World briefs 7/16/04

Spanish judge:Morocco is al-Qaida hotbed

MADRID, Spain -- Europe's biggest terrorist threat is Morocco -- seething with as many as 1,000 al-Qaida adherents capable of suicide attacks and skilled at slipping through the continent's southern gateway, Spain's leading anti-terrorism judge testified Thursday. The impoverished kingdom just a short ferry ride across the Strait of Gibraltar has about 100 al-Qaida-linked cells that raise money by dealing hashish, fencing luxury cars and smuggling people into Spain, Judge Baltasar Garzon told lawmakers investigating the Madrid train bombings. Most of the 17 suspects jailed in the March 11 bombings, which killed 190 people, are Moroccan. Garzon said his figures came from police and intelligence data.

U.S. sued for 15 Yemeni Guantanamo detainees

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A team of lawyers sued the U.S. government Thursday on behalf of 15 detainees from Yemen held on suspicion of terrorism at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a spokesman said. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, bringing to about 50 the number of detainees for whom suits are pending, said Clive Stafford-Smith, a human rights lawyer who leads the New Orleans-based group Justice in Exile. The actions all demand court hearings and argue the men should be freed. The U.S. Supreme Court opened the door to such suits in a June 28 ruling that said detainees may appeal to civilian courts. All of the 15 Yemenis were detained in Pakistan, said Pamela Chepiga, a lawyer with New York-based Allen & Overy, the leading law firm on the case.

Church groups call for Austrian bishop's ouster

VIENNA, Austria -- Two influential Catholic groups in Austria are demanding the resignation of a bishop who oversaw a seminary where a massive stash of child pornography was uncovered. A liberal group called We Are the Church says Austria's worst church scandal in nearly a decade has left the diocese "practically leaderless and split." And the country's largest organization for Catholic lay people is urging the church to restore dignity to Bishop Kurt Krenn's office. Last week, authorities discovered some 40,000 pornographic photos and numerous videos at the seminary in Krenn's diocese. Officials say some of the photos showed candidates for the priesthood kissing and fondling each other.-- From wire reports

Warm weather, slow growth help Europe

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union recorded its first dip in greenhouse gas emissions in three years in 2002, due largely to the continent's warmer winter and stagnant economy that year, according to a report released Thursday. The European Environment Agency estimated emissions of six gases blamed for global warming declined 0.5 percent in 2002 in the then-15-nation bloc. Under the 1997 U.N. pact for combating climate change, known as the Kyoto Protocol, the EU is committed to cutting its emissions 8 percent from 1990 levels by 2012. So far emissions are down 2.9 percent.

Villagers: Nigerian troops kill 15 in raids in oil-rich delta

LAGOS, Nigeria -- Security forces raided five villages in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta, leaving 15 people dead and homes ransacked and burned, residents and militant leaders said Thursday. The security forces said the raids were part of an effort to combat attacks on multinational oil operations in the Niger Delta. Troops in speedboats with mounted machine guns raided the villages of Sunny Zion, Idegbagbene, Odiogbogbene, Opia and Ogbinbiri between Sunday and Wednesday, said Maj. Said Hamed, spokesman for the region's 3,000-strong military-police task force. Bello Oboko, president of the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities militant group, said 15 people -- including women and children -- were shot dead or drowned while fleeing the troops.

-- From wire reports