Villa bombed in Corsica

The FLNC has claimed responsibility for a bomb attack against a villa in the village of Cauria in the Sartene region of Corsica.

The villa, which was still under construction, is owned by an individual from mainland France. The bomb consisted of three gas cylinders packed around a canister of home made explosive. Significant damage was caused to the property but there were no injuries.

The owner of the property, Marc Chanu, said he had been visiting the Sartene region for the past 34 years and had hoped to retire there. He said this attack had not put him off the idea.

The Anti-Terrorist division of the French police have taken over the investigation.

Four killed in Dagestan bomb

At least four people have been killed in a bomb blast in Khasavyurt, Dagestan.

The bomb exploded at around 7.30pm on Friday night near the White Night Café. Two café staff and two customers were killed in the explosion while another five people were seriously injured. According to preliminary investigations, the bomb was hidden in a car which was parked outside the building.

Separatist rebels have claimed responsibility for the attack claiming that the café was in fact a brothel being run to service Russian soldiers who are stationed in Khasavyurt. In a statement on the Kavkaz Centre website, the separatists said that two of the dead were prostitutes and the other two were clients.

Russian Intelligence Agent wounded in Ingushetia

An officer of the Russian Federal Security (FSB) service has been wounded in Ingushetia.

The officer's car was fired upon as he approached the town of Nazran at around 8.30am. According to reports the wounded officer managed to speed away from the scene. He was later taken to a nearby hospital in Malgobek. He remains in a serious condition.

Carbomb explodes in Corsica - nine arrested

Nine suspected members of the National Liberation Front of Corsica have been arrested in raids in Porto-Vecchio this morning.

Over 50 armed police officers took part in the operation aimed at the militant organisation which has been blamed for an upsurge in bomb attacks across the island in recent months. Those arrested included a woman with  previous convictions for separatist violence. In 2006 she was charged with membership of the FLNC-UC splinter group. (It has since rejoined the mainstream FLNC). Also found in the raids were two handguns and a quantity of ammunition. It is also understood that a number of those arrested were picked up in mainland France as well as the Corsican capital of Ajaccio. A number of the individuals are wanted in connection with the shooting of a man at a nightclub in Porto-Vecchio in October of last year. The man was hit seven times after gunmen fired up to fifteen shots at him outside Club-80 in the centre of the town, the nightclub had previously been firebombed. The individual, named locally as Mickael Minichetti, had previously been shot twice by gunmen in 2005. The FLNC were suspected of firing two shotgun rounds through his car window. He survived after he managed to drive himself to hospital.


In a seperate incident, a carbomb exploded in the hamlet of Praoli in the Aregno Balagna region. There were no injuries in the incident. It appears the target of the attack was a housing maintenance company. A vehicle belonging to the company was completely destroyed and nearby buildings were damaged. An investigation is underway.


On Monday night a bank was bombed in L'lle Rousse. A small explosion badly damaged the building and caused serious damage to four adjoining offices as debris was found over one hundred metres away. The bomb was detonated around 1am and there were no injuries. The police are also investigation this incident.

Three rockets fired into Israel

At least three rockets have been fired into southern Israel, the Israeli Military claims.

Nobody was injured in the attack which is being blamed on rogue Palestinian Militant groups which are not alligned to either Hamas or Fatah. In recent weeks the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Islamic Jihad have both carried out rocket attacks. Hamas has called for these attacks to cease.

It is believed that the rocket attacks were a response to a bombing raid by Israel last night. Nobody was injured in the airstrikes.

Shots fired at police officers homes in Calvi, Corsica

Up to a dozen shots have been fired in the vicinity of eight apartments housing the families of police officers in Calvi.

While there was no damage and nobody was injured, police say that over a dozen 9mm bullet casings were found in the area. Residents reported hearing the shots early in the morning. Some said they did not realise it was gunshots, assuming that it was fireworks exploding at a nearby party.

Police are investigating the incident.

Basque Rebels call permanent ceasefire

Basque Separatist group ETA have declared a permanent ceasefire today.

The group, which has waged a violent 40 year campaign for Basque Independence has declared that this truce will be "internationally verifible", indicating that it may be willing to put it's arsenal beyond use. Late last year, supporters of the militant group announced the creation of a new political party which would oppose violence.

Spanish government officials responded to the statement saying that "while it was not bad news" it did not go far enough. The Spanish government wants ETA to declare a permanent end to it's armed campaign.

New state set to be recognised as independent

Atlases around the world will have to be reprinted in the coming days as Southern Sudan looks set to vote overwhelmingly in favour of independence.

Voting begins on Sunday across the region which has been the scene of violent confrontations over the years. Southern Sudan is almost entirely Christian, it's populations consist of members of over 200 different indigenous ethnic groups. Meanwhile the north of the country is home to an Arab majority who have been accused of exploiting and discriminating against the indigenous population of the south.

A long running civil war between 1983 and 1997 left almost 2 million people dead, mainly from starvation and disease. Despite a ceasefire, a conflict in the Western Region of Darfur continued until last year when a truce was signed. The war with the south officially ended in 2005 when an agreement was reached which would allow it to vote on it's own future.

Southern Sudan (Blue), Darfur (Green) Abyei (Red), Eastern Front (Purple) and Blue Nile & Nuba Mountains (Pink)

Meanwhile the tiny area of Abyei is also set to vote on independence later in the year. On the same day of the southern referendum the areas of Blue Nile & Nuba Mountains are to hold consulative meetings to discuss their futures. The overall result could see Sudan splitting into six or seven different states within the coming years.

Speaking to the BBC, Lieutenant-General James Hoth Mai of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) , a rebel group turned political party, said:

"I am really happy to see that we are going to end this thorny road we have been on. Whether I was alive or dead, I knew those who were still alive would make it - we were determined to reach this day."

Major General JJ Okot went on to say:

"This is going to be the final war, by giving my vote for the freedom of our people. It supplements the energy and the efforts we exerted. It supplements the loss of colleagues who fell in the battlefield in search of freedom."

Gun and Bomb attacks rock Iraq - at least 11 dead

A wave of gun and bomb attacks have rocked Iraq over the past three days.

Since the new year two US soldiers, three Iraqi civilians, four Iraqi police and two Iraqi soldiers have been killed and over 100 others wounded.

Yesterday morning a suicide carbomb exploded outside a police intelligence office in Baquba, killing one man and wounding 15 others.

Insurgents also targeted Christian churches in the Iraqi capital, leaving two dead and over 40 wounded in seperate gun and bomb attacks.

In Taifiya a police officer was shot dead by an insurgent unit which used silenced weapons. A string of similar attacks also left three police officers and two members of the Iraqi army dead. One of those killed was a senior Colonel in the police.

Two US soldiers were also killed in central Iraq yesterday. The US Military refused to release any details about the incident or the identities of the two troops. These are the first US casualties of 2011.

There are currently 50,000 US troops still in Iraq although an agreement between Washington and Baghdad requires that they be withdrawn before the end of the year.

Stalin statue blown up in Ukraine

Nationalists have blown up a bust of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in the city of Zaporizhia, in south-eastern Ukraine.

The statue, which is located outside the offices of the Ukrainian Communist Party was blown up at around 10.40pm on New Years Eve. A group of people scaled the fence and fastened a shopping bag to the pillar. There were no injuries in the attack which also caused damage to the party's offices. The device, believed to be home-made, was packed with shrapnel. A spokesperson for the Communist Party told reporters that this was an act of terrorism. The bust of the statue was completely destroyed and only the plinth remained.

This is the second attack on the statue, which was unveiled in May, in two weeks. A similar bomb attack last week by the "Trident" paramilitary group caused only minor damage. In a statement claiming responsibility for the bombing, Trident said that Stalin was "the executioner of the Ukranian people and an international terrorist".

The leader of the Ukranian Freedom Party in the city along with his deputy on youth issues have been arrested over the incident.

Stalin is a hate figure among many Ukranians who blame him for intentionally allowing millions to perish in the 1930's famine known as Holodomor.

Tamil youth abducted and killed by paramilitaries

A Tamil youth was abducted and killed by pro-government paramilitaries in northern Sri Lanka over an ongoing environmental dispute.

Ketheeswaran Thevarajah was working in a post office in Vadamaraadchi when he was abducted by armed and masked men, he was found shot dead a few hours later. Mr. Thevarajah had been actively protesting against the removal of sand dunes in the north of the Jaffna peninsula. He had claimed that the excavation of sand was seriously damaging the unique ecosystem. The contract to excavate the sand for sale to glass manufacturers was awarded to a company linked to the pro-Government EPDP paramilitary group.

As seen in the following image, seawater has begun to spread inland as the sand has been removed:

The Eelam People's Democratic Party (EDPD) actively aided the Sri Lankan Military during the civil war and has been accussed of involvement in a number of massacres.

Iran shoots down two spy drones

Iran's Revolutionary Guard has claimed that it has shot down two western spy drones in the Gulf.

While Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh did not say when the drones had been shot down he did say that this was not an isolated incident and confirmed that US and Israeli drones had been downed in Iranian territory before. He said that the latest two drones were shot down by the Revolutionary Guard's Air Force Wing in the Persian Gulf.

The Commander went on to say that while he understood that the drones were mainly being used in Iraq and Afghanistan, there had been frequent violations of Iranian air-space.

Responding to questions about a possible US or Israeli attack on Iran over it's continuing nuclear programme he said: "All their military bases are completely within Iran's missile range ... We have full control of our enemies and notice any changes taking place on our shores".

Iran's Revolutionary Guard is seen as an elite wing of their regular military. It was set up to protect the Islamic ruling system.

Taliban attacks leave three NATO troops dead

Less than 36 hours into the New Year and already three NATO troops have been killed in insurgent attacks.

The British Ministry of Defence has confirmed that one of the dead soldiers was from a Scottish regiment. He was killed in a roadside bomb attack in the Nahr-e Saraj distirct of Helmand Province.

The nationalities of the two other NATO soldiers who were killed in separate attacks have not been disclosed. The overwhelming majority of NATO/ISAF troops are American or British.

NATO casualties have been increasing sharply in recent months. During 2010 NATO lost 709 troops while the Afghan police force lost 1,292 officers. There were over 2,000 civilians killed. The US has claimed that over 5,000 Taliban fighters lost their lives in 2010 although there is no way of verifying such a claim. The number of casualties suffered by the Afghan Army has not been released.

Bomb targets liquor store in Ingushetia

A shopkeeper has been wounded in a bomb attack in Ordzhonikidzevskaya in the Sunzha District of Ingushetia.

The bomb, which was disguised as a Christmas present, was left in a shop which sells wine and vodka as well as other grocery items. The device exploded when the shopkeeper attempted to take it out of his shop.

He is reported to have suffered injuries and is recovering at a local history.

Israeli Army kills female protester

A female demonstrator has died in hospital following clashes with the Israeli Army in Bil'in during a protest against the building of a separation wall.

The woman, named as 36 year-old Jawahir Abu Ramah, died in hospital after inhaling tear gas which was fired by Israeli troops during the protest. Locals claimed that the demonstration was non-violent and Israeli forces fired tear gas without provocation.

A local spokesperson for the PFLP claimed that the tear gas which was used by Israeli troops has been banned in several European countries.

Around 1,000 people took part in the protest yesterday. Israeli soldiers attempted to disperse the crowd with tear-gas. One Palestinian youth was shot in the face with a gas canister and required medical treatment. Protests against the separation wall occur almost weekly in Bil'in. The wall was declared illegal in 2004 by the International Court of Justice.

PFLP shells Israeli Army posts

The military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has claimed responsibility for shelling two Israeli Army posts close to the Gaza border.

Fighters from the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades fired four mortar shells at Israeli military installations located at Sofa and Kisufim. A spokesperson for the Israeli military said there were no injuries in the attacks and also confirmed that a shell landed in the Sdot Negev regional council.

The PFLP's military wing added that it would continue to confront Israeli oppression.

Over 100 civilians killed in Caucasus conflict in 2010

Over 100 civilians died in the ongoing conflicts in the North Caucasus in 2010. These include victims of Russian Security Forces and separatist rebels. Chechnya and Dagestan have remained the most dangerous areas of the Caucasus while there has been a sharp increase in violence in neighbouring Kabardino-Balkaria.

Dagestan - In Dagestan at least 54 civilians died of conflict related deaths in 2010. These included a 9 year-old boy who was shot dead by a stray bullet fired by Security Forces on December 6th during a counter-terrorist operation. A number of those who were killed had been abducted and tortured before their bodies were found dumped in rural areas. The latest victim of such an incident was Zaur Alibekov who was kidnapped and murdered on December 12th. Russia was found guilty of murdering and dissappearing two brothers during the Second Chechen War.

Chechnya and Ingushetia - At least 30 civilians died conflict related deaths in Chechnya and neighbouring Ingushetia last year. In one incident in the town of Arshti on February 11th at least four civilians were killed and 14 wounded in counter-terrorist operations being conducted by Russian forces. It is particularly difficult to verify the number of civilians killed in Chechnya however, as relatives of alleged gunmen have frequently claimed that those killed were in fact civilians.

Kabardino-Balkaria - While little statistics exist for Kabardino-Balkaria there has been a sharp rise in attacks during the year.