacks. 1820 GMT U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived April 11 in Jordan from Spain to speak with King Abdullah II on halting the Israeli offensive in Palestinian territory, according to Agence France-Presse. The king will reportedly tell Powell that the United States has the biggest responsibility in urging Israel to halt its military operations. 1810 GMT OPEC Secretary-General Ali Rodriguez told Mexican radio April 11 that the cartel might consider raising output, but only if it sees a ''significant" change in demand, Williams Energy News reports. Rodriguez also said that any increase would not happen until the fourth quarter of 2002. OPEC likely is responding to pressure to raise output in the face of unrest in the Middle East and Venezuela -- but with crude prices stable within the high end of OPEC's target band, it is unlikely to make any immediate increases. 1810 GMT Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Maher cancelled a planned meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat April 11, Agence France-Presse reported, citing an Israeli official. The cancellation illustrates a rift between the Egyptians and Palestinians -- who normally have close relations -- most likely as to how to address the violence in the region. 1800 GMT Colombia's second largest leftist guerilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), released 11 hostages April 11. The release was tied to a demand that Bogota reject assistance from the United States in protecting the country's often- targeted Cano Limon-Covenas oil pipeline. U.S. President George W. Bush has requested $98 million from the Congress to train and equip the Colombian military for that purpose. The hostage release and related demand are likely part of an evolving ELN strategy to extract concessions from the Colombian government in ongoing peace negotiations. 1755 GMT The European Union commissioner in charge of administrative reforms, Neil Kinnock, said the EU would not impose sanctions on Israel as they would not effectively help to stop the violence in the Middle East, reports Agence France- Presse. The move shows that the European Union has decided not to follow up its rhetoric of condemnation of Israel with substantive action. 1745 GMT An explosion at an ancient synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba killed five people, including the driver of the natural gas- filled truck that crashed into the synagogue, the BBC reported. Officials called the blast an accident, but witnesses feared the explosion could be an attack on a Jewish symbol on an island that holds 1,000 of Tunisia's 3,000 Jewish people. Whether or not it was an accident, it will heighten tensions between Jewish and Muslim communities living side by side in places like North Africa, as the conflict in the Middle East sends ripples throughout the world. 1730 GMT Saudi Arabia banned demonstrations in support of the Palestinians, reported Middle East Newsline April 11, in response to the growing unrest among Saudi students and Islamic militants. Several unauthorized anti- Israeli protests have taken place recently, uncommon for Saudi Arabia. 1720 GMT The Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV) ratified a decision April 11 to extend a 3-day-old labor strike across the entire country, and it invited transportation and public sector workers to join in, Globovision reports. The confederation also called for more peaceful demonstrations in the streets. 1720 GMT White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said April 11 that it is imperative that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat publicly denounce murderous bombings and other forms of terrorism, renounce violence as a political instrument and commit to peace negotiations, reported Agence France-Presse. The spokesman also said that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell would most likely meet with Arafat April 13.