Evidence Aceh rebels behind rise in piracy: Separatist rebels

Evidence Aceh rebels behind rise in piracy: Separatist rebels
from Indonesia's Aceh province could be behind an increase in
pirate attacks on oil tankers in busy sea lanes between Indonesia
and Malaysia, the International Maritime Bureau said. Pirates
have lurked in the Strait of Malacca for centuries, but the
frequency of attacks has increased in recent months, the London-
based bureau said in a report. -- Reuters

Spain's Aznar reshuffles cabinet: Spanish Prime Minister Jose
Maria Aznar reshuffled his cabinet on Wednesday to give the
ruling party's newly-appointed prime ministerial candidate
freedom to campaign for a general election in March. First Deputy
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, confirmed on Tuesday as the Popular
Party's candidate, is leaving the cabinet to devote himself full-
time to party and campaign activities. -- Reuters

Mexico's Fox fires two ministers to push reforms: Mexican
President Vicente Fox fired his energy and environment ministers
on Tuesday in a Cabinet reshuffle aimed at winning back popular
support and reviving his troubled reform agenda. Battered by a
weak economy and climbing unemployment, Fox replaced Energy
Minister Ernesto Martens with Felipe Calderon, a former leader of
the ruling National Action Party, or PAN. Environment Minister
Victor Lichtinger was replaced with Alberto Cardenas, another of
the conservative party's heavyweights. --Reuters

Afghans say Taliban retreat, violence continues: Afghan and U.S.
forces have driven Taliban fighters from a district in the
southern Zabul province, an official said on Wednesday, but
violence continued as a senior commander was assassinated in
neighboring Uruzgan. The Taliban withdrawal from the Dai Chopan
district of Zabul came after nine days of intense bombardment by
fighter jets and helicopter gunships and ground attacks against
the fighters of the Islamic militia ousted from power late in
2001. Zabul's intelligence chief, Khalil Hotak, said authorities
from neighboring provinces had rushed fighters to the borders of
the district to capture Taliban forces trying to flee. --Reuters

Libya closes Beirut embassy, denies severing diplomatic ties:
Libya closed down its embassy in Beirut on Wednesday, but denied
it had severed diplomatic relations with Lebanon in a row over
the disappearance of a prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric, a
government spokesman said. The decision was a protest against
"the inability of the Lebanese authorities to prevent attacks by
certain Lebanese officials against Libya. Tripoli was responding
to accusations by Lebanese religious and political officials that
Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi helped cover up the disappearance
of prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric, Imam Mussa Sadr, who went
missing on a trip to Libya in 1978. --AFP

UK intelligence officers unhappy with Iraq dossier: Some British
intelligence experts were unhappy with the strength of language
used in a now-famous dossier on Iraq's weaponry, an inquiry into
the death of government scientist David Kelly heard on Wednesday.
Kelly, 59, committed suicide after being exposed as the source
for a BBC report which claimed the government exaggerated its
case for war. His death, following a public parliamentary
grilling, has plunged Prime Minister Tony Blair's administration
into crisis. --Reuters