In The News

Search for Bodies Continues at UN Headquarters

August 20, 2003
As the international community condemned the bombing, UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, said that his staff would remain in Iraq and continue their humanitarian mission. Countries around the world echoed Mr Annan's resolve, though responses varied from country to country. While Thailand reiterated its commitment to sending troops, the European Commission announced that it would be scaling...

Security Measures May Not be Sand in the Wheels of Commerce

William Mougayar August 19, 2003
Seaports have been described as America's most vulnerable entry-point. Everyday, ships from around the world dock in American harbors and unload a vast array of cargo. Most inbound crates contain products from trusted trade partners. However, since September 11, concern has grown that the crates entering these under-regulated gateways could hold chemical, biological, or even nuclear...

Japan Vows to Proceed with Oil Deal in Iran

David Pilling August 19, 2003
Japan may seek an oil deal with Iran, despite US objections. Earlier this year, many speculated that Tokyo had abandoned a lucrative deal to develop Iran's Azadegan oilfield because of US opposition and accusations that Tehran was seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Several months later, however, Japanese companies have revived the temporarily stalled deal. Analysts maintain that Japan is...

Indonesia Interested in Interrogating Hambali

Febiola Desy Unidjaja August 18, 2003
US and Thai officials are in the midst of interrogating Hambali, the man believed to be the top operative of al Qaida in Asia, who they arrested last week in a joint operative. Hambali has not only been linked to the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington DC, but is also believed to be responsible for last year's Bali bombing and the destruction of the Jakarta Marriot two weeks ago...

Russia to Hold Large-Scale Naval Exercises

Vasily Bubnov August 18, 2003
The Russian Pacific Navy began large scale military exercises on August 18 y in its Far Eastern waters. Invitations to participate were sent to several of Russia's neighbors as well as to Canada and the United States. South Korea and Japan dispatched ships to join the exercise, but China, North Korea, and the US declined. The official aim of the navy maneuvers is to hone skills for...

Picking up the Pieces

Nyier Abdou August 15, 2003
The man who killed 202 people in Bali last year and the man who blew up the Jakarta Marriot last week were both suicide bombers. Both men are also believed to be members of the Southeast Asian Islamic group Jemaah Islamiah, which is increasingly linked in ideology and tactics to Al-Qaeda. And, though experts maintain that JI is "home-grown and local," they also caution that it is...

Why the Jemaah Islamiah is Still Alive in Indonesia

Derwin Pereira August 13, 2003
The Indonesian government cannot directly attack Jemaah Islamiah, the infamous terrorist network responsible for the bombing of Jakarta's Marriot Hotel last week. Though the country supported the UN's blacklisting of the group and knows that members were responsible for the two bloodiest terror attacks in Indonesian history, officials remain reluctant to target the group as a whole....