Ripples from a plane crash. Money to but air safety equipment alleged to have disappeared. Sum of $160 million alleged.

EBay to appeal French Court’s judgement that it must pay LVMH [Moet Hennesy Louis Vuitton] for sale of counterfeit goods. EBay arguing that other issues are involved. Article outlines what these are.

Ho Hum. I do believe Tupman and O’Reilly pointed this out a little while ago. This is more about Conservative party policy for a new border police than a serious discussion on the future of terrorism

Looks like the New York Times is running a series of articles. This is on the Algerians and their resurgence since setting up links with al Qaeda in Iraq. Potentially a bridge to Europe, providing training camps and recruits both to iraq and from Europe as well as Algeria. Estimates of numbers given. Again, warnings … A RAGTAG INSURGENCY GAINS AN AL QAEDA LIFELINE

My mind reels with ironic comments. But it would be annoying to somebody and therefore illegal to voice them or write them down.

Major New York Times piece on the state of play. Al Qaeda has now built a new chain of smaller training camps and may have as many as 2,000 local and foreign militants in them. Argues that resources were diverted to Iraq and there were arguments within the administration about the use of Special forces. … AMID POLICY DISPUTES AL QAEDA GROWS IN PAKISTAN

Different spin on yesterday’s story. This one claims the attacks were not on the Taliban but on Mandal Bagh’s Lashkar-e-Islam movement. Surprise, surprise!

This story was in some of the Sundays. Here is the EU Observer version. I think it contains the bare facts and a statement about the privacy issue as well as the rights of foreigners to sue in US courts if data is mishandled. Some of the Sunday papers in the UK couldnt decide whether … EU AND US NEAR DEAL ON CONFIDENTIAL DATA SHARING

Interesting that this article is one of the most read in the Independent today. Is it because their readers are nationalists? Concerned with human rights? Or just tax evaders? Perhaps we should have a blog competition to decide. There has been a previous post about DARTTS. Cant remember if it was the good system that … HMRC GOES CAP IN HAND TO AMERICANS FOR HELP WITH FRAUD

Another of our occasional pieces in a non-English language. Le Monde appears to be saying that Condi has been trying to get the House of Representatives and Senate to lift the ban on Nelson Mandela and the ANC imposed by the Reagan administration. I suppose this will eventually be mentioned by the Anglo-Saxons somewhere. Bit … NELSON MANDELA AND THE ANC ARE ABOUT TO BE REMOVED FROM THE US TERRORISM BLACKLIST