World briefs 4/1/04

Judge issues international warrants for Spain bombers

MADRID, Spain -- A Spanish judge issued five international arrest warrants on Wednesday for suspects in the Madrid train bombings and re-arrested a released Moroccan suspect, a court official said. Another suspect identified as Otman El Gnaout was also arrested. Judge Juan del Olmo was forwarding the warrants to authorities in Britain, Morocco and France.

Settler move sparks clashes with Palestinians

JERUSALEM -- Jewish settlers with assault rifles slung over their shoulders moved into two buildings in a crowded Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem on Wednesday, sparking clashes between Israeli troops and Arab residents. Palestinians, who claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, condemned the incident, saying it proved Israel was more interested in expansion than peace.

U.N. envoy: 20 years needed to help Haiti

UNITED NATIONS -- The international community must make a commitment of at least 20 years to bring peace to Haiti and raise living standards in the Western hemisphere's poorest nation, the special U.N. envoy said. Returning from a 10-day trip to Haiti, envoy Reginald Dumas told reporters that 10 international missions to Haiti had failed because there was no sustained commitment.

EU: Sharing passenger data violates privacy

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Parliament on Wednesday said it was illegal for the United States to force European airlines to provide data on arriving passengers and threatened to go to court to block an agreement that calls for the information sharing. The vote came a day after European Union ministers overcame similar privacy concerns and agreed to give their own law enforcement authorities access to more limited passenger data.

Donors pledge $8.2 billion for Afghan rebuilding

BERLIN -- Donors at an international conference have pledged $8.2 billion over the next three years to help rebuild Afghanistan and smooth its transition to post-Taliban democracy. Ashraf Ghani said he was "delighted" with the pledges, made after Afghan President Hamid Karzai appealed to officials from more than 50 countries to help his war-ravaged country support itself and confront the threat from private militias.

--From wire reports