NIGHTWATCH Extract: Iran-Pakistan, Iran-Turkey-India, Israel

Iran-Pakistan: Iranian officials on 16 December accused Pakistan of being linked to a 15 December suicide bombing in southeastern Iran. Iran’s deputy minister and chief of security at the Interior Ministry, Ali Abdollahi, said Pakistani officials had ignored Iranian warnings about bases in Pakistan for anti-Iranian elements and had allowed the terrorists to cross into …

NIGHTWATCH Extract: Iran/NKorea Rockets for Venezuela

Venezuela-Iran: Die Welt is the original source for the following item, which is too important to overlook. “Iran is planning to place medium-range missiles on Venezuelan soil, based on unidentified western sources, according to an article in the German daily, Die Welt, on 25 November. According to the article, an agreement between the two countries …

NIGHTWATCH Extract: Iraq Takes Down Al Qaeda Global Web Site

Iraq: For the record. The Iraqi Defense Ministry disabled al Qaida’s “biggest electronic website,” a spokesman for the ministry said on 9 December. The Iraqi army discovered the location of Al-Furqan website and seized its devices and equipment, the spokesman said. He said Arabs operated the website, which Iraq considers al Qaida’s ministry of information …

NIGHTWATCH Extract: Japan and Search for Rare Earths (e.g. Lithium)

Japan and the Search for Rare Earth Elements India: The Japanese trading house Toyota Tsusho Corporation announced that it will begin construction of a rare earth processing plant in India in 2011 in an effort to secure suppliers beyond China, Kyodo reported. The group company of Toyota Motor Corp. will build the plant in Orison …