World briefs 4/22/04

Car bombing kills at least four in Saudi capital

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- A suicide attacker bombed a security police building in the Saudi capital Wednesday, killing at least four people and wounding 148. The attack had the hallmark of an al-Qaida operation, officials said. The explosion, heard three miles away, shattered the glass facades of nearby buildings and ignited several fires. Smoke billowed from the seven-story General Security building, where workers issue drivers license renewals and do other administrative tasks. The deathtoll was expected to rise after hospital officials reported early Thursday that body parts have been recovered indicating four more deaths, in addition to the four already confirmed by the Interior Ministry.

Authorities arrest two, find bomb in Kabul

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Police and international peacekeepers arrested two people and found a homemade bomb in the center of the Afghan capital on Wednesday, authorities said. In restive southeastern Afghanistan, one person was killed when another bomb hidden in a motorcycle exploded near a building where a provincial governor was holding a meeting. Deputy police chief Amin Khalil Zada said peacekeepers in Kabul took the two suspects into custody in the early afternoon on a street just a few hundred yards from the Finance Ministry.

Pakistan gives tribesmen 10 days to find al-Qaida

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Pakistan gave tribal militias an additional 10 days Wednesday to hunt down al-Qaida terrorists and their sympathizers in a remote border region before a threatened military crackdown. Tribal leaders had asked for the extension, saying their efforts to track down the suspects in the South Waziristan region near the border with Afghan-istan were sincere and they needed more time beyond a deadline that expired Tuesday.

EU-U.S. passenger data deal headed to court

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Parliament asked the EU's top court Wednesday to rule on an agreement to share data with Washington on passengers flying to the United States, saying they feared the pact violated privacy laws. Washington has demanded airlines headed for the United States transmit extensive passenger information to combat terrorism -- from credit card numbers to meal preferences -- within 15 minutes of departure. Noncompliance can be punished with fines of up to $6,000 a passenger and the loss of landing rights.

-- From wire reports