Confirmation of al-Qaeda's role in last November's suicide truck bombings in Istanbul came on September 13 at the trial of the 69 Turkish suspects, deferred since last May pending judicial reorganization. Of those charged with complicity in the bombing against two synagogues, a London-based bank... MORE

The after-effects of the Beslan school massacre are making themselves felt in some serious introspection among Arab commentators. One of the most graphic reactions was that made by Abd al-Rahman al-Rashid, manager of the satellite television station Al Arabiya, in a comment that achieved some... MORE

On Tuesday August 24 two Russian passenger jets crashed within three minutes of one another, killing all 90 passengers and crew. They had taken off from the same Moscow airport, but had different destinations: Volgograd and Sochi. After early reticence, the Russian authorities accepted, from... MORE

A group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq has been holding since August 20 two French journalists, Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot. In a 48-hour ultimatum it demanded that Paris drop a ban on Muslim headscarves in schools, originally by last Tuesday night, and... MORE

As a sign of the increased vulnerability felt by Kuwait to the twin pressures of the US-led campaign in Iraq and the spread of jihadist ideology throughout the peninsula, the last month has seen some stepped up anti-jihadist activity in the emirate. Last July, a... MORE

On August 31 the jihadist ‘Kavkaz Center' gave notice that it had received an e-mail signed by the "Information Council of Kabardino-Balkarian Islamic Jammat (War Council) 'Yarmuk'." The message ran: "We are notifying everyone that by mercy of Allah the Military Council of Kabardino-Balkaria Yarmuk... MORE

Australia is bracing itself for a possible repeat performance of the March bomb attacks on a Madrid train, which killed over 200. The conditions are closely similar, with an imminent election where the principal opposition party, in a move considered ‘dangerous' by President Bush, has... MORE

Bomb in Kabul Raises Questions Last weekend provided a rude shock to the authorities in Kabul, as they prepare for the October 9 presidential elections and celebrate the declaration of the capital "free of heavy weapons". On Sunday August 29 a truck loaded with construction... MORE

In a statement posted August 21 on an Islamic website, the Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat (GSPD - Salafist Group for Call and Combat) has issued threats of a major bombing attack against police stations and security installations in the country. Much... MORE

The controversy over the proper terminology to describe the events in Darfur (a conflict in which, according to UN estimates, up to 50,000 people have been killed and over million displaced) not withstanding, at least one segment of Sudanese society has given it a name... MORE