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UPDATE...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1747745/posts

"Putin wanted Blair to gag poisoned spy"
The Sunday Times ^ | December 3, 2006 | David Cracknell, Mark Franchetti and Jon Ungoed-Thomas

Posted on 12/03/2006 1:25:58 AM PST by MadIvan

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "THE Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has expressed his anger at Britain’s failure to gag Alexander Litvinenko in the final hours of his life, the cabinet has been told.

Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, told ministers that the Russian government had “taken exception” to the poisoned former spy’s deathbed letter accusing the Putin regime of murdering him.

This weekend a potential suspect — Andrei Lugovoi — admitted he had been contaminated with the radioactive poison polonium-210 but insisted: “I’ve been framed.”

Beckett, who spoke to her Russian counterpart before Thursday’s cabinet meeting, said the Russians had “seemingly failed to understand” that Litvinenko was under police supervision rather than in custody.

Amid signs that his death could cause a diplomatic row, Tony Blair concluded the cabinet meeting by saying “the most important issue” was likely to be Britain’s long-term relationship with Moscow.

Another minister present said: “It caused some alarm that this case is obviously causing tension with the Russians. They are too important for us to fall out with them over this.”

Putin’s aides see Litvinenko’s letter, in which he described the Russian president as “barbaric and ruthless”, as a carefully orchestrated public relations stunt, timed to coincide with the leader’s appearance at the Russia-European Union summit in Helsinki.

Foreign Office officials yesterday confirmed the Russians had raised the issue of Litvinenko’s letter with Beckett and British diplomats. Until now, the government has admitted only that the Russians had agreed to assist Scotland Yard with its inquiries.

John Reid, the home secretary, told the cabinet “not to make assumptions” about Litvinenko’s death, pointing out that the former spy had been “involved with” organised crime as well as the KGB, Chechens and exiled Russian oligarchs.

With more than 200 people tested for suspected radiation contamination and 3,000 calls handled by NHS Direct, Patricia Hewitt, the health secretary, said there was a risk the NHS could be “overloaded”.

Reid said the contamination by polonium-210 — a highly radioactive isotope, which has so far been found at 12 sites in London — could have come from more than one person."

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3335374,00.html

Cleared for publishing: 2 Palestinians arrested for terror plans
Published: 12.03.06, 11:48

An IDF force arrested two Palestinians Saturday for their involvement in planning a suicide terror attack in Israel, as was cleared for publishing.

The two, Usama Sabah (19) and Ahmad Tahama (21) were arrested west of Jenin, and transferred for investigation by security forces. (Efrat Weiss)

Note:

The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1748070/posts

Ex-Putin bodyguard was also murdered
The Australian.News.com ^ | December 04, 2006 | The Sunday Times

Posted on 12/04/2006 3:06:21 AM PST by M. Espinola

MOSCOW: A former bodyguard to Russian President Vladimir Putin was murdered with a poison that produced symptoms remarkably similar to those that killed former spy Alexander Litvinenko, it emerged yesterday.

Roman Tsepov died, aged 42, in 2004 after suffering severe radiation sickness brought on by a mystery substance he had ingested with food or drink.

The case suggests that use of radioactive poisons - similar to the polonium-210 that killed Litvinenko - may be more widespread than previously thought.

Tsepov, nicknamed King of the Shadows, is said to have had several powerful enemies but the identity of his killer has never come to light.

He was a graduate of the supreme military commander school of the Russian Interior Ministry and served with the interior troops. In the early 1990s, he set up Baltic-Escort, a security business that provided bodyguard services to Anatoly Sobchak, the then mayor of St Petersburg, and his deputy, Mr Putin.

Tsepov survived three murder attempts in the 1990s. His friends believe his ties to lucrative businesses in Russia could have made him a target but claim he was not linked to a mafia gang.

In September 2004, he was admitted to Sverdlov hospital in St Petersburg with severe food poisoning.

As in the case of Litvinenko, doctors were baffled as his condition grew worse over the first two weeks.

He began to show classic symptoms of radiation sickness: he grew pale, his hair fell out and his white blood cell count fell.

He died before he could be taken to a specialist hospital in Germany.

The city prosecutor's office in St Petersburg has described the case as a "premeditated murder".

(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...