13 March 2004 Saturday 21 Muharram 1425 US officials discount Al Qaeda role: ETA denies hand in Madrid carnage WASHINGTON, March 12: US officials said on Friday it was too early to tell whether the bombings in Spain were carried out by Al Qaeda or Basque separatists ... Madrid was warned of attack: Europol THE HAGUE, March 12: The European police organization, Europol, had warned last month of a large-scale attack by the ETA in Madrid, according to a recent confidential report seen here on Friday. ... ETA does not use detonators, say officials MADRID, March 12: Backpack bombs used in deadly Madrid train bombings were set off by mobile phone and contained copper detonators, which are not generally used by armed Basque separatist group ETA, a radio report said on Friday. ... Jury out on Al Qaeda's role in Spain blasts VIENNA: What if it was Al Qaeda? Security analysts said on Friday the jury was still out on the possible involvement of Muslim militants in the Madrid train bombings ... Footage of Nehru speech on Kashmir destroyed SRINAGAR, March 12: Original footage from Kashmir's partition, including film of a historic speech by India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, were destroyed in a gunbattle with militants, an official said on Friday. ... US media fell for govt claims about Iraq: study NEW YORK, March 12: The US media bought the claims of the Bush administration on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction hook, line and sinker, and that led to the war on Iraq without question, says a study. ... CIA chief clueless on neo-con intelligence channel WASHINGTON: Was Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director George Tenet really the last person in Washington to find out that both the president and vice-president were being fed phoney or "sexed up" intelligence ... Israel seeks US support: Annexation of settlements AL QUDS, March 12: Israel needs US assurances of support for annexing West Bank settlement blocs in return for evacuating Gaza in unilateral moves spawned by a peacemaking impasse with Palestinians, political sources said on Friday. ... Riyadh reviewing curricula Riyadh, March 12: With pressure on Saudi Arabia mounting on various accounts, the kingdom is going to reevaluate its entire curricula, so as to get rid of any material that could be perceived as anti-Christian or anti-Jew. ... Two held in Zambia with uranium LUSAKA, March 12: Zambia has detained two men suspected of possessing a cache of what police believe could be bomb-grade uranium, police and the men's lawyer said on Friday. ... Media see money luring Bollywood stars into politics MUMBAI, March 12: Bollywood stars are flocking to join political parties ahead of next month's general election, but questions are now being asked whether it's due to their strong political convictions ... Army desertions cause problems: Afghan elections UNITED NATIONS: The US-backed government in Kabul is facing large-scale desertions by western-trained local security forces as it tries to establish a safe environment in the run-up to scheduled June elections. ... Tamil Tigers: split benefits some COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's mixed population in the east may finally get a fair share in a settlement of the ethnic conflict as a result of the head-on clash between Tiger rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his main eastern commander ... Nepal shaken by shutdowns KATHMANDU: A string of general strikes and blockades by Nepal's Maoist rebels has shaken confidence in the government's ability to provide security and devastated an already fragile economy. ... EU focuses on Lanka's poll problems COLOMBO, March 12: The European Union team of election observers in Sri Lanka are to focus on the recurrence of problems which they have identified during two previous similar missions in the island nation. ... Indigenous women's rights stressed UNITED NATIONS, March 12: Indigenous women must be integrated into their countries' decision-making so they can reclaim their right to make informed choices about their lives in times of peace or war ...

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