From the Associated Press World Wire:
Blair Faces Demands for CIA-Flight Inquiry
LONDON – Prime Minister Tony Blair faced renewed demands Thursday for an inquiry into secret CIA flights allegedly passing through British airports, after a leaked memo indicated he was advised to avoid giving detailed answers on the issue. Since when does Tony Blair need a memo advising him to give vague, undetailed answers to questions that involve the Bush administration?
Shiite: New Iraq Gov’t Won’t End Violence
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraq’s most powerful Shiite politician predicted Thursday that Sunni Arab participation alone in a new government will not be enough to persuade Islamic extremists and Saddam Hussein loyalists to abandon the insurgency. He suggested the quickest way to end the insurgency would be to put Michael Brown in charge of it.
Bin Laden Warns of Attacks, Offers Truce
CAIRO, Egypt – Arab television news station Al-Jazeera said Thursday it had received a new audiotape purported to be from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and would broadcast portions of the message. Audiotape?! Come on, Osama, if you want to be taken seriously, you need to podcast your maniacal terrorist threats.
Italian Troops Leaving Iraq by Year’s End
ROME – Italy will conclude its mission in Iraq by the end of the year, the defense minister said Thursday in the first clear timetable for Rome to withdraw its troops. When told of what Rome was calling a strategic retreat, Gen. George Casey Jr., top allied commander in Iraq, said “What, there are Italian troops in Iraq? Since when?”
N. Korea Likely Topic for Rice Meeting
WASHINGTON – When North Korea pledged on Sept. 19 to scrap its nuclear programs in return for aid and security assurances, it was hailed as a breakthrough in the Korean peninsula’s long nuclear saga. Remember the old famine days when the headline to a story would have been “Rice Likely Topic for N. Korea Meeting.”
Despite Problems, Group Praises Iraq Vote
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Numerous violations and reports of fraud marred Iraq’s Dec. 15 parliamentary elections, an international assessment team said in a report released Thursday. Former Floridastate attorney general Katherine Harris quickly stepped forward to claim credit in an effort to boost her Senate campaign.
Cleric Denies Stirring Racial Hatred
LONDON – Radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri took the stand in his defense Thursday as British prosecutors wrapped up their case against the former Muslim preacher charged with inciting hatred and murder against non-Muslims. In his defense, al-Masri said, “Look, some of my best friends are infidels.”
Germany: Iran Solution Is Still Possible
BERLIN – Germany’s foreign minister said in comments broadcast Thursday that European efforts to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council did not mean abandoning attempts to reach a diplomatic solution. Hey Germany, would that be a final solution? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
Cold Can’t Stop Annual Plunge in Russia
MOSCOW – Temperatures so frigid that even winter-hardened Russians complained gripped Moscow and much of the rest of the country for a third day Wednesday. At least two dozen people reportedly died of exposure nationwide and Russians used a record amount of electricity to keep warm. Heard in Moscow: “Ah, comrade, it’s cold as Putin’s ????.”
