Mohammed Yusuf, 39 leader of the Boko Haram the Nigerian version of Taliban has died in police custody; human right campaigners have called the killing unlawful. Boko Haram has been blamed for the unrest in north eastern Nigeria which has resulted in hundreds of people dead. The group like Taliban is against western education and wants to convert Nigeria into an Islamic state and also wants to implement a strict version of Islamic Sharia Law.

Mohammed Yusuf was killed in a shootout by the security forces when he tried to escape. This was confirmed to the Nigerian Television by Moses Anegbode, regional Asst. Inspector-General of Police.

This mass unrest in North Eastern Nigeria started on Sunday in Bauchi and then spread to the other towns. There have been several gun battles since Sunday between the Islamic militants and Government lead security forces. Hundreds of militants have tried to attack government and police buildings and have more then 300 people dead, but some estimate that the death toll could have even exceeded 600. Nigeria has a population of 150 million which is equally split with Muslims dominating the North and Christians dominating the South.

UK’s premium carrier British Airways reported pre-tax losses of £ 148 million for the quarter ending June. Last year for the same quarter the airline had made profit of £ 37 million. BA is now feeling the heat of the recession as there has been a reduction in the passenger traffic.

To fight this recession they have taken a few steps, including the latest which has come as a surprise to many. No more sandwiches for passengers taking short haul flights of less the 2 hours and 30 minutes after 10 am. This is said to have some 22 million pound impact too, so in these diehard times all cost cutting measures are welcomed by the airline management.

BA is considered to be an upper segment airline and this change could change the lookout of many travelers as such strategies are adopted usually by budget low cost carriers. The airline has also done a staff reduction of 1450 employees since March end. Another measure on the same lines is reducing overtime and opting for more part time workers. The airline has also planned to ground 20 aircrafts by 2010 and have also delayed the delivery of A380.

So next time you are traveling on a short haul flight by British Airways, make sure you carry your lunch with you.

An Indonesian wing of the deadly terrorist organization al Qaeda has taken responsibility for the 17th July twin luxury hotel blast that rocked the south easy Asian country capital. 19 people lost there lives while 50 were injured in the horrific incident as two bombs detonated within minutes of each other. Out of the nine dead, two are expected to be the suicide bombers.

Noordin M. the leader of the breakaway fraction group of the terrorist out fit Jemaah Islamiyah claimed responsibility of the attack on behalf of al Qaeda in Indonesia. The statement claiming responsibility appeared on a radical Islamist Web sites.

The statement said that the hotels were targeted as the two hotels were the biggest hotel properties owned by Americans in Jakarta. The statement also had names of the MU team members, MU cancelled the Jakarta leg of there tour post the blasts. Also mentioned in the statement was that the MU team members were Christians and they don’t deserve any respect or money in Indonesia.

Another statement mentioned that the attack on Marriot was to target American who had business and diplomatic ties with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

The Black Sea coastal region of Turkey has been facing the ravages of dire weather with Giresun bearing the brunt of this calamitous situation with most parts been heavily inundated. Coincidently, Giresun has been assigned as a catastrophe zone and has been on the receiving end for funding from the Prime Minister’s emergency fund.

The heavy rains that lashed out persisted all through Monday, intensifying during the dusk hours, inflicted mass devastation in cities located in the east Black Sea and some towns being taken unawares post dusk with colossal flooding in many districts. Regions like Giresun, Trabzon, Rize and Ordu have witnessed the most terrible destruction, with traffic interrupted in several places and many residences and business establishments significantly submerged in water. Though there are no cases of fatalities being cited as yet, more than 100 homes are submerged in water. The sporadic rains and landslides are make matters worse for the rescue operations.

Mustafa Demir, the Public Works Minister made a declaration yesterday that corroborated the facts that farming property and the city’s infrastructure has suffered extensive damage. An amount of 6,00,000 TL from the Prime Minister’s emergency fund has been obtained and would be going towards crisis management and emergency shelter for the inhabitants.

The president of the Civil Rights Congress, Shehu Sani stated that the recent outbreak of violence in North Nigeria on Tuesday has taken the death toll to more than 400 with panicked people taking shelter in hospitals, police and military barracks. Officials have stated that the gory violence that persisted on Tuesday in Maiduguri has the radical Islamic groups going loggerheads against the government police and troops located in the north-central part of the nation.

A police representative stated that after the Islamic rebels launched attacks on Government institutions on Sunday, police personnel and troops have been moved to the militant dugouts. The ensuing gun battle took the lives of 41 individuals. To get matters under control, there have been 176 arrests in Bauchi.

The Islamic rebels, who have also launched attacks on government institutions and Islamic clergy in the neighbouring Yobe and Borno states, are opposed to the manner in which the government has undertaken the teaching of Islam which they believe has borne influence from Western culture.

The police commissioner of Yobe, Alhaji Muhammed Abbas stated that twenty-three fundamentalists believed to be involved in the bomb attack on a police station located in Potiskum that killed two and hurt seven have been detained.

While the police spokesperson in Borno, Isa Azare stated that the Islamic radicals launched an unexpected attack on the police due to which they were able to take the lives of two policemen in the headquarters during late Monday.

The Islamic rebels armed with guns, bows-arrows, knives went on a killing spree, with the terrorised inhabitants in all the three affected states preferring to stay indoors and closing down all shops and business establishments.

A hugely reverberating and destructive blast took place outside the paramilitary Civil Guard barracks located in Burgos, Northern Spain. The car bomb that exploded close to 0230 GMT shattered all glass over a large area, with the nearby structure facing considerable damage and pumping a hole in the ground. The splinters that flew have injured close to forty people, many of whom are civil guard agents and their kin.

The Interior Ministry official has charged ETA, the Basque separatist faction for plotting this heinous act, though they did not receive any prior warning regarding the bomb, quite contrasting to past ETA attacks. ETA in its long lasting battle for Basque independence has been found guilty of taking more than 800 lives. The faction concluded an armistice two years back and is believed to be pressurised by the detention of a large number of their senior holding leaders.

There were no injuries in the past car bomb that took off in Durango town located in Basque on 9th July. While the past month, ETA was accused of initiating a car bomb in Bilbao city that took the life of a police officer.

Virgin Galactic unveiled its new class of carrier aircraft in a naming ceremony at Mojave Air and Spaceport, California. The plan was named EVE in honor of Sir Richard Branson’s mother. Branson is the founder of the Airline Virgin Atlantic. The plan is of WhiteKnightTwo class and is designed to be used as a launch platform for SpaceShipTwo at an altitude of 50,000 feet above the earth.

It will carry the passenger ship to that altitude on its underside and once launched the SpaceShipTwo will start its climb to the edge of the atmosphere (104 km) using its own power. It will remain there for sometime before it will start a descent, thus providing the passengers a visit to space experience. It will take 6 passengers on each trip with a single person trip costing 1,50,000 pounds.

The aircraft is made of carbon-composite material and is highly efficient when it comes to fuel usage. Thus comes in line with the vision of Sir Richard Branson to make Virgin Galactic a company providing space travel a safe and commercial option. The same platform could also be used to carry satellites of small payload into space. The aircraft has a catamaran like design with twin booms and the propulsion is provided by four turbofan jet engines. It aircraft has a wingspan 140 feet.

Sufi Muhammad, the radical cleric and fathering-law of the confronting Taliban leader in Swat Maulana Fazlullah was arrested in the Pakistani city Peshawar. He was arrested for his speeches against the government which encourage violence and terrorism.  Sufi Muhammad was the key in the failed peace deal which Pakistan government made with Taliban for the Swat valley.

The peace deal failed as the Taliban gorilla forces had moved towards the Pakistani Capital Islamabad. They had actually moved within 100 Kilometers of the capital. More then 2 million residents of the swat region had fled and taken refuge in camps to avoid atrocities of Taliban. Threatened by the Taliban and under pressure the government launched an offensive to clear out Taliban forces from the swat region.

As the armed forces cleared the swat valley and the Taliban fighters were pushed to the mountains, there has been peace in the region. Thousands have returned home after the valley has come under control of the Pakistani forces.

This action by the government makes it quite evident that the Pakistani Government is no longer in favor of any kind of negotiations with the Taliban fighter. This is also seen as a step taken by the Pakistani government to please United States.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has offered to resign for his post of Chief Minister after the allegations former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Beig of PDP. The PDP leader said that Mr. Abdullah name had some in the CBI investigations in the 2006 sex scandal. Even though his party and Congress MLA’s tried to stop him from taking such action, he walked out of the state assembly.

He said that even though he is not guilty and these allegations were false but he would be able to continue as Chief Minister once his name was cleared and he was proved innocent. He also said that he would tender his resignation to the State Governor shortly. He met his father Farooq Abdullah and now is on his way to meet the Governor.

This is the second day of havoc in the Jammu and Kashmir State Assembly. Yesterday the opposition PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti had wrenched a mike from the Speaker’s desk. Post which she was moved out of the assembly and there was demonstration outside the assembly.

Now it all depends on the Governor to decide whether to accept resignation and dissolve the assembly or ask Omar to continue as a caretaker chief minister. Holding elections is a very difficult task as compared to other states, thus it will be a tough decision for the governor. The other option is that the in majority NC and Congress will have to re-elect him as the Chief Minister.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy moved out of the Val-de-Grace military hospital in Paris. He was seen leaving the hospital with his wife Carla Bruni wearing his trademark business suit. The spent a night in the hospital as he had collapsed while jogging. The president is a keen jogger and cyclist. He was allowed to leave after a series of test were done on him. According to doctors the president could have collapsed due to stress and hot weather and there was nothing wrong in the president’s health. The president has been following a diet program aimed at making him as slim and fit as his wife Carla Bruni. The president is 54 years old and will be taking his annual holiday in the French Riviera at Miss Bruni’s family home in a few days.

The Elysee Palace has ruled out the rumors that he had lost consciousness. The president went through neurological, blood and cardio tests at the Val-de-Grace military hospital. The president is said to have suffered vasovagal syncope, a condition where the person has loss of blood pressure due to exhaustion and dehydration.

This is not the first time a French president has been to a hospital, the president before Mr. Sarkozy was hospitalized as he had suffered a mini-stroke. The doctors later confirmed that it was not a serious health issue for Jacques Chirac.