Newsletter: London Attacked - 7/7/05

[Miami Liberal]

:cry: :cry: :cry:

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Tonight on Countdown
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At least 33 people were killed when three explosions ripped through London subway trains Thursday and an undetermined number were killed in a fourth explosion on a bus, officials said in what Prime Minister Tony Blair described as a "barbaric" terrorist attack. Some 45 people were in serious or critical condition, London officials told reporters Thursday afternoon in describing the worst attack on London since World War II. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8492258/

The Bush administration raised the terror alert a notch to code orange for the nation's mass transit systems on Thursday, responding to a spate of deadly rush-hour bus and subway bombings in London. The heightened alert will apply to "regional and inner city passenger rail, subways and metropolitan bus systems," but not airlines, Homeland Defense Secretary Michael Chertoff said at a news conference. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8494550/

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A group calling itself "The Secret Organization of al-Qaida in Europe" posted a claim of responsibility for Thursday's blasts in London, saying they were in retaliation for Britain's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8496293/

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said deadly explosions in London were the work of terrorists "designed and aimed to coincide" with a summit of world leaders. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8494941/

The attacks that struck London on Thursday hit this sprawling city at its most vulnerable pressure point: the transportation system. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8496864/

"I was on the bus. I looked round and the seats behind me were gone. The middle-aged survivor of the bus blast in central London could not say any more. Shocked, disorientated, and with oil and pieces of debris in her hair and clothes, she asked for directions to Holborn but refused all offers of help. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8494354/

World leaders quickly condemned the blasts in London on Thursday, with Pope Benedict calling the attacks "barbaric acts against humanity," as security was bolstered in most major cities. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8496922/

The U.S. urban transportation system remains vulnerable to an attack similar to that which rocked London Thursday morning, according to homeland security experts. "It's about as vulnerable as it always has been," said Juliette Kayyem, a terrorism expert at Harvard University. What has been done, she added, is "pretty piecemeal - not part of any comprehensive effort." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7069390/

That's some of what we're planning for tonight's show.

Finally,
Be well, take care.

-- Carey Fox

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More:
Al-Qaida in Iraq said in a statement released on the Internet on Thursday that it has killed Egypt's top envoy in Iraq, posting a video of the blindfolded diplomat identifying himself. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8497522/

A purported Taliban spokesman reiterated a claim Thursday that his group is holding a missing U.S. commando and said insurgent leaders had decided to kill him. He offered no proof to back up the claim. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8491482/

Iraq's defense minister said Thursday that ousted leader Saddam Hussein was the aggressor in the 1980-88 war against Iran, as the two former enemies announced plans for closer cooperation between their militaries. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8497845/

Hurricane Dennis dumped heavy rain on Haiti and its winds strengthened to 105 mph Thursday as it spun toward Jamaica. Hurricane warnings also were posted in Cuba, including at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, and forecasters said the storm could strike the United States anywhere from Florida to Louisiana. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8487520/

Gaylord Nelson, the folksy Democratic senator from Wisconsin who helped start the modern environmental movement with the creation of Earth Day 35 years ago, died Sunday. He was 89. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8453876/

Thousands of runners dodged the horns of half-tone fighting bulls on Pamplona's streets on the first day of Spain's best known fiesta on Thursday. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8493306/