World digest 07/27/05

Investigators in Egypt ID suspected bomber's body

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt -- Investigators said Tuesday they have identified a body they suspect is that of a suicide bomber in the weekend attacks that killed scores in this Red Sea resort, saying he was an Egyptian with Islamic militant ties. Security officials also said Egyptian authorities received information about an imminent terrorist attack in Sharm el-Sheik days ahead of the devastating bombings. However, authorities believed the attack would target casinos, so security was increased around those sites, two officials said on condition of anonymity because release of the information was not authorized.

Angry Afghans hurl stones at U.S. troops

BAGRAM, Afghanistan -- Hundreds of protesters chanting "Die America!" and throwing stones tried to batter down a gate at the U.S. military's main Afghan base Tuesday. The Bagram area had been largely peaceful since a U.S.-led military campaign toppled the Taliban regime in late 2001. The riot came just hours after an overnight battle in southern Afghanistan that a provincial governor said killed at least 50 suspected Taliban rebels and two Afghan soldiers. More than 800 people have died in insurgent attacks and government offensives since March, and U.S. and Afghan officials have warned that the violence is a threat to parliamentary elections in September.

Six-nation talks open on disarming North Korea

BEIJING -- Six-party nuclear disarmament talks opened Tuesday after a 13-month boycott by North Korea, and the communist nation's envoy said his country was ready to work on eliminating atomic weapons from the Korean Peninsula. The United States, in turn, reassured the North that it has no intention of invading to end the standoff. Washington and Beijing gave positive reviews to the initial talks, saying progress was being made toward more in-depth discussions. The talks Tuesday are the fourth such six-nation negotiations, which also include China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.

Philippine security forces foil suicide bomb plot

MANILA, Philippines -- Philippine security forces are hunting 10 would-be suicide bombers and have foiled a plot for a major attack, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's national security adviser said Tuesday. Norberto Gonzales said he was worried about possible attacks in Manila following the terror bombings in London and Egypt. Gonzales said Philippine security forces foiled a "huge plot" to bomb unspecified targets by seizing 1,320 pounds of explosives this year. He did not identify the alleged terrorists or name any groups.

Killer of Dutch filmmaker sentenced to life in prison

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- Judges on Tuesday handed down a rare maximum life sentence with no possibility of parole to the Dutch-born Muslim who confessed to -- and expressed no regret for -- shooting, stabbing and nearly decapitating filmmaker Theo van Gogh in November. Mohammed Bouyeri, 27, had accused van Gogh of insulting Islam with a short film, and told the court he would kill again if given the chance. Only a few dozen life sentences have been given by Dutch courts since World War II, generally in multiple murder cases.

Three Sinn Fein leaders step down from IRA posts

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- Leaders of Sinn Fein, the Irish Republican Army-linked party, have stepped down from the IRA command, Justice Minister Michael McDowell said Tuesday. Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, as well as Irish lawmaker Martin Ferris, recently were replaced on the IRA's ruling seven-member command, he said. Adams denied the report, saying the three were not on the command to begin with. The apparent effort to increase distance between the leaders of the IRA and Sinn Fein, a legal party that represents most Catholics in Northern Ireland, comes ahead of a widely expected peace declaration from the IRA command.

-- From wire reports