Intelligence officials say al-Qaeda no longer has the power it had during 911. It’s split into two competing groups?one of which is operating in Iran and is in contact with with Osama bin Laden, who is believed to be hiding along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan. Saad bin Laden, one of Osama’s sons, is one of the leaders of that group. In a recent intercepted communication, Osama bin Laden says he’s unhappy that al-Qaeda failed to attack U.S. interests during the war in Iraq. This failure may indicate that al-Qaeda can conduct small scale suicide attacks, but they can’t carry out another 911. However, cells of the Shi’ite terrorist organization Hezbollah are deeply entrenched in the U.S. and may become more dangerous than al-Qaeda.
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Saddam Hussein may have obtained safe haven in the former Russian province of Belarus. Western intelligence says several intelligence agencies in the Middle East and Europe think he and his family were on a March 29 chartered cargo plane that flew from Baghdad to Minsk. “There’s no proof that Saddam was on the plane but we have proof that a plane left on that day from Baghdad airport and arrived in Minsk,” says a senior intelligence officer. “If you can think of anybody else who could obtain permission to fly out of Baghdad in the middle of a war, then please tell me.”
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There’s evidence that the Earth’s magnetic poles are about to flip. What’s interesting is this: it’s already happened on the Sun. Like the Earth, it has a north and south pole. But for nearly a month, beginning in March 2000, the Sun’s south magnetic pole faded, and a north pole emerged to take its place, so the Sun had two north poles. By May 2000, the south pole was back to its usual position. Then in 2001, the solar magnetic field flipped and the poles swapped positions. They’ve stayed at way ever since.
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SARS is now attacking the intestines as well as the respiratory system. Hong Kong virologist Malik Peiris says this indicates the virus has mutated and will make it harder to develop a vaccine or a medicine for the disease. Tom Buckley, of the intensive care unit at Hong Kong’s Princess Margaret Hospital, says organ failure is now becoming more common. “Initially patients were presenting with just respiratory failure,” he says. “Now we’re seeing renal failure and other organ failure.” And despite mandatory quarantines, SARS carriers are slipping out into the public and infecting others.
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