An international watchdog has welcomed a decision by Indonesia and Singapore to increase cooperation in fighting sea piracy, but expressed hopes that the agreement would not be merely “lip service”. Indonesian police said Friday they would increase cooperation with the tiny island republic to combat “chronic” sea piracy on their borders. Full Story

Pakistan is to announce new rules on Monday for tighter regulation of foreign currency dealers in an attempt to curb money laundering. The central bank governor said the rules would require money changers to become tightly regulated foreign exchange companies within two years. In addition, laws for setting up new foreign exchange companies would be…

Hundreds of Pakistani troops combed the desolate hills near the Afghan border today, searching for suspected Al Qaeda fighters who killed 10 Pakistani soldiers earlier this week. By nightfall, the search had turned up no one, and residents around Wana, the Pakistani town near where the shootout unfolded, said the fighters had fled to Afghanistan.…

Pakistani police today published a “Most Wanted” poster offering rewards for the capture of a dozen men sought in connection with the three terrorist operations that have targeted Westerners in Karachi this year. Full Story

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said he considered Yasser Arafat a “traditional friend,” despite US insistence that the Palestinian Authority chief be ousted. US President George W. Bush on Monday called on the Palestinians to vote out leaders “compromised by terror” before Washington would support a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Full Story

Somalia`s transitional government on Saturday formally called for the U.N. Security Council to send an armed force to the Horn of Africa nation. In a letter to the United Nations, Prime Minister Hassan Abshir Farah said a strong central government would be impossible to establish without the help of an international force to disarm the…

Warlords in Somalia have condemned the transitional government`s call for military intervention by the international community. On Sunday, the Transitional National Government (TNG) asked the United Nations Security Council for military intervention to disarm the factions supported by Ethiopia. Full Story

More than 100 government officials defied rebel death threats Thursday, withdrawing their resignations and agreeing to go back to work. At least 34 mayors and almost 100 city employees in Arauca and Antioquia states withdrew their resignations after meeting with national officials, said Gilberto Toro, president of the Colombian Federation of Municipalities. Full Story

A Catholic priest who was critical of leftist rebels was gunned down in front of a church where he had just performed mass, becoming the latest religious leader killed in Colombia`s escalating civil war. Full Story

News of his impending execution came to Mayor Nestor Leon Ramirez on a white sheet of paper. A guerrilla commander handed the note to a farmer, who delivered it to Ramirez. It read: “For the good of your health, you must leave the city. If you do not, you will become a military target.” Full…

As President-elect Alvaro Uribe prepares to take office this summer, Colombia`s largest rebel group has reasserted itself in several strategic regions with a coordinated military offensive. Full Story

Rebels raided a national park in northern Uganda, killing seven rangers, abducting at least 10 others, and poaching protected wild animals, a senior official said Friday. Full Story

Fighting has broken out along the Ethiopian-Sudanese border between the Ethiopian army and forces loyal to an armed separatist movement, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). Full Story

Sudan`s army said it had recaptured a key garrison town in the oil-rich south that had been lost to rebels nearly two years ago, Akhbar al-Youm newspaper said on Sunday. Full Story

Egypt on Sunday threw its support behind Yasser Arafat as President Hosni Mubarak sought American clarification of the new U.S. Mideast peace plan that calls for Palestinian leader`s ouster. Full Story

Rebel authorities in the Congolese city of Kisangani embarked on an “indefensible massacre” to put down an uprising, killing at least 150 people last month, said a U.N. expert. Asma Jahangir, the U.N.`s independent expert on extrajudicial executions, described Thursday how people were shot or stabbed to death. Some were cut open and their bodies…

Suspected Islamist rebels killed 13 bus passengers and wounded nine on the outskirts of the capital in Algeria`s third such attack this month, medical sources and survivors said on Saturday. Two of the survivors were seriously wounded in the attack on Friday night and were in intensive care, a doctor at Zemirli hospital in Algiers…

A top U.S. counterterrorism official praised Algeria for its efforts to battle terrorism and promised new U.S. aid to help in the struggle. Francis X. Taylor, head of the State Department`s office of counterterrorism, said the United States wants to expand its anti-terrorism cooperation with the North African country. Full Story

Vance Hitch, Justice’s CIO, today said he is facing 39 stovepipes among the branches of the department and over the next year will standardize and consolidate systems to help the department share information more easily and efficiently. Full Story

The FBI and CIA are looking at ways to develop terrorist databases linked to the proposed Homeland Security Department in an effort to identify and stop terrorists intending to harm the United States, the agencies` directors told a Senate committee Thursday. Full Story

With hacker attacks in the news frequently these days, we all know that computer security needs to be taken seriously. While many publications exist about software that can be used to secure computer environments, very few publications exist that explain how hacker attacks are actually performed. If you are responsible for securing your company`s computer…

The Inland Revenue has stalled plans to introduce an email service for taxpayers because of security fears. The department had planned a national email service, and has already installed more than £200m worth of computers. Full Story

The Pakistan government`s official website has been hit by Indian hackers, seemingly as part of a cyber turf war between rival cracker groups. According to a report by SecurityFocus the Yaha.E worm was used to conduct a denial-of-service attack on the Pakistani website. Full Story

Security experts are rushing to decode a worm program that exploits a 2-week-old flaw to infect computers running vulnerable versions of the popular open-source Apache Web server application. The worm is thought to be capable of spreading only to Web servers running the FreeBSD operating system, an open-source variant of Unix, that haven`t had a…

Despite growing government concern that al Qaeda and its allies may try to use computers to disrupt electrical power grids, transportation systems and emergency communication networks, many experts on terrorism and computer security are skeptical about the overall menace of cyber-terrorism. Full Story

A 30-year-old Chinese national is believed to have hacked into online accounts at Singapore`s largest bank and transferred money to his own account, Singapore`s Sunday Times newspaper reported Sunday. Police are now investigating whether the unidentified man hacked into the 21 accounts at the Development Bank of Singapore Ltd (DBS) from here or abroad, according…

The mystery hacker whose online infiltration has led to the arrests of several suspected child predators — including a California superior court judge — was a 19-year-old loner who penetrated 3,000 computers around the world from his parents` basement in Langley, B.C. Full Story

Stated goal is to restore the biblical state of Israel. Kach (founded by radical Israeli-American rabbi Meir Kahane) and its offshoot Kahane Chai, which means “Kahane Lives” (founded by Meir Kahane`s son Binyamin following his father`s assassination in the United States), were declared to be terrorist organizations in March 1994 by the Israeli Cabinet under…

Origins of Terrorism : Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind looks at the causes of terrorism. Two possibly conflicting thoughts on the origins of terrorism are proposed at the beginning of the book in the form of two essays: 1) Terrorism is a product of strategic choice, and 2) Terrorism is a product of psychological…

06/28/1988Greece – The U.S. Defense Attache, Navy Captain William Nordeen, was killed in Athens by a car bomb. 06/28/0000Iran – Revolutionary Guard`s Day 06/29/1976Seychelles – Independence Day 06/30/1982Ghana – Judges Murdered By PNDC Agents. Anniversary observed as Martyr`s Day. 06/30/0000Guatemala – Soldiers Day 06/30/1989Sudan – Coup Overthrows Sadiq Mahdi 06/30/1960Zaire – Independence Day 07/01/1985Spain –…

The Department of State continues to urge U.S. citizens to monitor developing situations in Argentina and to avoid large gatherings. A demonstration in late June turned violent, and two Argentine citizens were killed and many injured. The security situation is fluid during the ongoing Argentine economic crisis, and public demonstrations are common. While usually non-violent,…

Aukai Collins`s Pursuit of a Personal Jihad Has Hit a Dead End in Baltimore. The holy warrior — also known as Aukai Collins, 28, a product of San Diego — relaxes and limps past a carton full of books titled “My Jihad.” It`s his blood-soaked account of training in Osama bin Laden`s camps in Afghanistan…

CIA Director George Tenet and FBI Director Robert Mueller on Thursday embraced the proposed homeland security department, pledging to share all vital intelligence to win the war against terrorism. Tenet called the department a “safety net,” saying that without it the CIA and FBI would have to be “flawless” in their performance. Full Story

Federal officials expressed hope yesterday that a Jordanian citizen they arrested Monday in Baltimore would provide crucial information about the Sept. 11 hijackers, whom the man said he roomed with last summer in Northern Virginia. Full Story

THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT plans to issue rules Friday requiring securities brokers and dealers to file suspicious-activity reports with the federal government for any dubious transaction or series of transactions greater than $5,000. The rules, which push the securities industry further than it wanted to go, require firms to report not only transactions they suspect may…

The Massachusetts 9/11 Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Bay State residents who lost family or other loved ones in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, announced yesterday that it has distributed $512,000, and has set a new, $1 million fund-raising push for the week of July 4. Full Story

By an almost unanimous vote, the House approved legislation yesterday that would make it easier for federal officials to share information concerning possible terrorist strikes with state and local authorities. Full Story

The government asked a federal judge in Manhattan yesterday to reject a petition seeking the release of Jose Padilla, the former Chicago gang member accused of plotting to explode a radioactive bomb in the United States. Full Story

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee accused the Bush administration today of trying to put the proposed new Department of Homeland Security “above the law” by exempting it from some regulations on access to information, conflict of interests and whistle-blower protections. Full Story

The world`s leading industrial powers announced concerted steps yesterday to protect global transport systems from a new wave of terrorist attacks. A range of measures to protect containers, ships and aircraft was agreed by G8 leaders fearful that Osama bin Laden may be planning to follow last September`s hijacking onslaughts with further attacks on the…

The former government scientist whose home was searched by the FBI this week commissioned a report three years ago on how to deal with an anthrax attack by mail, ABCNEWS has learned. Full Story

The FBI is scrutinizing 20 to 30 scientists, including a former researcher at the Army`s infectious disease laboratory, who might have had the knowledge and opportunity to send last fall`s deadly anthrax letters, a U.S. official said. Full Story

The Supreme Court on Friday blocked a judge from opening immigration hearings for foreign terrorism suspects, granting the Bush administration`s emergency request for a stay. The administration argued that national security would be threatened if reporters and others were allowed to attend the hearings. Full Story

A photograph showing a Palestinian toddler dressed as a suicide bomber caused outrage in Israel on Friday after it was released by the Israeli army, precipitating another war of words with the Palestinians. Palestinian officials dismissed it as a propaganda trick by Israel to justify pressing on with an army offensive in the West Bank.…

The recent arrest of a Palestinian man from Florida has convinced U.S. officials that a network of al Qaeda operatives exists in the United States, CBS reported Thursday. It said Adham Hassoun, arrested earlier this month, was an “important link” to accused al Qaeda member American Jose Padilla, as well as other groups based in…

Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin joined more than 1,000 Palestinians at a rally Friday, his first time venturing out since Palestinian security officials said six days ago he had been placed under house arrest. Full Story

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah denied Friday any link with a man Israel said it has arrested on charges of spying for the group. Hezbollah spokesman Hassan Izeddine told As Safir newspaper the group had no link to the alleged spy, who was only identified by his first name, Nissim. Full Story

Iran was developing a nuclear capability as well as missiles that could reach Europe and eventually the United States, the head of Israel`s intelligence agency reportedly told NATO`s council. Israel also has “clear indications” that Iraq resumed efforts to produce fissile materials, Mossad leader Ephraim Halevy said while addressing a closed session of the council…

Despite a nearly 10-month war on political, financial and military fronts, al Qaida and Taliban forces are finding ways to get additional equipment, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told the Washington Times. In an interview Thursday at the Pentagon with editors and reporters from the Washington Times, Rumsfeld said recent raids by U.S. forces on…

U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia Marie T. Huhtala strongly praised Friday Malaysia`s cooperation with the United States on terrorism, calling the relationship between both countries “strong and vibrant.” Speaking at the American Chamber of Commerce, Huhtala said “the Malaysians have shown outstanding cooperation on terrorism, partly because they see it as a threat to their own…

The Uighur region of Northwestern China. An island in the Indonesian archipelago. The arid and mountainous border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Pakistan`s North West Frontier Province. Ask intelligence experts where they think Osama bin Laden might be hiding from American wrath, and you find yourself riffling through the pages of an atlas in search…

Internet cafes, satellite television, opposition political parties, even ersatz McDonald`s restaurants. This is Iraq, but it`s not Saddam Hussein`s. People here call it Kurdistan, an autonomous semi-state that broke free from Baghdad`s control 10 years ago and has since provided its mostly Kurdish population with a life relatively free of the hardships and restrictions most…

A major battle was under way Friday against the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group in the southern Philippines, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said. Arroyo prefaced a major policy speech on utility reform with a brief statement that troops were going after the group`s top two leaders and already had overrun four Abu Sayyaf camps. Full Story

Pakistan`s opposition are up in arms over constitutional proposals which would increase President General Pervez Musharraf`s powers. The amendments put forward by the general, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, come weeks before elections to restore a civilian prime minister. Full Story

The deaths of 10 Pakistani troops in a gun battle with al-Qaeda is a telling sign that the war in Afghanistan has expanded eastwards into Pakistan, a development that could have far-reaching consequences for the Musharraf Government. Tipped off by United States intelligence, Pakistani forces raided a remote village near the Afghan border on Tuesday…

India`s prime minister ruled out the possibility of war with Pakistan, but expressed doubts Friday that the Pakistani leader would permanently stop incursions by Islamic militants. “There is no possibility of war with Pakistan,” Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee told reporters in Lucknow, the capital of northern Uttar Pradesh state. Full Story

US troops won`t be leaving the scarred battlegrounds of Afghanistan any time soon. Far from crumbling after the destruction of the Taliban`s national government, Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters have proved to be tenacious guerrilla warriors, lying low, launching hit-and run-attacks – and fighting back when confronted. Full Story

Colombia`s largest rebel army is threatening to kill or kidnap the country`s mayors and municipal judges if they do not resign, in its biggest offensive against civilian authorities in 38 years of guerrilla war. Full Story

The federal government got its defining wakeup call about the nation`s reliance on information technology systems and the vulnerabilities facing those systems in the years and months leading up to Jan. 1, 2000. Experts warned that the dreaded “Y2K Bug” would bring down networks and critical systems around the world. Full Story

Authorities investigating the theft of high-speed Internet cable service yesterday seized modems and other computer equipment from homes in Toledo and surrounding suburbs. Members of the Toledo police computer crimes task force and FBI agents served search warrants at 13 residences, including an apartment, a condominium, and single-family houses. Investigators believe cable modems that connect…