Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• UPDATE: ONE SERVICE MEMBER KILLED, 2 WOUNDED IN AFGHAN HOSTILE FIRE INCIDENT CENTCOM 26 Jun 2003 -- One special operations member was killed and two wounded during operations in the vicinity of Gardez, in Paktya Province last night.
• THREE SERVICE MEMBERS WOUNDED IN AFGHAN HOSTILE FIRE INCIDENT CENTCOM 26 Jun 2003 -- Three special operations forces service members were wounded during operations in the vicinity of Gardez, in Paktya Province last night.
• RFE/RL Afghanistan Report, Vol 2, Number 22 26 Jun 2003 -- AFGHAN TRIBAL MILITIAS TO MONITOR SOUTHERN BORDER / UN ENVOY HINTS AT POSTPONEMENT OF AFGHAN ELECTIONS / NATO CONSIDERS LIMITED DEPLOYMENT OF ISAF TROOPS BEYOND KABUL... / ...AS PAKISTAN'S PRESIDENT CALLS FOR THREEFOLD INCREASE OF PEACEKEEPERS... / ...AS GERMANY IS RELUCTANT TO DEPLOY TROOPS BEYOND KABUL / AFGHAN GOVERNMENT SAYS DEFENSE MINISTRY REFORM MUST PRECEDE DISARMAMENT... / ...AS DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER REJECTS ALLEGATIONS OF ETHNIC IMBALANCE / TALIBAN ANNOUNCE CREATION OF COUNCIL TO HELP 'EVICT' LEADERSHIP IN AFGHANISTAN / NORTHERN AFGHAN CITY TARGETED BY BOMBINGS / U.S.-LED TROOPS DESCEND ON AFGHANISTAN'S EASTERN BORDER... / OPERATIONS ARE DESCRIBED AS SUCCESSFUL / U.S. FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN CLASH WITH HERAT GOVERNOR'S TROOPS / AFGHAN PUBLICATION BANNED... / ...FOR AN ARTICLE THAT CRITICIZED ISLAM... / ...RIGHTS COMMISSION, UN CONCERNED ABOUT JOURNALISTS JAILED FOR BLASPHEMY... / ...AS HRW CRITICIZES THE ARRESTS... / ...WHILE KARZAI REPORTEDLY SEES ARRESTS AS LAWFUL... / ...BUT INFORMATION MINISTRY DISTANCES ITSELF FROM THE ARRESTS / AFGHAN MINISTER SAYS EDITORS UNDER PROTECTION, NOT IN CUSTODY... / ...WHILE PRO-MUJAHEDIN PAPER LASHES OUT / KARZAI ORDERS THE RELEASE OF EDITORS... / ...CPJ WELCOMES THE RELEASE BUT WANT CHARGES DROPPED... / ...AS SUPREME COURT SAYS THEY WILL BE TRIED ACCORDING TO THE SHARI'AH... / ...WHILE RAHIM CALLS FOR TOLERANCE IN DEALING WITH THE EDITORS / AFGHAN CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW COMMISSION REACTS TO ICG REPORT... / ...AS FOUR CLERICS ARE REPORTEDLY ADDED TO REVIEW COMMISSION / THIS WEEK IN AFGHANISTAN'S HISTORY
• PAKISTAN/AFGHAN REFUGEES VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- Intense fighting along the Afghan-Pakistani border is forcing the United Nations to resettle refugees living the area. While some will now return to Afghanistan, other refugees are waiting for the Afghan economy to improve.
• Fighting on Afghan-Pakistani Border Forces Resettling of Refugees VOA News 26 Jun 2003 -- Intense fighting along the Afghan-Pakistani border is forcing the United Nations to resettle refugees living the area. While some will now return to Afghanistan, other refugees are waiting for the Afghan economy to improve.
• TURKMENISTAN: Aid pipeline to Afghanistan scaling back IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- Although 80,000 mt of food sponsored by World Food Programme (WFP) has been transited via Turkmenistan into northern Afghanistan and Tajikistan in the past 12 months, the amount is diminishing as emergency food needs in the region change, IRIN learnt on Thursday. "Over the past year, approximately 78,000 mt of WFP food crossed Turkmenabad in Turkmenistan bordering northwestern Afghanistan, with a monthly average of 6,500 mt," Sewoo Kim, a WFP reports officer in the Afghan capital, Kabul, told IRIN.
• AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN: Minister raises concern over poppy cultivation IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- A Pakistani minister has reiterated Islamabad's concern over the resurgence of poppy cultivation in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• 37th AS puts NVG training into focus USAFE 26 Jun 2003 -- War doesn't just happen during the day - it happens at night too. That's why the 37th Airlift Squadron focuses on night-vision training to ensure their war-fighting capabilities are just as sharp during the evening as they are during daylight hours.
• Smallpox vaccine side effects 'rare' AFPN 26 Jun 2003 -- Mass smallpox vaccinations can be conducted safely with "very low" rates of serious adverse effects, the Defense Department's senior medical official said June 25.
• Bats soar to Southern Frontier USMC News 26 Jun 2003 -- More than 250 Marines and Sailors from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, deployed here recently for Southern Frontier 2003.
• Ace of Spades returns after 11 years USMC News 26 Jun 2003 -- The Marines and aircraft of the Bravo Detachment of Marine Attack Squadron 231 arrived aboard the Station June 13 from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., as part of a six-month Unit Deployment Program.
• Logistics Command officially established USMC News 26 Jun 2003 -- The Logistics Command was officially established on June 9 when the Commandant of the Marine Corps signed All Marine Message 039/03, entitled Establishment of the Marine Corps Logistics Command
• Marines achieve several "firsts" during BALTOPS 03 USMC News 26 Jun 2003 -- The eruption of high-powered weapons drowned out even the loudest conversation. Hundreds of .50 Cal. machine gun, and 60mm mortar rounds were concentrated downrange as a platoon of Marines advanced toward their target, systematically mowing down anything in its path. Training like this is hard to come by in the states, let alone on a small Danish island in the middle of the Baltic Sea.
• New Software Streamlines TDY Process AFPS 26 Jun 2003 -- A new software program being tested by the Defense Travel System will make arranging, paying and reimbursement for official government travel a speedy, seamless and almost paperless process.
• Rice Says Europe, U.S. Must Seize Historic Moment AFPS 26 Jun 2003 -- Condoleezza Rice called on freedom-loving countries to unite and turn away from the temptations of playing great power politics during a speech at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London today.
• a M. Carpenter Tapped for Air Force Academy Review Panel 26 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld today announced that Anita M. Carpenter has been selected to serve on the congressional-mandated seven-member panel to review sexual misconduct allegations at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
• Military Study Shows Safety of Smallpox Vaccination Program 26 Jun 2003 -- Dr. William Winkenwerder, Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, announced yesterday that research DoD conducted over a six-month period, suggests that a large-scale vaccination program can be carried out safely with few serious adverse events.
• Navy Christens New Guided-Missile Destroyer 26 Jun 2003 -- The newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, James E. Williams, will be christened on Saturday, June 28, 2003, during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Miss.

• U.S., EU to Cooperate on Terror, Counterproliferation AFPS 26 Jun 2003 -- U.S. and European Union leaders signed agreements designed to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and to increase cooperation in the global war on terror.

• Special Envoy Says U.S. Adjusting Security Needs to New Demands Washington File 26 Jun 2003 -- A key Bush administration goal in the 2002 National Security Strategy was to transform U.S. national security institutions to meet the challenges of the 21st century, according to Christopher LaFleur, Special Envoy for Northeast Asia Security Consultations.
• U.S. Questions Haiti's Commitment to Climate of Security Washington File 26 Jun 2003 -- While the United States initially regarded the appointment of a new Director General of the Haitian National Police as a potential step toward creating the climate of security necessary to resolve Haiti's ongoing political crisis, Jean Robert Fauveur's resignation two weeks after his appointment and his decision to leave Haiti call into question the Haitian government's commitment to creating a climate of security, says Roger Noriega, U.S. permanent representative to the Organization of American States (OAS).
• Official Says Terrorism, Weapons Threats Guide Force Structure Washington File 26 Jun 2003 -- The threat of international terrorism and the danger of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction will play an important part in determining how the United States will structure its forces in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Peter Rodman.
• Leach Discusses Deployment of U.S. Troops in Asia-Pacific Washington File 26 Jun 2003 -- Ensuring the stability of the Asia-Pacific region and fighting terrorism effectively are two goals affecting decisions regarding the deployment of U.S. forces, according to James A. Leach, the chairman of the House International Relations Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.

• Musharraf: Pakistani-US Relations Will Continue to Improve VOA News 26 Jun 2003 -- In just a few years, Pakistan has gone from international pariah to a close U.S. ally in the global war against terrorism. Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf detailed Islamabad's willingness to cooperate with Washington during his fourth visit to the United States since September 11, 2001.

Defense Industry

• EADS/MBDA team selected for UK Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) Programme EADS 26 Jun 2003 -- The UK Ministry of Defence yesterday announced that the EADS/MBDA team has been selected as one of two teams awarded a contract to begin development of a new integrated air defence command and control system for the UK armed forces.
• GE's Powerful New CT7-8C Engine Selected For Sikorsky H-92 Helicopter GE Aviation 26 Jun 2003 -- The CT7-8C turboshaft engine, the newest and most powerful of GE Aircraft Engines' (GEAE) T700/CT7 turboshaft engines, has been selected to power the new Sikorsky H-92 Superhawk helicopter.
• General Dynamics Awarded £25 Million Apache BOWMAN Connectivity Contract General Dynamics 26 Jun 2003 -- General Dynamics United Kingdom Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a contract worth more than £25 million (approx. $42 million US) from the UK Ministry of Defence for the provision of ground-to-air data connectivity with the British Army Apache WAH Mk 1 Helicopters.
• Lockheed Martin UK Team Short-Listed for Defence Information Infrastructure Programme Lockheed Martin 26 Jun 2003 -- The Ministry of Defence today announced that it has selected the Lockheed Martin UK consortium as one of four contenders for its Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) programme. Lockheed Martin and the other short-listed teams will submit formal tenders in September for the potential 10-year, £4B programme.
• Lockheed Martin Awarded $12 Million Autonomous Wide Area Search Munition Contract Lockheed Martin 26 Jun 2003 -- The Air Force Research Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), FL awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a $12 million contract for the Autonomous Wide Area Search Munition (AWASM) program, focused on integrating a two-way data link capability into a wide area search miniature munition. The contract launches a 30-month effort to conduct a proof-of-concept demonstration integrating a data link into a wide area search munition to transmit detected target information to a Command & Control (C2) authority and receive engagement authorization for one of the previously detected targets.
• Lockheed Martin, Portuguese Air Force Roll Out First Modernized F-16 Aircraft Lockheed Martin 26 Jun 2003 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and the Portuguese Air Force (PoAF) rolled out the first Portuguese F-16 aircraft to undergo a Mid-Life Update (MLU) during ceremonies today in Lisbon, marking the start of the PoAF's fighter fleet modernization program. The ceremony took place at the OGMA facility (Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal S.A.), where extensive work on the F-16s is being conducted.
• Lockheed Martin Conducts Flight Testing of More Powerful Engine for F-16 Lockheed Martin 26 Jun 2003 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT] has successfully completed the initial phase of flight testing of a more powerful engine for the latest version of the F-16, the Block 60. The engine is a General Electric F110-GE-132 turbofan engine that produces approximately 32,500 pounds of thrust in maximum afterburner. It is a derivative of the current F110-GE-129, which is in the 29,000-pound thrust class.
• Lockheed Martin Details Design for Next Presidential Helicopter Lockheed Martin 26 Jun 2003 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] delivered this week to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Patuxent River, MD, a 600-page plan demonstrating how the US101 medium-lift helicopter can be configured to transport the President of the United States by 2007. The study defines an initial operational configuration and future enhancements and performance options for the aircraft. The study will enable NAVAIR to move forward with procurement of the next Marine One helicopter.
• U.S. Navy Takes Delivery of Northrop Grumman's Advanced SEAL Delivery System Northrop Grumman 26 Jun 2003 -- The U.S. Special Operations Command's (USSOCOM) Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS), developed by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), has been turned over to the U.S. Navy.
• Thales and MBDA Meteor seeker contract Thales 26 Jun 2003 -- MBDA and Thales Airborne Systems signed today a contract valued at ' 46 million covering the development and initial production of the seeker system for METEOR, the future Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile (BVRAAM). This contract formalises the cooperation agreement already in place between the two companies in the area of anti-aircraft missile seekers. Initial production will meet the requirements of the UK Royal Air Force.
• Lockheed Martin Completes ORINCON Acquisition Lockheed Martin 26 Jun 2003 -- Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE:LMT] today announced that it has completed the acquisition of ORINCON Corporation International. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. A systems integration and information technology company, ORINCON's expertise in knowledge management, information assurance, signal & image processing and data fusion will enhance Lockheed Martin's position in the ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) industry.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 26 Jun 2003
• U-N / BLOOD DIAMONDS VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- Security Council members are beginning a mission to war-torn West Africa, just weeks after they took a bold step and lifted a three-year ban on the diamond trade with Sierra Leone. The move is a response to apparent progress in curbing trade in so-called "blood diamonds" to finance conflicts that have been roiling African nations for years.

• REMNANTS OF WAR VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- The ending of a conflict does not mean the end of civilian casualties. A London-based research group, Landmine Action, has issued a new report showing the risks from unexploded cluster bombs and other explosive remnants of war.

• Powell Says Iran, Syria Should Join Peace Process Washington File 26 Jun 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell urged Syria and Iran to reject support for terrorist groups and join other countries in the region in seeking a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict between Arabs and Israelis.
• Rice Says Pursuit of Mideast Peace Requires Determination Washington File 26 Jun 2003 -- U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice says true peace between Israel and a future Palestine must be based on democracy and the rule of law, respect for human rights, prosperity stemming from economic freedom, and the defeat of terrorism.
• Arafat Expects Announcement of Militant Cease-Fire 'Soon' VOA News 26 Jun 2003 -- Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat says he expects an official announcement on an agreement by Palestinian militants to suspend attacks on Israelis.
• RICE/MIDEAST-IRAQ VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- U-S national security advisor Condoleezza Rice has called for the total outlawing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Her comments were made in London while en route to the Middle East, where she will hold weekend talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
• Senior UN envoy to embark on tour of Arab capitals in bid to boost Middle East peace UN News Centre 26 Jun 2003 -- The top United Nations envoy for the Middle East peace process, Terje Roed-Larsen, is set to leave tomorrow on a nine-day regional tour of Arab capitals to follow up on the latest meeting of the diplomatic Quartet.
• ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat says he expects an official announcement on an agreement by Palestinian militants to suspend attacks on Israelis.
• ISRAEL/VIOLENCE VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- An Israeli was killed in a shooting attack Thursday morning in a village that straddles the so-called Green Line separating the West Bank and Israel. The shooting comes as Palestinian militant groups deny reports they have reached an agreement to temporarily halt attacks on Israelis.

• Liberian Government Claims to Push Back Rebel Offensive VOA News 26 Jun 2003 -- Liberian defense officials say their forces are pushing back a three-day rebel offensive on the capital, Monrovia. The escalated fighting has prompted a British call for U.S. intervention.
• Liberia: access to desperate people in Monrovia dwindles with renewed fighting - UN UN News Centre 26 Jun 2003 -- After two days of fierce shelling and rocket blasts, Monrovia awoke to "less intense" fighting this morning, but the renewed push by rebels to take the Liberian capital has further eroded the ability of United Nations agencies and other humanitarian workers to assist thousands of terrified people in need.
• LIBERIA/FIGHTING VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- Liberian defense officials say their forces are pushing back a three-day rebel offensive on the capital, Monrovia. The escalated fighting has prompted a British call for U-S intervention.
• Liberian Government Claims Rebel Retreat VOA News 26 Jun 2003 -- Liberia's defense minister says government forces have pushed rebels back from the center of the capital, Monrovia, following days of intense fighting.
• Heavy Fighting Continues in Liberia VOA News 26 Jun 2003 -- Rebel forces in Liberia are closing in on the center of the capital, Monrovia, prompting a call by Britain for a U.S.-led intervention to stop the fighting.
• LIBERIA/FIGHTING VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- Rebel forces in Liberia are closing in on the center of the capital, Monrovia, prompting a call by Britain for a U-S-led intervention to stop the fighting.
• LIBERIA: Mediator threatens to end peace talks, Bush tells Taylor to quit IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- West African mediators have threatened to suspend Liberian peace talks in Ghana unless the government and two rebel movements stop fighting by 10.00 GMT on Friday and reimpose a ceasefire.
• LIBERIA: Rebels deploy in eastern Monrovia suburbs IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- Liberian rebels fighting President Charles Taylor's troops in the capital, Monrovia, took advantage of a lull in fighting on Thursday to send troops from the western to the eastern suburbs of the city, where Taylor and most senior government officials live.
• LIBERIA: African summit mooted to revive Liberian talks IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- West African mediators of the stalled Liberian peace process have suggested a special African summit to help revive talks on Liberia, which has relapsed into full-scale civil war.
• U-N / CONGO VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- The United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution extending a U-N peacekeeping mission to the Congo for one month.
• Security Council approves one-month extension for UN mission in DR of Congo UN News Centre 26 Jun 2003 -- Deeply concerned over the continuation of hostilities in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in particular in the province of North Kivu, the Security Council today extended the United Nations mission in that country for another month.
• Security Council calls on Congolese parties to 'completely' renounce violence UN News Centre 26 Jun 2003 -- Forcefully condemning the recent escalation of violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), members of the United Nations Security Council today called on all the parties in the area to fully commit to the political process and to "completely and decisively" renounce the military path.
• DRC: North Kivu ceasefire follow-up meeting to be held in Beni IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- A follow-up meeting to work out ceasefire modalities for North Kivu Province between two rebel groups and the government in Kinshasa was due to be held on Thursday in the town of Beni, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a senior UN official said.
• DRC: Former prime minister charged in Brussels court IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- A former Congolese prime minister, Leon Kengo wa Dondo, has been charged by a Brussels court with money laundering during the reign of late President Mobutu Sese Seko, Belga news agency reported on Wednesday.
• FRANCE/AFRICA VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- Nine months after French intervention in Ivory Coast, yet another African crisis is testing France's more muscular policy on the continent. This time, French forces are leading an interim United Nations force to try to quell the violence in eastern Congo. FWhile the French government has taken a more active role in Africa recently, the results have been mixed at best.

• Ivory Coast: Soro Calls for Faster Implementation of Peace Deal VOA News 26 Jun 2003 -- The Ivorian rebel leader turned government minister, Guillaume Soro, is calling for a faster implementation of a peace deal to reunite the west African nation. Ivory Coast has been divided between the rebel-held north and the government-controlled south since last September. The peace deal, which was signed in France in January, is being implemented militarily, but not politically.
• IVORY COAST/RECONCILIATION VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- The Ivorian rebel leader turned government minister, Guillaume Soro, is calling for a faster implementation of a peace deal to reunite the west African nation. Ivory Coast has been divided between the rebel-held north and the government-controlled south since last September. The peace deal, which was signed in France in January, is being implemented militarily, but not politically.

• PRESS BRIEFING ON HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN ERITREA, ETHIOPIA United Nations 26 Jun 2003
• CONGRESS / ACEH VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- Forty-five members of the U-S House of Representatives have appealed to Secretary of State Colin Powell to work for the end of hostilities in Indonesia's Aceh province.
• Security Council extends UN's Israel-Syria disengagement force by six months UN News Centre 26 Jun 2003 -- The United Nations Security Council today extended through December the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force known as UNDOF, which was established in 1974 to monitor the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.
• PHILIPPINES/MILITANTS VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is warning a Muslim militant group that the discovery of an explosives cache may endanger the possibility of peace talks. A Philippine communist rebel group is being blamed for the killing of at least 17 people in an attack in the central part of the country.
• SOLOMONS INTERVENTION VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- The New Zealand government is ready to commit troops to an Australian plan to restore stability in the troubled Solomon Islands. Law and order has collapsed across much of the archipelago northeast of Australia since the end of an ethnic war three years ago.
• INDIA/PRESIDENT/KASHMIR VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- Indian President A-P-J Abdul Kalam is on a three-day visit to Indian Kashmir, the troubled region where a Muslim separatist insurgency has raged for 13 years. There is tight security for the rare visit by India's ceremonial head of state.
• SUDAN: Marginalised areas pose threat to peace, says leading think-tank IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- A peace deal in war-torn Sudan will not be sustainable if the grievances driving conflict in the marginalised areas of Darfur, Abyei, Southern Blue Nile and the Nuba mountains are not fully addressed, the Brussels-based think-tank International Crisis Group (ICG) has said.
• SOMALIA: UN to extend mine clearance project IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- A UN mine-clearance pilot project in the self-declared republic of Somaliland has been so successful that it is planned to extend it to other regions of Somalia.
• RWANDA: UN elects 18 more judges for genocide tribunal IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- The UN General Assembly elected on Wednesday 18 temporary judges to help speed up the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, UN News reported.
• BURUNDI: WFP food relief for displaced civilians in Kayanza IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has provided 157.4 mt of relief food for 41,715 people displaced by fighting between rebel and government troops in Kayanza Province in northern Burundi, a WFP official told IRIN on Thursday.
• TAJIKISTAN: Focus on constitutional referendum IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- With a 93 percent yes vote, the electorate in Tajikistan last Sunday approved a package of constitutional amendments that may have far reaching conseqences including the incumbent president, Emomali Rahmonov, ruling the country for another 17 years, and power being further concentrated in the presidency.
• UGANDA: Government warns over demonstrations against Bush visit IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- The Ugandan opposition party, the Ugandan People’s Congress (UPC) – headed by exiled twice-former Ugandan president Milton Obote – has confirmed that it plans to hold a demonstration against US President George W. Bush’s visit to the country, scheduled for mid-July.

News Reports

• Bush Calls Torture "an Affront to Human Dignity Everywhere" Washington File 26 Jun 2003 -- President Bush says torture anywhere is an affront to human dignity everywhere, and the United States is committed to building a world where human rights are respected and protected by the rule of law.
• U.S. Says Prohibition of Torture a Basic Principle of International Law Washington File 26 Jun 2003 -- The United States views the prohibition of torture as a basic principle of international law, not subject to negotiation or compromise, according to a State Department press release on the occasion of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

• The U.S. Agenda at the United Nations US Dept. of State 26 Jun 2003 -- Kim R. Holmes, Assistant Secretary for Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Remarks to the National Forum on the United Nations

• Official Says U.S. Considers U.N. Vital for World Peace and Prosperity Washington File 26 Jun 2003 -- Cooperation in the service of freedom and democracy "has been at the heart of U.S.- German friendship" for over a half-century in the words of Kim Holmes, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, who added that such cooperation "should be a central organizing principle of the United Nations as well."

• U.S. Calls for Nonviolent Elections in Cambodia Washington File 26 Jun 2003 -- The United States is calling on the Cambodian government "to take all necessary action to prevent the politically-motivated violence and intimidation that has marred prior elections and to prosecute any perpetrators," says State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher.
• CONGRESS / HONG KONG VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly (426 to 1) approved a resolution condemning any restrictions on freedoms in Hong Kong.
• Zimbabwe Government Outraged at Colin Powell Comments VOA News 26 Jun 2003 -- The Zimbabwe government has expressed outrage at Secretary of State Colin Powell's criticism of President Robert Mugabe's administration in a piece he wrote and which appeared earlier this week in The New York Times newspaper.
• Zimbabwe Government Slams US Secretary of State Powell VOA News 26 Jun 2003 -- Zimbabwe's government has accused U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell of resorting to "blatant lies" in an effort to drive President Robert Mugabe from power.
• BUSH/AFRICA WRAP VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- President Bush says the United States is determined to help bring peace to war-torn African nations, such as Liberia, Congo and Sudan. He is also promising more support for East African countries affected by the war on terrorism.
• U-S / POWELL / ZIMBABWE VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- The Zimbabwe government has expressed outrage at Secretary of State Colin Powell's criticism of President Robert Mugabe's administration.
• AMNESTY TORTURE REPORT VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- The human-rights group Amnesty International has issued a new report on torture that spotlights the pervasiveness of torture in the 21st century. The report calls for nations to develop plans of action to prevent torture within their government institutions.
• CAMBODIA ELEX CAMPAIGN VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- Political parties began competing for seats in Cambodia's National Assembly Thursday as the country kicked off its official month-long election campaign period. The day passed peacefully without violence, which plagued the country's two previous national elections.
• BURMA-SUU KYI VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- International pressure continues to mount on Burma's ruling generals to release democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi. Even Burma's neighbors are joining in the criticism.
• EU: Agriculture Ministers Adopt New Proposal On Farm Policy RFE/L 26 Jun 2003 -- Farm ministers from countries in the European Union have agreed on a new Common Agricultural Policy.
• International Community Increases Pressure on Burma VOA News 26 Jun 2003 -- International pressure continues to mount on Burma's ruling generals to release democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi. Even Burma's neighbors are joining in the criticism.
• ZIMBABWE: ZANU rejects Powell's call for Mugabe's removal IRIN 26 Jun 2003 -- Zimbabwe's ruling party has reacted angrily to a call by US Secretary of State Colin Powell for the urgent removal of President Robert Mugabe and his "cronies".
• Second Mars Rover Ready for Launch This Week Aboard Boeing Delta II Boeing 26 Jun 2003 -- NASA's Mars Exploration Rover (MER)-B, also named "Opportunity," is set for launch on June 28 from Space Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard a Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta II rocket.
• Northrop Grumman Provides Navigation Systems For Spacecraft and NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Northrop Grumman 26 Jun 2003 -- NASA will depend once again on key navigational aids produced by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) when it launches its Mars Exploration Rovers and spacecraft planned for later this month. The mission will attempt to determine whether water once existed on the planet.
• ORBITAL'S PEGASUS ROCKET SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES ORBVIEW-3 HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGING SATELLITE Orbital Sciences Corp. 26 Jun 2003 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced that earlier today, it successfully launched the company-built OrbView-3 high-resolution imaging satellite into its targeted orbit aboard the company's Pegasus® rocket.