world

U.S. Embassy closes in Emirates after threat

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, March 24,2004 11:18 p.m.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Americans said they were staying vigilant after U.S. missions in the United Arab Emirates closed Wednesday following a threat, and the embassy in Saudi Arabia shut down for an hour on what turned out to be false rumors of an explosion in the capital.

Atheist calls pledge 'unconstitutional'

By Alyson Brodsy and Gina Holland · Wednesday, March 24,2004 11:18 p.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A California atheist told the Supreme Court Wednesday the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance are unconstitutional and offensive to people who don't believe there is a God.

Hamas: Militants not targeting America

By Alyson Brodsy and Lara Sukhtian · Wednesday, March 24,2004 11:17 p.m.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- The new Hamas leader in Gaza said Wednesday the militant group had no plans to attack U.S. targets, while another top official in the organization said it has targeted Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for death.

Judge jails 2 more suspects in Madrid bombings

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, March 24,2004 11:16 p.m.

MADRID -- Wednesday a Spanish judge charged two more suspects, including the first woman, in connection with the Madrid, Spain, commuter-train bombings. The charges bring the number of those accused to 11 in the March 11 attacks killing at least 190 and wounded about 1,800.

Explosives found on French rail line

By Alyson Brodsy and Elaine Ganley · Wednesday, March 24,2004 11:15 p.m.

PARIS -- A French railroad worker found an explosive device buried in the bed of a passenger line between France and Switzerland Wednesday, the Interior Ministry said. Bomb disposal experts neutralized the device, which was half-buried under a track in the village of Montieramey, France, on a train line heading from Paris to Basel, Switzerland, about 105 miles southeast of Paris, the ministry said in a statement. It was discovered shortly after noon.

Israel vows to destroy Hamas

By Alyson Brodsy and Ibrahim Barzak · Wednesday, March 24,2004 12:39 a.m.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Israel threatened to kill the entire leadership of the Islamic militant group Hamas after assassinating its founder and hinted Tuesday Yasser Arafat could wind up on the hit list in the future.

U.S. sought diplomatic solution with Taliban

By Alyson Brodsy and Hope Yen · Tuesday, March 23,2004 11:17 p.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Lacking the detailed intelligence information needed to strike directly at Osama bin Laden, Clinton and Bush administration officials fruitlessly sought a diplomatic solution to get the al Qaeda leader out of Afghanistan, a federal panel reported Tuesday.

Kosovo declares day of mourning for victims of ethnic clashes

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, March 22,2004 11:43 p.m.

PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro -- The top U.N. official in Kosovo inspected Serb homes damaged in fires set last week by ethnic Albanian mobs as the province marked a day of mourning Monday for the 28 people who died in the ethnic violence.

Hezbollah guerrillas attack Israeli positions

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, March 22,2004 11:41 p.m.

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- The largely dormant Lebanese-Israeli front erupted in fighting Monday, with Hezbollah guerrillas shelling Israeli positions in a disputed area and Israel retaliating with airstrikes.

Future of Iraq not certain 1 year later

By Cameron Thibos · Monday, March 22,2004 1:11 a.m.

Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of the second Iraq war. Protesters around the world turned out en masse to denounce the continued occupation of Iraq by coalition forces. In an effort to sway public opinion, Secretary of State Colin Powell traveled to Iraq to highlight the progress since bombs first fell on Baghdad.

Hamas leader killed in Israeli air strike

By Alyson Brodsy · Monday, March 22,2004 12:58 a.m.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Israeli helicopters fired missiles at Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin as he left a mosque near his house at daybreak Monday, residents said, and witnesses said he was killed.

Around The World

By Alyson Brodsy · Sunday, March 21,2004 11:47 p.m.

Taiwan court orders ballot boxes sealed TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan's High Court ordered all ballot boxes sealed Sunday as thousands of protesters demanded a recount of President Chen Shui-bian's re-election, saying it was marred by voting irregularities and an apparent assassination attempt wounding the incumbent.

Insurgent attacks kill 2 U.S. soldiers

By Alyson Brodsy and Christopher Torchia · Sunday, March 21,2004 11:42 p.m.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Rebels killed two U.S. soldiers in a rocket attack in western Iraq, the U.S. military said Sunday, and two Iraqi civilians died and one American soldier was injured in a rocket attack on U.S.-led coalition headquarters in Baghdad.

Malaysia ushers in new premier

By Alyson Brodsy · Sunday, March 21,2004 11:42 p.m.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Malaysians gave their secular prime minister a huge election victory Sunday, smashing a fundamentalist Muslim party that had wanted to impose an Islamic state in the Southeast Asian country.

Fighting slows amid negotiations

By Alyson Brodsy · Sunday, March 21,2004 11:39 p.m.

WANA, Pakistan -- Fighting between Pakistani troops and suspected al Qaeda militants ebbed Sunday as tribal elders said they would try to negotiate an end to the largest battle yet, against suspected terrorists along the Afghan frontier.

Afghan aviation minister killed

By Alyson Brodsy and Stephen Graham · Sunday, March 21,2004 11:36 p.m.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Soldiers loyal to a local commander shot and killed Afghanistan's aviation minister Sunday in the western city of Herat, Afghanistan, setting off a big gunbattle in which as many as 100 people died in vicious factional fighting, the commander told The Associated Press.

Madrid train blasts kill 192

By Alyson Brodsy and Mar Roman · Friday, March 12,2004 12:37 a.m.

MADRID, Spain -- Ten terrorist bombs tore through trains and stations along a commuter line at the height of Madrid's morning rush hour Thursday, killing 192 people and wounding more than 1,400 others before this weekend's general elections. Officials blamed Basque separatists for the worst terrorist attack in Spanish history.

South Korean president impeached after protests outside parliament

By Alyson Brodsy · Friday, March 12,2004 12:23 a.m.

SEOUL, South Korea - Parliament voted to impeach President Roh Moo-hyun on illegal electioneering and incompetence charges Friday following hours of scuffles and dramatic protests. Roh's presidential powers will be suspended while the matter is referred to the Constitutional Court for final approval to unseat the leader. The court has 180 days to rule.

U.S. diplomats press Sharon for details on Gaza Strip barrier, withdrawl

By Alyson Brodsy and Josef Federman · Friday, March 12,2004 12:21 a.m.

JERUSALEM -- Visiting American diplomats pressed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Thursday for more details of his proposed withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, as his top security advisers recommended Israel also dismantle as many as 24 settlements in the West Bank.

Atomic agency to censure Iran over nuclear program

By Alyson Brodsy and George Jahn · Friday, March 12,2004 12:20 a.m.

VIENNA, Austria -- Closing the books on Libya, a key U.N. atomic agency meeting turned to Iran Thursday as it debated how harshly to censure Tehran, Iran for failing to fully expose its nuclear activities and dispel suspicions it wanted to make weapons.