Pushing Back Against the Taliban

With the Taliban raising the tempo of its attacks, U.S. forces in Afghanistan last week launched Operation Mountain Thrust, billed as the largest offensive since 2001, against militant strongholds in the southeastern provinces of Helmand, Uruzgan, Kandahar, and Zabul. Taking part: about 2,300 U.S. conventional and special forces, along with 3,300 troops from Britain, 2,200 troops from Canada, about 3,500 Afghan soldiers, and coalition air support. Aid and development programs, such as building roads and clinics, have lagged in many parts of the country because of the lack of security. But there is another factor that undermines Afghan stability--a resurgence in the production of opium, the raw material for heroin, as farmers defy a Karzai government ban. In impoverished Helmand province, for instance, opium poppy cultivation is up 50 percent from last year. The poppy crop, which accounts for about half of the total local income, finances drug traffickers, corrupt government officials, and the resurgent Taliban.

A Big Conviction in a Vague Terror Plot

A court in France convicted 25 people in what prosecutors said was a planned terrorism attack in support of Islamic fighters in Russia's Chechnya region. The five top defendants received prison terms of eight to 10 years, while the others received lesser sentences in a case that prosecutors said reflects the "globalization of the jihad movement." Prosecutors failed to prove the attack was to use chemicals, though investigators found equipment and chemicals including toxic ricin. Prosecutors said the group had planned a Paris attack, though the target was unclear. The Russian Embassy, a police station, and the Eiffel Tower were mentioned during interrogations.

It's in the Bag--the Cash, That Is

The cost of a whirlwind tour to Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, China, Pakistan, Iran, and Egypt :thousands of dollars. The amount of cash carried home in suitcases: $20 million. The political value of getting around U.S. and Israeli financial sanctions: priceless. OK, so MasterCard's not likely to do an ad featuring Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, who turned over the money collected to the essentially bankrupt Palestinian treasury. But for sheer--dare we use the word--chutzpah, it was quite a move. Zahar, a leading Hamas figure, crossed into Gaza from Egypt with six pieces of luggage, clearing Palestinian border guards loyal to rival Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The border guards are observed by European Union monitors, who keep an eye on video and X-ray equipment and report suspected violations to Palestinian or Israeli authorities. But since Zahar is a Palestinian government minister, there apparently were no obstacles to his bringing in the cash (which Hamas officials said came from private donations and Islamic charities). Still, the $20 million won't go far in meeting the $120 million monthly payroll for the Palestinian Authority's 165,000 employees, who have gone largely unpaid for four months.

Airbus Hits Some Turbulence

Airline passengers can get pretty PO'd when told of flight delays. It turns out that the airlines can get a bit testy, too, when faced with word that the arrival of their newest jetliner, the superjumbo Airbus A380, will be delayed by months. Shares in Airbus's parent company hit a strong downdraft, plunging 26 percent for the day as long-haul airlines publicly fumed over the announcement. Singapore Airlines, the first to buy the 555-passenger A380, demanded compensation and said it would turn to Airbus rival Boeing for at least 20 new 787-9 aircraft worth $4.52 billion. Emirates Airlines, based in the United Arab Emirates, said it is reconsidering its order for 45 A380s. Australia's Qantas Airways, a customer for 12 A380s, wants some of its money back. Airbus blamed the delay in production on problems with the plane's electrical systems--the second major delay for the $300 million A380. Airbus, based in Toulouse, France,said the first delivery to Singapore is still expected by the end of this year, but the problems are stretching out subsequent arrival times.