The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Washington - At least one of the hijacked planes in the Sept. 11 attacks could have been intercepted had aviation and military officials been better prepared, a report released on Thursday said. The report says minutes were squandered between the time air traffic controllers realized the planes were being hijacked and Norad ordered fighter jets to intercept them. "On the morning of 9/11, the existing protocol was unsuited in every respect for what was about to happen," said Philip Zelikow, the commission chair. "What ensued was the hurried attempt to create an improvised defence by officials who had never encountered or trained against the situation they faced." Moscow - A Moscow court has upheld a lower court decision banning activities by Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian capital. The ruling stems from a Russian law that allows the prohibition of religious activities if they promote intolerance or hatred. Moscow is home to about 10,000 of Russia's estimated 133,000 Jehovah's Witnesses. Brussels - NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer says the military alliance would be prepared to listen to Iraq's new government if it came seeking assistance in stabilizing the country. Last week U.S. President George W. Bush said NATO should be involved in Iraq. NATO is due to hold a summit in Istanbul just two days before Iraq's new interim government takes power.
