News Bulletins
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From our colleagues with the UK Metropolitan Police CO18
‘Emirates' Airbus fleet heads for Heathrow’ Emirates is ready to fly five Airbus A380s a day into Heathrow as the airline continues to defy the gloom dominating most of the aviation industry. Tim Clark, the airline's president, said that Emirates was ready to use the superjumbo on all its current slots and had little doubt that there would be sufficient demand to fill the extra 550 seats a day.
‘Door Fault Grounds Qantas Jet’ A Melbourne-bound Qantas jet has been forced to return to Adelaide's airport after a door above one of its wheels failed to close, according to reports in the Australian media. Initial reports suggested one of the doors in the Boeing 737's cabin had opened in mid-air during the flight. But Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson explained to The Daily Telegraph that the aircraft's wheels came up after take-off but the undercarriage door did not retract.
'Palestinians 'routinely torture' rival detainees' Palestinians detained by Fatah and Hamas, the two main factions in the West Bank and Gaza, face routine abuse and torture, according to two leading human rights organisations in reports published this week. Al-Haq, an independent Palestinian human rights group, said yesterday that more than 1,000 people have been detained by each side within the past year. An estimated 20%-30% of the detainees suffered torture, including severe beatings and being tied up in painful positions, said Al-Haq director Shawan Jabarin, citing sworn statements from 150 detainees. It said mistreatment had led to three deaths in Gaza and one in the West Bank.
‘ETA blows up Spanish highway days after plot to bomb Costa del Sol is foiled’ Days after a feared ETA leader was arrested and his cell smashed, the Basque separatists group have exploded a bomb in roadworks on the A-8 highway in Spain's Basque Country this morning. The bomb exploded among vehicles and other property belonging to a Basque construction firm, the Basque regional government said in a press release. The statement made no mention of casualties. Investigators said the leader of an ETA cell smashed last week was planning strikes in the Costa del Sol, a region popular with British holidaymakers
‘Female suicide bombers leave 50 dead, 250 injured on day of carnage to Iraq’ Suicide bombers struck the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Kirkuk leaving 50 people dead and scores injured. Three female suicide bombers killed 28 people and wounded 92 when they blew themselves up among Shi'ites walking through the streets of Baghdad on a religious pilgrimage on Monday, Iraqi police said. And in the northern oil city of Kirkuk a suicide bomber killed 22 people and wounded 150 at a protest against a disputed local elections law, Iraqi health and security officials said.
Al-Qaeda chemical expert 'killed' Reports from Pakistan say a leading al-Qaeda chemical weapons expert, Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, has been killed in a missile strike. Taleban officials in the tribal area of South Waziristan confirmed to the BBC that he was killed in a missile strike that left at least six people dead.
‘Yemen: Al Qaida owns up to bomb attack on police’ An Al Qaida wing in Yemen has claimed responsibility for Friday's suicide car bomb attack on a police compound that killed a policeman and wounded 18 others.The group, known as "The Jihad of Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula - Yemeni Soldiers Brigade", said in a statement on Sunday that the attack was carried out in retaliation for the killing of five Al Qaida members by police forces in Yemen.
‘Iran 'seeks common ground' with US’ The Iranian president has said he is willing to seek "common ground" with the US if Washington takes a new approach over the country's nuclear programme. Speaking to US television channel NBC, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said such an approach should be rooted in "mutual respect" not "confrontation".
‘3,000 passports and visas stolen’ About 3,000 blank passports and visas have been stolen while being transported from Manchester to London. The documents were in a van which was targeted on Monday morning. The Foreign Office admitted a serious breach of security over the loss of the passports and visa stickers, which were being sent to embassies overseas.
‘7 July plot: Jury given majority direction’ The jury in the trial of three men accused of helping the 7 July suicide bombers plan their attack by carrying out a two-day reconnaissance mission in London was today told majority verdicts could be returned. The jurors began their deliberations on 14 July following a three-month trial at Kingston Crown Court.
‘Heathrow protesters learn new militant moves’ Angry residents who are desperate to stop Heathrow expansion are set to take part in special training classes to learn militant techniques, including climbing walls and chaining themselves to fences. Protesters have begun plans to disrupt the contentious project if the Government gives it the go-ahead later this year, with the training weekends due to begin in September.
‘More budget airlines to drop routes as oil price bites’ Passengers face longer drives to airports and less convenient schedules as airlines either cut back how often they fly or remove unprofitable destinations completely. Budget carriers Ryanair and easyJet have announced cuts to destinations in Spain and Eastern Europe while British Airways is expected to deliver cuts to its own timetables as early as the end of this week.
BA and Iberia hold merger talks
British Airways and Spain's Iberia are holding talks on a possible merger, the two airlines have said. The firms said the British Airways and Iberia brands would be retained as part of a combined group under the plans.
Port of L.A. to go on heightened alert
LOS ANGELES - Local law enforcement and counter-terrorism specialists are preparing for a period of heightened alert that will span the upcoming Olympics, presidential nominating conventions, the November elections, and the White House transition in January, a Los Angeles Port police watch commander said today. Sgt. E. Hernandez of the port police today confirmed reports from the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C., that emerged Monday. Homeland Security
Indian police defuse more bombs
Indian police today defused at least two live bombs and were searching for more in a city in the western state of Gujarat, where a weekend series of bombings killed 49 people, local media reported.The bombs were discovered in the diamond-processing city of Surat, 200km south of Ahmedabad, where the weekend explosions took place, Indian television news channels said.
Police crack super bike theft syndicate
An alleged super bike theft syndicate had a rude awakening when their ill-gotten gains were found embedded in the base set of a bed.
The gang, believed to specialise in the theft of super bikes from throughout the country, was bust while trying to smuggle two Suzuki motor bikes through the South African and Mozambican Lebombo border post earlier this month.
Yemen police pursue 12 suspects in car bomb attack
Sana'a, Yemen - Yemeni police have launched a massive manhunt after 12 suspected al-Qaeda members, including a Saudi, linked to last week's car bomb attack on a police compound that killed a policeman and wounded 18, official sources said Tuesday.
New Bedford Police 'go green'
NEW BEDFORD — They are so quiet, a police officer riding one can almost sneak up on someone. A steady, quiet hum was the only sound heard Monday as police Sgt. Jill Simmons and Officer Christian Gomes rode the Police Department's two new electric scooters around Pleasant Street. Meanwhile, the fully-electric Vectrix scooters will be used primarily by community police officers and the Port Security Team headed by Sgt. Simmons. Uniformed officers will be allowed to ride the scooters during patrols.
Anti-smuggler task force stages simulation
AO CHALONG: While the record fleet was wrapping up racing in the Six Senses Phuket Raceweek at Chalong Bay on Sunday, the Phuket Marine Police, Thai Customs officers and the Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet staged a co-ordinated, simulated raid on a fishing boat with the crew pretending to be arms smugglers.In the exercise, a response group combining all three organizations was tipped-off that a fishing boat with gun-runners on board was on its way from Victoria Point in Myanmar to port in Phuket.
ETA blamed as bomb scares tourists in southern Spain - Summary
Madrid - A bomb exploded early Tuesday at the southern Spanish beach resort of Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol, police told local media - and authorities immediately ascribed it to ETA. The explosion came without warning at 12:20 am (2220 Monday GMT) under a footbridge near two hotels. A beach promenade was also nearly, and many people reported to be out strolling in the area at the time.
Bullets raised in Bali bombers' challenge
LAWYERS for three Islamic militants on death row over the 2002 Bali bombings today flagged a new legal challenge to their impending executions. Defence lawyer Mahendradatta foreshadowed a Constitutional Court challenge next week, arguing the convicted terrorists could suffer unnecessary pain if they do not die immediately when the lethal punishment is carried out.
Morocco court rejects Jazeera man’s appeal
RABAT: A court in Rabat yesterday rejected the appeal of a journalist for the Al Jazeera television network in Morocco who had his press accreditation withdrawn for allegedly broadcasting false information.
Afghan Drug Lords Hire Chemists to Make Purer Heroin (Update1)
July 29 (Bloomberg) -- Drug lords in Afghanistan are hiring international chemists to boost the purity of heroin refined from the country's opium poppy crop and importing thousands of tons of chemicals for the process, the United Nations said.
Stolen cars found en route to foreign destinations
At least six vehicles reported stolen this year in Maryland and on their way to foreign countries by freighter have been recovered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, an agency spokesman said this week.Two of the vehicles, a 2000 Nissan Maxima and a 1999 Toyota Camry, were heading to Nigeria and Niger, respectively, Steve Sapp said in a news release. A stolen 2008 Porsche and a 2008 Hummer were bound for Russia when they were recovered during a routine inspection at the Baltimore port in March.
China's auto import growth slows down in first five months
A new import management system, which took effective in April, denies refitted and stolen motor vehicles access to the Chinese market. Upon the tightened control, China's auto imports in April declined 7.5 percent from March level to 37,000 units, and in May, went further down 18 percent from April level to 31,000 units.
World trade talks 'failed again'
Marathon talks in Geneva aimed at liberalising global trade are reported to have ended without agreement. The trade talks collapsed after China, India and the US failed to agree on import rules, trade officials told news agencies Reuters and AP.
Zimbabwe crisis talks 'adjourned'
Talks to solve Zimbabwe's political crisis will be briefly adjourned, South African President Thabo Mbeki has said. Mr Mbeki, who is lead mediator in the talks in Pretoria, said negotiators were returning to Harare to consult with their party leaders.
New strategy 'can beat al-Qaeda'
Al-Qaeda can be defeated if the US relies less on force and more on intelligence and policing to find its leaders, a leading US think-tank says. In a new report, the Rand Corporation suggests the US replace the term "war on terror" with "counter-terrorism".
Iraqis attack al-Qaeda stronghold
Iraqi forces backed by American troops have launched a major operation against insurgents in the north-eastern Iraqi province of Diyala. This is one of the last strongholds of al-Qaeda militants in the country.
Australia abandons asylum policy
The new Australian government has abandoned the country's controversial policy of jailing all asylum seekers. In a major overhaul of immigration rules, the policy of detaining would-be asylum seekers in often remote jails will now be used only as a last resort.
Turkish PM links PKK to bombings
Turkey's prime minister has implied the bombings that killed 17 people in Istanbul on Sunday were the work of the Kurdish separatist PKK group. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attacks were a "cost" of the military campaign against the PKK based in northern Iraq.
Stolen UK passports worth £2.5m
Thieves who got away with 3,000 blank passports and visas worth around £2.5 million targeted the van as it stopped at a newsagent's, police have said. The two unarmed thieves assaulted a security officer before driving off in the van in Oldham on 28 July.
Angry passengers stranded at airport scuffle with security in southwest China
State media says stranded passengers ended up scuffling with security at an airport in southwest China after their flights were canceled. Official Xinhua News Agency said the passengers at the Kunming airport scuffled with security Tuesday morning after waiting all night for rescheduled flights.
Man charged with having gun on plane
On September 21 last year, following anonymous information received by Blackpool Airport security staff, a passenger arriving on a flight from Gerona, Spain, was found to be in possession of a 9mm semi automatic blank firing hand gun and 9mm blank ammunition.
Mohamed Haneef no threat, ASIO told Canberra
AUSTRALIA'S peak domestic spy agency, ASIO, repeatedly advised the Howard government that Indian terror suspect Mohamed Haneef had no knowledge of botched terror attacks in Britain and did not pose a threat to national security. Dr Haneef's legal team seized on the revelation, contained in a submission to the Clarke inquiry, saying there was now no excuse for other agencies at the centre of the inquiry to continue to refuse to make their submissions public.
Bomb notes found on Gatwick-Larnaca plane
FOUR people have been questioned and released after a bomb hoax at Larnaca Airport in the early hours of yesterday. Alarms were raised after a stewardess on Thomson flight 4493 from London Gatwick to Larnaca shortly discovered two notes while cleaning the aircraft’s cabin. According to a police source who spoke to the Mail yesterday, “One said that there was a bomb in the baggage compartment, while the other simply had the word ‘bomb’ written on it.” The notes were written in English.
China: Bombings Add to Olympics Terrorism Fears
With less than two weeks to go before the Olympics open in Beijing, the Chinese government is facing the horrendous possibility of terrorist attacks aimed at the Games. On July 23 an apparent terrorist group released a video taking responsibility for bus bomb blasts a few days before in the southwestern city of Kunming that killed two people. The group also claimed as its own another attack in Shanghai that killed three people in May.
Heathrow neighbours to be given protest training
Hundreds of residents furious at plans to expand Heathrow are set to attend militant training camps aimed at bringing severe disruption to the airport. Hardcore activists have enlisted the residents from some of west London's wealthiest boroughs for direct action against proposals to increase flights.
Canada. No fraud found at airport kiosks
Investigations by Visa and Toronto's airport authority have revealed no incidents of identity fraud related to the self-serve check-in kiosks at Canada's busiest airport.
Violence mars pro-Karadzic rally
At least 10,000 supporters of the former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, have demonstrated in Belgrade to protest at his arrest. Clashes broke out between police and small groups of protesters during the final speeches at the rally organised by the nationalist Radical Party.
Trade talks 'at risk of collapse'
Crucial talks in Geneva on liberalising global trade appear to have run into serious trouble, with the US at loggerheads with India and China. The US said India and China had put the talks in Geneva "in gravest jeopardy" by failing to agree on trade terms.
Report: Afghan attacks 'escalating'
Aid efforts in Afghanistan appear to be under increased threat with attacks in the country up by 50 per cent in the first half of 2008, a report says. Afghanistan's NGO Safety Office (ANSO), a Kabul-based group, warned in Sunday's report that Taliban fighters were moving closer to the capital and increasingly turning their guns on aid workers.
Iran 'seeks common ground' with US
The Iranian president has said he is willing to seek "common ground" with the US if Washington takes a new approach over the country's nuclear programme. Speaking to US television channel NBC, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said such an approach should be rooted in "mutual respect" not "confrontation".
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