Indonesian authorities, facing international pressure, said they will allow the United Nations refugee agency access to about 400 Burmese Muslims who landed on the country's shores over the past month to help verify their claims of persecution. The decision announced Feb. 6 comes days after a boat carrying nearly 200 men belonging to Burma's Rohingya minority was discovered off Sumatra. Another boat, also with about 200 Rohingya aboard, was discovered in early January.

Australia has claimed a blow against a home-grown terrorist cell, with the conviction and sentencing of Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 48, of the Melbourne suburb of Dallas, and a group of five followers. Benbrika received a maximum term of 15 years, but two of his followers will be eligible for parole in 15 months. Justice Bernard Bongiorno said Benbrika formed the group, known as "Jemaa" for the purpose of engaging in violent jihad "The jemaah would achieve this by acts of terrible violence in this country, or perhaps elsewhere," Justice Bongiorno said.

As fighting continues unabated in Sri Lanka, Amnesty International has called upon the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to immediately declare a temporary truce and create humanitarian corridors to allow more than a quarter million trapped civilians to escape the war zone and also let food, water and medical assistance reach those civilians who cannot leave.

Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed, the new president of Somalia's transition government, responded Feb. 5 to the formation of a new alliance of rebel factions, asking the opposition leaders to lay down their arms and join the government. "We are requesting our brothers to work with us in restoring peace and unity," he said, adding that he is willing to open a dialogue with all opponents and would welcome their participation in government.

The US Treasury Department Feb. 4 branded the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), which is waging a low-level guerilla insurgency in the Kurdish regions of Iran, as a terrorist organization. The group is a front for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been fighting the Turkish government for 25 years, said Stuart Levey, US Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. Levey said PJAK's armed wing, the East Kurdistan Defense Forces, had recently been recalled to Iraqi territory on the orders of the PKK, in apparent move to bring them under greater control. (Reuters, Feb. 4)

A Turkish state prosecutor has launched an investigation into allegations that Israel's offensive in Gaza amounted to genocide and crimes against humanity, based on research of the Islamic-oriented human rights organization Mazlum-Der. The complaint filed by Mazlum-Der names 19 people including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, President Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. "We submitted the complaint against those who we could prove were in some way responsible for giving orders for the attack on Gaza," said Mazlum-Der attorney Meryem Sari.

From The Telegraph, Jan. 28:

Benjamin Netanyahu, the favourite to win next month's Israeli general election, yesterday predicted al-Qaeda would blow up the purported burial place of Jesus Christ if the country relinquished control of Jerusalem.

Do you think he's planning something? From the NY Daily News, Feb. 4:

Former VP Dick Cheney warns of nuclear attack on United States under President Obama
WASHINGTON - Dick Cheney isn't finished scaring the bejesus out of America.