Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, head of Turkey's army, has advocated a military operation into Northern Iraq, in an effort to tackle the "freedom of movement" which the region affords the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). A US State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, has criticised the statement, claiming that a cross-border operation is "not an appealing option" for Iraqi stability. There are already several large-scale operations being conducted in Turkey against the PKK, although the army is yet to submit this most recent proposal to the Turkish parliament for approval. [AlJazeera, April 13]

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), refugee flows from Iraq are placing a considerable strain on neighboring countries, such as Syria and Jordan. Syria, for instance, has received roughly 1.2 million Iraqis fleeing the instability in their homeland which ensued following the US-led invasion, while a further 800,000 reside in Jordan. In the case of the latter, there is the fear, according to UNHCR's regional representative Stephane Jaquemet, "that the number is growing and that the balance between the local population and the refugee community is now quite shaky." A UNHCR conference to be held next week in Geneva is set to focus on the humanitarian requirements for the 2 million Iraqis who have been translocated by hostilities in Iraq, along with the further 1.9 million internally displaced persons. [Reuters, April 13]

Exiled Russian multi-millionaire Boris Berezovsky has disclosed that he intends to instigate a coup in the Kremlin to oust President Putin. Based in Britain, he is said to have forged close ties with, as well as have bankrolled, Russian political elites close to Putin. "It isn't possible to change this regime through democratic means," he remarked, lambasting Putin for having unstitched democratic reforms, violated the country's constitution, suffocated political opposition and monopolised the reins of power. Dmitry Peskov, the chief spokesperson for the Kremlin, last night described this proclamation as a criminal offence under Russian legislation. He also hastened that such a statement might serve to undermine Berezovsky's claim to asylum in Britain. [The Guardian, April 13]

Canada's Canoro Resources has signed an agreement with India's parastatal Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) to explore for crude in the jungles of Nagaland, a state in the country's remote northeast, where large swaths of territory have been controlled by separatist guerillas for decades. Nagaland Industry & Commerce Minister Khekhiho Zhimomi said the predominantly Christian state of two million has the potential to yield some 600 million tons of crude. "Nagaland is literally sitting on a multi-million dollar oil reserve," Zhimomi said. Exploration work undertaken by ONGC in 1994 was suspended following threats from the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM). This time Zhimomi says things will be different: "We have the full support of the local people this time while executing the agreement with the ONGC. We hope there should be no problems now."

The US Justice Deparment April 12 obtained an emergency order from Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans barring the imminent release of Cuban right-wing militant Luis Posada Carriles. The move came after Posada's family in Miami posted the balance of a $350,000 bond with the federal court in El Paso, where he faces trial on immigration fraud charges.

The problem is a lot bigger than a dangerous intersection in Brooklyn, folks. From Newsday, April 12:

DOT under fire about its pedestrian safety plans
The Brooklyn intersection where 3-year-old James Jacaricce was struck and killed by a car last February was just a few blocks away from where two fifth-graders died the same way in 2004.

From The Guardian, April 9:

Five Turkish punk rockers and their agent face up to 18 months in jail for insult after a bureaucrat took offence at their song criticising the country's unpopular university entrance exam.

Iran's Fars News Agency reported April 10 that the US nuclear submarine Newport News polluted the Persian Gulf waters with radioactive and chemical materials after it collided with a Japanese super-tanker, and was forced to leave the Gulf following strong protests by Iranian officials. The Newport News, accompanying the USS Eisenhower, sustained heavy damages when it collided with the Japanese tanker Mogamigava east of Hormuz Strait on Jan. 8, according to Fars. The report also said the ship's captain Mathew Vinegar was dismissed as a result of the accident. According to an April 12 report in the UAE's Gulf News, the US Navy has denied the claims.