NightWatch

NightWatch is an internationally acclaimed nightly newsletter that tracks and assesses threats to US national security. It has an edgy, executive style unlike any other product of its kind.

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Title	Description
NightWatch 20120203	North Korea has made an overture to South Korea that states its gripes, but reverses its refusal to deal with the South Korean government under any conditions. Iran continues to bluster against its enemies while losing ground in Syria. The Islamist opposition won Kuwait's parliamentary elections. Islamists and other civilian activists are taking advantage of the soccer riots to intensify pressure on the military government to return to barracks.
NightWatch 20120202	North Korea, including Pyongyang, continues to suffer from a severe electric power shortage. Pakistan's Supreme Court has cited Prime Minister Gilani for contempt of court. He could be fined, go to prison or both. Money speculators and a declining currency have prompted the Iranian government to threaten execution of those caught speculating.
NightWatch 20120201	North Korean media denounced a report published by South Korean and Japanese media that said China would intervene in North Korea during a crisis. In Iraq, Sunni Arab ministers returned to the cabinet and resumed their duties, after talks with the Prime Minister. Russia restated its commitment to honor arms contracts with Syria and its determination to block any unbalanced UN resolution against Syria.
NightWatch 20120131	India selected the French Dassault Rafale multi-role fighter as the replacement for its fleet of aging MiG-21s. The contract for 126 fighters is valued at nearly $11 billion. Saudi Arabia has dictated terms to the Afghan Taliban before allowing them to participate in peace talks in Saudi Arabia. Iranian leaders face the prospect of a strategic setback if the al Asad government in Syria is replaced by a Sunni Arab regime. A Somali press outlet reported that the leader of the al Shabaab movement in Somalia has been kidnapped. The report has not been confirmed.
NightWatch 20120130	Syria's security situation continues to deteriorate, indicated by the fighting near Damascus. Belgian transport workers staged a general strike to put pressure on European Union leaders who met in Brussels.
NightWatch 20120129	France announced that it will withdraw its combat forces from Afghanistan in 2013. France and Afghanistan also announced their agreement that NATO should accelerate the transfer of combat responsibilities from NATO to Afghan forces. An IAEA nuclear inspection team has arrived in Iran. Greece rejected a German proposal that the EU have oversight of Greece's budget. French President Sarkozy announced plans to impose a transaction tax on stock sales starting in August.
NightWatch 20120126	The Iranian central bank devalued the currency by 8 per cent and raised interest rates on deposit accounts to stop capital flight. Syrian security forces executed a sweep operation in a town near Damascus, protecting the center of power in the capital.
NightWatch 20120125	A surge in international meetings and preparations for other meetings indicates international events are in transition. The US rescue operation in Somalia significantly helps protect Americans abroad by demonstrating that no enemy of the US is safe anywhere.
NightWatch 20120124	Former Pakistani leader Musharraf's threat to return to Pakistan has so intimidated civilian politicians that they have passed a resolution ordering his arrest. France announced it will not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in 2012, but its final decision depends on the outcome of talks with President Karzai on the 27th. Egypt's military government lifted the emergency laws on the one year anniversary of the overthrow of the Mubarak government. The Army wants to lower its political profile before an economic and political crisis breaks later this year.
NightWatch 20120123	The Pakistan Army rejected NATO findings about the 26 November killings of 24 Pakistani soldiers and blamed the incident on the failure to follow established procedures for cooperation and the lack of a unified command structure in NATO/ISAF. A prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood has been elected the speaker of the Egyptian parliament. Supporters of the late leader Muammar Qadhafi seized the town of Bani Walid by force. The European Union agreed to implement an oil embargo on Iran and to freeze the assets of the Iranian central bank.
NightWatch 20120122	North Korean propagandists now claim that Kim Jong-Un was responsible for past nuclear tests. France is considering an early withdrawal of its 3,500 forces after an Afghan soldier killed four on 20 January. Iraqi authorities arrested more Sunni Arab politicians on the 20th. Egyptian authorities have confirmed that Islamist parties won 70% of the 498 seats in parliament.
NightWatch 20120119	Japan intends to seek a waiver from US sanctions against Iran. The Bangladesh Army foiled a plot to install a more Islamist government. Pakistan's Supreme Court continued until 1 February the contempt hearing against the Prime Minister and his government. The Syrian Army maintains a cordon around the town of Zabadani, but rebels hold the town for now.
NightWatch 20120118	India's foreign secretary announced that India will not cooperate with US sanctions and will not seek US approval. The Syrian Army agreed to a temporary ceasefire with rebels holding the town of Zabadani, but intends to retake the town. Russia and China will block any UN Security Council move to approve military intervention in Syria. Libya will not be repeated.
NightWatch 20120117	China and the United Arab Emirates announced their intention to establish a strategic partnership. Saudi King Abdallah has appointed a "moderate" to head the virtue and vice commission. He favors allowing female clerks to sell garments to women in women's stores. Iran wants Saudi Arabia to reconsider its pledge to compensate for oil shortfalls resulting from sanctions on Iranian oil sales.
NightWatch 20120116	The Associated Press opened a bureau in Pyongyang, making it the first western press agency with a full time presence in North Korea. Chinese police completed their second patrol of the Mekong River, with local cooperation. The Supreme Court of Pakistan issued a contempt of court citation against the Prime Minister for failure to pursue corruption cases involving President Zardari. The Afghan Taliban said that their agreement to engage in talks does not mean they will stop armed struggle. Standard and Poors downgraded the credit ratings of nine European countries, including France. Violent protests against austerity measures are increasing in Europe, outside of Greece and Italy.
NightWatch 20120112	There is no NightWatch for the night of 12 January.
NightWatch 20120111	The first born son of North Korean leader Kim Chong-il openly criticized the North's hereditary succession as anti-socialist. The Pakistani government dismissed the Defence Secretary prompting the Pakistan Army to issue a public threat of "serious consequences." With Uzbekistan's assistance, Afghanistan has its first common carrier railroad service.
NightWatch 20120110	North Korea announced a special amnesty for prisoners, as part of Kim's popularity contest. A senior Chinese expert said in an interview that the Six Party Talks are dead because nuclear weapons have been enshrined as the legacy of North Korea's late leader Kim Chong-il. In Pakistan a constitutional crisis has been reactivated after two years in which the Supreme Court has found that the President and Prime Minister both are constitutionally barred from public office. In Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood has decided to wait until parliament convenes on 23 January before taking on the power of the Egyptian Army.
NightWatch 20120109	Sunday, 8 January, was the birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It passed with no public celebrations. North Korea and the US have resumed negotiations about US food aid. China told the visiting South Korean President that it wants stability on the Korean peninsula. Turkey has arrested a former Chief of the General Staff for coup plotting. Kenyan and Ethiopian forces are making gains against al-Shabaab insurgents in southern Somalia.
NightWatch 20120105	Pakistan's Supreme Court has agreed to investigate a controversial memo that purports to ask for US help in countering a Pakistan Army coup against the civilian, elected government. New oil sanctions against Iran appear to be having the effect of damaging the Iranian economy. As yet they have had no effect on Iran's nuclear policy. An Italian bank's financial advisor has warned investors to guard against a possible collapse of the euro zone, for the first time.
NightWatch 20120104	On 1 January China cut excessive prime time television entertainment programming by two-thirds because the communist leadership considers Western television entertainment programming to pose a strategic threat to China, according to President Hu Jintao. The Chinese aircraft carrier has completed its third sea trials. Egypt's third round of parliamentary elections was extended a second day.
NightWatch 20120103	The Afghanistan Taliban have confirmed that they will open a political office in Qatar for communicating and negotiating with the US. Iranian naval readiness has declined after the strain of recent exercises and will take weeks to rebuild. Egypt held its third and final round of parliamentary elections on 3 January. Greece is negotiating a second bailout by demanding creditors accept 50% losses on government obligations or Greece will withdraw from the euro zone.
NightWatch 20120101	The North Korean party Political Bureau voted by acclamation to appoint Kim Jong-un as Supreme Commander. Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki declared 31 December a national holiday to celebrate Iraq's freedom from the US military presence.
NightWatch 20111229	The North Korean government awarded Kim Chong-il its highest state award, Hero; Kim retains all his positions of power, even in death. Afghanistan's Karzai government this week signed its first oil production contract, with a Chinese firm. Two US Navy ships transited the Strait of Hormuz this week without incident. Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki has replaced the Sunni Arab members of his cabinet because of their continuous absence from cabinet meetings.
NightWatch 20111228	North Korea held a funeral for Kim Chong-il on 28 December; the images conveyed stability and continuity. India and Pakistan extended for another five years two key confidence building agreements, as expected. Saudi Arabia announced it would offset any loss of oil from an Iranian blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. The Arab League monitoring mission in Syria, headed by a Sudanese general, said it found nothing to be frightened of on its second day of monitoring at Homs.
NightWatch 20111227	The funeral for North Korean leader Kim Chong-il will be held on 28 December. An Iranian vice president warned that Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz to all oil shipments if oil sanctions are imposed on Iran. In Iraq, Muqtada al Sadr announced his faction's opposition to Prime Minister al Maliki's crackdown on Sunnis and called for early elections. A senior International Monetary Fund officer told the French press that Europe's financial crisis is turning into a crisis of confidence in public debt and in the solidity of the financial system.
NightWatch 20111226	North Korean news media reported Kim Jong-un now is the leader of the Party Central Committee and Supreme Commander. In Pakistan, the power struggle between the Army and the government continues. Iranian media reported that Iran's armed forces are ready to expand military and security ties with Iraq.
NightWatch 20111222	North Korea is expelling foreigners or confining them to quarters during the national mourning period, consistent with a high state of national war readiness. Turkey and Israel will renew cooperation between their air forces in the next two years. The Iraqi government has demanded that the Kurdish regional government hand over Sunni Arab Vice President al Hashimi to government custody. The Kurds have refused.
NightWatch 20111222	In Pakistan the political struggle between the civilian government and the Pakistan Army leadership is intensifying. The purge of Iraqi Sunni Arab politicians continued, with another senior minister under investigation. The Mexican government has dismissed the entire police force of Veracruz because of heavy infiltration by criminals, mainly from the Zetas drug cartel.
NightWatch 20111220	North Korean leader Kim Jong un paid respects to his father, marking his first public appearance since the death of Kim Chong-il. Djibouti sent an advance contingent to Mogadishu, making it the third African nation to join the African Union forces fighting al Shabaab Islamic terrorists. Algeria has sent a contingent of troops into northern Mali to help fight al-Qaida terrorists.
NightWatch 20111219	North Korea test fired two short range ballistic missiles as the first acts of the new regime. Pakistan President Zardari has returned to Islamabad. NATO rejected Afghan President Karzai's appeal for an end to night raids, which undermine support for his government.
NightWatch 20111218	North Korean leader Kim Chong-il died of a heart attack on a train during an inspection tour on 17 December. His funeral will be held on 28 December. In Iraq, sectarian political tension has begun to increase between Sunni and Shiite political parties. The second round of Egypt's parliamentary elections again favored Islamist parties.
NightWatch 20111216	South Korea has acceded to US pressure to tighten sanctions on Iran. During Indian Prime Minister Singh's visit to Moscow, Russia announced two major arms deals. Two senior Pakistani generals raised the political stakes against the Zardari government by testifying against it before the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
NightWatch 20111215	NightWatch will not be published in honor of the official end of the US intervention in Iraq.
NightWatch 20111214	China accepted a Seychelles invitation to use its port for resupply and rest during anti-piracy escort missions, but declined the invitation to build a base. Pakistani President Zardari traveled to Dubai for medical treatment for a heart condition because he feared threats against his life in Pakistan. Iran plans to exercise its capability to close the Strait of Hormuz. The second round of Egyptian parliamentary elections began on 14 December.
NightWatch 20111213	China has promised to cooperate in investigating the death of a South Korean coast guardsman by a Chinese fisherman. The Afghanistan government reportedly has an agreement with the Taliban that reduces attacks against schools in return for a more conservative religious curriculum. The Afghan-Iranian Joint Military and Defense Cooperation Commission held its first meeting in Tehran on 13 December. Jordanian media reported a crackdown in Tehran starting in November because of a thwarted assassination attempt against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Iran's parliament passed a bill that will allow free trade with Syria.
NightWatch 20111212	Pakistan announced rules of engagement that would allow air defense units to shoot down US drone aircraft whenever they enter Pakistan's airspace. Syria held local elections for more than 17,500 positions. Egypt's economic problems are much worse than previously thought, according to Prime Minister Ganzuri. Algeria announced it will shoot down US and French reconnaissance drones.
NightWatch 20111208	The Egyptian military-backed government announced it would appoint a commission to draft a constitution rather than rely on the elected parliament whose primary task was to draft a constitution. In Somalia, al Shabaab fighters attacked targets in the suburbs of Mogadishu, ending a four month lull. Ethiopian soldiers assisted Somali government forces in countering the attacks.
NightWatch 20111207	Turkey denied that it has allowed armed Syrian opposition elements to operate from Turkey. Syria confirmed it fired on opposition elements hiding in Turkey. In Egyptian runoff elections, Islamist parties continued to make gains. China announced that trade losses in Europe will compel it to seek new markets in Asia and Latin America.
NightWatch 20111206	A Pakistan-based terrorist group claimed responsibility for attacks against Shiites in three major Afghan cities. Turkish support for Syrian rebels is becoming more overt, indicated by a clash along the border on 6 December. France and Germany are engineering a two-tiered European Union.
NightWatch 20111205	Pakistan's civilian government is seeking a reset of relations with the US so that it is the authority for all agreements -- overt or clandestine -- with the US. The turnout for Egypt's elections was lower than first reported, weakening many assessments of its significance as a manifestation of the will of the people. in Russian elections, Prime Minister Putin's United Russia Party lost seats in the Duma, but Putin has not necessarily been politically weakened. Germany and France support a new European Union Treaty that would compromise the economic sovereignty of its members.
NightWatch 20111201	Russia expressed public concern about North Korean nuclear activities. Russia also sent cruise missiles for coastal defense to Syria. A UN official declared Syria is now in a civil war, but failed to provide substantiation or authority for his declaration. In Egypt the election results are to be announced by 3 December. Islamist parties appear to have won a majority.
NightWatch 20111130	North Korea announced it is making progress in building and processing enriched uranium fuel for a light water reactor. Pakistan will restore its cooperation if NATO apologizes for the deaths of 24 Pakistani paramilitary troops on 26 November. Norway and France have withdrawn ambassadors from Iran because of the attack on the British Embassy this week. The core European Union states registered unprecedentedly high levels of unemployment for October.
NightWatch 20111129	North Korea and Iran reportedly are cooperating in the construction of a new missile facility in Syria. Syria says the new sanctions imposed by the Arab League and the European Union will hurt only the ordinary people. That appears to be accurate. Egyptians appear to have given a strong mandate to the Muslim Brotherhood in parliamentary elections on the 28th. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development published a forecast that predicts recession or near recession in Europe for the next two years.
NightWatch 20111129	North Krea's news agency announced it will begin a Chinese language service beginning 1 December. China's aircraft carrier began its second set of sea trials on 29 November. This week the US Secretary of State will make the first visit to Burma at this level in 50 years. Pakistan-US relations have deteriorated but are not as bad as the public media analysts suggest. Iranian students broke into the UK Embassy in Tehran to protest British sanctions. The Moroccan King named the head of the Islamist party as prime minister with responsibility for forming a new government.
NightWatch 20111127	North Korea has again threatened to turn Seoul, South Korea, into a sea of fire. Pakistani public hostility to the US will spike because of the death of more than two dozen Pakistani soldiers from a NATO helicopter attack. A moderate Islamist party, modeled after the Turkish ruling party, won a plurality in Moroccan national elections.
NightWatch 20111123	Russia continues its saber-rattling about NATO's anti-ballistic missile basing program. Yemeni President Saleh flew to Saudi Arabia to sign a power transfer agreement. Egyptian protests continued for a fifth day. Sahelian African states said they will form a joint air force to consolidate assets and eliminate redundancy in fighting al Qaida in North and Sahelian Africa.
NightWatch 20111122	North Korea refused to accept South Korean humanitarian aid for flood victims. Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani has accepted the resignation of Pakistan's ambassador to the US over the "memo" scandal. The Somali government in Mogadishu denied reports of a second Ethiopian military intervention. Egypt's military government has accelerated the date for presidential elections to June 2012. Moroccan parliamentary elections on 25 November are expected to be a referendum on King Mohammed's political reforms.
NightWatch 20111121	China has affirmed it will strengthen military ties with North Korea, apparently in retaliation for US basing Marines in Australia. The Pakistan government has begun preliminary talks with the Pakistan Taliban. Ethiopian troops have returned to Somalia, according to eyewitnesses. Anti-military government riots occurred for the third day. Lebanon's Hezbollah and Amal promised to support Syria and Iran against international conspiracies.
NightWatch 20111118	A major political crisis is emerging in Pakistan that involves a request from President Zardari to the US to prevent a military overthrow of the government. In Egypt anti-military protests have resumed, but the Muslim Brotherhood has refused to join the protestors. The European Commission has proposed various options for controlling sovereign debt that all involve significant compromises to national sovereignty.
NightWatch 20111117	Russian sources said North Korea will be paid $100 million annually for allowing Russian natural gas to transit a pipeline to South Korea. The Emir of Kuwait wants harsh punishment for the cell-phone activists and protestors. The Syrian opposition and others want the Turks or the Saudis to intervene in Syria. Various Libyan groups are putting pressure on the transitional government, confirming Libyans have a limited and literal understanding of modern democracy. Tunisia's interim President is Moncef Marzouki a German-educated human rights activist. Italian Prime Minister Monti is promising harsh austerity measures that will not sit well in Rome.
NightWatch 20111116	North Korea is experimenting with tourism from China, vice South Korea, using South Korean-built facilities. India and Pakistan are moving to establish most favored nation trade relations. Iran said it is willing to share its nuclear power technology with Turkey. The Arab League suspended Syria, as part of Sunni Arab efforts to contain Iranian influence as well as stop the killing of Syrian Sunni Arab protestors. Tunisian Islamists won a plurality and will form the next government.
NightWatch 20111116	Chinese economists expect a downturn in the global economy that will include a downgrade of the US' credit rating. Afghanistan President Karzai has raised stiff conditions before agreeing to a strategic agreement with the US. The Arab uprising finally reached Kuwait where reform-minded protestors stormed parliament. Egyptian Army Field Marshal Tantawi apparently is running to be elected President of Egypt in 2012 or 2013. Kenya is willing to commit forces to the African Union's peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
NightWatch 20111110	Iran has renewed an offer of talks about its nuclear program to deflect UN discussions of more sanctions. Russia announced it will oppose more Iranian sanctions. The Palestinian Authority doubts it will achieve full UN membership. Niger has intercepted a weapons convoy from Libya protected by Malian Touaregs. Greek Prime Minister Papandreou has resigned. The Italian government hopes to pass a financial stability package by 12 November.
NightWatch 20111109	South Korea has authorized the World Health Organization to distribute South Korean-financed medical aid to malnourished North Korean children. A Tunisian court approved the extradition to Libya of Qadhafi's former foreign minister. Lucas Papademos is likely to be the new Greek prime minister; Greece has not yet accepted the EU bailout plan. Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi has offered to resign after the budget bill is passed, which will add political turmoil to economic stress.
NightWatch 20111107	South Korean officials have leaked information indicating North Korea is making progress in enriching uranium for dual use purposes. Italy is on the verge of becoming the next Eurozone country in danger of default on sovereign debts.
NightWatch 20111106	A new report from the International Atomic Energy Agency reportedly will charge that iran has a nuclear weapons program. Syria released a large number of prisoners, consistent with one provision of the Arab League peace plan. Greece has a new coalition government that is not led by Papandreou.
NightWatch 20111104	Russia and South Korea are working together on plans to build a natural gas-driven electric power plant in North Korea in return for permission to run a pipeline to South Korea. A US soldier has died in Kenya under suspicious circumstances. The Greek government of Prime Minister Papandreou has survived a vote of confidence. Cyprus sovereign bonds have been downgraded because of the ripple effects of the Greek financial crisis.
NightWatch 20111103	The Japanese and Indian defense ministers agreed to hold joint naval exercises in 2012. Kenyan authorities said they will shoot down unidentified aircraft that support al Shabaab Islamic militants. The Egyptian military government insists that military affairs will remain exempt from civilian oversight in a future civilian government. Greece has backed down from holding a referendum on the European bailout plan. This will lead to more street violence. China is willing to chip in to help Europe provided there is no probability of loss!!
NightWatch 20111102	An unmanned Chinese space vehicle successfully docked with the Chinese space lab. Pakistani leaders have promised to do what they can to restrain the Haqqanis. Iran said its forces are on full alert against an Israeli attack. Israel tested a Jericho missile on 2 November. Greece will hold its referendum on the European bailout plan on 4 December.
NightWatch 20111101	In an interview in Russia, President Lee reverted to his initial hardline approach for dealing with North Korea. The new Saudi Crown Prince said compromise with Iran over the alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US is unnecessary. Israel's government has authorized the armed forces to take all necessary measures to stop rocket attacks by Palestinians in Gaza. Greek Prime Minister Papandreou has announced a national referendum on the European bailout plan, risking his government, a Greek government default, ejection from the Eurozone and spreading panic and recession in Europe, if not beyond.
NightWatch 20111031	North Korean contract workers in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt are banned from returning home because of fear their experiences of the Arab uprisings will contaminate North Koreans. China refused a French request for increased Chinese purchases of bonds issued by the 17 Eurozone nations. The Chinese do not consider European sovereign debt to be risk free. The Libyan transitional council elected a US-educated electronics engineer and university professor as Libya's interim prime minister.
NightWatch 20111028	In Tunisia, rioters in Sidi Bouzid, the birthplace of the Arab Spring, burned down government buildings because nothing has changed. A revolution has not yet taken place in Tunisia,
NightWatch 20111027	Russia is hosting North and South Korean delegates at talks in Moscow about restarting nuclear talks. An Iraqi official said the national reconciliation program will end after US troops depart. Saudi Interior Minister Naif is the new crown prince. On 27 October, al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia attacked the invading Kenyan forces but suffered significant losses. No Kenyan soldiers died. In Tunisia, the Islamist party Ennahda won 41,47% of the electoral vote for the National Constituent Assembly.
NightWatch 20111026	Despite a prominent news service report, no evidence indicates China seeks to build ground, air or naval bases in Pakistan. The allied coalition in Afghanistan will transfer security responsibility for 17 more areas to Afghan forces in the next two weeks. Qatar announced it will lead a 13-nation military coalition that will protect Libya after NATO operations cease.
NightWatch 20111025	US talks with North Korea in Geneva ended with no date set for future talks and mixed reviews. The North's delegation seems more pleased than the US delegation for unstated reasons. The Haqqani faction of the Afghan Taliban rejected the US offer of peace talks. Tunisia's Ennahda Party has won 43% of the vote, according to unofficial returns.
NightWatch 20111024	President Karzai said Afghanistan will side with Pakistan in the event the US or India attack Pakistan. A moderate Islamist party appears like to win the most votes in Tunisia's elections on 23 October. Kenya claims its invasion of Somalia has the support of Western countries. Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner won a landslide victory for a second term.
NightWatch 20111024	North Korean and US delegates began talks about having substantive talks in Geneva. The Afghan presidential staff issued a correction that President Karzai's unreserved support for Pakistan against the US was taken out of context. Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for two minor terrorist bombings in Nairobi, Kenya. Tunisia's Ennahda party claimed victory in Sunday's elections. Libya's chairman of the Transitional National Council proclaimed Liberation Day on 23 October, which starts the timetable for government formation. He also declared any law contrary to Sharia is null and void.
NightWatch 20111021	India will relax its emergency laws in some areas of Jammu and Kashmir State because security conditions have improved. Libyan military officials said they captured Qadhafi's on Saif al-Islam. NATO announced it will end operations this month. NATO is taking credit for a Libyan success that was primarily financed by US taxpayers. Russia staked its claim to Libyan resources, based on agreements with the Qadhafi regime.
NightWatch 20111020	South Korea announced a large-scale joint forces exercise for later this month to defend against North Korean provocations. A high-powered US delegation is in Pakistan reportedly to demand more cooperation in suppressing militants. Turkey announced that 22 ground forces battalions are involved in anti-Kurdish rebel suppression operations.. Libyan leader Qadhafi is dead. The Kenyans announced their forces will remain in Somalia until no insurgents remain.
NightWatch 20111019	The US and North Korea are holding talks on resuming remains recovery operations and plan to hold preliminary nuclear talks next week. Turkish ground and air forces are attacking Kurdish rebels in Iraq in retaliation for rebel attacks in southeastern Turkey on 18 October. Palestinian President Abbas said he will present to Hamas an offer to hold general elections, which could result in Hamas leading the Palestinian government.
NightWatch 20111018	North and South Korea representatives are engaged in Track II informal talks at the University of Georgia. US, Afghan and Pakistan forces have commenced seemingly separate operations against the Haqqani network. A quartet of Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia are to meet to discuss Iraq's future security problems. Gilad Shalit was returned to Israel by Hamas. Italian banks and Spanish sovereign debt were downgraded today. Standard and Poors downgraded Italian banks and Moody's downgraded Spanish sovereign debt.
NightWatch 20111017	The Indian government has approved the second phase expansion of defense forces opposite China, including creation of a new army corps and basing a nuclear-capable cruise missile regiment targeted against China. The Israeli soldier held by Hamas reportedly has been moved to Egypt in preparation for his return to Israel. Somalia's al Shabaab has threatened to retaliate against Kenya by using suicide bombers to target Kenyan skyscrapers and tourist sites.
NightWatch 20111016	In Sri Lanka a visiting Chinese general tried to drum up Sri Lankan recruits for Chinese military academies. In Afghanistan, anti-government elements detonated the first suicide bombing attack in Panjshir Province, indicating an expansion of violence into the most stable province in Afghanistan. Kenya has sent military forces into Somalia to create a buffer zone against al Shabaab kidnappers and terrorists and to stabilize the border. Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have declined to enter the Eurozone until the monetary union stabilizes.
NightWatch 20111012	Vietnam and India signed six agreements, including one that promotes oil exploration in the South China Sea, which is likely to provoke China. The governor of Pakistan's northwestern province has vowed to crush the Pakistani Taliban after surviving an assassination attempt. Iran reportedly has cut some $350 million in financial aid to Lebanese Hezbollah owing to the effects of sanctions and increased burdens from supporting Syria. Greek finance ministry officials have called for a week long work stoppage to protest government ordered pay and pension cuts.
NightWatch 20111011	North Korea and the US are heading for a second round of talks about future six party talks. Burma has promised to release 6,300 political prisoners in a gesture to build international respectability. Saudi Arabia has vowed to respond to the Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the US. Hamas and Israel announced an agreement to swap one Israeli POW for 1,000 Palestinians. European banking institutions announced that Greece cannot meet its fiscal targets because its gross domestic product is declining and it is unable or unwilling to implement agreed austerity measures..
NightWatch 20111006	Hong Kong has denied a student visa to North Korean leader Kim Chong-il's grandson because North Koreans overstay their visa. The Patriarch of the Maronite Catholics in Lebanon and Syria has warned about the consequences for Christians of a Sunni Muslim takeover in Syria. Yemeni security authorities denied they have proof that al Awlaki is dead. A key Luxembourg-French-Belgian bank, Dexia, collapsed today.
NightWatch 20111005	Afghan security services thwarted a plan to assassinate President Karzai using one of his bodyguards. Iraqi politicians want a US military training mission in 2012 but refuse to grant it immunity from Iraqi law. Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have condemned the Syrian internal security crackdown. In Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood's political party will not abandon its slogan, "Islam is the solution." Large anti-military protests are planned in Cairo on 7 October. Greek government workers went on strike to protest government austerity measures
NightWatch 20111004	India and Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership agreement for combating terrorism. Pakistan refuses to cooperate in the investigation of the murder of former Afghan President Rabbani. Greek officials announced that more austerity measures are unnecessary, but most analysts predict a Greek sovereign debt default is not avoidable.
NightWatch 20111003	India's new Chief of Air Staff said India is building capabilities to meet security challenges outside the Indian Ocean. The target time period is after 2022. In Pakistan, the leader of the Haqqani syndicate denied ties with Pakistani intelligence and said his group relies on Mullah Omar for supervision and finances. The Egyptian military leadership has again made significant concessions on election rules, in reaction to public pressure.
NightWatch 20111002	Afghan President Karzai has terminated talks with the Taliban because Pakistan is the primary actor. He wants talks with Pakistan that exclude the Taliban. Iran objects to Palestinian statehood if it includes recognition of the existence of Israel. Syrian leaders have denounced their proxy Hamas because Hamas is supporting the anti-Syrian opposition. Formation of a new Libyan government has been delayed until after the fall of Qadhafi's strongholds.
NightWatch 20110929	China successfully launched into orbit the first module of its space lab. UN data on violence in Afghanistan shows the security situation to be much worse than the NATO command has indicated. In Syria, the US ambassador was pelted with eggs and rotten fruit for attempting to show support for the opposition. Large demonstrations are expected in Egypt on 30 September.
NightWatch 20110928	Chinese officials have snubbed the US and the international community with respect to Chinese interests in the South Pacific and in the South China Sea. The Lithuanian government expects a new Putin presidency in Russia to inaugurate a dangerous period for the Baltic states..
NightWatch 20110927	China will launch the first module of a Chinese space station by the end of September. Pakistan reached out for cover to China which promised to support Pakistani sovereignty against US ground incursions from Afghanistan. Pakistan warned the US against blaming Pakistan for US failures in Afghanistan. Turkey announced an arms embargo on Syria. Egyptian general elections begin on 28 November and run through 11 March. Qadhafi family members left Algeria for Egypt, probably en route Europe.
NightWatch 20110927	US military contacts with China again will be disrupted by US arms sales to Taiwan. The Taliban proved again that they can attack anyone they want in Kabul, including the CIA. The King of Saudi Arabia has granted Saudi women the right to vote in town and city elections. Hamas has promised to resume conciliation talks with Fatah, in the Palestinian Authority. In Libya, the Berbers who helped capture Tripoli want better treatment by the new regime than they received by Qadhafi.
NightWatch 20110923	North Korea and the US have agreed to hold talks about holding talks on POW/MIA remains recovery in North Korea. Yemeni President Saleh's return to Yemen has rallied and revived his supporters. Palestinian President Abbas submitted an application for membership to the UN as an independent state of Palestine.
NightWatch 20110922	The US and North Korea are pursuing bilateral talks to discuss six party talks. The US finally has accused Pakistan of exporting terrorism to Afghanistan. Afghan security authorities accused Pakistani intelligence of complicity in the murder of former president Rabbani this week.
NightWatch 20110921	South-North Korean talks in Beijing ended with no progress towards six-party nuclear talks. The Afghan Taliban deny killing former president Rabbani, suggesting a rogue group committed the murder. Iran finally released on bail the two American backpackers who flew to Oman. The Yemen ceasefire did not last 24 hours. The new Libyan cabinet will be named by 1 October.
NightWatch 20110920	A suicide assassin murdered a former president of Afghanistan, the fourth sensational attack in Kabul this summer. Iran warned Saudi Arabia to not sent armored forces to prop up the government in Yemen as it did the monarchy in Bahrain. Standard and Poors downgraded Italy's credit rating again.
NightWatch 20110919	South and North Korean emissaries are to hold talks about nuclear talks in Beijing on 21 September. Iran has stalled the release of two US backpackers because the judge is on vacation. Several UN Security Council members are trying to discourage the Palestinians from seeking full membership in the UN. The Libyan rebels plan to announce a new interim cabinet this week.
NightWatch 20110915	US relations with Pakistan are strained again because the six insurgents who attacked in Kabul on the 13th came from Pakistan and were in communication with Pakistanis. On 23 September, the Palestinian Authority will submit a resolution to the UN General Assembly requesting full membership. Israel evacuated its embassy staff in Jordan in reaction to threats of violent demonstrations. Egypt's civilian government announced that it might reopen the Camp David Accords.
NightWatch 20110914	Japan's coast guard rescued a boatload of refugees from North Korea. The five-hour battle in Kabul, Afghanistan, is a strategic setback for Coalition forces despite the low casualties. Iran's President announced that two US backpackers will be pardoned and released in a few days, apparently after the ransom is paid.
NightWatch 20110914	The North Korean boat defectors who drifted into Japanese waters were bound for South Korea and will be repatriated there. A Pakistani intelligence source said that Ayman al Zawahiri, the al Qaida leader, has left Pakistan for Yemen or Somalia. Although Greece and Italy have promised to adhere to austerity plans, the financial crisis in the Euro zone is not easing.
NightWatch 20110912	A US defense spokesman denied that North Korean jamming forced a US reconnaissance aircraft to land. Qatar reportedly will host a "political office" for the Taliban to facilitate talks with the Coalition. Turkey announced it will commit three frigates to protect Turkish aid ships in the eastern Mediterranean. The Palestinian Authority will propose full membership in the United Nations next week. Egypt will extend the state of emergency in reaction to the trashing of the Israeli Embassy over the weekend. China has recognized the Libyan transitional government. Qadhafi's son Saadi has been detained in Niger.
NightWatch 20110909	A domestic Indian Muslim terrorist group also has claimed responsibility for the bombing at the Delhi High Court. Turkey's statement that its warships will escort aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip escalate the political crisis with Israel. Egypt's ruling military council has directed the cabinet to take tough measures to stop "a deterioriating security situation." Libyan leader Qadhafi continues to vow to fight on. The Niamey government denied he is in Niger.
NightWatch 20110907	Islamic terrorists who operate from Bangladesh and Pakistan claimed responsibility for the briefcase bombing at the New Delhi High Court that killed at least 9 and injured 45 people. In Pakistan, the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for two suicide bombers who attacked the residence of a senior security officer in Quetta, killing 28 and injuring 82. Pakistani officials are on alert in response to a threat of kidnapping by the Pakistani Taliban. Libyan rebel fighters claim they have located and surrounded Qadhafi, but provided no details.
NightWatch 20110906	NightWatch will not be produced for the night of 6 September.
NightWatch 20110902	Tajikistan has agreed to extend the Russian military base lease another 49 years. The UN International Atomic Energy Agency has produced a report that charges Iran continues to develop nuclear warheads.
NightWatch 20110901	The Philippine President's trip to China accomplished little to nothing in any area of national life. The US has rejected Pakistan's insistence on a detailed agreement on CIA actions in Pakistan. Yemeni activists have called for a million man march on 2 September. The African Union is concerned that black Africans might face reprisals from the rebels and Arab Libyans for their having supported Qadhafi and having killed Arab Libyans during the fighting since February.
NightWatch 20110831	A Chinese ship probably violated international law when it tried to intercept an Indian Navy ship in international waters off Vietnam in late July. Pakistan's two ammonium nitrate fertilizer plants have been the primary source of Afghan Taliban explosives for more than ten years. The visit to North Korea by Iran's head of parliament on 4 September confirms that Iranian ties with North Korea remain strong. Unqualified Lebanese support to Syria attests to the restoration of Syrian control in Beirut and Iran's breakout into the Mediterranean Sea. The Qadhafi family government is in disarray, but fighting continues.
NightWatch 20110830	The appointment of a new Unification Minister signifies a further easing of the South Korean government's hard-line policy for dealing with North Korea. Construction of a $20 billion railroad in Burma is expected to begin in December 2011. A senior Hamas official declared "defunct" the Palestinian reconciliation agreement signed in April.
NightWatch 20110829	Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda will be the next prime minister of Japan. Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar wrote a lengthy greeting in honor of Eid ul Fitr observances that implied a need for a comprehensive negotiation on his terms. In Misrata, Libya, demonstrators protested the pending appointment by the National Transitional Council of a former general in the Qadhafi regime to be head of security in Tripoli. The general defected in May, but fought the rebels prior to that. Algeria has given refuge to Qadhafi's wife, his daughter, two sons and their children.
NightWatch 20110828	Kim Chong-il has returned to Pyongyang. North Korea announced plans to develop the Mount Kumgang resort whose assets it confiscated from South Korean firms. Iran restated its support for Syria's al Asad government The political situation in Libya remains unsettled. In Algeria, Al Qaida terrorists claimed responsibility for killing 16 officer candidates on Friday.
NightWatch 20110826	Japanese Prime Minister Kan resigned. Ruling Democratic Party of Japan elections for a new prime minister are expected on 29 August. North Korean leader Kim Chong-il restated his terms for resuming nuclear talks during his stop over in China. Russia is ready to loan Venezuela $4 billion for military weapons and equipment to support the coming election campaign.
NightWatch 20110825	After leaving Russia, North Korean leader Kim Chong-il headed for China before returning to Pyongyang. Pakistan denied that it expelled 200 US Embassy staff members. Yemeni President Saleh has renounced all prior agreements for his early departure from office. Egyptian activists are calling for a million man anti-Israel demonstration after Friday prayers. The Libyan rebel government announced it has set up operations in Tripoli, though some fighting continues.
NightWatch 20110824	The Russian-North Korean summit in Ulan Ude produced a statement of interest in building a gas pipeline that would transit North Korea to South Korea and a statement of willingness to consider six party talks without conditions. Pakistani news services published unconfirmed reports that up to 250 members of the US Embassy staff are to be expelled in the next 40 days. Libyan businessmen have posted a million British pound bounty on Qadhafi, dead or alive.
NightWatch 20110823	India continues the incremental, steady buildup of conventional military forces in eastern India opposite China. Government authorities in Sindh Province, Pakistan, announced a "surgical operation" against terrorists, but Army intervention appears mainly a question of when, rather than whether. Qadhafi admitted he made a tactical retreat from his stronghold in Tripoli. He has not indicated an intention to abdicate.
NightWatch 20110822	North Korea finally has confiscated South Korean assets at the Mount Kumgang resort. Kim Chong-il is in Ulan Ude for a summit with Russian President Medvedev. An Iranian court sentenced two US backpackers to 8 years in jail for espionage. Another rocket fired from the Gaza Strip exploded harmlessly in Israel, indicating there is no ceasefire. In Libya, Qadhafi's son Saif proved he is not a captive but identified inadvertently sympathetic neighborhoods.
NightWatch 20110821	The overthrow of the Qadhafi family rule in Libya appears to be in progress. North Korean leader Kim Chong-il is visiting Russia. The Pakistan Army chief announced the Army's readiness to restore peace in Karachi, if asked by the government. Syrian President Asad made his fourth public statement on the security situation and expressed confidence in his government's ability to control it. Security conditions between Israel and the Gaza Strip appear headed for deterioration.
NightWatch 20110819	The US has decided to resume aid to North Korea under the guise of flood relief and POW/MIA research as inducements for the North to return to nuclear talks. Vietnam is cracking down on anti-China public protests lest they turn into Arab-style anti-government protests. A series of coordinated Arab attacks at Eilat that killed eight Israelis seems intended to refocus Arabs and Muslims on Israel as the enemy of Islam, rather than on fellow Arabs and Muslims.
NightWatch 20110817	The official North Korean denunciation of allied exercise Ulji Freedom Guardian on 17 August focused on the role of a US special action unit to destroy North Korean nuclear weapons. Syrian President al-Asad told the UN Secretary General that all operations against protestors stopped on 17 August. The investigating magistrate for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon found sufficient evidence to try for murder four Hezbollah suspectd. In Gaza, Hamas security personnel have suppressed anti-Syrian demonstrations by Palestinian youths. Libyan rebel forces west of Tripoli are making more progress than those supported from Benghazi.
NightWatch 20110816	North Korea denounced the start of Allied exercises in South Korea, as expected. On 18 August Turkey will decide its next steps in exerting pressure on Syria to halt its suppression operations. Rebel and pro-Qadhafi forces continue to fight for control of Zawiya, 30 miles west of Tripoli.
NightWatch 20110815	North Korea is sending propaganda signals that it is scaling back expectations for national achievement in 2012, the 100th anniversary of President Kim Il-song's birth. China's aircraft carrier returned to port after four days of sea trials. Pakistan denied that it gave Chinese agents access to a US helicopter that crashed during the bin Laden assassination. Turkey gave Syria a final warning to stop killing protestors. Egyptian Army anti-terrorist and anti-criminal operations in North Sinai are taking place with Israeli concurrence and support. Libyan rebel fighters claim to have captured the town of Zawiya, just 30 miles west of Tripoli.
NightWatch 20110812	North Korea is considering holding a reunion of Korean-Americans with family members in North Korea. Afghan President Karazi's staff told the media that Karzai will not seek a third term as president. Yemen President Saleh objected to a US-backed plan for transferring his power to a successor without elections.
NightWatch 20110812	South Korea said North Korea must suspend all nuclear activities as a prerequisite to six-party talks. China and Sri Lanka exchanged pledges of cooperation during President Rajapaksa;s visit to Beijing. A captured Libyan intelligence general said the fall of the Qadhafi government is not imminent.
NightWatch 20110810	North Korean construction explosions off the southwest coast prompted South Korean naval counterfire. China's aircraft carrier began sea trials on 10 August. Yemeni President Saleh said he has agreed to consider the Arab states' initiative to resolve Yemen's political crisis.
NightWatch 20110809	Vietnam protested Chinese scientific exploration in the South China Sea near Vietnamese-claimed islands. Naval ties between Vietnam and India are increasing and include Indian Naval access to Nha Trang port. India is expanding the size of the Eastern Naval Command and increasing its base facilities to counter the increased Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean. The Syrian Defense Minister replaced on 8 August was found dead on 9 August. The Turkish Foreign Minister's attempt to persuade Syrian President al-Asad to stop the violence failed.
NightWatch 20110808	North Korea published an open letter calling for the cancellation of joint US-South Korean military exercises, set for next week. Chinese authorities in Xinjiang announced a harsh crackdown on Uighur "religious extremists." Yemeni President Saleh is out of the hospital, but will remain in Saudi Arabia. Turkish authorities issued seven more arrest warrants for senior army and naval officers for coup plotting in 2003. Syria announced it will hold free parliamentary elections by 2012. The leader of the Libyan rebel government dismissed his entire cabinet for incompetence in connection with the assassination of General Younis last month.
NightWatch 20110804	Two Chinese naval ships arrived in North Korea in honor of the 50th anniversary of the treaty of friendship. An Iranian ambassador has predicted the imminent release of two Americans held in custody for two years for espionage. Turkey's government has replaced the heads of the armed forces without incident. Syrian President Asad decreed that multiple political parties may be formed to contest elections.
NightWatch 20110803	South Korea has offered flood relief aid to North Korea. North Korea signed an agreement with a US company to manage tourism to the Mount Kumgang resort. Political violence in Karachi continues to worsen despite troop reinforcements. Taliban killed a fourth senior official.
NightWatch 20110802	Japan's latest Defense White Paper states concern about Chinese naval activity in northeast Asia. The approval by an international authority of Chinese seabed mining rights in the Indian Ocean caught Indian officials by surprise. They consider it a diplomatic and intelligence failure. In Libya, the rebel authorities have captured and taken into custody the assassin of General Younis.
NightWatch 20110801	North Korea has decided to dispose of South Korean property and interests at the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea. US and North Korean diplomats described last month's talks in New York as constructive and promised to continue the dialogue. China blamed violence in Kashgar over the weekend on terrorists trained in Pakistan. The Egyptian Army used tanks, troops and police to clear sit-in demonstrators from Tahrir Square in Cairo.
NightWatch 20110731	For most Muslims Ramadan begins on 1 August. Talks about talks between the US and North Korea were positive. A senior Chinese strategist said China needs three aircraft carriers. The two US citizens in Iranian custody were tried on 31 July, and could be released this week, after two years in an Iranian prison without trial.
NightWatch 20110729	Cambodia has withdrawn 2,500 troops from a disputed border region as a good will gesture to the new Thai government. Yemeni President Saleh continues to insist on elections as the mechanism for government change. The top four flag-rank officers in the Turkish armed forces resigned in protest of civilian meddling in military promotions and personnel policies. In Egypt, Islamists took over the Friday protests for the first time. Norway ends its support to the Libyan campaign on 30 July. Libyan rebel military leader General Younis was murdered by members of a vengeful fundamentalist Islamic rebel group, not by Qadhafi.
NightWatch 20110728	US-North Korean delegates described favorably today's exploratory talks in New York. The Afghan Taliban assassination campaign targeted the governor of Oruzgan Province. The US accused Iran of cooperating with al Qaida and international terror. The leader of Libyan rebel military forces was assassinated on the 28th. A recent UN report suggests Eritrea has become a new base for international terrorism.
NightWatch 20110727	Japan continues to insist on concrete action that shows that North Korea honors its promise to end its nuclear programs. The Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers met cordially. Taliban claimed responsibility for killing the Mayor of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. Tunisia extended the state of emergency indefinitely.
NightWatch 20110726	North Korea has opened three channels for negotiations with the US and South Korea, but these are for extorting aid in return for talking. India's Minister of External Affairs will meet the new Pakistani Foreign Minister in New Delhi on 27 July. Egypt's modernists are attempting to create a new political party. Women's groups in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan are demanding their rights.
NightWatch 20110725	North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister is en route the US for talks about nuclear talks. Political violence continues in Karachi, Pakistan. The Syrian government has submitted a draft law to parliament that will permit the formation of political parties other than the Baath Party.
NightWatch 20110724	North Korea apparently has agreed to talk about holding nuclear talks with South Korea, China, the US and Russia. the Syrian government postponed implementation of political reforms because it sensed no pressure to move fast. Ethiopian troops have arrived in Southern Sudan to serve as peace keepers. The official death toll from the bombing and mass killings in Norway is 93, according to police.
NightWatch 20110721	The Thai Supreme Court has rejected a petition to nullify the 3 July elections. This week Pakistan's prime minister appointed the country's youngest and first female foreign minister. The new Egyptian caretaker cabinet was sworn into office on 21 July. Malawi's President has deployed the army to stop riots over fuel shortages, high prices and shortages of foreign exchange.
NightWatch 20110720	North Korea's elite reportedly orders McDonald's hamburgers from China via Air Koryo, the national airline. The Afghan Taliban insisted that Taliban leader Mullah Omar is alive, contrary to internet reports. Rioters in Malawi seek to end corrupt government.
NightWatch 20110719	South Korea is planning to enact a tax to finance unification with North Korea, which could cost $1 trillion or more. Israeli Navy commandos intercepted a single craft bound for Gaza to protest the Israeli blockade. The French government said that the Libyan oil port town of Brega is once again in rebel control.
NightWatch 20110718	Pakistani Taliban released a video showing the execution of 16 tribal militiamen. In Afghanistan, Bamiyan is one of the first areas for whom the Afghan security forces now have responsibility. Russia continues to oppose recognition of the rebel government as legitimate.
NightWatch 20110717	In Afghanistan, another top aide to President Karzai was killed in his home by a suicide bomber. The opposition in Yemen has fractured into two competing leadership groups. Syria experienced the largest anti-government demonstrations to date on Friday, but the opposition failed to form a united front. In Egypt, longtime Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass was removed in the weekend cabinet shuffle.
NightWatch 20110714	North and South Korea remain unable to settle property rights at the Mount Kumgang resort. Indian authorities reported 21 killed and 141 injured in the multiple bombings in Mumbai on 13 July. Afghan President Karzai has appointed another brother to succeed his half-brother Ahmed Wali Karzai who was assassinated on 12 July
NightWatch 20110714	Chinese maritime security forces continue to settle disputes in the South China Sea by force. Anti-Thaksin forces have challenged the validity of the Thai general elections on 3 July. India's top opposition leader called for Pakistan's intelligence service to be designated a terrorist organization. In Iraq, a military formation loyal to al-Sadr claimed to have attacked US forces on multiple occasions. A credible poll of five Arab states indicates respect for the US is lower now than when the US invaded Iraq.
NightWatch 20110712	South and North Korean delegates discussed disposition of assets at the Mount Kumgang resort on 13 July. Pakistan announced the withdrawal of security personnel from 1,100 check points along the Afghanistan border in retaliation for the suspension of $800 million in US military aid. French diplomats contend that Libyan leader Qadhafi is ready to leave.
NightWatch 20110711	More than 80% of Japanese polled want the Kan government to resign by the end of 2011. Syrian protestors stormed the US and French Embassies, as part of the continuing fallout from the ambassadors' visit to Hama last week.
NightWatch 20110710	In Karachi, Pakistani authorities called in 1,000 Frontier Corps paramilitary police to gain control of a violent political dispute. Syria began its national political dialogue, but some opposition leaders boycotted it. Syria reprimanded the US and French ambassadors for political meddling through their unapproved visit to Hama last week. Egyptian activists are staging another sit-in at Tahrir Square in Cairo to protest the lack of political reforms. The Republic of South Sudan became independent on 9 July.
NightWatch 20110707	Senior US officials said that the government of Pakistan "sanctioned" the murder of journalist Saleem Shahzad in May. Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan ended on 7 July. Yemeni President Saleh's taped address to the nation was defiant. Large demonstrations are expected in Syria and Egypt after prayers on 8 July.
NightWatch 20110706	Some 600 raiders from Afghanistan attacked villages in Pakistan, increasing tension and embarrassing both countries. In Egypt political tension is high over the release of Mubarak-era officials and policemen -- riots occurred in Suez. The Muslim Brotherhood announced it will join anti-government demonstrations in Cairo after Friday prayers.
NightWatch 20110705	Israeli military intelligence assesses that the Syrian government remains secure though Asad's position has been weakened. Egyptian activists protested the judicially ordered release of 10 policemen who had been accused of killing protestors during the uprising.
NightWatch 20110704	Japanese explorers announced their discovery of a deposit of rare earth minerals in the Pacific Ocean seabed a thousand times larger than all known deposits. North Korea continues to threaten an attack against South Korea. Opposition leader Yingluck's Phuea Thai Party swept the elections on 3 July. She will be Thailand's first woman as prime minister. Venezuelan President Chavez returned to Caracas in time to celebrate the country's 200th anniversary.
NightWatch 20110630	The North Korean Supreme Command issued a statement that it will retaliate using gun fire for South Korean defamatory propaganda. Pakistan ordered the US to leave an airbase that the US evacuated in April. Venezuelan President Chavez was filmed walking with Fidel Castro, to ally concerns about the gravity of Chavez' illness.
NightWatch 20110630	North Korea continues negotiations with South Korean investors in the Mount Kumgang resort. General elections will be held in Thailand on 3 July. Two Lebanese Hezbollah men have been referred by the Special Tribunal to the Lebanese governent for arrest for the murder of prime minister Hariri in 2005. Demonstrations are likely. Venezuelan President Chavez confirmed he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor.
NightWatch 20110628	North Korea has closed universities for ten months to use the students to build a prosperous country in 2012. Noth Korea is again threatening war over defamatory billboard displays erected in South Korea along the Demilitarized Zone. In Afghanistan, a sensational attack on teh Inter-Continental Hotel appears timed to convey the perception that the Taliban are forcing the US to drawdown forces. Next week Saudi Arabia will begin to withdraw Peninsula Shield Forces from Bahrain. The Syrian national dialogue began on Sunday when the government permitted 300 activists to gather to discuss political reform.
NightWatch 20110627	Afghanistan has protested the firing of more than 450 rockets from Pakistani territory against Jalalabad and other Afghan towns. The Syrian government will begin its dialogue with the opposition on 10 July. Sudanese President Omar al Bashir is in China to discuss bilateral cooperation.
NightWatch 20110626	Chinese and Vietnamese diplomats again agreed to settle peacefully disputes in the South China Sea. Pakistan and Iran have agreed to increase cooperation in multiple areas, including defense. Israel has ordered its forces to block another Gaza-bound flotilla. Mauritanian soldiers have destroyed an al-Qaida base in western Mali.
NightWatch 20110623	South Korean President Lee said that China has assured his government that it will not side with North Korea in the event the North initiates another provocation. India and Pakistan have opened new talks about regional security issues. A US drone attack in Somalia indicates the war on terror has been extended to al Shabaab leaders who are now targets. Several recent developments indicate the Qadhafi regime is falling back on Tripoli.
NightWatch 20110622	China urged the US to bow out of disputes in the South China Sea. The Philippines suggested the Mutual Defense Treaty binds the US to defend the Philippine island claims. Security incident reports from Afghanistan indicate May was the worst month since Operation Enduring Freedom began. Yemen's President Saleh underwent another surgical operation. Venezuelan President Chavez is recovering from surgery in Cuba.
NightWatch 20110621	Under enormous US pressure, South Korea is softening its conditions for nuclear talks with North Korea. A Chinese minister said North Korean succession is stable. Syria announced another general amnesty. A senior Hamas official said a Palestinian state would be established without recognizing Israel.
NightWatch 20110620	Tension is rising again between North and South Korea over a South Korean human rights bill concerning conditions in North Korea. Singapore wants China to clarify its claims and policy on freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Syrian President Bashar al-Asad delivered his third public address on the unrest on the 20th. He conceded nothing. Former Tunisian President Ben Ali, in exile in Saudi Arabia, has been convicted of embezzlement.
NightWatch 20110616	In China, three episodes of violent protests against abuse by local officials have occurred this month. US relations with Pakistan are at a new low after Pakistan started arresting CIA informants who provided information leading to the killing of bin Laden. Kazakhstan's parliament voted to kill a bill authorizing Kazakh troops to deploy to Afghanistan to support NATO forces. Cell-phone activism has arrived finally in Kuwait, but the Emir has warned the activists against breaking the law. In Iraq, al Maliki's party announced its opposition to any extension of US troops. Three thousand Egyptian police protested the government's failure to keep its promises of better conditions of service.
NightWatch 20110616	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20110616	In eastern China more demonstrations against local corruption took place. Ayman Zawahiri, bin Laden's longtime deputy, is the new leader of al Qaida.
NightWatch 20110614	The US announced this week that it intercepted a suspected North Korean arms cargo ship bound for Burma on 26 May and caused it to return to North Korea. Fatah and Hamas have worked out an agreement on the leadership of a Palestinian unity government, in preparation for a unilateral declaration of statehood.
NightWatch 20110613	South Korean Defense Minister Kim advised a parliamentary committee that the North Koreans are continuing to improve their nuclear weapons, by miniaturizing them. Vietnam conducted day-long naval gunfire drills in the South China Sea in defiance of Chinese sea claims. Yemeni news reported that President Saleh will make an address to the nation this week. The BBC reported Syria has launched a scorched-earth campaign in northwestern Syria where 120 military personnel were killed last week. Lebanon has a new cabinet, ending a five-month political deadlock. It is strongly pro-Syria.
NightWatch 20110609	Chinese and North Korean officials broke ground for the joint economic zone in the Yalu River estuary. The Chinese dispute with Vietnam over sovereignty of the Spratly Islands escalated when Vietnamese ships drove Chinese fishing boats away from Vanguard Bank where a Vietnamese contract ship is searching for oil. In many Arab states, protest demonstrations are predicted after prayers on the 10th.
NightWatch 20110608	A Chinese general repeated stale news that China would soon launch a refurbished Russian aircraft carrier. The ship is launched; it will soon begin sea trials. Saudi Arabia donated 3 million barrels of crude to Yemen as a contribution to stability. Libyan forces resumed their stalled attack to recapture Misrata from the rebels.
NightWatch 20110607	In North Korea the Korean Workers' Party convened the first known meeting of the Politburo in 18 years, indicating the long term rehabilitation of the Party has ended. Yemeni President Saleh is in much more serious condition than previously acknowledged, resulting from last Friday's attack on the presidential palace. The photo of the senior al Qaida leader reportedly killed this week in Pakistan in a drone attack is false. US officials doubt al Kashmiri is dead.
NightWatch 20110606	North Korea's legislature approved a plan to develop two islands in the Yalu River estuary with Chinese assistance. The Chinese have not commented on the plan. Tension is rising in the South China Sea among China, Vietnam and the Philippines over Chinese aggressive actions to assert its ownership claim to the entire sea. President Saleh intends to return to Yemen in the next few days. Syrian forces lost 120 personnel to "armed gangs" in northwestern Syria. The government has vowed to retaliate. The political party sponsored by the Muslim Brotherhood received recognition by Egypt's election authorities.
NightWatch 20110605	North Korea and South Korea once again are exchanging threats of retaliation for real or perceived provocations. Since mid-May the level of Taliban attacks in Afghanistan has declined, coincident with rumors about Mullah Omar's health. Yemen President Saleh flew to Saudi Arabia for treatment for injuries suffered in an opposition attack on Friday. Saudi Arabia has mediated a ceasefire in Sanaa that appears to be holding.
NightWatch 20110602	Japanese Prime Minister Kan announced he will resign after some recovery occurs from the earthquake and tsunami. North Korea finally published a bland editorial about Kim's visit to China in late May. A major fight for control of Sanaa and the survival of the regime appears to be developing in Yemen. Sunday is Naksa Day, which commemorates the dispersion of the Palestinians after the Israeli victory in 1967. Large demonstrations are planned in southern Lebanon along the Israeli border.
NightWatch 20110601	North Korea sent signals that Kim's China trip did not go well and that the North is not prepared to engage South Korea on any issue at this time. Bahrain's opposition responded to the end of martial law with demonstrations and clashes with police. Syria's government released 500 prisoners under the general amnesty and has taken steps to implement its promise of a national dialogue.
NightWatch 20110531	One of the finest journalists on Pakistan and Afghanistan was found murdered near Gujarat, Pakistan. Bahrain's monarchy is offering reform talks to the opposition for the second time. Fighting continues in Yemen. Syrian President Asad has granted a general amnesty to activists and will establish a committee for national dialogue this week. North and South Sudan have agreed to create a demilitarized zone along their border that will be jointly patrolled.
NightWatch 20110530	North Korea's top policy commission announced it will never negotiate with the hard line Lee government in South Korea. NATO forces snatched five anti-Afghan government leaders from inside Pakistan. Yemeni President Saleh's hold on government was weakened by the defection of a brigade of the Republican Guard over the weekend. Libyan leader Qadhafi's government continues to unravel, but Qadhafi shows no signs he is prepared to depart.
NightWatch 20110526	North Korean leader Kim Chong-il completed his week long visit to China on 26 May. Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for a fourth bombing to avenge bin Laden's death. Demonstrations after Friday prayers are expected in Yemen, Syria and Egypt. Another Libyan ambassador and staff have defected to the opposition administration. A Chinese economics analyst reported Chinese contractors sustained large losses owing to the Libyan civil war.
NightWatch 20110525	Pakistan plans to relocate its naval aircraft to a more secure facility near Karachi. The US has agreed to withdraw military personnel from Pakistan at the request of the Islamabad government. Yemen closed its international airport because of continuing clashes. Egypt announced it will open permanently the Rafah crossing from Egypt to the Gaza Strip.
NightWatch 20110524	North Korean leader Kim Chong-il arrived in Beijing where he is to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao. Pakistan's Chief of Naval Staff told a TV interviewer that the Navy plans to relocate most assets from Karachi to a new base already under construction, presumably Gwadar in western Pakistan. Clashes continue in Sanaa, Yemen. Sudan's President Bashir said the oil-rich Abyei region belongs to the Khartoum government and ordered troops to respond to provocations by south Sudan troops.
NightWatch 20110523	Chinese authorities have confirmed that Kim Chong-il is in China. Reports that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar is dead have been denied by Taliban spokesmen.
NightWatch 20110522	North Korean leader Kim Chong-il is reported to be traveling by train to Shanghai. Pakistani Taliban have staged a successful attack at the Pakistan naval air station in Karachi to avenge bin Laden's death. Yemen's President Saleh formally has refused to sign the resignation agreement. Southern Sudan has denounced as an act of war the seizure of Abyei by Khartoum's forces.
NightWatch 20110520	South Korean news outlets reported that North Korean leader Kim Chong-il is making his third visit to China this year on 20 May. A US delegation is set to arrive in North Korea on 24 May. The Pakistani Taliban attacked a US diplomatic motorcade in Peshawar to avenge bin Laden's death. Yemen's President Saleh is reneging for a third time on his resignation and has called for early presidential elections. Syrian security forces killed 32 protestors on 20 May to control anti-government demonstrations after Friday prayers. Algeria, Mali, Mauritania and Niger have agreed to establish an 85,000-man joint force to establish security against terrorists in the Sahara-Sahel desert zone.
NightWatch 20110519	Chinese officials said an attack on Pakistan is an attack on China, according to Pakistani news services. Pakistani investigators have determined that two recent attacks against a Saudi diplomat and the Karachi consulate were retaliatory for Saudi Arabia's refusal to accept bin Laden's widows and children. Palestinian reactions to the US President's peace proposal have ranged from negative to lukewarm. Libyan leader Qadhafi's wife and daughter have sought refuge in Poland, the Polish government said.
NightWatch 20110518	North Korean media announced that Kim Chong-il had a meeting with the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service. A Pakistani news service reported that China has promised to supply 50 modern fighter aircraft to Pakistan on an emergency basis. Kazakhstan has decided to send a military contingent to Afghanistan to support NATO forces. Yemen's President Saleh reneged a second time on signing a resignation and settlement agreement with the opposition. The Egyptian military council expects the Muslim Brotherhood's political party will win a majority in parliamentary elections.
NightWatch 20110517	A US envoy is to visit North Korea to assess food shortages. South Korea would like US soldiers to be stationed on offshore islands as a deterrent to North Korea. Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani called China Pakistan's best friend, a day after meetings with US Senator Kerry. The German newspaper Die Welt reported that Iran is building ballistic missile bases in Venezuela. The new interim leader of al Qaida is an Egyptian, Abu Saif.
NightWatch 20110516	In Syria, protests have continued but with less effect. The regime shows no signs of sharing power with the opposition protestors. The Secretary General of the Arab League is campaigning for president in Egypt on a policy platform that distances Egypt from the US and Israel.
NightWatch 20110515	A new UN report has found that North Korea and Iran have collaborated in the development nuclear weapons and missile delivery system technologies. Pakistani politicians this weekend blamed the US for the "ruin" of the Pakistan Army and country.
NightWatch 20110511	North Korea and South Korea are still talking past each other about conditions for a summit. Taliban 's eulogy for bin Laden gave him no credit for the current fight in Afghanistan. The Syrian crackdown on dissent has moved beyond suppression into communal punishment. Libyan TV broadcast footage showing that Qadhafi is still alive.
NightWatch 20110510	China and North Korea announced ground breaking for a joint economic enterprise on an island in the Yalu River will take place on 28 May. Afghan Taliban staged the second large scale attack of the spring offensive; this time against Afghan forces in Nurestan Province. An advisor to Syrian President Asad said the government has broken the opposition movement. Libyan rebels in Misratah appear to be making limited gains in coordination with NATO ships and combat aircraft.
NightWatch 20110509	US-Pakistani relations remain strained over the bin Laden raid. Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani gave the National Assembly a defiant but poorly supported defense of his administration. In Afghanistan, NATO claims to have killed or captured the perpetrators of the attacks over the weekend in Kandahar. The Yemen government and the Syrian government continue to pursue hard line suppression of dissent. Their persistence shows signs of working.
NightWatch 20110505	The first visit abroad by Burma's new military chief will be to China. Pakistani authorities have issued a virtual ultimatum to the US to never attack Pakistan again, as at Abbottabad. Residents of Daraa deny Syrian government claims that troops have been withdrawn. Demonstrations calling for the government to resign have resumed in Tunisia.
NightWatch 20110504	South Korea and China will finalize an agreement to establish a military hotline when South Korean Minister Kim Kwan Jin visits at the end of May. The Thai-Cambodian ceasefire along the border held for one day on 3 May, for the first time. The Syrian crackdown continues. The number of Syrian protestors detained could total 8,000. Moroccan and French security authorities are blaming al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) for the Marrakech bombing last month.
NightWatch 20110503	North Korean media have not reported the death of bin Laden. The Indian government wants the US to minimize Pakistani involvement in Afghanistan and to not withdraw US soldiers prematurely. The US capture of computer hard drives and storage devices will force al Qaida to put all plans known to bin Laden on hold. The Taliban deny that bin Laden is dead. In Egypt, 13 Palestinian factions signed the unity pact. A car bomb detonated near rebel headquarters in Benghazi, Libya, indicating pro-Qadhafi activists remain dangerous in the rebel zone.
NightWatch 20110502	US special forces killed Usama Bin Laden in a mansion compound in Abottabad, Pakistan and took custody of his body to prove it. Riots are expected in Pakistan. The Taliban announced their spring offensive in Afghanistan, starting 1 May. Yemen's President Saleh reneged on signing the agreement to form a national unity government. Qadhafi's youngest son and three grandchildren were killed in a NATO attack over the weekend. The Moroccan bombing in Marakech was a remotely detonated device, not a suicide attack.
NightWatch 20110502	Defectors report that North Korea is confiscating cell phones to prevent cell activists from causing unrest, as in Arab countries. Pakistani authorities arrested six children and two wives of Usama bin Laden in a follow-up operation on 2 May. The Syrian crackdown continued; protests against President Saleh continued in Yemen and Qadhafi's forces continued to shell Misrata port and Zentan in western Libya.
NightWatch 20110429	China's population is 1.37 billion, almost evenly divided between urban and rural. In Pakistan ,a third Pakistan Navy bus was destroyed by a bomb attack on 28 April. Syrian tanks and troops attacked more towns as part of the nation-wide crackdown on opposition. Egypt's Foreign Minister said the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip will be opened in the next ten days. Libyan forces captured the Wazin border crossing to Tunisia, but the rebels claim they recaptured it.
NightWatch 20110429	Cambodian and Thai tactical commanders at the border have agreed to stop shooting at each other. In Syria anti-government demonstrations occurred in Damascus and seven other towns. Security forces killed at least 62 demonstrators. Tunisian soldiers captured pro-Qadhafi Libyans who attempted to operate from Tunisian territory against rebel fighters in western Libya.
NightWatch 20110428	North Korean officials assured former President Carter and his delegation that North Korean wants to improve relations with the US. An Afghan air corps pilot murdered eight US military personnel and a US contractor in Kabul. Turkey has ordered preparations along the border for an influx of Syrian refugees escaping internal instability. The crackdown on dissent in Syria continues. Fatah and Hamas signed a preliminary reconciliation agreement in a meeting in Cairo mediated by Egypt. Libyan rebel forces apparently still control Zentan, which is west of Tripoli.
NightWatch 20110426	South Korean and Chinese officials were upbeat on 26 April about prospects for denuclearization talks with North Korea. Thai and Cambodian forces exchanged fire for a fifth day on the 26th, but both are interested in a ceasefire. Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for destroying two Pakistan Navy buses in Karachi. Yemen's President Saleh will sign an agreement to transfer power to a national unity government on 27 April, but the youth faction in the opposition intend a large protest demonstration. Syria's crackdown in Daraa now appears to be part of a nationwide use of the Army to suppress dissent. In Libya, Pro-Qadhafi forces tried to seize the port of Misrata, but were stopped by NATO air attacks.
NightWatch 20110425	Cambodia and Thai forces exchanged fire at a disputed border area for the fourth day. In Afghanistan, Taliban claimed responsibility for the worst prison break in memory from Kandahar prison. Yemeni President Saleh and the opposition to be nearing an agreement for an early transfer of power to a national unity government. The Syrian Army attacked the town of Daraa in southwestern Syria in a powerful application of force to suppress anti-government opposition.
NightWatch 20110424	North Korea restated its threat to fire on South Korean launch sites for propaganda balloons. The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over ownership of temples located in the border area flared in three days of border fighting. Pakistanis continue to protest US drone attacks. Reports of Yemeni President Saleh's resignation are premature. He has not signed an agreement. Two Syrian politicians resigned in protest of security force killings of protestors over the weekend. Pro-Qadhafi forces have withdrawn from Misrata but continue to shell it.
NightWatch 20110421	The US announced it will supply 85 small remotely piloted aircraft to Pakistan, apparently to help with the fight against terrorists. Syrian President Asad signed the decree lifting the emergency law, as expected. In western Libya, rebel fighters seized at least two border crossing posts from pro-Qadhafi Libyan soldiers who fled to Tunisia. French press reported about a hundred Touareg fighters who went to Libya to fight as mercenaries for Qadhafi returned to Mali.
NightWatch 20110420	Iran and Egypt plan to exchange ambassadors within the next six months. The US has confirmed that the Afghan Taliban will set up an office in Ankara, Turkey. Thousands of Syrians defied authorities in Homs to call for the downfall of the regime.
NightWatch 20110419	A Chinese spokesman expressed China's judgment that tension has eased in Korea and the time is propitious to resume Six-Party Talks. The US judges North Korea must make amends for last year's attacks on South Korean forces in the Yellow Sea. The Yemen opposition coalition rejected a government initiative for transferring power. Syria lifted the 50-year old emergency law, but security forces fired live rounds at protestors in Homs. Libyan rebels in Misrata called for Western ground forces to protect them.
NightWatch 20110418	Anti-government suicide bombers penetrated the most secure portions of the Afghan Ministry of Defense to kill a Vice Minister of Defense and 12 others. This is the most serious attack in Kabul since the ouster of the Taliban government. A senior Iranian official threatened Saudi Arabia today. Bahraini officials said Arab troops will remain in Bahrain until the Iranian threat ends. Syrian security forces fired on protestors in the city of Homs after three senior officers and three civilian family members were killed in an opposition ambush on 17 April.
NightWatch 20110417	Anti-government protests continued in Syria and Yemen. Pro-Qadhafi forces sustained military pressure against Misrata and Ajdabiyah.
NightWatch 20110415	China informed the North Korean leadership that visits by the heir-apparent must be by air because railroad security is too expensive. An anti-government Islamist group has used a suicide bombing to injure 25 Indonesia police while they were praying in a mosque. This is the first bombing of its kind in Indonesia. Egyptian authorities announced that the Mubaraks will be detained in prison for their 15 days of detention.
NightWatch 20110414	South and North Korean scientists have had two productive meetings about the threat of a volcanic eruption from Mount Paektu in North Korea. Libyan forces appear to be making slow progress against rebels in Misrata.
NightWatch 20110413	North Korea acknowledged that it has indicted a US citizen in its custody for crimes against the state. Pakistani relations with the US are strained because of US drone attacks inside Pakistan. Egyptian authorities ordered Mubarak and his two sons detained for questioning for 15 days. France announced it will soon draw down about half of its forces in the Ivory Coast.
NightWatch 20110412	The US State Department announced that North Korea has a US citizen in detention, but the person's identity and the reason for detention have not been released. The Libyan rebel government has asked for military and technical equipment from those countries that recognize it. The rebels also have called for a national day of "intifadah" on 15 April.
NightWatch 20110412	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20110407	North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly approved the appointment of a new head of defense industrial production and a new top police officer, an Army general. Saudi Arabia and the other Arab monarchies are trying to arrange an exit strategy for Yemen's elected President. In Libya, Ajdabiya is again under threat by Qadhafi's forces. It is the last major town on the road to Benghazi, the rebel base.
NightWatch 20110406	South Korea has proposed a second round of talks about volcanic activities in North Korea for 12 April. The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that al Qaida has set up training facilities and operational bases in Afghanistan in remote regions Coalition leaders considered of no strategic value. Pro-Qadhafi forces forced rebels to halt oil production at two oil fields in the desert south of Benghazi.
NightWatch 20110405	Israel's Minister of Public Security warned of the threat of a major military operation in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for recent Palestinian rocket fire. The Libyan rebels, who formerly rejected outside help, now are criticizing NATO for not doing more. The civil war in the Ivory Coast has ended with a victory by UN and Ouattara forces. Gbagbo is trying to bluff his way into a comfortable exit.
NightWatch 20110404	A high level North Korean military delegation visited Cambodia in late March, apparently to discuss arms sales. Egypt's foreign minister announced that Egypt is ready to re-establish diplomatic relations with Iran, after a 30 year break. The Libyan government apparently is searching for a solution, according to the Greek foreign minister. Fighting continues in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, but the end of the Gbabgo faction appears near.
NightWatch 20110401	Afghans protesting a Quran burning in Florida killed 20 UN workers in northern Afghanistan in the worst attack on the UN mission since the fall of the Taliban. Syrian security used live ammunition to try to disperse large anti-government demonstrations in multiple towns, killing at least ten protestors. Large protests occurred in Yemen and Egypt. In Libya, Qadhafi rejected a UN-mediated offer of a ceasefire. Fighting was inconclusive. In the Ivory Coast, gangs have begun looting Abidjan, the largest and richest city in the country.
NightWatch 20110331	North Korea expressed regret for the loss of life in the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan. Syrian opposition leaders have called for a Friday of Martyrs, in honor of the 61 people killed by security forces. In Libya, bad flying weather was responsible for the success of Qadhafi forces in the past four days. Defections from the Libyan regime have included two former foreign ministers and four other officials. In Cote d'Ivoire, President Ouattara's northern forces entered Abidjan and appear to have routed Gbagbo and his cronies, ending the latest phase of the civil war.
NightWatch 20110330	South Korean forces held artillery exercises on two islands in the Yellow Sea. North Korea has not yet reacted. Iran welcomed stronger relations with Egypt. Pakistan offered Bahrain contingents of retired Pakistani soldiers, but Bahrain declined for now. Yemen President Saleh floated yet another proposal for staying in office while transferring power to an interim government. Syrian President Bashar al Asad blamed unrest on a vast foreign conspiracy. Libya's Foreign Minister arrived in London, supposedly after resigning. Libyan rebel forces suffered defeat for a second day. The Cote d'Ivoire civil war came closer to conclusion when rebel forces captured the capital city, Yamassoukro, on 30 March.
NightWatch 20110329	South and North Korean volcano experts met in South Korea to discuss activity at Mount Paektu, the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula. India and Pakistan agreed to establish a hotline between their Home Affairs Ministries to share information on militant threats. Syrian President Bashar al Asad is scheduled to announce some political reforms in a national address on 30 March. Egypt announced a new phase of foreign relations that will include ties with Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. The Libyan opposition in Benghazi published an eight-point "Vision of a Democratic Libya," that could guide the first genuine Arab democratic revolution this year.
NightWatch 20110328	The Philippines announced it is upgrading its military capability to defend its islands near the Spratly Island group. Yemen's President Saleh has replaced army commanders who defected to the opposition and will not transfer power except after elections. The Libyan military situation is unchanged, but Turkey is asserting a leadership role in arranging humanitarian aid to the opposition and offering to mediate. Qatar recognized the opposition government.
NightWatch 20110327	South Korea repatriated to the North 27 fishermen who drifted into South Korean waters last month. Four who asked to stay in the South were not repatriated. Yemen's President has retracted his offer to resign early. Libyan forces have withdrawn from five towns under Coalition air pressure, leaving them open to rebels. Rebel fighters have won no recent battles.
NightWatch 20110325	US and North Korean diplomats are in Berlin for a closed-door forum. Political reform demonstrations occurred in seven Arab states, not including the fighting in Libya. In Yemen the President said he is willing to relinquish power to "safe hands." The most violent demonstrations occurred in Syria, where almost two dozen people were shot by security forces. Israeli officials are hinting that a significant military operation in Gaza is in preparation.
NightWatch 20110324	No substantial change has been reported in the threat situations NightWatch is following in the Far East, Yemen, Syria, Israel and Libya.
NightWatch 20110323	In Bahrain, an anti-monarchy movement is calling for demonstrations in the next two days. The United Kingdom is withdrawing part of its embassy staff from Yemen because of the unrest. Syrian security forces killed 15 anti-regime protestors in Dar'a town in southwest Syria. The Qadhafi forces in Libya continue to fight in Misrata and Zintan and Qadhai's hold on Tripoli looks solid. The opposition based in Benghazi has begun to organize as a government.
NightWatch 20110322	North and South Korea have agreed to discuss joint research into volcanic eruptions in the North. A senior Saudi prince proposed formation of an Arab Army to defend "Arabism," plus Saudi acquisition of nuclear weapons to enable the Kingdom to confront Iranian nuclear weapons. Yemen's President Saleh announced he is willing to step down by the end of 2011. In Libya, Qadhafi forces intensified attacks against civilians and opposition fighters in Misrata and Zintan, proving once again that air forces cannot hold ground.
NightWatch 20110321	The Saleh government in Yemen is on the verge of overthrow because significant portions of the bureaucracy, Army and tribes have sided with the anti-government protestors after Friday's crackdown. Libyan forces have withdrawn from positions near Benghazi because of Coalition air attacks. Qadhafi remains defiant, but the Coalition continues to gain new members.
NightWatch 20110320	North Korea threatened retaliation against the US and South Korea for "grave provocations," which proved to be primarily partying near the Demilitarized Zone. In Bahrain, the direct threat to the monarchy has eased but protests and strikes persist. The government of Yemen's President Saleh looks precarious because protests have continued in defiance of a state of emergency. Egyptian voters appear to have approved amendments to the constitution that Army backed scholars proposed. A no-fly zone is in effect in Libya, following coalition attacks that destroyed the Libyan air defense system.
NightWatch 20110318	South Korea rejected the latest North Korean offer of talks because the North has not taken action that demonstrates a commitment to disarmament. Bahraini King Hamad toured the financial district of Manama as a victory celebration. Only minor disturbances were reported today, outside Manama. Pursuant to the UN Security Council resolution, France announced it is ready to execute a no-fly zone over Libya within hours.
NightWatch 20110318	North Korea's parliament will meet in its usual spring session on 7 April. Bahrain security forces destroyed the Pearl Square monument, but protests occurred outside central Manama. Protests occurred in Saudi Arabia and Syria. Yemen imposed a state of emergency, after 46 people were killed in clashes. Libya announced a ceasefire after the passage of the UN Resolution authorizing a no fly zone and protection of civilians, but Libyan ground forces continued attacking rebel positions. A new coalition of at least nine states, including Qatar, has committed to enforcing the UN Resolution against Libya. Participating aircraft are expected to begin attacking Libyan air and ground forces this weekend.
NightWatch 20110316	South Korea's Unification Ministry has concluded that North Korea is more stable than it previously assessed, despite widespread food shortages. Limited violent disorders occurred in Lahore after the release of a US citizen accused of murdering two Pakistanis. Bahraini security forces executed a violent sweep against protestors in which six people died and hundreds were wounded. Small demonstrations occurred in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria and Algeria. In Libya, Qadhafi's forces made limited progress but were attacked by pro-rebel combat aircraft. The Qadhafi government has issued an ultimatum to the residents of Benghazi and promised that fighting will end in 48 hours.
NightWatch 20110315	North Korea has dropped its insistence that all fishermen who drifted into South Korean waters must be repatriated. Four will remain in South Korea as they requested. Bharain declared a state of emergency for the next three months to restore law and order. More Peninsula Shield Forces arrived in Manama on 15 March. The only political entities to denounce the deployment of the Shield Force are associated with Iran. Libyan forces continued their advance towards Benghazi which they are likely to capture this week.
NightWatch 20110314	In Bahrain, the Peninsula Shield Force of the Gulf Cooperation Council deployed to prop up King Hamad al Khalifa. In Libya, Qadhafi's forces continued their counter attack. The Benghazi Council opposition leaders asked for outside arms aid. In Niger, an oppostion candidate is favored to win the 12 March runoff election.
NightWatch 20110313	Youth protests in Arab countries are running out of energy. Yemeni security forces killed at least 12 protestors over the weekend. In Libya, forces loyal to Qadhafi are making steady progress towards Benghazi which they should reach by the end of this week.
NightWatch 20110310	A senior Chinese official affirmed there will be no pluralistic democracy with separation of powers or a bicameral legislature in the communist state. Many Middle Eastern governments are expecting large protest demonstrations after prayers on 11 March. Saudi police fired on Shiite demonstrators in Qatif, Eastern Province, whose population is mostly Shiite. Egypt's new prime minister has warned that recent protests are signs of counter-reviolution. In Libya, Qadhafi's son Saif al-Islam announced that the rebels now face a full-scale assault to crush the uprising.
NightWatch 20110309	The Egyptian Army clear Tahrir Square today to stop anti-government protestors and counter-protestors from throwing rocks at each other. Libyan leader Qadhafi has put out a money reward for the capture of rebel leaders. Qadhafi has asked for Egyptian military aid but the rebels are receiving financial and other aid from Qatar. Morocco's King Mohammed VI ordered sweeping changes that would convert the Kingdom into a western-style constitutional monarchy.
NightWatch 20110308	North Korea pleaded for rice in contacts with South Korea today. South Korea demanded the North apologize first. Anti-government protests reached Kahrtoum, Sudan, for the first time. In Libya, pro-Qadhafi forces counter-attacked strongly in Zawiyah and towns east of Tripoli. They appear to have recaptured Zawiyah.
NightWatch 20110307	North Korea and South Korea have a new dispute over releasing four North Korean fishermen who have asked to remain in South Korea. Japan protested to China about a Chinese oceanic administration helicopter that came within 230 feet of a Japanese destroyer while filming it. Libyan rebels rejected a reported resignation offer from Qadhafi on 7 March. France and the UK are promoting a UNSC resolution authorizing a no-fly zone over Libya, to support the rebels.
NightWatch 20110306	Officially-supported Chinese media ridiculed the Arab uprisings as "self-delusional ruckus." Anti-government demonstrations occurred in Bahrain, Oman, Yemen and Egypt. Saudi Arabia and Algeria banned protests. In Libya there has been no significant change desite a weekend of lethal but inconsequential fighting by both sides, except for the dead.
NightWatch 20110304	Aggressive and intrusive Chinese behavior in disputed regions has been reported by South Korean, the Philippines and Vietnam. Anti-government protests occurred in Bahrain, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Libya. Qadhafi forces suppressed a protest in Tripoli and counterattacked against several rebel positions. Rebels are running out of supplies. The UK has promised to send military advisors to support the rebels.
NightWatch 20110303	Chinese patrol ships are asserting Chinese claims to sovereignty in the South China Sea to include islets occupied by the Philippines. A Pakistani trial court is proceeding with the criminal trial of a US contract employee for the CIA whom the US claims has diplomatic immunity. Protests continued in Bahrain and Yemen. Friday after prayers is expected to be another protest event in many Arab countires. Egypt's new prime minister is a man the protestors support. Libyan jets again bombed a town under rebel control, to no effect. The security situation is unchanged.
NightWatch 20110302	Pakistani Islamic terrorists assassinated the only Christian member of the cabinent because he opposed the anti-blasphemy laws. The royal family of Bahrain is drumming up support among the Gulf states. A counter-offensive by pro-Qadhafi militias in Libya failed to recover lost ground.
NightWatch 20110301	Public statements by the US, South Korea and North Korea indicate talks will resume soon, though a date has not been proposed. Oman's Sultan Qaboos consulted Iran's President Ahmadi-Nejad about security matters. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia denied eyewitness reports that Saudi tanks are in Bahrain. Yemeni President Saleh has suspended an overture for a national unity government with the opposition.Libyan rebels lack the military strength to capture Tripoli from Qadhafi and his loyalists. That creates a condition for secession or civil war. China's despatch of four long range air force transports to evacuate the last Chinese workers in Libya is a strategic first. China has nearly completed the evacuation of 30,000 Chinese nationals.
NightWatch 20110228	Cricket star-turned politician Imran Khan has called Pakistani youth to engage in anti-government protests if the US agent is released from custody or if prices rise. Iran's strict measures to prevent street protests indicate the leaders remained worred about political activism by the youth. Protests in Oman continued for a third day. The government in Bahrain remains unable to find the solution to the youth protest movement. Anti-government protests in Kuwait are set for 8 March. Egypt will hold a referendum on amending the constitution on 19 March. The fight for Free Libya continues, but neither side gained ground on 28 February.
NightWatch 20110227	North Korea again has threatened to attack South Korean sites that launch propaganda balloons against the North. Anti-government protests occurred in Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. Qadhafi's cohorts now only hold portions of Tripoli.
NightWatch 20110225	The IAEA claims Iran plans to begin operating a second uranium enrichment plant later this year. After morning prayers on 25 February, news outlets reported anti-government demonstrations took place in Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Libya and Egypt. In Libya the Qadhafis only control parts of Tripoli, but remain defiant.
NightWatch 20110224	A South Korean news service has reported that last week several small protests occurred in North Korea over food and heating fuel shortages. Protests continued in Bahrain and Yemen but both governments are maneuvering to avoid provoking the protestors. Protestors in Libya took control of two key towns west of Tripoli, effectively isolating the capital by land. Erratic behavior by the Qadhafis, family departures and military defections indicate the regime will not last much longer.
NightWatch 20110223	A press source reported that 30,000 Chinese require evacuation from Libya. A US diplomat has opened a dialogue with Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Protests decreased in Bahrain on 23 February. The Saudi government has boosted funds for housing, social security, education and job creation, apparently to head off protests. Protests occurred in Cairo on 22 February, despite an Army ban. In Libya, pro-government forces are attempting to consolidate control of Tripoli, using brutal tactics and deadly force.
NightWatch 20110222	The Gilani government in Pakistan remains shakey because of pressure from the opposition. The King of Bahrain has released political prisoners in a concession to the protestors and has flown to Saudi Arabia to consult with King Abdallah. Libyan leader Qadhafi remains defiant. The likelihood of more bloodshed is high. Algeria lifted the 19-year old state of emergency in a concession to protestors.
NightWatch 20110220	A Pakistani court ruled that the US embassy worker in custody shall remain there for three more weeks to allow the government to formulate a case. Egypt agreed to allow to Iranian naval ships to transit the Suez Canal bound for Syria. On the 18th Libya began to crackdown on protestors in Benghazi.
NightWatch 20110217	Imagery indicates North Korea's new missile test launch facility on the west coast is complete. China said it will block publication of a UN Report that accuses North Korea of violating sanctions on its nuclear prorgam by building several undisclosed sites. Bahrain police backed by the Army rousted demonstrators from Pearl Square in Manama. Four were killed. In Egypt more workers strikes took place; 18 February is the Day of Victory celebration. A Libyan crackdown tht killed two demonstrators seems to have broken the opposition movement.
NightWatch 20110216	Chinese and Korean news services repored Kim Chong-il had a wonderful birthday. Threats from the Pakistani Taliban complicate resolution of the case of the US diplomat in custody in Lahore for murder. Some Egyptian protestors are having second thoughts about working with a martial law administration. Riots or demonstrations occurred in Bahrain, Yemen and Libya, but as yet had no significant effect on the leaders.
NightWatch 20110215	North Korean celebrations of Kim Chong-il's birthday were dampened by the absnce of birthday gifts to every household because of the food shortage. Anti-government demonstrations were held in Iran, Bahrain and Yemen. None had much effect. The military government in Egypt has given a committee of jurists ten days in which to formulate constitutional amendments that will safeguard democracy. Tunisian authorities extended the state of emergency law.
NightWatch 20110215	North Korea has renewed an earlier request for dialogue with South Korean lawmakers. China's Minister for Public Security is the first official to comment favorably on North Korea's plan for leadership succession to Kim Jong-eun. Egypt's military leadership has implemented martial law as part of the transition period to democracy. Libyan leader Qadhafi announced he will lead protests against his government.
NightWatch 20110211	Japan restated its claims to the Kuril Islands, in response to Russian announcements. President Mubarak's refusal to resign on 10 February increases the likelihood of violent confrontations during the Day of Confrontation protests on 11 February. For a second day, Egyptian workers protested against Mubarak. Algeria will deploy 25,000 police to prepare for an opposition demonstration on 12 February.
NightWatch 20110209	The North Korean delegation abruptly walked out of the second day of military talks at Panmunjom. The US declined a North Korean request for the US to resume food aid. Russia plans to strengthen defensive capabilities on Kuril Islands claimed by Japan. For the first time Egyptian workers began to protest for improved working conditions. Violent clashes are expected during Friday's Day of Confrontation protests in Cairo. The Egyptian Vice President said the Muslim Brotherhood should engage in talks because it is political force with a social agenda. Libyan leader Qadhafi warned journalists against contributing to the Libyan Day of Rage on 17 February.
NightWatch 20110208	North Korean and South Korean military officials met for the first time in nearly a year to discuss whether they have anything to discuss. Lebanese Hezbollah came out strongly in support of the Egyptian protestors for being anti-American. The first session of the new Egyptian cabinet addressed economic problems. The interim Tunisian President has been granted authority to rule by decree until elections are held. The Tunisian Army is recalling reservists to active duty to cope with rising violence.
NightWatch 20110208	North-South military talks continued for a second day in a "good" atmosphere. China and Iran have agreed to a $13 billion contract to link the countries by rail. Lebanese prime minister-elect Mikati soon will complete formation of a cabinet without members from the "pro-West camp." In Egypt, anti-government protests occurred in Alexandria and Cairo, but the security situation is less tense.
NightWatch 20110206	Iran began legal proceedings against the American tourists it has in custody. Egypt's Vice President began talks with opposition delegates.
NightWatch 20110204	Thai soldiers exchanged fire with Cambodians near the Preah Vihear temple in northwestern Cambodia.This is the first clash in a year. In Egypt the turnout for anti-government protests was far short of expectations. al Jazeera's English language service consistently exaggerated the size of demonstrations.
NightWatch 20110203	For the second time, North Korea has asked for parliamentary talks with South Korea. Kim Chong-il celebrated the lunar new year of the Rabbit. In Yemen, large anti-government demonstrations were held and everyone went home. Egyptian President Mubarak will not step down and seems to sense no pressure to do so. Large demonstrations are planned for Cairo on4 February, but the anti-government movement is fizzling out elsewhere. Algeria's President Bouteflika has promised to lift the 19 year state of emergency soon.
NightWatch 20110202	Yemeni President Saleh said he will not run for office in 2013, nor will his son. In Egypt violent demonstrations by pro-Mubarak supporters indicate the crisis continues. The Tunisian interim regime is attempting a nation-wide cleaning of pro-Ben Ali governors and police chiefs.
NightWatch 20110201	South and North Korean officials have compromised, agreeing to hold preparatory military talks on 8 February. Syrian opposition leaders are calling for a large anti-government demonstration on 5 February under the guise of supporting the Egyptians. Mubarak announced he will not run for another term as President, which was well known in advance. He made no substantive concessions to the protestors.
NightWatch 20110131	South and North Korea continue to wrangle over the date of the new session of working-level military talks, which is good news. The UN claims to have information about more clandestine nuclear facilities in North Korea. The Mubarak government in Egypt is stalling for time. The Army announced it will not use force against protestors who plan a million person demonstration in Cairo on 1 February.
NightWatch 20110130	In Egypt, President Mubarak named a Vice President and an new government, setting conditions for a transition to a new leadership. Egyptian police and security forces are preparing for a crackdown that clears streets as of 31 January. Ripple effects from the Egyptian uprising include increased Chinese controls of internal social media. In Sudan, preliminary results from the southern Sudan referendum indicate overwhelming support for secession. A Tunisian Islamist leader in exile for 20 years returned to Tunis this weekend.
NightWatch 20110127 - Special Report	NightWatch Special Report: November 2010 in Afghanistan - Now Available
NightWatch 20110128	Anti-government protests occurred in Tunisia, Jordan and Yemen, as well as Egypt. In Egypt, widespread protests prompted President Mubarak to dismiss the government. More protests are expected on the 29th. The interim Prime Minister of Tunisia appointed new cabinet ministers for national defense, interior and foreign affairs but did not step down.
NightWatch 20110127	Japan's Coast Guard is monitoring the activities of a Chinese patrol ship near the Senkaku Islands. North Korea proposed talks between legislators from the North and South. This was the fourth talks proposal this year. In Egypt, opposition groups plan large protest demonstrations after Friday prayers. Government leaders in Yemen, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria are trying to prove they are open to reform.
NightWatch 20110126	South Korea proposed 11 February as the date for resuming working-level military talks with North Korea. The North has not responded. In Lebanon, supporters of former Prime Minister Hariri refuse to accept a pro-Hezbollah prime minister and government. Egyptian authorities have arrested up to 900 anti-government demonstrators. The Cairo government denied that Gamal Mubarak, the son of the President, and his family fled Egypt. In Tunisia, the interim government plans a cabinet shakeup and issued a warrant for the arrest of former President Ben Ali.
NightWatch 20110125	Najib Mikati, a very wealthy businessman, is the new prime minister of Lebanon. He is pro-Syria and supported by Hezbollah; opposition to his election has erupted in political violence. In Egypt thousands of people in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities called for President Mubarak to step down. The Russian bombing showed that airports contain many areas where people congregate outside secure zones.
NightWatch 20110124	In Iraq, two bombings in Karbala in a week attest to efforts to incite sectarian warfare again. Russia authorities suspect a Chechen terrorist was responsible for the suicide bombing at Domodedovo airport in Moscow. Hezbollah-backed politican Najib Mikati is likely to be the next prime minister of Lebanon. Tunisian police and anti-government protestors clashed in Tunis on 24 January.
NightWatch 20110123	South Korea proposed mid-February for working-level military talks with North Korea. Yemeni students in Sana'a called for President Saleh's resignation. Saleh raised the pay of the security forces. Hezbollah is likely to lead the next government in Lebanon, portending increased tension with Israel. Preliminary results from the southern Sudan referendum are overwhelmingly in favor of secession. In Tunis, police, national guards and sanitation workers staged a protest, while Islamists announced they were considering forming a political party to contest presidential elections. Algerian police clashed with protestors in Algiers.
NightWatch 20110120	India arrested three suspected Chinese "spies" and warned that six more might be at large. An Iran has called for the expulsion of 3 million Afghans who have jobs in Iran. In Lebanon, Hezbollah members practiced measures to immobilize Beirut. Tunisia released all political prisoners, but the government remains fragile.
NightWatch 20110120	China and Japan reached agreement on crisis management measures for handling maritime incidents. South Korea has accepted a North Korean proposal for high-level military talks in the first ten days of February. The Chinese aircraft carrier Shi Lang, formerly the Soviet ship Varyag, is nearing completion and will commence sea trials this year. The Tunisian interim cabinet met for the first time and declared general amnesty and lifted the ban on political parties.
NightWatch 20110118	North Korea and China are planning to establish a special economic zone on an island in the Yalu River. In Lebanon, Hezbollah has promised to act moderately until it learns the details of the indictments by the Special Tribunal. Tunisia experienced new protests and calls for the new government to step down. Anti-government protests are increasing in Yemen. West African states are deliberating military action to break the political stalemate in the Ivory Coast.
NightWatch 20110117	Taiwan will hold a fire power demonstration and military exercise evidently timed to the Chinese President's visit to the US. In Lebanon draft indictments have been delivered under tight security to the investigating magistrate of the Special Tribunal for a ten week review process. Tunisia announced the formation of a unity government composed mostly of hold-overs from the Ben Ali regime, but security conditions have improved. Other Middle Eastern states continue to announce new programs to help their poor.
NightWatch 20110114	India announced its intention to cut by one-fourth security forces in Jammu and Kashmir State. The indictments from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon are expected within days. The President of Tunisia has been ousted in a palace coup, backed by the Army. Demonstrations and looting continue despite imposition of a state of emergency.
NightWatch 20110113	North Korea will hold its first Amateur Open Golf tournament in Pyongyang in late April to earn Euros and showcase its new policy of conciliation. Lebanese political leaders will meet on the 17th to discuss government formation. Tunisian President Ben Ali promised political reform, lowered food prices, directed no use of live ammunition by the police and returned the Army to barracks in Tunis. General strikes are still planned. With President Chavez' approval, Venezuela's national asssembly scrapped a controversial plan to make state universities conform to Chavez' socialist vision.
NightWatch 20110113	South Korean news services have reported purges and public executions of people opposed to the transitional leadership in North Korea. Hezbollah withdrew from the Lebanese government, creating a temporary political crisis. Tunisian President Ben Ali dismissed his Minister of Interior over police use of excessive force against demonstrators. More demonstration are likely.
NightWatch 20110111	Leaked imagery showed the Chinese prototype stealth fighter making its first flight. Indian External Affairs Minister Krishna made a strong statement of support for Afghanistan after a two-day visit. Disorders and clashes took place in a suburb of Tunis on 11 January. General strikes have been called for later in the week.
NightWatch 20110110	South Korea has rejected unconditional talks because it wants the North to abandon its provocations and nuclear weapons programs. The North has countered with still more offers of talks. Tunisia has closed schools because of civil disorders and promised more jobs.
NightWatch 20110109	South Korean and Japanese Defense Ministers will meet on 10 January to discuss closer military ties. South Korea is considering North Korea's 8 January offer of talks. In Karachi, tens of thousands of Pakistanis rallied in support of blasphemy laws. Minor tribal clashes preceded southern Sudan's referendum on independence; voting will continue for a week. Riots in Algeria prompted the government to reduce commodity prices. Riots in Tunisia over the weekend resulted in at least 14 deaths. France declared all countries in Sahelian Africa unsafe after two French nationals were executed by al-Aqaida associated terrorists.
NightWatch 20110107	North Korea has restated its offer of unconditional talks, proposing they be held in late January or early February. In Pakistan, Prime Minister Gilani has restored his government's majority in the National Assembly, easing the political crisis. The Sudanese referendum on independence for southern Sudan is on track for 9 January. This week rioting and protests have occurred in Tunisian cities over high unemployment and high prices, but the government is not in danger at this time.
NightWatch 20110106	South Korea and the US rejected North Korea's offer of talks. China has added two more law enforcement ships to the North Sea Fleet to protect Chinese maritime interests. The Pakistani political crisis deepened when the government rescinded fuel price increases to avoid a vote of no-confidence by the parliamentary opposition. The new Venezuelan parliament convened with a larger number of opposition, anti-Chavez members than at any time in the past five years.
NightWatch 20110105	North Korea published a "joint statement" by all government organizations that calls for talks and reconciliation with South Korea. The Pakistani police commando who assassinated the Governor he was protecting received praise from Islamist religious scholars. Open source reporting supports a press statement by the German commander of the northern region that Pashtun fighters are war weary and have begun to surrender.
NightWatch 20110104	Japan announced its willingness to engage in bilateral talks with North Korea. South Korea clarified that no military alliance with Japan is being considered. The assassination of the governor of Pakistan's Punjab Province by his elite police commando bodyguard is a sign of the pervasive influence of Islamist attitudes. Taliban denied the existence of a ceasefire of any kind in Sangin District of Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Sudan's president al Bashir is in Juba, southern Sudan to consult prior to the 9 January referendum on southern Sudan's independence.
NightWatch 20110103	Japan's Foreign Minister Maehara wants to expand cooperation with South Korea into a new security alliance, according to the press. South Korean President Lee is pursuing a carrot and stick policy in dealing with North Korea. Chinese firms want to invest in and develop Indonesian mineral resources in New Guinea. Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani has begun talks with the second largest opposition party to restore his government's majority in parliament.
NightWatch 20110102	North Korea's New Year's political editorial carried a conciliatory message for South Korea for a second year, but again without specifics. South Korea replied that military adventurism must stop before talks can resume. In Pakistan the MQM joined the opposition on 2 January, creating a political crisis and forcing the government to rule as a minority government. Thus far, Iran has implemented deep cuts to the national subsidy program without generating civil disorders and protests.
NightWatch 20101229	North Korea has restated its refusal to recognize the Northern Limit Line and warned of more clashes. The heir apparent in North Korea can no longer be called the "young general." He must be called the "honorable" or "brilliant comrade general." India has increased continuous anti-piracy patrols in the central Arabian Sea to counter the eastward drift of Somali pirate predations.
NightWatch 20101229	South Korea announced a new strategy for dealing with North Korea that is aimed a eventual reunification. Japanese media repored North Korea is discussing a possible sale of long range Taepo-Dong-2 ballistic missiles to Iran. Pakistani President Zardari is trying to heal political divisions in the government coalition. Israel now says Iran is three years away from building a nuclear weapon because of technical difficulties -- a possible reference to the effects of the Stuxnet worm which reportedly has infected the Iranian nuclear program's computers.
NightWatch 20101227	South Korea has begun another round of naval exercises, which North Korea has denounced. Kim Chong-il's activities, as reported, continue to indicate no expectation of a crisis. A key member of Pakistan's government coalition has withdrawn from the cabinet over government corruption and ineptitude. It is considering whether to join the opposition, in which event the Gilani government would lose its majority and could fall.
NightWatch 20101223	South Korea has reduced the alert condition for parts of its military forces. North Korea has threatened a "sacred war" if it is attacked. Indian authorities have alerted the citizens of Mumbai to be on guard for a terrorist attack by four terrorists who entered Mumbai from Pakistan.
NightWatch 20101223	North Korea has not yet reacted to South Korea's fire-pwer demonstration near the Demilitarized Zone. North Korea has resumed broadcasting public appearancs by leader Kim Chong-il, after a one-day gap on 20 December. That is the date of the South Korean island artillery drills. Cross-Strait relations between China and Taiwan continue to improve. The Venezuelan opposition has described as a "coup d'etat" the action by the lame duck legislature in voting rule by decree authority to the president plus restrictions on free speech.
NightWatch 20101221	South Korea has lit a 100-foot Christmas tree tower south of the Demilitarized Zone for the first time in seven years, in an act of defiance against North Korea. As yet the North has not responded, but the South has vowed military retaliation if the North attacks the tower.
NightWatch 20101220	North Korea declined to retaliate for South Korean island-based artillery exercises, as being not worth the effort. China intends to maintain continuous patrols permanantly by large fisheries patrol ships in the waters near the Senkaku Islands. The two most important Somali militant groups announced a military and political merger, which probably portends another offensive to defeat the transitional government and the African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu.
NightWatch 20101219	South Korean artillery exercises from Yeonpyeong Island are taking place as of 0230 EDT.North Korea has not reacted as yet. China and Russia blocked UN efforts to control the confrontation. The political crisis in the Ivory Coast has led to a deteriorating security situation. The US has encouraged its citizens to leave.
NightWatch 20101217	South Korea announced it will proceed with plans for artillery training from Yeonpyeong Island, despite North Korea's threat and warning of retaliation. If the South shoots as announced, the North will fire back. China announced two more major economic projects with North Korea. China also announced in public its plan to have an operational nuclear powered aircraft carrier by 2020. Fighting data from November in Afghanistan indicates it was the most violent month in the history of the insurgency. Venezuelan President Chavez was voted the authority to rule by decree for 18 months by the outgoing lame duck parliament.
NightWatch 20101216	South Korea announced it will hold artillery training this weekend on Yeonpyeong Island, increasing the danger of an escalating crisis with the North. A moderate-toned North Korean Foreign Ministry statement and the arrival in Pyongyang of New Mexico Governor Richardson with a CNN crew for a five day visit offer guarded optimism that a crisis may be avoided. Iran has accused Pakistan of complicity in the 15 December suicide bombings at a mosque in Chabahar that killed 41 and injured more than 50. India has placed all its diplomatic facilities in Afghanistan against an imminent terrorist attack. The Estonian security police have accused the mayor of Tallinn of acting as an agent of influence for Russia.
NightWatch 20101215	The US, South Korea and Japan presented North Korea five conditons for resuming six-party nuclear talks. North Korea will reject the offer. Asian media outlets quote South Korean intelligence sources that North Korea is preparing a site for another nuclear test, probably by spring 2011. Germany announced it will end conscription next year and significantly cut back the size of its standing military forces.
NightWatch 20101214	Russian authorities announced that forces in the Far East have been placed on increased alert over the Korean situation. Chinese diplomats assert that North Korea is ready for six party talks without conditions. The Venezuelan parliament has granted President Chavez the authority to legistlate by decree, for the fourth time.
NightWatch 20101213	North Korea responded to the South Korean artillery training with a threat of nuclear war on the peninsula. This is a bluff. Desite ominous warnings from various US commentators, the likelihood of general war remains low, but the likelihood of further shooting incidents remains high. South Korean media quoted an unidentified official source who claimed that North Korea has multiple uranium enrichment facilities. China blames the US "return to Asia" policy for the recent increase in tension in northeast Asia.
NightWatch 20101212	South Korea began coastal artillery training on 13 Decmeber at 27 locations, which exclude the offshore islands near North Korea. Kim Chong-il, his sister and brother-in-law inspected light consumer goods factories and a new department store, reinforcing the message that the North does not seek a general war. A two-state solution to the Palestinian problem risks enabling Hamas to govern all Palestinian territories.
NightWatch 20101209	North Korea declared any shelling by South Korean forces from YeonPyeong Island into adjacent waters will violate North Korean sovereignty because the island is located in North Korean waters. On 9 December Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo held "candid and in-depth talks" with Kim Chong Il in Pyongyang. An article publised on 25 NOvember by the German daily Die Welt claims that Venezuela and Iran have agreed to build a jointly operated medium range ballistic missile base in Venezuela that will be manned by Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Venezuelan and Iranian missile officers. This report has not been confirmed by other sources at this time.
NightWatch 20101208	Japan's deputy Defense Minister called for strenghtening the southwest coast because China's military has increased regional instability. Loitering by two Russian anti-submarine warfare and ocean surveillance aircraft caused the US and Japan to interrupt joint exercises for several hours. The provincial council of Iraq's Babil Province has ordered US soldiers to vacate a base in Hillah as agreed or face concrete barricades to deny access to it.
NightWatch 20101207	South Korea dropped anti-regime leaflets into North Korea from balloons and is considering restarting anti-regime propaganda broadcasts along the Demilitarized Zone. Last summer North Korea promised a "physical response" to both. A senior Chinese official posted an essay on the Foreign Ministry website that appears to be an effort to lower international expectations of China in international relations. India and Pakistan both suffered sensational, but unrelated bombing incidents for which Islamic extremist groups claimed responsibility.
NightWatch 20101206	South Korea has begun its second of five days of coastal artillery exercises, but postponed drills on the Yellow Sea islands. The International Criminal Court is investigating whether North Korea committed war crimes in sinking the South Korean corvette last March. A Pakistani court has issued warrants for seven police officials in connection with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007.
NightWatch 20101205	Tension remains high in Korea resulting from North Korean denunciations of US, South Korean and Japanese military cooperation. South Korea's new Minister of National Defense has promised strong retaliation stikes in the event of another North Korean attack on South Korea.
NightWatch 20101202	The Director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service admitted that the agency failed to analyze indicators of a North Korean artillery attack on the offshore islands as early as August. On 1 and 2 December North Korean media have reported public appearances by Kim Chong-il, strong indicators that the North does not seek an escalation of the offshore islands confrontation. The Ivory Coast is under a complete national lock down through Sunday in preparation for runoff presidential elections. Analysis of fighting in the districts of Afghanistan indicates 2010 is the first year in which the Taliban and other anti-government forces generally contracted their areas of operations.
NightWatch 20101201	US and South Korean naval exercises terminated with no futher provocations. South Korean intelligence issued a warning to expect more provocations because of internal instability in North Korea. South Korea has deployed surface-to-air missiles to Yeonpyeong Island. Japan and the US will begin ten days of exercises on 1 December. Participants will include the US aircraft carrier USS George Washington, 400 aircraft and 60 ships.
NightWatch 20101130	North Korea has made no provocations during the US-South Korean naval exercises in the Yellow Sea. South Korea plans to expand the military rules of engagement for responding to future North Korean provocations. Egypt's ruling party swept parliamentary elections. Mainstream media treatment of key Wikileaks reports is superficial and lacks context.
NightWatch 20101129	Japan refused the Chinese offer of talks and prefers to consult with its Allies first. South Korea continues to talk strong, but doubts about combat readiness persist. Iran has minimized leaked US assessments that Arab states and the Israelis agree that Iran is the greatest threat to peace in the Mid East.
NightWatch 20101129 - Special Report	NightWatch has written a series of Special Reports on Afghanistan since 2006. These are monthly reviews of open source reports on combat that are intended to provide hard data on combat so that readers can understand the trends in security conditions. This report is the latest in the series.
NightWatch 20101128	Tension is high on the Korean Peninsula. The second day of Allied exercises began on 29 November without incident. Japan continues its close watch and hardline approach to North Korea. China is trying to arrange emergency talks but South Korea has rejected them for now and North Korea has made no comment.
NightWatch 20101126	The new South Korean Minister of National Defense is a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Kim Kwan Jin. A South Korean news outlet published images indicating South Korean intelligence had warning of the shelling attack but did nothing about it. Diplomacy has begun, but the US-South Korean exercises on Sunday are the next flash point.
NightWatch 20101125	The final casualty toll from the North Korean shelling of Yeonpyeong Island on the 23rd is four dead and 18 wounded. South Korea has replaced the National Defense Minister because of the attack. US-South Korean military exercises are to begin this weekend. North Korea warned against the US-ROK drills on 26 November, but continues to project images of normality. It has terminated its participation in Red Cross talks.
NightWatch 20101123	A review of diplomacy, international activities and leadership activities indicates North Korea is making no preparations for war and expects the artillery incident will not escalate. South Korea has increased security, canceled Red Cross talks set for the 25th and suspended food relief shipments to the North. North Korean media blame South Korea for provoking the shelling and have put out three different explanations. Chinese media have praised North Korea's "toughness."
NightWatch 20101122	Australia will not increase its troops in Afghanistan, but will provide training teams on request. On 23 November North Korean coastal artillery shelled a South Korean offshore island, off the west coast, injuring four soldiers and setting houses afire. South Korean guns returned fire and the armed forces are at highest peacetime alert. China is using economic aid and infrastructure projects to build its sphere of influence in Southeast and South Asia. Construction of a high speed railroad from Kunming, China, to Rangoon, Burma will being soon. The coup attempt in Madagascar has been settled and the new constitution was approved in a national referendum.
NightWatch 20101119	North and South Korea will hold Red Cross talks in South Korea for the first time in a year. Recnet talks have been held only in the North. Commercial imagery confirms new construction at the Yongbyon nuclear site, presumably for an experimental light water reactor. A news report states that Iran may soon release the two American backpackers still in custody.
NightWatch 20101118	North Korea wants to resume tourism talks on 25 November, but South Korea refuses to talk until the North returns resort property to the South Korean owners. South Korea declared a failure the so-called Sunshine Policy of enegagement with the North, in effect since 2000. The Lithuanian port of Klaipeda will be a logistics hub for supplying forces in Afghanistan by rail from the north. In the Cold War it was the location of a large and important Soviet naval base.
NightWatch 20101117	In North Korea, a new purge of "corrupt" officials and military officers appears intended to remove opposition to the young heir-apparent, Kim Jung-un. Japan's first overseas military base under construction in Djibouti. Army mutineers failed to overthrow the Madagascar government or stop the referendum on a new constitution. In Guinea, protestors rioted after opposition leader Alpha Conde was declared winner of the presidential runoff election in 7 November.
NightWatch 20101116	South Korea has increased vigilance because of reports that North Korea is preparing a third nuclear test at the test site at Punggye-ri and has begun constructing a light water nuclear reactor at Yongbyon. Pakistan's former President Musharraf has published an essay blaming the US and India for the rise of Islamic militancy in Pakistan. In Afghanistan, once again Germany is declaring victory over the Taliban in Konduz Province of northern Afghanistan and promises more vigorous offensive operations.
NightWatch 20101115	A newly released UN report found that North Korea is using a variety of deceptive tactics to sell missile and nuclear technology to Iran, Syria and Burma. Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been released from house arrest. She says she is ready to hold talks with the junta-backed government. Afghan President Karzai's call for a reduced US military footprint indicates US tactics are not congruent with US hearts and minds strategy. In Algeria, a recent terrorist attack against a foreign construction company could signal a change in tactics.
NightWatch 20101111	Pakistan and China have expressed reservations about the US support for Indian permanent membership in the UN Security Council. Pakistani President Zardari begins a three day official visit to China on 11 November in part to encourage Chinese opposition to the proposal. India has refused to cooperate with the US on Iran and Burma. Iraq is close to forming a new government after eight months of deadlock. Nuri al Maliki will serve as prime minister. The US has concluded that the contrail seen off Los Angeles this week was from an aircraft.
NightWatch 20101108	In North Korea the deputy to Kim Chong-il has died at 82. Vice Marshal Cho Myong-nok was a former classmate of Kim Chong-il after the Korean War and a pilot and former air force commander. In the first Burmese general elections in 20 years, candidates backed by the military junta won sweeping victories in clearly rigged elections. Somali pirates attacked a European Union warship using a captured merchant ship for the first time.
NightWatch 20101105	An authoritative Afghan Taliban leader told Pakistani television interviewer that the Taliban will negotiate after the US departs. At the UN Russia blamed ineffective tactics for the surge of Taliban activity in northern Afghanistan, which had been quiet before the surge. Al Qaida in Yemen claimed responsibility for the parcel bombs found in the UK and in Dubai and for a third on a UPS aircraft that was destroyed on 3 September in Dubai.
NightWatch 20101104	A North Korean media report on the activities of leader Kim Chong-il for the first time listed his son, Kim Jong-un, as second in precedence, after his father. Indian authorities announced a major program to upgrade, enlarge and improve Air Force bases and facilities opposite China, in eastern India. In Afghanistan, a purported Taliban offer of seven terms for talks with the US is making news headlines, but does not appear to be authentic. Somalia's al Shabaab tribal and Islamic militants are threatening attacks in Uganda and Burundi to counter African Union operations in Mogadishu.
NightWatch 20101103	North Korea's premier is visiting joint manufacturing facilities located in northeastern China. This is the third recent high level visit to these factories. India has decided to build three new major naval bases along the coast of the Bay of Bengal, to improve sea control and the ability to monitor and counter Chinese activities in Burma, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In Juarez, Mexico, opposite El Paso, Texas, four American visitors were killed in drug cartel gunfights over the weekend, raising to 20 the number killed in October.
NightWatch 20101102	A South Korean navy ship fired warning shots at a North Korean fishing boat off the west coast on 3 November. China rejected a US offer to host trilateral talks with Japan to settle the Senkakus dispute. Russia increased pressure on Japan over the Kurils by announcing more Presidential visits. Greece experienced a string of parcel bomb explosions and threats, attributed to Greek anarchists.
NightWatch 20101101	Russian President Medvedev's visit to the Kuril Islans on 1 NOvember is the first by a Russian President. Japan claims four of the 56 islands and announced it will formally protest Medvedev's visit. China has presented India a five point plan to improve relations and handle disputes, but the plan contains no measures for avoiding confrontations. Afghan President Karzai criticized a US-Russian counter-narcotics operation in eastern AFghanistan. The 28 October raid is the first Russian operation in Afghanistan in more than 20 years. Saudi intelligence reported that 26 packages were used in the latest air carrier parcel bomb plot. Only two have been located.
NightWatch 20101028	In advance of the US President's visit to India on 5 November, Taiwan has postponed a purchase of US weapons that might have provoked China during the visit to India. North Korea's Chief of the General Staff is leading a delegation to Cuba. A Chinese intelligence general is visiting Pakistan to discuss issues of mutual interest, which usually means taking Pakistan to task for training Uighur Islamist militants at Pakistani intelligence-run terrorist camps in Pakistani Kashmir.
NightWatch 20101027	In talks about family reunions North Korea tried to extort 500,000 tons of rice and 300,000 tons of fertilizer from South Korea. Indian authorities are concerned that Kashmiri militants will stage attacks during the US President's visit in early November. That is their custom. The Royal Danish Navy sank a Somali pirate mothership.
NightWatch 20101026	North Korea and the US will hold colonel-level talks at Panmunjom on 27 October. Anti-Japanese protests continued in Chongqing, China. A Chinese nuclear-powered attack submarine has been reported at the new naval base on Hainan Island. Iran confirmed that it provides financial aid to Afghanistan. Venezuela expropriated two US-owned factories, as part of the ongoing nationalization program.
NightWatch 20101025	Japan detected and protested the presence of Chinese patrol boats near the Senkaku Islands. Anti-Japanese protests occurred in at least three Chinese cities over the weekend. Afghanistan's President Karzai confirmed that he receives bags of money from Iran as well as the United States, as official aid. In Mexico the Sinaloa drug cartel has warned it will kill one person for every ton of marijuana plus one seized by Mexican authorities in Tijuana last week. The cartel used a police radio to communicate the threat.
NightWatch 20101024	South Korea and the US cancelled naval exercises in the Yellow Sea to provide a non-provocative security background to next month's Group of 20 summit in Seoul. The Indian Army forces in Kashmir foiled an infiltration attempt by a militant group from Pakistan over the weekend. Taliban terrorists detonated themselves outside the UN compound in Herat in western Afghanistan. Nevertheless, Herat remains one of the safest cities in Afghanistan.
NightWatch 20101022	A UN report forecast a looming food crisis in North Korea because of a bad harvest. South Korea announced it will not resume large scale food aid to the North until the political atmosphere improves. India's Army chief accused Pakistan of continuing to support anti-Indian terrorism. He said up to 600 Kashmiri militants were at 42 camps in Pakistan, preparing to infiltrate into Indian Kashmir before winter. Chinese strategic analysts have criticized the US President's trip to India in early November as part of an American plan to encircle China.
NightWatch 20101021	North Korea has renewed a proposal for non-governmental talks with South Korea, at the same time US and South Korean sources report new activity at the North's nuclear site in the far northeast. China continues to pressure Japan over ownership of the Senkaku Islands.
NightWatch 20101020	Chinese media reported a fisheries enforcement ship deployed near the Senkaku Islands, but Japanese authorities said the ship's presence in Japanese claimed waters was unconfirmed. Iran announced it will put two US backpackers on trial on 6 November. Movement in the court system could be a step towards release.
NightWatch 20101019	Renewed tension between Japan and China has led to a war of words by senior diplomats. North Korean authorities arrested three youths who smuggled explosives from China and intended to blow up a bridge. NATO aircraft again violated Pakistani airspace near the border crossing point at Torkham, apparently to check on supply convoys. Venezuelan President Chavez used his visit to Iran to denounce the US.
NightWatch 20101018	South and North Korea restored their commercial aviation hotline on 18 October. It is the first of three crisis management lines to be restored since the sinking of the South Korea patrol ship in March. Anti-Japanese demonstrations and vandalism in at least five Chinese cities have increased tension with Japan again. Iraqi Prime Minister al Maliki visited Iranian President Ahmadi-Nejad.
NightWatch 20101017	The Japanese government next year will consider legislation that would empower the Maritime Self-Defense Forces to participate in maritime law enforcement actions. North Korea issues its usual hollow threats of war over South Korea's participation in an anti-proliferation naval exercise. Iranian nuclear talks with Western countries are set for 15 to 18 November. Saudi Arabia warned France about a theat of attach by al Qaida operatives from Yemen.
NightWatch 20101015	North Korea again threatened to shell South Korean loudspeaker sites in the event anti-North Korean broadcasts resume. With Chinese assistance it has raised new conditions for resuming nuclear talks. Russia has agreed to build a nuclear power plant in Venezuela and announced news arms sales.
NightWatch 20101014	China and North Korea have agreed on another joint venture in Tumen, China, that will bind North Korea's economy more closely to that of China. In a recent commentary, a Chinese military expert has characterized China as the equal of the United States in international politics, security, economics, science and technology. Thai authorities arrested 15 Pakistanis whom the Thai suspect of planning terrorist attacks in southern Thailand. Pakistani authorities state they have arrested seven Islamists who were plotting to assassinate the Prime Minister. The Sadrist movement in Iraq is demanding significant control of the cabinet from Prime Minister al Maliki as the price for its support in a new government.
NightWatch 20101013	No significant threat information has been received during this Watch.
NightWatch 20101012	China announced plans to build 30 new law enforcement ships to "safeguard marine rights." That is in contrast to more conciliatory diplomatic language at a meeting in Vietnam. Official revelations made to a US journalist endanger the fragile stability of the Pakistani eleced government. The severed head of a Mexican investigator into the Falcon Lake alleged murder was delivered to a Mexican Army base.
NightWatch 20101011	During the first meeting between senior officals in a year, China invited the US Defense Secretary to visit China in 2011. After several recent combat deaths, the Italian Defense Ministry plans to request parliament to approve the use of bombs by Italian aircraft providing tactical air support to Italian troops in combat in Afghanistan.
NightWatch 20101010	Kim Chong-il and his son Kim Chong-un presided at the large military parade in honor of the 65th anniversary of the Workers' Party. China released the fourth Japanese national contract worker after he finally "repented."
NightWatch 20101007	After the Senkakus confrontation with China, Japan is seeking alternate suppliers and supply routes that bypass China. India and Russia have agreed on a long term arrangement for supplying and producing fifth generation fighters and transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force. Pakistan's suspension of NATO supply convoys for Afghanistan continued into its eighth day. Russia announced cancellation of its contract with Iran for the S-300 air defense system and promised to return the downpayment. The French Constitutional Council found the law prohibiting women from wearing Islamic face veils in public in France to be constitutional.
NightWatch 20101006	China has begun to withdraw fisheries patrol boats from the disputed Senkaku Islands, in the latest sign of easing tension. Russian initiatives with Vietnam, India and Algeria attest to a new program to rebuild or expand Soviet-era arms markets. The US apologized to Pakistan for the 30 September helicopter shooting incident so as to encourage Pakistan to re-open border crossing points for NATO supply convoys to Afghanistan. President Calderon intends to create a unified command for the 2,200 Mexican local police departments.
NightWatch 20101005	Japan declared an end to the confrontation with China over the Senkaku Islands, as most exchanges returned to normal. The border crossing site at Torkham, Pakistan, remains closed. Ecuador's President Correa extended the state of emergency until 8 October.
NightWatch 20101004	North Korea plans to hold a joint forces miltiary exercise at Wonsan on 10 October to honor the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Workers' Party. NATO and Pakistani authorities are discussing reopening the Torkham border crossing site, closed after a drone attack killed Pakistani paramilitary soldiers. Iraq's Shiite political parties appear to be uniting behind Prime Minister al Maliki to head the next government. Mali and France are holding talks about military action to rescue hostages held by al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.
NightWatch 20101001	Japan and China are groping diplomatically to move beyond the Senkakus dispute, with limited success. South and North Korea have reached agreeement on resuming family reunions, starting 30 October. Pakistan suspended US convoys to Afghanistan for a second day because of NATO/US air strikes on a Pakistani border outpost. Ecuador's President Correa remains in office owing to military intervention. Ecuador remains under a state of emergency.
NightWatch 20100930	China released three repentant Japanese workers, but kept a fourth in custody, in a move that is likely to prolong rather than defuse the maritime dispute. The departure of a high level North Korean party official for China indicates the leadership event has ended. North Korea released pictures that included Kim Chong-un, the heir apparent. An indecisive Indian court decision about the shrine at Ayodhya wll incite Hindu-Muslim violence. Cuts in pay and benefits for Ecuador's police forces provoked violence in major cities, a nationwide police strike and nearly a government overthrow. Ecuador is in a state of emergency under military control.
NightWatch 20100929	Japan is considering a plan to station troops on islands that it claims. China has resumed rare earth shipments to Japan, an apparent gesture to defuse tension. North and South Korean officers held working level meetings in Panmunjom for the first time in two years. The Pakistan Army dismissed as unfounded media reports that a surge in US drone attacks neutralized a terrorist plot to attack European cities.
NightWatch 20100928	Japanese authorities clarified that Japan has not surrendered any sovereign claims to China by releasing the fishing boat captain and expects no easing of tension with China soon. More promotions and appointments in North Korea indicate Kim Chong-un is the designated heir with little to no authority and is guided by his Aunt, Uncle and the military proteges of his ailing father, Kim Chong-il. France and the Sahelian African countries have established a new intelligence fusion center in Algiers to fight al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. The forces of order appear to be winning.
NightWatch 20100927	Kim Chong-il's older sister and his youngest son were promoted to the military rank of four-star general today, on the eve of the Workers' Party Conference on leadership. China continues to retaliate against Japan over the fishing boat incident by increasing the time and cost of customs procedures. Japan refuses to apologize and demands the Chinese pay for damage to Japanese patrol ships. France is positioning special forces for a rescue operation to recover five nationals held by al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. Pro-Chavez politicians won the Venezuelan parliamentary elections on the 26th.
NightWatch 20100924	Japanese prosecutors suspended their investigation of the Chinese fishing boat captain, who was released and is now in China. China has demanded an apology from Japan. North and South Korea failed to reach agreement on resuming reunion meetings, but talks continue. In Lebanon, a prominent Maronite Christian politician warned about a Sunni-Shiite "war" if Hezbollah members are indicted for a 2005 political assassination, as seems likely.
NightWatch 20100923	North Korea has promoted two English-speaking foreign policy veterans to positions of higher authority -- a good sign for future talks. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states agreed to help Kyrgyzstan stabilize conditions in the restive south by providing intelligence support. The Prime Minister of Bahrain told a gathering of regional leaders that Iran's security is Bahrain's security and that Iran's positions on global issues created a feeling of Muslim pride.
NightWatch 20100922	Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao joined the public exchanges about the fishing boat confrontation by calling for the release of the captain who is in custody in Japan. A statement by the head of government represents a signficant and potentially dangerous escalation of the confrontation.
NightWatch 20100921	Chinese press reported the air force conducted its first simulated exercise to use combat aircraft in cross-border attacks against terrorist targets in Kazakhstan. China also announced it will send four helicopters to Pakistan for flood relief. Iran's Supreme Leader used a religious directive, issued by an intermediary, to order Muqtada al Sadr to support al Maliki as prime minister of Iraq. Algerian forces will work with France to find and rescue the hostages kidnapped by al Qaida from a uranium mine in Niger.
NightWatch 20100920	South Korea sent a food convoy to North for flood victims. North Korea announced 28 September as the date for the postponed Party Conference. The actual voter turnout for the Afghan election was so low as to invalide the election, nearly. Coaltion forces, even during a surge, lack the capability to protect a centerpiece of their political strategy.
NightWatch 20100917	China is resorting to harassment tactics against Japanese diplomatic facilities, in the escalating fishing boat confrontation.
NightWatch 20100916	North Korea has made a tactical policy shift in favor of talks with South Korea and the US. It is not clear how substantive or durable the new engagement policy is. China has strengthened military cooperation ties with Sri Lanka, which will increase Indian suspicions of Chinese intentions in the Indian Ocean region. Leading Pakistani politicians dismissed rumors of a military takeover of government.
NightWatch 20100915	North Korea now blames recent flooding for he failure to convene a party conference. Early October is the next time for the conference. In Pakistan, al Qaida has urged Pakistanis to revolt because of the poor government response to the floods.
NightWatch 20100914	China escalated the confrontation with Japan over a seized Chinese fishing boat by postponing a high level visit. Pakistan's Defence Minister admitted that Chinese troops are in northern Pakistan. In Afghanistan, anti-government insurgents have vowed to disrupt legislative elections on 18 September.
NightWatch 20100913	A Chinese naval task group is in New Zealand for only the fourth time in 38 years. North Korea apparently has delayed the Party Conference because Kim is ill after his China trip. India is seeking to build a nuclear warfare quartet, using nuclear-armed attack fighters for some missions. The constitutional referendum in Turkey on 12 September resulted in another setback for secular government.
NightWatch 20100910	Tension continues to increase between China and Japan over the fishing boat incident. China appears determined to make Burma an economic gateway for channeling resources to China without using the Malacca and Singapore Straits. Iran has postponed the release of an American captive. The US has backed Iranian denials about a second secret Iranian nuclear facility.
NightWatch 20100909	Tension between China and Japan has increased after a Chinese fishing trawler rammed Japanese Coast Guard ships. India announced it will lift special security measures in six districts of Kashmir because of reduced violence. Iran announced it will release one of three US citizens charged with espionage, most likely as an act of moral superiority at the end of Ramadan.
NightWatch 20100908	North Korea's Premier is the latest official to articulate a new set of national priorities in which food production is first, ahead of military production. Pakistan's ambassador to the US stated that the demands of flood relief are more urgent than military operations against extremists. The murders of three Mexican mayors in the past month suggest a campaign to intimidate or eliminate elected officials.
NightWatch 20100907	The Australian Labor Party has enough support to form a minority government, which will be led by Prime Minister Julia Gillard. China has welcomed the head of the Burmese military junta, General Than Shwe, on a four-day state visit and warned outsiders to not meddle in Burma's national elections later this year. India again has accused China of having ambitions to enlarge its foothold in South Asia, a charge China denies.
NightWatch 20100906	A typhoon prompted the US and South Korea to postpone anti-submarine warfare exercises in the Yellow Sea. North Korean media reported delegates for the 3rd Party Conference are arriving in Pyongyang. This announcement means the Conference will start soon, if it has not already begun. The Indo-Russian jointly developed BrahMos supersonic cruise missile successfully completed a "user's trial" on 5 September, involving a steep dive at nearly three times the speed of sound while carrying a conventional warhead.
NightWatch 20100903	US and South Korean authorities confirmed the start of anti-submarine warfare exercises in the Yellow Sea this weekend. India and South Korea signed two major agreements on cooperation between military forces and in defense industrial production. India has protested the presence of large numbers of Chinese military forces in Pakistani Kashmir. Food riots over the prices of bread and utilities ended in Maputo, Mozambique, but the problems persist.
NightWatch 20100902	Preparations for North Korea's 3rd Party Conference are well advanced, but the dates of the Conference have not been released. Flood relief and recovery pose the most significant threat yet to the elected government in Pakistan.
NightWatch 20100901	Japan rejected as premature North Korean reported willingness to resume nuclear talks soon. Just days after Kim Chong-il returned from China, the commander of the Chinese military region adjacent to North Korea arrived in Pyongyang to "further develop" military cooperation. Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for suicide bombings in eastern Pakistan that killed 33 and injured more than 150 during a Shiite religious observance. The Netherlands released two Yemenis, who arrived on a flight from the US, for lack of evidence to hold them.
NightWatch 20100831	South Korea's Red Cross has offered assistance to North Korean flood victims, but the North has not responded. China is reported to have rendezvoused two satellites in space. The US is the only other country to have achieved this capability which is essential to offensive space warfare. Taiwan intends to deploy hundreds of surface-to-surface cruises missiles this year as a counter to Chinese ballistic missile aimed at Taiwan. Hamas claimed responsibility for killing four Israelis to try to disrupt talks in Washington on 2 September between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
NightWatch 20100830	North Korean leader Kim has returned to Pyongyang. His visit appears to have been primarily a pilogrimage to his late father. In Indian Kashmir, the police shooting of another youth portends more violent demonstrations. Russian Prime Minister Putin continues his campaign of criticizing NATO and the US over ballistic missile defense installations in Eastern Europe.
NightWatch 20100829	North Korean leader Kim Chong-il is reported to have left China and returned to North Korea, presumably after introducing his son and successor to Chinese officials. Two Chinese warships are making a first port call to Burma/Myanmar. Afghanistan President Karzai's Chief of Staff has exposed what appears to be a serious disagreement with NATO about strategy, asserting that US-style counterinsurgency undermines Afghan sovereignty.
NightWatch 20100826	Former US President Carter extended his visit to North Korea to obtain the release of an American citizen in captivity. Kim Chong-il is in China. China denied a visa to a prominent Indian Army General over his role in suppressing unrest in Kashmir. Denmark declined to provide F-16 combat aircraft to NATO forces in Afghanistan because the Danes have done enough and strongly desire "to scale down engagement."
NightWatch 20100825	North Korea has assembled military units and other assets for a large-scale parade, probably to celebrate the Workers' Party anniversary on 10 October. Former US President Carter arrived today in Pyongyang on a humanitarian mission. In Iraq, insurgents executed 34 attacks in 16 cities today, the largest demonstration of their capabilities to date. President Sarkozy renewed France's commitment to win the fight against terrorists in northwestern Africa. Mauritanian soldiers on guard duty thwarted a suicide bombing at a military barracks.
NightWatch 20100824	South Korea has authorized its forces to return fire against North Korean artillery batteries firing off the west coast. Former US President Carter is on a humanitarian mission to return a US citizen in custody in North Korea. Al Jazirah told the Muslim world today that the Taliban are winning in Afghanistan. Hezbollah's leader said today Lebanon should build a nuclear power plant,just like Iran's Bushehr plant.
NightWatch 20100823	The Australian elections on Saturday produced no winner with a majority, prompting negotiations for forming a coalition government for the first time in 70 years. The news report that a captured US soldier has converted to Islam and is helping the Taliban does not look credible. The first of several thousand troop reinforcements from African Union states arrived in Mogadishu, Somalia last Friday.
NightWatch 20100820	Australia's general elections are too close to call, between the incumbent Labor government and the Liberal National Party challenger. The issues are bland and local. South Korea said it will not return to Six Party nuclear talks until after North Korea apologizes for sinking the Cheonan. India has taken possession of a Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine under a ten year lease. Six city police officers, who killed the mayor of Santiago, Mexico, for cracking down on corruption, are in custody.
NightWatch 20100819	A senor Chinese diplomat seems to have succeeded in persuading North Korea to rejoin six-party nuclear talks, though the conditions and timing are unstated. Iraq's Foreign Minister accused the US President of abandoning Iraq. Mexican security forces have found the body of the mayor of Santiago, near Monterrey, Mexico. He was kidnapped on Sunday by 15 armed men.
NightWatch 20100818	North and South Korean media are discussing prospects for a summit meeting. A North Korean figher died while crash landing a MiG-21 fighter in China, apparently in a bid to escape North Korea. Russia is making diplomatic preparations to assume a greater leadership role in Afghanistan. The Colombian agreement granting US access to Colombian military bases was found unconstitutional today on procedural grouns.
NightWatch 20100817	North Korea flew a remotely piloted vehicle on 9 August near the area of coastal artillery firing exercises into the Yellow Sea. This appears to be a first sighting of the aicraft which is not identified. An Iranian military official on 17 Augsut specified three scenarios for Iranian retaliation for a US "act of aggression."
NightWatch 20100816	South Korean President Lee has proposed a plan to reunite North and South Korea in a "peace community." Next week South Korea plans to release the report on the sinking of the corvette Cheonan. Data released today show China's economy now is the world's second largest, surpassing Japan. France has raised its terrorism alert in reaction to threats from al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.
NightWatch 20100812	China is using security liaison visits and token security aid to reinforce its increasing subversion of North Korea. A Chinese general came close to calling the US an enemy because of US plans for a US aircraft carrier to engage in exercises with South Korean naval forces in the Yellow Sea. Iraq said statements by General Zebari about needing US forces until 2020 were "misinterpreted." The King has directed the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia to restrict the issuance of religious sanctions.
NightWatch 20100811	Fiji's leader has determined that China is Fiji's new alliance partner. China continues its 25-year long project to build an aircraft carrier force. Ramadan begins on 12 August in Pakistan. The International Maritime Bureau reported a 34% drop in worldwide piracy.
NightWatch 20100810	Working-level talks between North Korean and UN Command military officers made no progress on 10 August and ended without setting a date for another round. Israel has announced sterner rules of engagement for handling encounters with Lebanese armed forces along the northern border.
NightWatch 20100809	UN Command and North Korean colonels are scheduled to hold a working-level meeting on 10 August. Mexican police officers in Ciudad Juarez detained their commander for corruption, blackmail and links to drug cartels. He has been suspended, pending investigation..
NightWatch 20100805	South Korean forces are engaged in anti-submarine exercises that are likely to evoke a North Korean response. In Kyrgyzstan, anti-government protests on 5 August show the government is not yet stabilized. The number of terrorist-style bombings is increasing in Mexico.
NightWatch 20100804	In eastern India, Maoists defeated yet another large Indian police force element. Iran claims to have four advanced S-300 air defense missiles, but Russia and Belarus deny making any sales. Israel has promised to retaliate on three fronts for recent attacks.
NightWatch 20100803	North Korea has restated its readiness for Six Party talks. India has reinforced paramilitary police in Kashmir after a month of building civil disorders. A Lebanese Army element clashed with an Israeli patrol in southern Lebanon, increasing regional tension.
NightWatch 20100802	North Korea threatened a "physical response" if South Korea holds anti-submarine warfare exercises this week in the Yellow Sea off western North Korea. In Afghanistan, the Netherlands contingent announced the termination of its four-year mission and the start of its withdrawal, as ordered by the new Dutch government. The US reopened its consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, after a car bomb threat did not take place.
NightWatch 20100730	North Korean and UN Command officers agreed to meet on 9 August, continuing preparations for flag-level meetings. A new Pew Center poll found that 68 percent of Pakistanis have a negative view of the United States and most see India as a greater threat than the Pakistani Taliban or al Qaida. Israeli aircraft retaliated asymmetrically for Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip. The US closed its consulate in Ciudad Juarez because of the security situation.
NightWatch 20100729	North Korean and UN Command colonels met at Panmunjom on 30 July, the day after major Allied exercises ended. The leaked documents on Afghanistan have increased tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Saudi King Abdullah is on the final leg of a diplomatic mission to strengthen Arab unity against Iran.
NightWatch 20100728	North Korea and the UN Command have postponed their third meeting to discuss the sinking of the corvette Cheonan. Venezuela has denied yesterday's report about reinforcing the Colombian border.
NightWatch 20100727	China is upset by the US asserting its interests in longstanding disputes about islands and seabed resources in the South China Sea. The rules of engagement for African Union soldiers in Somalia have been relaxed to include pre-emptive military attacks against al Shabaab Islamist fighters. France declared war against al-Qaida in north Africa after it executed a French captive.
NightWatch 20100726	North Korean threats against the US and South Korea today were less explicit than in the past two days. India is expanding and upgrading its paramilitary forces opposite China along with its Army units. Tension between Russia and Iran has increased over anti-Russian statements by Iran's President. Intial European reactions to the Wikileaks documents on Afghanistan are concerned about the safety of national troop contingent.
NightWatch 20100725	North Korea has threatened nuclear retaliation for Allied naval exercises, which are now in their second day on 26 July. In Afghanistan, the fate of two missing US Naval personnel is unknown, but the Taliban claim to have killed one and kidnapped the other. The New York Times' disclosures on Afghanistan as yet contain little not already in the public information domain.
NightWatch 20100723	North Korea has threatened a "physical response" to US and ROK exercises next week. Delegations who met at Panmunjom today agreed to meet next week. Russia restated its commitment to support Afghanistan by providing logistics assistance across Russia and through Central Asia. Guinea promised to send immediately a battalion to reinforce the African Union peacekeepers who are helping keep the Mogadishu government in power.
NightWatch 20100721	The US announced new economic sanctions against North Korea as part of its pressure campaign. India and China have increased their engagement with Vietnam. Pakistan and NATO have agreed to improve border control cooperation. Mexico has begun an operation in Ciudad Juarez to prevent further use of car bombs by drug cartels.
NightWatch 20100720	The US and the Republic of Korea will stage show of force exercises against North Korea. North Korean Foreign Minister Pak will attend the ministerial meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Friday. The US Secretary of State insists with good reason that people in the government of Pakistan know where bin Laden and Mullah Omar are.
NightWatch 20100719	The second round of preparatory talks between North Korea and the UN Command at Panmunjom have been delayed until after the visit to Seoul by the US Defense Secretary. NATO claims to have intercepted a directive from Taliban leader Omar to target government workers, including women. Syria has banned women from wearing full face veils as contrary to the secular and academic values of Syrian universities.
NightWatch 20100716	South Korea is continuing its plan to resume anti-North Korean broadcasts into North Korea, which are sure to increase tension. Indian-Pakistani ministerial talks ended in deadlock and public recriminations, but both sides agreed to meet again. Pakistani Chief of Army Staff General Kayani has been extended on active duty for two to three years. For the first time, a Mexican cartel used a car bomb in an attack, in Ciudad Juarez. Aside from the sensationalism, the destruction was not significant.
NightWatch 20100715	North Korean and American colonels met at Panmunjom to make technical arrangements for a flag-rank officers' meeting next week to discuss the sinking of the corvette Cheonan. Today, Russia demanded Iran explain the military components of its nuclear program. Colombian intelligence has produced a report that indicates Venezuela is a state sponsor of terrorism against Colombia.
NightWatch 20100714	The US again delayed planned show-of-force exercises against North Korea. During this Watch, South Korean news services confirmed North Korean participation at a meeting with the UN Command at Panmunjom. India claims it has new evidence that Pakistani intelligence planned and managed the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008. The Libyan cargo ship with relief aid for the Gaza Strip entered the Egyptian port of El Arish, avoiding a clash at sea with the Israeli navy.
NightWatch 20100713	Fiji has expelled Australia's acting ambassador for political meddling. North Korea will meet the UN Command at Panmunjom on 15 July for working level discussions about the sinking of the corvette Cheonan. Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers also will hold talks on15 July, the first since 2008.
NightWatch 20100712	North Korea apparently has agreed to discuss the sinking of the South Korean patrol ship Cheonan at Panmunjom, but has delayed a meeting set for 13 July. The Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the Uganda suicide-murder massacre. It has warned Burundi to expect the same.
NightWatch 20100709	Today's UN Security Council statement on the sinking of the South Korean ship Cheonan did not assign blame and avoided provoking North Korea. North Korea has asked for direct talks with the US over the sinking. A Libyan foundation is sponsoring a relief ship that wil try to break the Israeli naval blocade of the Gaza Strip this weekend.
NightWatch 20100708	Pakistani intelligence leaders continue to blame the US and western states for terrorism in Pakistan. A European Union Court has barred the UK from extraditing terrorists to the US because US criminal penalties are too harsh for Muslim murderers?! With Western aid, Kenya, the Seycehlles and Tanzania have created courts for prosecuting Somali pirates as criminals.
NightWatch 20100706	Japan and India agreed to extend their cooperation in the fight against piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Trade figures indicate North Korea is becoming increasingly dependent on China. Pakistan and the Taliban deny a report that Taliban leader Mullah Omar was arrested today. For now, Israel continues some military training for the Turkish armed forces.
NightWatch 20100705	North Korean media continue to refer to an unspecified "new developed method" as a reinforcement of its nuclear deterrent. The references began after their May report of a successful nuclear fusion experiment. Pakistan's government announced it will convene a national conference for dealing with terrorism. Turkey has threatened to sever diplomatic relations with Israel and close its aispace to Israeli civil and military aircraft.
NightWatch 20100702	The US-South Korean agreement to delay the transfer of wartime operational control of Allied forces to South Korea means the North Korean sinking of the patrol ship Cheonan backfired against the North. It is the latest in a long line of strategic blunders during Kim Chong-il's reign.
NightWatch 20100701	South Korea rejected the North's demand for bilateral military talks about the sinking of the patrol ship Cheonan. Suicide bombers attacked a Sufi mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, killing 41 and wounding 175, a day after warnings. The UN began delivering aid to the Gaza Strip from stores aboard the ships Israel seized last month. Al Qaida terrorists killed 11 Algerian paramilitary policemen on the Mali border; Algeria and Mali are cooperating in the hot pursuit.
NightWatch 20100630	South Korea's defense ministry wants a large budget increase in the aftermath of the sinking of the patrol ship Cheonan. North Korea plans to restore the primacy of the Workers' Party after more than a decade of neglect. Pakistani security issued a warning that terrorists are planning attacks in Lahore. A Taliban suicide attack at Jalalabad airport is a waste of Taliban assets.
NightWatch 20100629	North Korea has begun an offensive propaganda campaign to spotlight real or perceived provocations by the Allies. Kyrgyzstan's constitutional referendum on Sunday was peaceful, but Russia doubts its value. Russian President Medvedev expressed alarm over the new US CIA assessment that Iran has fissile material for up to two nuclear weapons. He wants confirmation.
NightWatch 20100625	South Korea assesses that North Korean sailing restrictions off the west coast are part of regular artillery training. India and Pakistan and Pakistan and Afghanistan held security talks. Iran's Red Crescent Society will not send an aid ship to the Gaza Strip to test the blockade.
NightWatch 20100625	North Korean media announced elections to the Politburo will be held in September.
NightWatch 20100623	The Australian Labor Party elected Julia Gillard to replace Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister. North Korea announced it will perform its own investigation of the sinking of the Cheonan. A HAMAS leader advocated rocket firings into Israel from the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip.
NightWatch 20100622	Japan is considering adding naval refueling services to its growing anti-piracy initiatives. Ships from Iran and Lebanon aim to test Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Drug cartels have stationed armed reconnaissance personnel in southern Arizona, according to Fox News.
NightWatch 20100620	A UN report suggested security conditions in Afghanistan have not improved. NightWatch monitoring shows increased violence, but no geographic spread in the insurgency. Israel has relaxed its restrictions on goods that may be sent to the Gaza Strip.
NightWatch 20100617	China rejected North Korean requests for modern aircraft and massive economic aid during Kim Chong-il's trip in May. Reports of severe food shortages and starvation in North Korea are increasing. Israel announced it will ease the blockade of the Gaza Strip, but Iranian entities still threaten to test the naval blockade.
NightWatch 20100616	Russian experts will need a few more weeks before they reach their own conclusions about the sinking of the Cheonan. Israel warned that additional attempts to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip will be treated as hostile acts. Russia said it will deliver the S-300 advanced air defense system to Venezuela.
NightWatch 20100615	North Korea said it will take military action if the UN Security Council attempts to punish North Korea for sinking a South Korean naval ship. The Pakistani Taliban are back in Bajaur Agency in the northwest. The Kyrgyzstan uprising continues but this Russian leadership has declined to become engaged in a counterinsurgency in central Asia.
NightWatch 20100614	The UN began consideration of the case of the sinking of the South Korean patrol ship Cheonan. Security conditions in southern Kyrgyzstan continued to deteriorate, prompting the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization to consider assistance options.
NightWatch 20100613	North Korea renewed its warning that it will destroy South Korean loudspeakers if anti-North Korea broadcasts resume. South Korea's Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, has offered his resignation because he was drunk the night the Cheonan was sunk. Turkey's Prime Minister told Iran's President that the US President admitted to him that the UN sanctions would have no effect on Iran.
NightWatch 20100610	China demanded North Korea punish the border guards who killed three Chinese yesterday. Russian sources made contradictory comments about whether the new UN resolution permits Russia to complete the sale of the S-300 air defense system to Iran. A pro-Iranian Shiite political bloc will form the majority in Iraq's parliament.
NightWatch 20100609	North Korea informed the UN Security Council that it rejected claims that it sank a South Korean patrol ship. South Korea demanded the North apologize for the sinking. The UN Security Council passed another resolution imposing sanctions on Iran. Israel agreed to allow junk food snacks and beverages into the Gaza Strip.
NightWatch 20100608	Russian experts are expected to reject as insufficient South Korean evidence that a North Korean torpedo sank the patrol ship Cheonan. The shooting of several Chinese by a North Korean border guard has raised tension with China. International media report that the UN Security Council will approve more sanctions against Iran, possibly on 9 June. HAMAS will not admit to the Gaza Strip any aid from the maritime aid convoy that is delivered by Israel.
NightWatch 20100607	At the 7 June session of the North Korean Supreme People's Assembly, Kim Chong-il appeared and proposed several leadership changes which indicate leadership succession is in progress. HAMAS "rejected" Iran's offer of armed escorts for aid ships.
NightWatch 20100606	Iran has offered to provide armed escorts to future initiatives to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. The Iraqi government is trying to disarm the Sunni militiamen, the Sons of Iraq, whose work made stability possible.
NightWatch 20100604	Japan's new Prime Minister is Naoto Kan. South Korea sent a letter to the UN Security Council requesting a rebuke of North Korea. The crew of the Irish ship Rachel Corrie vows to run the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza this weekend.
NightWatch 20100603	Japan's new prime minister will be elected on 4 June. North Korea engaged in saber-rattling at the UN and a Foreign Ministry official indicated that ballistic missile and nuclear tests are potential response options for UNSC consideration of the Cheonan sinking. In Israel, a deal is in the works that involves easing the naval blockade in exchange for support for sanctions against Iran.
NightWatch 20100602	Japanese Finance Minister Naoto Kan is the leading candidate for prime minister. US and South Korean forces will engage in exercises in the Yellow Sea next week; China has rejected a proposed visit by the US Secretary of Defense. Israel's relations with Turkey are strained over the intercept of the ships bound for Gaza.
NightWatch 20100601	Japan's Prime Minister Hatoyama announced his resignation, mainly because of his capitulation to the US over the Okinawa base dispute. Iraq's Supreme Court ratified the 7 March election results which showed al Iraqiya List as the winner. Anti-Israel demonstrations continued in many Muslim states. However, in cooperation with Israel, Egypt opened border crossing points to allow aid to the Gaza Strip.
NightWatch 20100531	A team of Russian naval experts has arrived in Seoul to examine the wreckage of the patrol ship Cheonan and the findings of the investigation. Chinese Premier Wen declined to take a stand on the sinking at the weekend summit in South Korea. Israel's action to prevent an aid flotilla from reaching Gaza has evoked strong criticism, but has derailed the US initiative to find a Middle East peace plan.
NightWatch 20100528	For the first time, North Korean defense officials in several separate media outlets publicly and in great detail refuted evidence of the North's involvement in sinking the Cheonan and again demanded a North Korean team inspect the evidence. China said it will not "protect" whoever sank the South Korean ship. Ukraine announced it will not join the Russian lead Collective Security Treaty Organization, but will develop bilaeral ties with Russia.
NightWatch 20100527	North Korea is sending confusing and contradictory behavioral signals, suggesting policy disputes and leadership disarray. A British survey of Kashmiri attitudes indicates unemployment is a more serious concern than resolution of the status of Kashmir.
NightWatch 20100526	A South Korean destroyer turned back a North Korean cargo ship in the first sea incident of the ongoing crisis. Russia and Iran are in a public dispute over Russian support of new UN sanctions against Iran
NightWatch 20100525	North Korea severed all communications and contacts with South Korea. One source reported North Korean forces have been placed on increased alert, but the report is not confirmed. A Thai court approved a warrant for the arrest former Prime Minister Thaksin on charges of terrorism in connection with the Bangkok protests.
NightWatch 20100524	North Korea warned that it will fire across the Demilitarized Zone unless South Korea stops recent psychological warfare operations. This is a warning item.
NightWatch 20100523	South Korea suspended trade with North Korea. In Thailand the curfew remains in effect.
NightWatch 20100520	North Korea wants to send its own team to investigate South Korean charges and has threatened all out war in the event of retaliation for the sinking of the patrol ship Cheonan. Musharraf confirmed his intentions to return to politics and run for high office in Pakistan.
NightWatch 20100519	South Korea has accused North Korea of sinking the patrol ship Cheonan. The Thai army forcefully ended the Red Shirt demonstration in Bangkok, but clashes continue in Bangkok and in parts of north and northeastern Thailand. In France, the government approved the draft law banning face-covering garments. It now goes to parliament.
NightWatch 20100518	South Korea plans to announce on 20 May that the international investigation indicates a North Korean torpedo sank the patrol ship Cheonan on 26 March. Thai troops broke through the opposition barricades in central Bangkok and began to regain control of sections of the city center. During his state visit, Russian President Medvedev invited Ukraine to join the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization.
NightWatch 20100517	North Korea announced an unusual June session of the Supreme Peoples Assembly. The political and security crisis in Bangkok continued without resolution. Pakistan announced Chief of Army Staff General Kayani will not be extended on active duty this summer, as previously indicated.
NightWatch 20100516	A South Korean news outlet reported China refused to provide extraordinary aid, prompting Kim Chong-il to cut short his trip on 6 May. The Thai crackdown has produced more than 260 killed and injured. The crackdown continues.
NightWatch 20100514	The Thai crackdown on the Red Shirts continued. Pakistani official sources indicate the population of overseas Pakistanis exceed 5.5 million around the word.
NightWatch 20100513	The Thai government began its crackdown to disperse the Red Shirt protestors in Bangkok. In Afghanistan the UN says a fungus will reduce poppy production. Pakistan has arrested an accomplice to the Times Square bombing.
NightWatch 20100512	The Thai government has issued an ultimatum for the Red Shirts to dispurse after they rejected the government's reconciliation offer. In Iraq, a new Sunni-Shiite political bloc has reached a preliminary cooperation agreement that could help avert sectarian violence.
NightWatch 20100511	North Korea claimed on 12 May that it achieved nuclear fusion for the first time. There is no independent corroboration. Iraqi intelligence blamed "Arab states" for supporting bombing attacks in Basra, for the first time. A Sunni vs Shiite civil war moved a step closer.
NightWatch 20100510	US Secretary of State renewed her charge the some Pakistani officials know more about bin Laden and al Qaida than they admit. Iraqi authorities blamed al Qaida for the dozens of attacks that killed at least 85 and injured more than 300 people.
NightWatch 20100509	In Thailand, limited, violent attacks disrupted the peaceful interlude from reconciliation talks. In Pakistan, a man arrested in Karachi with electrical circuitry in his shoes probably was testing the sensitivity of the detection systems in an attack dry run. An attack is still in preparation, but the target is not year clear.
NightWatch 20100506	The Thai government announced that parliament will be dissolved by late September in response to Red Shirt demands for a firm date. Russian naval infantry rescued a Russian tanker seized by Somali pirates, all of whom were captured.
NightWatch 20100505	The Pakistani government is considering an extension of active duty for Chief of Army Staff General Kayani so as to help maintain the stability of the civilian government. The President of Mexico announced increased consular services for "our fellow citizens" in Arizona.
NightWatch 20100504	Japan and China continue to exchange protests over maritime behavior. Japan's Prime Minister has conceded that the US Marine Corps air base on Okinawa cannot now be relocated. The Thai government and the Red Shirts reached agreement on national reconciliation, but interpretations differ.
NightWatch 20100503	North Korean leader Kim Chong-il is expected in Beijing after visting the port city of Dalian. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit has offered a compromise plan to settle the political stalemate in Bangkok. Somali Islamists have confirmed their seizure of a key pirate base and their determination to end piracy.
NightWatch 20100502	North Korean leader Kim Chong-il reportedly arrived in China on 2 May. In Iraq, major Shiite political blocs have merged so as to form a government, with Iranian help. In Somalia, Islamic fundamentalists, who oppose piracy, claim to control Haradhere, a center of piracy.
NightWatch 20100429	In Thailand, the political stalement continued. The Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers held "positive" talks in Bhutan.
NightWatch 20100428	South Korea plans to inform China and Russia of the results of its investigation into the sinking of its patrol ship last month, which apparently blame North Korea. A violent clash in Bangkok today moves the political stalemate closer to martial law. In Pakistan, Musharraf is planning a political comeback.
NightWatch 20100427	China complained to Japan about recent naval activity. Kyrgyzstan charged ex-president Bakiyev with crimes so as to justify his extradition from Belarus.
NightWatch 20100426	The political standoff in Thailand continues, but the King urged the government to do its duty. In Somalia, al Shabaab fundamentalists have move to suppress piracy in one coastal stronghold.
NightWatch 20100425	The first Chinese tourist train to North Korea began on 24 April. The Thai government rejected the Red Shirts' terms for a settlement and warned of its intention to end the protests.
NightWatch 20100423	North Korea confiscated five South Korean properties at the Mount Kumgang resort in the North. Bangkok was quiet, but Iraq experienced the bloodiest day of the year.
NightWatch 20100422	South Korean intelligence agrees with North Korean miitary officers that North Korea sank the South Korean ship. A violent attack in Bangkok that killed 3 and injured 70 increased the likelihood of martial law.
NightWatch 20100421	Chinese naval forces are becoming more assertive towards Japanese naval ships near Okinawa. A growing body of evidence indicates North Korean commandos sank the South Korean patrol ship Cheonan. Somali pirates attacked yet another French naval ship and got captured,
NightWatch 20100420	The US and South Korea denied a press claim that North Korea is preparing a third nuclear test. In Thailand, the Army show of force persuaded the Red Shirts to cancel their march on 20 April. Israel has begun implementing its order to expel Palestinians from the West Bank who lack proper approval.
NightWatch 20100419	North Korea seems to be preparing to freeze South Korean assets at the Kaesong joint industrial zone. Confrontation in Bangkok did not occur but a major rally is scheduled for 20 April. Al Jazeera reported that the Korangel Valley has been occupied by the Taliban, less than a week after the departure of US forces.
NightWatch 20100418	In Thailand a showdown is brewing between the Army and the Red Shirts on 19 April for control of the center of Bangkok. A Taliban spokesman denied a British report that the Taliban were prepared to negotiate with the Coalition.
NightWatch 20100416	The government of Thailand has appointed the Army Commander-in-Chief as the person in charge of controlling the emergency, escalating the confrontation with the opposition. Sudan has begun counting ballots cast in the first elections in 24 years. Results are expected next week.
NightWatch 20100415	South Korea raised the stern portion of its sunken patrol ship. For a second day no clashes were reported in Thailand. Kyrgyzstan's ousted President Bakiyev was given safe conduct and flew to Kazakhstan.
NightWatch 20100414	Thailand was quiet on the first day celebrating the Lunar New Year. Drug-related deaths during the past three years in Mexico are much higher than previously reported.
NightWatch 20100413	North Korea today froze selected South Korean assets at the Mount Kumgang resort. Thailand had a day without violence. The interim Kyrgyz government promised a one year extension to the US lease for access to Manas International airport.
NightWatch 20100412	The political crisis in Thailand deepened with the Army and the National Election Commission withdrawing their support for the government. On 13 April, Israeli security forces are scheduled to begin executing a controversial expulsion order for all persons lacking a permit to be in the West Bank.
NightWatch 20100411	In Thailand, clashes with security forces resulted in at least 20 persons killed and 800 injured. Hungarian voters elected a strongly rightist government in Sunday's elections. A bomb was thrown into the compound of the US Consulate General in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, but produced no injuries
NightWatch 20100409	Kim Chong-il did not appear at the session of the Supreme People's Assembly, as is customary. The Kyrgyz regime is becoming increasingly open about its pro-Russian orientation. US authorities judge the Sinaloa cartel has won control of drug routes through Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
NightWatch 20100408	North Korea has frozen South Korean assets and expelled workers from a resort area. Pakistan has passed reform package that restores parliamentary government. Russia has backed the new regime in Kyrgyzstan.
NightWatch 20100407 - Special Report	In Kyrgyzstan, demonstrators protesting high prices claim to be in control of the government, following two days of increasingly violent street encounters. President Bakiyev has fled Bishkek, the capital.
NightWatch 20100407	Thailand imposed a state of emergency and is cracking down on protestors. The new Kyrgyz government is trying to consolidate its control in Bishkek.
NightWatch 20100406	North Korea has sentenced US citizen Gomes to eight years of hard labor for illegal entry. India’s paramilitary Central Reserve Police suffered one of the most serious losses in its history in multiple ambushes by the Naxalite rebels.
NightWatch 20100405	Tonight’s highlights include a South Korean report hinting that the frigate Choenan might have been sunk by friendly fire and a warning to expect violence because the Thai police in Bangkok are preparing to confront the Red Shirt opposition.
NightWatch 20100404	Tonight's highlights are confirmation that Kim Chong-il remains in North Korea and an update on Afghanistan.
NightWatch 20100402	Tonight's highlights are political updates on Pakistan and Iraq.
NightWatch 20100401	Tonight's highlights are the Indian national census; updates on Pakistani and Iraqi political developments; Kenya's announcement that it refuses to take any more pirates for trial; and an update on violence along the US-Mexican border.
NightWatch 20100331	Tonight's highlights include an assessent of reports that Kim Chong-il will visit Beijing in the coming week and an analysis of the impact on the fighting in Afghanistan of the Pakistani crackdown on Afghan Taliban leaders operating in Pakistan.
NightWatch 20100330	Tonight's highlights include another update on Pakistani Supreme Court political developments, comments on Iran's nuclear program and a new US diplomatic offensive, plus a status report on al-Maliki's tactics to negate the Iraqi election results.
NightWatch 20100329	Tonight's highlights are an update on the status of the South Korean naval recovery operations and a review of Pakistani internal political developments.
NightWatch 20100328	Tonight's highlights include an update on the South Korean naval search and rescue operation and political updates for Pakistan and Iraq.
NightWatch 20100326	Tonight's highlights include analysis of North Korea's latest threats and a summary of the National Drug Threat Assessment, 2010
NightWatch 20100325	Tonight's highlights are a dicussion of constitutional reform in Pakistan and the results of Feedback on isolating a country from the internet.
NightWatch 20100324	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100323	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100322	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100321	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100318	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100317	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100316	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100315	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100311	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100310	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100309	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100308	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100307	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100304	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100303	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100302	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100301	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100228	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100226	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100225	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100224	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100223	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100222	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100221	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100218	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100217	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100216	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100214	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100212	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100211	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100210	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100209	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100208	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100205	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100204	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100203	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100202	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100201	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100131	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100128	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100127	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100126	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100125	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100124	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100122	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100121	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100120	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100119	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100118	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100115	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100114	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100113	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100112	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100111	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100108	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100107	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100106	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100105	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100104	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20100103	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091231	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091230	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091229	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091228	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091224	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091223	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091222	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091221	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091218	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091217	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091216	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091215	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091214	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091213	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091211	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091210	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091209	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091208	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091207	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091203	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091202	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091201	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091130	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091129	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091127	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091125	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091124	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091123	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091122	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091120	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091119	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091118	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091117	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091116	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091113	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091112	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091111	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091110	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091109	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091108	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091106	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091105	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091104	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091103	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091102	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.
NightWatch 20091101	This nightly executive intelligence recap is prepared by editor John McCreary and provided by KGS as a free service.

Nightwatch is brought to you by Kforce Government Solutions, Inc. (KGS), a leader in government problem-solving, data confidence and intelligence. Views and opinions expressed in NightWatch are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily represent those of KGS, its management, or affiliates.

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