Rights group alleges abuses by US military

AFGHANISTAN

KABUL -- US operations in Afghanistan are marred by civilian casualties and the alleged torture of prisoners, Human Rights Watch said yesterday. The US military rejected the group's findings, saying it "confused the situation" in strife-torn Afghanistan for one where peacetime methods could be used. Still, the report raises uncomfortable questions for the United States as it embarks on new operations to capture or kill elusive militants, such as Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. "The behavior of the United States sends the message that the US operates on a set of double standards," the rights group said, referring to Washington's criticism of other countries' human rights records. The 50-page report said the US military used excessive force to capture suspects in residential areas. (AP)

RUSSIA

Siberian teen charged in e-mail threat to CIA

MOSCOW -- Authorities in Siberia arrested an 18-year-old student on charges of sending an e-mail message threatening to blow up a subway system in the United States, police said yesterday. The teenager allegedly sent the message to the CIA during a computer class at Altai Technical University in Barnaul, where he is a first-year student, the state-run Rossiya television network reported. It said the brief message contained a threat of a bomb attack on a subway system in the United States and ended with the words, "You will all die, Allah is great." The student, who is now free but is forbidden to leave Barnaul during the investigation, was not named, but Rossiya showed what it called footage of him being questioned. (AP)

IVORY COAST

Panel head says rebels not ready to disarm

ABIDJAN -- The disarmament of fighters in Ivory Coast will not start today as planned because rebel combatants are not ready to hand over their guns, the head of the country's disarmament commission said yesterday. Alain-Richard Donwahi said no new date had been set for the beginning of the program. "Tomorrow, nothing will happen as far as the disarmament is concerned," Donwahi said. Rebel leaders already had distanced themselves from the planned March 8 start date, announced last month by the West African country's prime minister. Rebels had wanted political reforms to be addressed first. (Reuters)

SRI LANKA

Renegade commander alleges rebel hit squads

COLOMBO -- A renegade Tamil Tiger commander put his forces on alert yesterday after accusing rebel leaders of sending "killer squads" to attack him. The dispute has raised fears that civil war may be starting again in Sri Lanka. Rebel leaders announced Saturday that they were expelling Tiger commander Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, also known as Karuna, from their ranks. But Muralitharan has refused to relinquish power. Last week, he withdrew 6,000 fighters from the 15,000-strong guerrilla army in a dispute with the Tigers' top leader over troop deployment. "We have reliable information that killer squads sanctioned by the northern leadership have been sent with the intention of attacking me and my forces," Muralitharan said by telephone. "These moves can lead to internal killing" between breakaway forces and the main guerrilla army, he said. (AP)

AUSTRIA

Right-wing politician leads party to victory

VIENNA -- Joerg Haider brought his party a stunning victory in his home province yesterday, confounding pundits and increasing the odds for a national comeback for the right-wing politician known for his slurs against Jews and his friendship with Saddam Hussein. Most polls had predicted a loss for Haider's Freedom Party in legislative elections in Carinthia Province after a string of defeats elsewhere over the past two years. Beyond ensuring Haider's reappointment as governor, the win increased the chances that Haider would be able to revitalize his party throughout Austria, which has less than 10 percent support nationally compared with almost 30 percent four years ago. (AP)