An Iranian nuclear physicist has been killed in Tehran – a killing the government is placing sqaurely on the shoulders of the US and Israel. The US has denied this calling it absurd. Massoud Ali Mohammadi was leaving for his job at Tehran University, when a bomb placed on a motorcycle near his house went off. Al Jazeera’s Alireza Roneghi reports from Tehran (12 Jan 10).
The new airport security measures introduced by the US government are already coming under fire. Full-body pat downs, extra luggage scrutiny as well as mandatory body scanning, have all been proposed. They are a response to the foiled bombing of an US airliner on Christmas Day but have been criticised as an overtly political reaction to the attempt. While its impact is worldwide, it will be felt more by citizens of Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria, all labellde "state sponsors of terrorism". Those associated with 10 other countries designated by the US as "of interets" such as Afghanisatn, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan can also expect the special treatment. Washington’s decision has triggered complaints from anti-discrimination groups who say President Obama’s response to security threats amounts to little more than racial profiling. But defenders of the polciy say it is designed to keep the skies safe, and is a careful way of targeting those who are most likely to pose a threat.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, is facnig charges of trying to murder 290 people on board a US-bound passenger plane that he attempted to blow up on Christmas Day.
But in Nigeria, acquaintances say they cannot believe he is at the centre of such an incident.
For many who knew him, they say Abdulmutallab became radicalised when he left the country to study in Yemen adn they strongly reject any links between his actions and his childhood upbringing in Nigeria.
Al Jazeera’s Nazanin Sadri reports.
The United States has classified Abdul Majeed Zandani, a prominent Yemeni religious leader, as a "specially designate global terrorist" for alleged ties to al-Qaeda.
Others accuse Zandani of stoking anti-American feeling and inspiring a new generation of suicide bombers.
But Zandani says the growing interest in activities in Yemen is part of a plot to occupy the country.
Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Vall reports from Yemen.
Local offshoots of the Taliban are cropping up across Afghanistan, where the fight against US-led Nato forces is ongoing.
One group, calling itself the Saalfi, claims it carried out a recent attack on a US armoured vehicle in Afghanistan’s Kunar province.
In a video sent to Al Jazeera, the group says the attack was done under the command of the Afghan Taliban.
Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder reports.