DUBAI, United Arab Emirates A group linked to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network threatened the United States with reprisals after the re-election of President George W. Bush, warning of "unbearable hell" in a statement on a Web site on Friday. "The coming days will show you that the one you preferred will lead you to an unbearable hell," said the group, calling itself the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, after the Qaeda military chief killed in Afghanistan in October 2001. The same group claimed responsibility for the train bombings in Madrid in March this year, which killed 191 people. (AFP) NARATHIWAT, Thailand Prime minister says more violence likely As sectarian attacks increased in southern Thailand, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Friday that Muslim separatists would step up violence in a bid to provoke harsh government countermeasures that they could exploit to win sympathy and support abroad. A Buddhist monk who died of gunshot wounds was among the latest victims of a wave of attacks that has killed more than 20 people since 78 southern Muslims died on Oct. 25 in military custody. Most of the victims in recent days were Buddhists, and most of the assailants have left leaflets citing revenge for the deaths of the 78 detainees as their motive. (IHT) ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast Soldiers battle rebels as fighting intensifies Ivory Coast soldiers battled rebel forces as warplanes launched more bombing raids Friday, escalating hostilities a day after the government abandoned a cease-fire meant to end a civil war that killed thousands of people. There was no immediate word on casualties in the clashes, which came a day after government warplanes bombed Bouake, breaking the 2003 cease-fire. (AP) LONDON: Atenolol, a leading drug used to lower blood pressure, does not prevent deaths from heart attacks or other cardiovascular problems as well as other treatments, researchers said Friday. The drug, sold under the brand name Tenormin by AstraZeneca, was introduced in 1976. (Reuters) SARAJEVO, Bosnia:The International Commission on Missing Persons, a Sarajevo-based organization that helped identify victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, said Friday that it would assist Iraq in discovering the fate of those who disappeared under Saddam Hussein's rule. (Reuters) SANTIAGO: Chile's military on Friday for the first time took full responsibility for human rights abuses during Augusto Pinochet's 17-year dictatorship. (Reuters)