"In a departure from protocol, the International Committee of the Red Cross urged all warring parties to comply with international humanitarian law and let aid workers carry out their duties. The damning indictment by one of the world’s most respected humanitarian aid organisations comes as a US official warned it would be difficult to hold elections in January unless the situation improved." [more]

"... as President Akhmad Kadyrov saluted troops parading past, the stadium was rocked by an explosion leaving a cloud of dust which cleared to reveal a jagged hole where the president and his entourage had been standing moments before." [more]

"...within hours, Brig-Gen Kimmitt’s stance was undermined by members of the Iraqi Governing Council, who said they had discussed a proposal to drop the prosecution of Sadr if he agreed to halt a Shiite uprising./ The council added that using more force against the cleric and his followers could lead to greater civilian casualties and bolster his support." [more]

"Iraqi police in the city visited mosques dropping off leaflets in Arabic from the US military, telling residents that there was a daily 7pm to 6am curfew. They ordered them not to congregate in groups or carry weapons, even if they were licensed. They instructed people that if US forces enter their homes, they should gather in one room and, if they want to talk to the troops, to have their hands up." [more]

"The furore began in early January when the Guardian Council, whose 12 members are appointed by Khamenei, disqualified more than 3,600 of the 8,200 people who filed papers to run in the polls. After protests, and an opinion from Khamenei, the council restored 1,160 low-profile candidates to the list on Friday." [more]

"The [British] government was 'fundamentally opposed' to the use of the death penalty and would raise the strongest possible objections if there was any chance of this being applied in these cases." [more]

"US and British military officials said that they had no information and one military chief even hinted that they believed Saddam's regime might have been responsible. Then a US military spokesman at Central Command in Qatar said that coalition aircraft were targeting missiles and launchers in a residential area of Baghdad at around the time of the explosion. Later, a Pentagon spokesman said, that while no bombs or missiles were fired at the district, he could not rule out a stray missile." [more]

"Under the guidelines, US soldiers serving overseas would be immune from prosecution in the court, while politicians and US officials, including CIA operative, could claim diplomatic immunity. There would also be provisions for the US to try its nationals accused of war crimes, for example, in a US court." [more]

"A deep rift emerged early on between al-Qaeda and their nominal hosts, the Taleban, who seemed locked in mutual scorn. One top al-Qaeda lieutenant, Morgan al-Gohari, complained that the Afghans 'change their ideas and positions all the time' and 'would do anything for money'." [more]

"Marcia Fee Achenbach, one of those captured, was four when her camp was liberated by US soldiers in 1944. She discovered the papers while doing research in the National Archive. Among the evidence uncovered was a telegram that Francis Sayre, the high commissioner of the Philippines, had sent to the US state department urging an evacuation plan. The state department's confidential reply read: 'Visualise the remaining of Americans generally in the Philippines in an emergency, and plan accordingly.' " [more]