July, 2005

• 1 July

  Group urges gov’t to scrap immunity for human rights violators, reform constitution

  MANAMA (AP) — Bahrain’s first independent rights body called on Thursday for the government to scrap a royal decree granting immunity to those involved in the unrest of the 1990s, and to reform the tiny Gulf kingdom’s constitution to give more political power to the people.

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• 1 July

  ting of ancient sites threatens heritage

  BOSTON — Iraq’s archaeological sites, despite protection efforts, are so ravaged by looters that the pillaging has landed the entire embattled nation on a list of the world’s 100 most endangered cultural sites. Two years after the US-led invasion of Iraq and a widely publicised break-in at the Baghdad Museum, …

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• 1 July

  UK ricin plot leader jailed for 10 years

  ALGIERS (Reuters) — An Algerian court on Wednesday sentenced to 10 years in prison an Algerian described by Britain as a key conspirator in an Al Qaeda plot to launch attacks in London using ricin and other poisons, court officials said.

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• 1 July

  US taking seriously claims Ahmadinejad hostage taker

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Thursday it is taking seriously the allegations of some former American hostages who say they believe that Iran’s president-elect was one of their captors in the late 1970s. “I think the news reports and statements from several former American hostages raise many questions …

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• 1 July

  Soldiers expel Jewish extremists from Gaza hotel after closing territory

  Israel says no evidence soldiers kidnapped in West Bank Israeli forces on Thursday stormed a Gaza Strip settlers’ hotel where dozens of Jewish extremists holed up, preparing to disrupt this summer’s Israeli withdrawal, in a quick operation that could serve as a blueprint for the pullout itself.

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• 1 July

  Bush endorses intelligence changes

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) — US President George W. Bush approved dozens of changes at US spy agencies on Wednesday to better combat weapons of mass destruction, including creating a new centre and moving FBI counterterrorism and intelligence operations into a new unit.

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• 1 July

  US, Iraqi troops brandish ‘sword’ against rebels

  BAGHDAD (AP) — Baghdad’s mayor decried the capital’s crumbling infrastructure and its inability to supply enough water to its residents, threatening Thursday to resign if the government fails to provide the funds he needs to improve utilities. Alaa Mahmoud Timimi’s threat came as the US military claimed some success over …

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June, 2005

• 27 June

  Ahmadinejad vows to pursue nuclear programme

  Arab countries welcome new leader; Jewish state brands him ‘global threat’ TEHRAN (AP) — Iran’s newly elected president vowed Sunday to pursue a peaceful nuclear programme and says his country does not need the United States in order to make progress. Hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also downplayed Western and liberal concerns …

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• 27 June

  Baghdad airport to reopen today

  BAGHDAD (AFP) — Iraqi Airways officials said flights would resume early Monday from Baghdad International Airport following a two-day shutdown caused by a commercial dispute with a private security company. The first Iraqi Airways flight would leave at 9:30am (0530 GMT) for Amman and Damascus, a reservations official and company …

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• 27 June

  Israel calls off arms deal with China under US pressure

  OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel has called off an arms deal with China, confiscating key parts of unmanned drone aircraft, in a bid to defuse US anger over the sale, the Haaretz daily reported Sunday, but the decision could strain newly-repaired relations with Beijing. The United States has imposed a …

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