10 March 2004 Wednesday 18 Muharram 1425 Afghan minister 'forced to resign' KABUL, March 9: Afghanistan's Planning Minister, who has announced he will contest for top presidential slot in the upcoming elections, said on Tuesday that he did not resign from his position but was sacked because of a dispute with President Hamid Karzai and the finance minister. ... US still faces threats: Tenet WASHINGTON, Mar 9: CIA Director George Tenet on Tuesday warned US lawmakers that the Al Qaeda network, along with surrogate radical Muslim groups, remains capable of a devastating assault on United States territory on the scale of the Sept 11, 2001, attacks. ... Support for Bush lowest ever: poll WASHINGTON, March 9: Public support for US President George W. Bush has fallen to the lowest level of his presidency for his performance on the economy and the situation in Iraq ... US 'aware' of human rights allegations WASHINGTON, March 9: The United States has said that it takes seriously reports of excessive use of force by its soldiers. A State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher ... Powell opposes debate on WMD issue WASHINGTON, March 9: US Secretary of State Colin Powell made an unexpected foray into the US presidential campaign on Monday, insisting that the issue of whether the Bush administration has misled the nation about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction be excluded from political debate. ... US asks India, China to open markets WASHINGTON, March 9: US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick on Tuesday warned China and India - which have benefited from US jobs moving overseas - they could face increased barriers to the US market unless they open their own markets to more American exports. ... Sharon faces army dissent over Gaza TEL AVIV, March 9: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon struggled on Tuesday to keep a lid on increasingly vocal dissent in the military's top ranks over his evolving plan to uproot Gaza settlements, political sources said. ... Knesset 'marks' Arab workers TEL AVIV, March 9: Israel's parliament (Knesset) ordered red paint daubed on the hard hats of Israeli Arabs building its new annex to mark them as potential security risks, drawing charges of racism from Arab lawmakers. ... Srinagar media centre goes up in flames SRINAGAR, March 9: The Indian government's media centre in Srinagar went up in flames on Tuesday after it was stormed by militants, leaving two of the attackers dead and six troops injured. ... Election monitors for Florida TALLAHASSEE, March 9: An international group that usually monitors elections in developing democracies said on Monday it would take up posts at Florida precincts in November in hopes of averting another debacle when voters pick the next US president. ... Iraqis fear informants with a grudge BAGHDAD: Mohammad Dulaimi says that when an American colonel called at his house asking him to inform on his neighbours, his first reaction was anger. ... US military to get acoustic weapon WASHINGTON: The US military is about to add a new exotic weapon to its already impressive arsenal in Iraq. But in contrast to other armaments, this one does not shoot or explode. It screams and hollers. ...

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