Kabul (Reuters): Investigators in Afghanistan questioned at least seven suspects on Friday as they hunted for the masterminds behind an assassination attempt on President Hamid Karzai and a car bomb that killed at least 16 people.

Baghdad/Washington (Agencies): Baghdad warned U.S. President. George W. Bush on Friday he would come across an ''impregnable fortress" if he made good on his threats to attack Iraq in a bid to overthrow President Saddam Hussein.

Kabul (Agence France-Presse): The world expressed outrage at the assassination attempt on Afghan leather Hamid Karzai and the bomb attack in Kabul and called for renewed efforts lo crush extremism.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Reuters): Arabic television station Al-Jazeera said on Thursday it had confessions from two men it identified as members of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network claiming the group was responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks.

Tokyo (Agence France-Presse): Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Friday he will adopt fresh measures to stimulate Japan's sagging economy and fight a slump in the stock market, which is skirting around 19-year lows.

Washington (Reuters): Aflurry of government and private sector reports on Thursday showed the U.S. economic recovery moving forward while also raising concerns about its durability.

Singapore (Dow Jones): A weak yen dragged most Asian currencies down late Friday as market players covered short-dollar positions amid worries of the threat of war between the U.S. and Iraq.

Jersey City, New Jersey (Agence France-Presse): Lennox Lewis, who won his first heavyweight title after former champion Riddick Bowe threw a belt in the garbage, relinquished his International Boxing Federation (IBF) crown Thursday.