Kidnapped US journalist Jill Carroll made a harrowing appeal for her release in a video from an Iraqi militant group broadcast by the Arab news channel al-Jazeera on Monday.
It was not possible to make out the exact words of Carroll, who was pictured wearing a white headscarf covering her neck and shoulders, in tears and pleading in clear emotional distress.
"The journalist called on her family, her colleagues and Americans throughout the world to ask the US military authorities and the Iraqi interior ministry to free all Iraqi prisoners, saying this could contribute to her release," al-Jazeera's presenter said.
Her appearance contrasted with a previous video released on Jan. 17, which showed a more subdued Carroll, 28, wearing a grey sweatshirt with her long brown hair loose.
The video was widely reported in the US, but television stations refused to broadcast more than a few seconds of it, calling it too disturbing.
The Christian Science Monitor, the newspaper Carroll was working for as a freelancer when she was abducted, expressed deep concern Monday over her fate.
"Anyone with a heart will feel distressed that an innocent woman like Jill Carroll would be treated in the manner shown in the latest video," said the Monitor's editor Richard Bergenheim.
grisly milepost
Meanwhile, Britain suffered its 100th fatality in Iraq yesterday when a soldier was killed in an explosion in the southern Basra province, a Ministry of Defense spokeswoman told reporters.
The soldier, whose identity has not been released, was a member of 7th Armored Brigade and died from his injuries in the blast in Um Qasr.
The fatality comes after another British soldier from the 1st Battalion The Highlanders -- also part of 7th Armored Brigade -- was killed while on patrol.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned