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Top Stories April 13, 2007Terrorists gain strength in North AfricaSeparate incidents have highlighted the possible formation of more unified Islamist terrorism efforts in North Africa. Two bombs in Algeria, one targeting the prime minister's office, killed at least 33 on Wednesday, with the Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb claiming responsibility. Previously known as the Salafists and active in Algeria's 16-year-long civil war, the organization has recently reached out to Islamist extremists in the region. Earlier in the week, in neighboring Morocco, three men blew themselves up after being confronted by police about their connection to a 2003 bombing in Casablanca. Officials cannot agree, however, on whether a link exists between the Algerian and Moroccan groups. - BH Close election puts East Timor on edgeThe leadership of the small South Asian country of East Timor is in question, as a neck-and-neck presidential election threatens to destabilize the country yet again. Preliminary results predict a runoff between East Timor's current prime minister, José Ramos Horta — supported by President Xanana Gusmão — and Francisco Guterres, the choice of the dominant Fretilin party. Tensions have been high since 2006, when a quarter of East Timor's active troops deserted the military, protesting that Fretilin was favoring soldiers from the eastern part of the country — an area known for its antipathy toward former occupier Indonesia. As such, many Timorese see the current election as a referendum on the country's attempts to fully integrate regional factions in the wake of its 2002 independence. - ED China and Japan begin reconciliationAge-old frost between China and Japan thawed this week as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in Tokyo. It is the first visit by a Chinese official since 2000. Only hours before the premier arrived, China agreed to lift a four-year-old ban on Japanese rice, signaling a new round of fence-mending. Sino-Japanese animosity has existed for centuries. Disputes have ranged from border issues and war crimes to, most recently, tension over visits by the former Japanese prime minister to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. Wen and Abe are expected to draft an agreement for building a bilateral strategy for developing trade and resources. However, disagreement over natural gas in the East China Sea could still present a hurdle. - CN |
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