01 May 2004 Saturday 10 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425 US Marines angry over Fallujah deal CAMP FALLUJAH, April 30: A decision to let former members of Saddam's army handle security in Fallujah has infuriated some of the US Marines who pulled back from the powder keg city after weeks of violent battles. ... Mehdi Hafez tipped to head new Iraqi govt WASHINGTON, April 30: The United States and the United Nations are nearing consensus on the appointment of Iraq's current planning minister, Mehdi Hafez, to lead the interim Iraqi government ... Baathists' return infuriates Shias NAJAF, April 30: Some Shias in this Iraqi holy city complain that the return of former Baathists to the army and schools is unfair punishment by the United States for the armed opposition led by Shia radical leader Moqtada Sadr. ... UN ambivalent over salvaging Iraq UNITED NATIONS: As violence continues to escalate in Iraq, killing dozens of soldiers and hundreds of civilians, the United Nations remains ambivalent about its own ability to help salvage a country on the brink of disaster. ... US, Israel test laser cannon AL QUDS, April 30: A joint US-Israeli test of an anti-missile laser cannon was partially successful, the Israeli defence ministry said Friday. "The trial was conducted at the White Sands US army base (in New Mexico). ... Schwarzenegger to visit Israel LOS ANGELES, April 30: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is scheduled to travel this weekend to Israel, his first foreign trip since he took office, despite warnings by the US government not to visit the Middle East ... Bhopal survivors seek UN assistance UNITED NATIONS: Disappointed after 20 years of appeals to courts and governments, survivors of the Union Carbide gas disaster in India are urging United Nations agencies to start relief and rehabilitation work ... Libya not yet removed from list WASHINGTON, April 30: The United States has not yet removed Libya from its list of states sponsoring terrorism despite a dramatic improvement in bilateral relations, a senior State Department official said. ... Malaysian PM offers refuge to Thai Muslims KUALA LUMPUR, April 30: Malaysia is willing to offer temporary refuge to Thais fleeing troubled provinces in southern Thailand, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on Friday. ... More charges filed against Jackson SANTA MARIA, April 30: The stakes were dramatically raised in the Michael Jackson child molestation case on Friday as the pop superstar was charged with new counts of conspiracy to commit child abduction ... Jordan's spy agency was target: Zarqawi DUBAI, April 30: Al Qaeda planned an attack on Jordanian intelligence services but not using chemical weapons as Amman has charged, according to a new audio tape purportedly from a leading Al Qaeda figure aired on Friday. ... Ghraib torture not LONDON, April 30: The Amnesty International (AI) on Friday called for an independent probe into the torture in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and said it was not an isolated incident. ...

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