Australia files charges in terror probe

Three more men were charged Wednesday with conspiring to carry out a terrorist act on a military base, bringing the total to four, police in Victoria, Australia, said. Police arrested them early Tuesday while executing 19 search warrants in nine Melbourne neighborhoods as part of the investigation into a group suspected of having ties to Al-Shabaab, a Somali insurgent group with links to al Qaeda, authorities said

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Mexican police arrest 34 drug cartel suspects

Mexican federal police say they arrested 34 men suspected of belonging to a ruthless drug cartel blamed for a rash of violence that left at least 18 federal agents and two soldiers dead since July 11. Officials said the suspects belong to La Familia Michoacana drug gang, which drew national attention when it was accused of torturing and killing 12 off-duty federal agents three weeks ago. The bodies of the 11 men and one woman were found dumped on a road.

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Afghan challengers target Karzai

In less than three weeks, Afghan voters — still reeling from one of the most violent months since the war on terror started — head to the polls for what some call the country’s first-ever truly contested election. Two candidates, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani, have emerged as the top contenders among the dozens hoping to unseat President Hamid Karzai, who has led the country since shortly after the 2001 fall of the Taliban and is seeking re-election.

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Cuban president vows to defend socialism

Havana is ready and willing to start a dialogue with Washington, Cuban President Raul Castro said in a speech to parliament Saturday, but warned that political and regime change are not up for negotiation. “They didn’t elect me president to restore capitalism in Cuba, nor to surrender the revolution,” Castro said to loud applause. “I was elected to defend, maintain and continue perfecting socialism, not to destroy it.” He added that those expecting political change after the death of former President Fidel Castro and his generation were “condemned to fail.” Castro ceded the presidency to his younger brother, Raul, last year but has retained leadership of the Communist Party, the only legal political party in Cuba.

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Drug war being fought in Nigerian forests

In the dark of the early morning, the assembled drug agents murmur a short prayer before setting out on an early morning drugs raid. After a few short orders, we set off into the deep undergrowth of southern Nigeria’s forests on a tip-off that somewhere ahead are hidden farms illegally growing cannabis.

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