■ United States
CIA verifies Saddam tape
The CIA believes that former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was probably the speaker on a new audiotape that was broadcast on Arab television on Monday, officials said Wednesday. On the tape, the speaker denies that Saddam or his followers were behind last week's bombing in Najaf, Iraq, which killed a top Shiite Muslim cleric and almost a hundred others. The CIA has completed an analysis of the tape, and has concluded that the voice is likely Saddam's. The fact that the voice on the audiotape discusses last week's incident provides further evidence that Saddam is still alive and in hiding, officials said.
■ Spain
Drink wine, not beer
Spanish officials looking for a way to stamp out binge drinking by young people have decided to warn them that all alcohol is bad except wine, which is good for them. Drinkers will soon encounter strictly worded health warnings on all bottles and cans of alcohol, except wine, telling them that what they are about to consume is a "danger" to their lives. The Spanish government is supporting plans to promote wine as "an important part of the Mediterranean diet." Wine's exclusion from the draft of the new law has enraged beer and cider makers who say that, with their much lower alcohol content, these drinks are less harmful.
■ Venezuela
Chavez defies opposition
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government on Wednesday stepped up its offensive against an opposition bid to hold a referendum on his rule, calling for a criminal investigation into a group that collected pro-vote signatures. This followed comments by left-winger Chavez in Cuba on Tuesday that he would not accept opposition signatures calling for a poll, even if they were approved as legitimate by the country's newly appointed National Electoral Council. The government's verbal and legal offensive against the referendum bid stoked fears of renewed conflict in the world's No. 5 oil exporter, which has been rocked by political feuding between Chavez's followers and foes.
■ France
Depp calls US a `puppy'
Hollywood star Johnny Depp said the US was a stupid, aggressive puppy and he would not live there until the political climate changed. The 40-year-old actor, who stars in the Pirates of the Caribbean, said he was happier staying in the south of France with his wife, the French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis, and their two children. "America is dumb, it's like a dumb puppy that has big teeth that can bite and hurt you, aggressive," he said. "My daughter is four, my boy is one. I'd like them to see America as a toy, a broken toy. Investigate it a little, check it out, get this feeling and then get out," he said.
■ United States
Clark says he's a democrat
General Wesley Clark, who has been thinking about running for president as a Democrat, moved a step closer to joining the race on Wednesday by announcing that he is indeed a Democrat. Clark, who was the supreme allied commander of NATO, said he had still not made up his mind about running. But after months of saying he belonged to no political party, he announced in an interview on CNN and later at a forum at New York University that he was a Democrat.
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