Terrorist attacks in Kenya: On Nov. 28, three suicide bombers detonated their explosives at the Paradise Hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, a hotel popular primarily with Israeli tourists. The explosion killed 12 people, most of whom were Kenyans. That same day, terrorists fired “shoulder-launched missiles” at an Israeli passenger jet in Mombasa, but did not hit it. Later that day, terrorist gunmen opened fire outside a Likud Party office on election day, killing six Israelis and wounding several others.
The attacks have been potentially linked to the Al Queda, and some are viewing the attacks as a terrorist response against the United States once again, who has utilized Mombasa as a military base. Kenya has been a key ally in battling the war against terrorism, providing both troops and a location from which to strike the Al Qaeda network. Israel and the United States have been allies in the anti-terrorism campaign, although the United States is asking Israel to use caution in retaliatory measures for the recent attacks, hoping that anti-Israel groups in the Middle East and Europe will not be stirred up in the coming months.
Iraq arms inspectors: In a recent inspection on Dec. 2, United Nations inspectors found “a number of pieces of equipment” missing at a top-secret missile development plant that had been found in 1998. This presents the first potential problem inspectors have run into as United Nations resolutions have required that no equipment be moved. Inspectors have not publicly disclosed what was contained in the missing equipment that they discovered was absent at a missile plant in the Waziriyah district of northern Baghdad
AOL shares drop: On Dec. 3, AOL Time Warner shares fell 14.2 percent on the New York Stock Exchange. This followed the announcement that the company was "switching the emphasis away from selling Internet access and toward selling an add-on high-speed version of its service to customers who may buy high-speed Internet access from phone or cable companies.”
Data compiled by Paige Wassel with information from the New York Times.