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A British terror gang plotted to use liquid explosives to blow up transatlantic passenger jets in mid-flight, a court heard today. Eight men planned to smuggle bombs disguised as soft drinks on to flights from Heathrow to the United States and Canada and detonate them on board, Woolwich crown court was told. It would have caused a civilian death toll on an "almost unprecedented scale" and a "global impact". The gang allegedly targeted seven flights operated by Air Canada, United Airlines and American Airlines. They were arrested in August 2006 after a surveillance operation — as they were "almost ready"...

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian lawmakers probing the death in custody of a preacher from the Islamist Hamas movement said on Thursday he had been "tortured to death" by security men loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas. A self-appointed investigation team comprising six independent lawmakers determined that Majd al-Barghouthi died as a result of torture and said the head of the Fatah-run intelligence services, Tawfiq Tirawi, should be held to account. Another commission which Abbas appointed in late February to investigate the matter has not yet delivered its verdict, although a pathologist working on behalf of Fatah said he had...

Islam is a religion of peace. Right—and Paris Hilton is a virgin. But “moderate” Muslims—an oxymoron if ever there was one—would have us trying to reconcile the completely irreconcilable. After last week’s civilian bombings by Islamists in London, England, I was walking through Toronto’s Dundas Square when a man handed me a booklet entitled “Islam: Does it Make Sense?” Complete with subheadings like “the religion of balance and moderation”, “the religion of human equality”, “the most tolerant and inclusive religion”, and “the liberating religion”, it makes for a nice spun-out version of Islam for kids, lefties, or anyone with an...

Is Islam a religion of peace? Is there an Easter Bunny? Can pigs fly? These are rhetorical questions. Ordinarily, one wouldn’t expect political correctness to rear its inclusive head at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) -- the largest conservative gathering of the year. At this year’s CPAC, which concluded on February 19, I was on a panel titled, PROTECTING THE HOMELAND AGAINST ENEMIES, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC. The other panelists were Rich Miniter (author of “Losing Bin Laden’) and Phil Giraldi, an ex-spook -- excuse me, “former CIA counterterrorism specialist” -- who writes for Pat Buchanan’s publication. I hadn’t...

Scarcity of support groups for Britain's gay, lesbian and other non-heterosexual Muslims is highlighted in a new report sponsored by the ESRC which gives unique insight into the religious and social pressures on their lives. Help groups offer a safe environment to explore the thorny issue of Islam and non-heterosexuality (particularly homosexuality) which the wider gay and lesbian community rarely provides, says Dr. Andrew Yip of the Nottingham Trent University. Current efforts to provide support groups are embryonic and in great need of encouragement. In the first study of its kind into the lives of British gay, lesbian and bisexual...