It is the fourth EU country to find the H5N1 strain, which could devastate Europe's $24 billion poultry and egg industry.

More than 70,000 riot over the Mohammed cartoons, and three are killed.

Arrests and interrogations of suspects in a recent series of suicide bombings in Afghanistan show that the attacks have been orchestrated from Pakistan by members of the ousted Taliban government with little interference by Pakistani authorities, Afghan officials say.

U.S. Vice President Cheney's slow and unapologetic public response to the accidental shooting of a 78-year-old Texas attorney is turning the quail-hunting mishap into a political liability for the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush and is prompting senior White House officials to press Cheney to publicly address the issue as early as Wednesday, several prominent Republicans said Tuesday.

Internet companies facing hearings Wednesday before angry U.S. lawmakers said they could not resist China's effort to censor the web on their own. But industry analysts said that even if Washington tried to enforce free-speech standards, it was likely to have little effect.

Microsoft said Wednesday it had answered European Union complaints that it had failed to comply with an antitrust ruling under threat of fines of up to 2 million euros ($2.38 million) per day.

Mittal Steel, the world's largest steelmaker, said its bid for rival Arcelor was positively received by many of the Luxembourg-based firm's shareholders as it posted forecast-beating fourth quarter earnings Wednesday.

A trip to the newsstand these days can be a dizzying descent into a blizzard of numbers. The March issue of Elle Girl promises readers ""375 excuses to shop."" Harper's Bazaar offers ""783 new ideas to flatter you.""