Stalemate continues in Iran nuke talks
Iran 's supreme leader says talking to America about Iran 's nuclear activities holds no value, according to Iranian state television reports. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran is willing to try and ease concerns over its uranium enrichment but that suspending the enrichment program is not an option. Khamenei believes it is not in Iran 's best interest to "negotiate with anyone over the undeniable right of nuclear technology." Iran 's suspension of uranium enrichment is currently a key demand in a peace proposal backed by six world powers.
Al Qaeda blamed for Samarra mosque attack
Iraq has accused al Qaeda militants, including four Saudis, of carrying out the February bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra that resulted in an escalation of sectarian violence in the region. According to National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, the al Qaeda leader in Salahaddin province is the commander blamed for the attack on the al-Askari shrine, which destroyed its famous golden dome. The bombing, officials believe, was designed to fuel a civil war in Iraq and undermine the US-led coalition and new Iraqi government.
Military action threatened by Gaza Strip
Israel 's prime minister has issued a statement that "extreme action" will be taken in order to free a soldier captured by Palestinian militants. Witnesses have already reported an air strike on a militant training camp in Gaza , and Israel has moved tanks into the southern Gaza Strip. The military action is in response to the absence of Cpl Gilad Shalit, 19, who was reportedly captured in a joint attack by militant groups. Members of the Hamas-led government have denied any knowledge of the abduction, but Israel believes Shalit is the first Israeli soldier to be seized by Palestinians in more than a decade.
Bin Laden issues new message
A new audio message recorded by Osama bin Laden was broadcast today in which he calls the ex-leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq , Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a "knight, the lion of holy war." The 19-minute message, made available on an Islamic website, included excerpts aimed at President George W. Bush, warning the American leader not to be "too happy" about killing Zarqawi, and calling the US raid that killed the al Qaeda leader "shameful."
Feds recover stolen veterans database
The United States government has announced it recovered the stolen laptop that contains sensitive information for up to 26.5 million veterans and military personnel. According to the FBI, preliminary reviews show no evidence that the Social Security numbers and other data stored on the computer had been accessed. The loss of the laptop was considered one of the worst breaches of information security the government has seen, and revealed damning evidence that sensitive information was easily transferred out of secure government offices. Burglars had stolen the computer from a Veterans Administration employee's Maryland home on May 3.
New Parliament in Kuwait voted on by women
Kuwaiti voters didn't elect any women to parliament in last week's election, but women did savor the first parliamentary elections in which Kuwaiti women could legally participate. Political reformists, including Islamic fundamentalists and secular activists, were elected to thirty-six of the fifty open seats, and 35 percent of the total voter turnout was attributed to women casting ballots for the first time ever.
US soldiers stand accused of rape, killings
Five American Army soldiers are being investigated for allegedly raping a woman before killing her and three members of her family in Iraq . The US military made the announcement that the soldiers also stand accused of burning the body of the woman they are charged of raping. Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman, commander of coalition troops in Baghdad , has ordered an official criminal investigation into the allegations.
Coalition raid leaves 14 Afghan militants dead
The US military reports coalition soldiers killed 14 militants in an attack on an Afghan safe house compound. The insurgents, carrying AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades, were spotted entering a cluster of homes in the Kamdesh district of Nuristan province. Two buildings were destroyed when coalition forces, including Afghan soldiers, attacked the compound. Approximately 600 Afghans militants have been reported killed in the past two months, according to coalition officials.
