11 July 2004 Sunday 22 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425 US-built school in Afghanistan destroyed SPIN BOLDAK, July 10: A Taliban commander was killed when guerillas attacked Afghan government forces near the Pakistan border on Saturday, and militants also burnt down a US-built school, officials said. ... Israel seeks US support at UN over barrier AL QUDS, July 10: Israel has asked Washington to prevent any Security Council resolution after the UN's highest court ruled its West Bank barrier was illegal, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said on Saturday. ... S. Arabia to hold municipal polls RIYADH, July 10: Arrangements are finally underway to hold the first municipal elections in Saudi Arabia in decades. The elections are now expected to be held later this year. ... 2 million marooned in India, BD: Floods claim 100 lives NEW DELHI/DHAKA, July 10: Floods following a month of incessant heavy rains have engulfed vast areas in India and Bangladesh, killing over one hundred people _ 90 of them in India _ and leaving two million marooned. ... Sacked BD judge loses right to practise DHAKA, July 10: A sacked additional High Court judge of Bangladesh, Shahidur Rahman, has lost his advocate certificate and subsequently the right to practice law in any court in the country. ... Indian minister for more defence funds NEW DELHI, July 10: India's new defence minister said on Saturday the military would be short of funds within months despite an 18 per cent hike in the national budget to modernize the armed forces. ... Yemeni troops kill 25 'rebels' SANAA, July 10: Yemeni troops killed 25 rebels from the Zaidi minority in new clashes in the far north, the defence ministry said on Saturday, while witnesses said four soldiers also died. ... British PM considered quitting last month: BBC LONDON, July 10: British Prime Minister Tony Blair came close to resigning last month and four senior ministers from his cabinet intervened to persuade him not to do so, the British Broadcasting Corporation said on Saturday. ... Inquiry to censure UK FM: paper LONDON, July 10: An independent inquiry is to report next week that Britain's foreign secretary Jack Straw overruled senior advisors on the legality of the Iraq war, a London newspaper said on Friday. ... Lanka blast: woman claims links with govt COLOMBO, July 10: The woman accomplice of the LTTE suicide bomber who exploded herself at a police station on Thursday told investigators that she had been employed by Tamil Affairs Minister Douglas Devananda ... Kerry pulls ahead of Bush in poll WASHINGTON, July 10: Democratic presidential aspirant John Kerry has pulled ahead of incumbent President George W. Bush, according to a Time poll released on Friday that found more people were now backing Kerry compared with a June survey. ... Bogus police guarded Bush in Australia SYDNEY, July 10: Bus drivers, cooks and dish washers dressed up as police to protect US President George Bush during his visit to Australia last year. ... WHO unlikely to meet target of treating 3m AIDS patients BANGKOK, July 10: An ambitious plan to provide AIDS treatment for three million people in developing countries by the end of next year is behind schedule and urgent action is needed to get back on track ... Another blow to the CIA WASHINGTON: The Senate's scathing report about how the Central Intelligence Agency bungled its pre-war assessment of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities is yet another blow to the agency that has frequently found itself under fire in recent years. ... Palestinians' diplomatic victory at The Hague LONDON: The ruling by the International Court of Justice in The Hague that the 'security wall' Israel is building in the West Bank is illegal marks a major victory for Palestinians. ... Arms suppliers scramble to feed Iraq UNITED NATIONS: When the 15-member UN Security Council legitimized the US-imposed interim government in Baghdad in June, the five-page unanimous resolution carried a provision little publicised in the media: the lifting of a 14-year arms embargo on Iraq. ...

© The DAWN Group of Newspapers, 2004