Belgium’s nightmare ends

ARLON, Belgium: The parents of Marc Dutroux’s young female victims expressed overwhelming relief after Belgium’s “most hated man” was found guilty of rape, abduction and murder.

US air defence a disaster on 9/11

WASHINGTON: US air defenses were completely unprepared for the September 11, 2001, attacks and plagued by poor co-ordination and communications as they cobbled together a hurried response, a national inquiry commission said.

Bush insists Saddam’s linked to al-Qaeda

WASHINGTON: US President George W Bush insisted that Saddam Hussein’s “connections” to al-Qaeda made him a threat to the United States, despite an official report that the two did not have operational ties.

EU leaders push for constitution

BRUSSELS: EU leaders expressed hope of striking a deal on a first-ever constitution for the just-expanded bloc at a Brussels summit, although wrangling over a top job threatened to cloud the talks.

PM Qorei calls on US support for Egypt’s offer

CAIRO: Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei called on the United States to back an Egyptian offer to underpin security in the Gaza Strip following a promised Israeli withdrawal.

IAEA to step up Iran probe

VIENNA: Britain, France, and Germany submitted a resolution at the UN atomic agency calling for a 15 month-old investigation into Iran’s nuclear activities to be stepped up and for Tehran to do more to help it complete the probe within a few months, agency officials said.

Rumsfeld admits to ghost prisoner

WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, acting at the request of the CIA, ordered that a suspected Iraqi insurgent leader be detained off the books to conceal his identity from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Pentagon confirmed.

More Sudan border clashes

N’DJAMENA: Violent clashes in the Chad-Sudan border region, involving Chadian army troops and pro-Khartoum Arab militias, sparked fears the devastating conflict in Sudan’s western Darfur region could widen still further.

Intense hunt for hostage taker in Riyadh

RIYADH: Saudi authorities hunted for the al-Qaeda kidnappers of a US hostage, combing militant strongholds in the capital overnight after making clear that despite a threat of execution, they would not cave in to their demands.