JERUSALEM — Jordan's King Abdullah II told an Israeli newspaper today that his country wants its own nuclear program.

In an interview with the daily Haaretz, Abdullah said his desert kingdom, which borders Israel and has a peace agreement with it, wanted nuclear power "for peaceful purposes" and was already discussing its plans with Western countries.

"The rules governing the nuclear issue have changed in the entire region," the Jordanian leader told Haaretz, noting that Egypt and several Gulf states have declared their desire for a nuclear program. Though Jordan would rather see a Middle East free of nuclear weapons, he said, "every desire we had on this issue has changed."

It was the first time Abdullah spoke openly about desires for a Jordanian nuclear program for peaceful purposes.

"The Egyptians are looking for a nuclear program. The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) are looking at one, and we are actually looking at nuclear power for peaceful and energy purposes," he told Haaretz.

Abdullah said any country acquiring nuclear facilities should adhere to international regulations and submit to inspection.

BERLIN — Europeans labored today to restore services across the continent after hurricane-force winds felled trees, brought down power lines and damaged buildings, killing at least 41 people and disrupting travel for tens of thousands.Berlin's new main train station was shut down after a two-ton girder fell from the side of the glass facade onto an outdoor staircase. The train station was evacuated after the beam plummeted 130 feet Thursday night, but there were no injuries."I can see maybe the glass falling, but not the steel," said 38-year-old electrician Thomas Mueller who had stopped by the downtown station to survey the damage. "They just built this thing eight months ago."Virtually the entire German national railway system was shut down during the storm, with trees over many tracks and overhead power lines down, and services were being restored gradually on today.Tens of thousands were left without power in Germany, Poland and Austria, and more than 1 million homes had no electricity in the neighboring Czech Republic, which was hit by winds of up to 112 mph.The storm led to the deaths of at least three people in the Czech Republic, 10 in Germany, 13 in the United Kingdom, six in the Netherlands, one in France, two in Belgium and six in Poland.

BEIJING — McDonald's and a Chinese oil company today opened the first of a planned series of more than two dozen drive-through restaurants, launching an effort to tap China's growing taste for cars and Western fast food.The drive-through on Beijing's northwestern outskirts is McDonald's 16th in China, but its first in the new venture with China Petroleum and Chemical Corp.Jeffrey Schwartz, McDonald's chief executive officer for China, said the two companies plan to open 25 to 30 drive-throughs in the next 12 to 18 months.