Uzbekistan

Uzbek terrorists trained by al-Qaida, official says

The suspects behind a wave of suicide bombings and attacks on police in Uzbekistan received military training from Arab instructors who also taught al-Qaida fighters, the country’s top prosecutor said Friday.

Prosecutor-General Rashid Kadyrov also said the militants were influenced by Hizb ut-Tahrir, an extremist Islamic group that claims to disavow violence, and the Islamic Movement of Turkestan — a terrorist group believed to have emerged from the remains of an Uzbek group decimated in U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan.

At least 47 people died in the recent attacks, including 33 alleged terrorists and 10 police, Uzbek officials say. The violence was the first unrest here since Uzbekistan became a key U.S. ally after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and allowed hundreds of American troops to use a southern military base.

Washington, D.C.

Cheney to promote reactor sales to China

On a trip to China next week to talk about high-stakes world issues like terrorism and nuclear tensions, Vice President Dick Cheney will have another task — making a pitch for Westinghouse’s U.S. reactor technology.

At stake could be billions of dollars in business in coming years and thousands of American jobs. The initial installment of four reactors, costing $1.5 billion apiece, would also help narrow the huge U.S. trade deficit with China.

China’s latest economic plan anticipates more than doublings its electricity output by 2020 and the Chinese government, facing enormous air pollution problems, is looking to shift some of that away from coal-burning plants. Its plan calls for building as many as 32 large 1,000-megawatt reactors over the next 16 years.

No one has ordered a new reactor in the United States in three decades. So China is being viewed by the U.S. industry as a potential bonanza.

Paris

France on threat alert, interior minister says

The French government is on alert for terrorist threats and “leaving nothing to chance,” the interior minister said Friday, a day after dozens of train and Metro stations were evacuated on a CIA tip.

The CIA contacted French authorities Thursday, warning of an attack on Paris’ commuter network, the RER, at the end of rush hour.

No attack materialized, but Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin said the information was from a credible source and had to be taken seriously.

The warning came from the CIA’s Spanish station, which intercepted an e-mail from Madrid that referred to an attack against a “red line” in Paris at a “central station,” a police official said.

Washington, D.C.

FDA warns of lead in Mexican candy

Children shouldn’t eat certain candy imported from Mexico because it may be contaminated with small amounts of lead, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

At issue is candy that contains significant amounts of chili powder, including lollipops coated with chili, and powdery mixtures of salt, lemon flavor and chili seasoning.

The chili powder apparently can become contaminated with lead during manufacturing, FDA said.

Also, FDA cautioned against tamarind, a popular Mexican candy item sometimes mixed with chili. It also can become contaminated with lead if it is sold in poorly made glazed ceramic vessels that can leach lead.

Fruit or lollipops dipped or mixed with chilies are popular among Mexicans, and a market has been growing market for them north of the border.