WESTERN EUROPE

SCHROEDER DECLINES TO PARTICIPATE IN NEW GOVERNMENT
BERLIN – Chancellor Schroeder said yesterday he will not participate in Germany’s new coalition government, ending seven years in power marked by a newly assertive foreign policy and efforts to prune welfare benefits that were a drag on Europe’s biggest economy.

In a speech in his hometown of Hanover, Mr. Schroeder also took swipes at President Bush and Prime Minister Blair, his opponents in the debate over the Iraq war.

Mr. Schroeder’s Social Democrats lost last month’s parliamentary elections to conservative Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, and Ms. Merkel struck a power-sharing deal Monday to become Germany’s first female chancellor.

– Associated Press

BRITISH GOVERNMENT UNVEILS NEW ANTI-TERROR LEGISLATION
LONDON – The British government yesterday unveiled sweeping anti-terrorism legislation designed to crack down on Islamic extremism, raising concerns from Muslim leaders, opposition parties, and legal experts about the potential for infringing on civil liberties.

In the wake of the July attacks on London’s transit system, the government wants the power to detain terror suspects for three months without charge, outlaw attending terrorist training camps in Britain or abroad, and make it an offense to glorify or encourage terrorism. The legislation must be approved by both chambers of Parliament before it can become law.

– Associated Press

CENTRAL ASIA

KARZAI: DRUGS ARE FUELING INSURGENCY
KABUL, Afghanistan – Fighting erupted across Afghanistan ahead of a visit yesterday by Secretary of State Rice, with 10 suspected rebels, six police, and five medical workers killed and rockets slamming into the capital. President Karzai warned that the militants were receiving support from drug traffickers and that his nation could fall back into the hands of terrorists if its booming heroin trade, which supplies nearly 90% of the world’s supply, isn’t stamped out. It was the first time Mr. Karzai has directly linked the drug trade with the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.

– Associated Press

MIDDLE EAST

ISRAEL LOCKS DOWN FOR YOM KIPPUR
JERUSALEM – Israel prepared yesterday to lock down for Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, when borders close, streets empty of traffic, and Jews fast, pray, and ask for forgiveness. In a sweep through West Bank towns before the holy day, Israeli forces arrested six Palestinians, including a teenage boy allegedly coerced by militants into becoming a suicide bomber and a senior Hamas fugitive who was on the run for eight years, the army said. In another arrest in the Hebron-area town of Dahariya, troops brought a fugitive’s mother to call on him to surrender.

– Associated Press

SOUTH ASIA

AS AID ROLLS IN, AFTERSHOCK SHAKES PAKISTAN
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan – As rescue efforts gave way to aid relief, a strong aftershock shook Pakistan early this morning, five days after an earthquake killed tens of thousands and left millions homeless. It was not immediately clear if the 5.6-magnitude aftershock caused any damage. The U.S. Geological Survey said the aftershock was centered about 85 miles northeast of Islamabad.

– Associated Press

SOUTHEAST ASIA

PROTESTERS DEMAND DEATH FOR BALI BOMBERS
BALI, Indonesia – Hundreds of protesters demanding death for the Bali bombers broke down the gates of a prison on the third anniversary of the nightclub attacks, amid rising anger following fresh terrorist strikes on the resort island this month. “Kill! Kill!,” the crowd shouted yesterday outside the Kerobokan jail, which is home to several Islamic militants convicted in the October 12, 2002, blasts that killed 202 people. The protesters were quickly brought under control and the gate was put back up.

– Associated Press