World
Police in Scotland wouldn't confirm reports that two doctors – an Iraqi and an Iranian – are the latest to be arrested in connection with bombing plots there and in London. But they said the men, both in their 20s, are not believed to be of Scottish origin, and new Prime Minister Gordon Brown said, "It is clear that we are dealing ... with people who are associated with Al Qaeda." To date, seven suspects are in custody, and police said it is "highly likely" that more will follow.
Perhaps the most direct accusation yet was leveled against Iran for its alleged involvement in Iraqi terrorism. US Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner said that Iran's senior leaders know about the activities of the elite Qods Force in developing "detailed information" about the activities of US troops in Iraq and sharing it with attackers. He also said the Qods Force uses Lebanon's Hizbullah militia to sponsor terrorism in Iraq. A recently captured Hizbullah militant was the liaison between the terrorists and Iran, he said. Iran denies involvement in Iraq and does not acknowledge the existence of the Qods Force.
The shutdown of North Korea's nuclear reactor at Yongbyon now is awaiting delivery of the first shipment of fuel oil promised by its negotiating partners, a source close to the matter told the Associated Press Monday. He said that means a further delay of "about" two weeks before the North complies with its obligation under the deal it reached in February with the US, Japan, Russia, China, and rival South Korea. The deadline for shutting Yongbyon was to have been April 14, but the North reneged because of a financial dispute.
Eleven members of a Hamas "secret command" have been arrested in Jerusalem, Israel's security service said Monday. It said the city offers "a reservoir of potential militant recruits" since residency papers allow easy access to the rest of Israel that is not possible for Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
With more heavy rain in the forecast, Pakistani officials appealed Monday for the international community to rush aid to an estimated 1 million flooding victims. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the government would make additional helicopters available to distribute food, medicines, and other needed supplies to the worst-hit areas, where there is only contaminated water to drink. More than 300 people have died in the storms, and at least 100 others are missing.
Stores and other businesses that have yet to cut their prices were threatened with closure Monday by Zimbabwe's government. The move followed weekend raids by plainclothes police on shops that were defying last week's order for the 50 percent cut. Analysts say the strategy is aimed at pacifying a population that is increasingly angry over the impact of the world's highest inflation rate. President Robert Mugabe's government has said daily increases in commodity prices were part of a strategy to topple him from power.
At least 50 suspected Muslim separatist militants were arrested on a tip from residents in southern Thailand, the Bangkok Post reported Monday. A raid by police on a village in Narathiwat Province also yielded camouflage Army uniforms, loaded weapons, bombmaking equipment, and documents and a compact disc promoting separatist violence, the newspaper said.
Former presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador drew tens of thousands of people to a protest rally in Mexico City. But the turnout on the first anniversary of his narrow election defeat by Felipe Calderón was far smaller than the crowds he attracted in the days before the voting or its immediate aftermath. The fiery leftist, who still proclaims himself the "legitimate president," told the gathering Sunday: "Sooner or later, our cause will triumph."
