03 October 2004 Sunday 17 Shaban 1425 The great debate: Bush lost the plot AFTER months of flawless execution in a well-orchestrated campaign, President Bush had to stand alone in an unpredictable debate. He had travelled the country, appearing before adoring pre-selected crowds ... The say of the French PARIS: France will hold a referendum on Turkey's entry into the EU when the issue arises, and any further EU enlargement will also be subject to a popular vote, President Jacques Chirac has said. ... 'Lords of the misrule' and Afghan police MAZAR -I- SHARIF: With a week to go until Afghanistan's historic election, it's not only voters who are intimidated by the gunmen of warlord Abdul Rashid Dostam - even the local police chief is scared. ... DR Congo's Tutsis face longroad to acceptance BUKAVU: For Samuel, things changed in June when many of his Tutsi pupils marched out of his classroom, donned fatigues and joined the ranks of rebels attacking their home town. ... Locust may devastate more of Africa PARIS: A plague of desert locusts, which for the past year has been devastating crops in the countries of the Sahel in West Africa, is expected to worsen in the coming weeks if international aid does not arrive to help stop it ... An open letter to Michael Moore I must say, Mr Moore, your open campaigning for John Kerry comes as a disappointment to many of us who greeted with appreciation the production of Fahrenheit 9/11. ... Rallies in northern Iraq: Kurds call for vote on autonomy SULAIMANIYA, Oct 2: Tens of thousands of Kurds demonstrated in towns across Kurdish northern Iraq on Saturday, demanding a referendum on their autonomy and calling for the oil-rich city of Kirkuk to be made their capital. ... Home of hostage's brother raided LONDON, Oct 2: Armed intelligence officers raided the Amsterdam home of Paul Bigley, the brother of British hostage Ken Bigley, in the hunt for the leader of the Arab group believed to be holding him, a newspaper said on Saturday. ... N. Korea seeks probe into South's N-activity SEOUL, Oct 2: North Korea on Saturday ruled out any progress in inter-Korean relations unless the South's secret nuclear experiments are thoroughly investigated. ... Charges against US sniper dismissed WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 A US judge has dismissed capital murder charges against sniper John Allen Mohammad, ruling that the convict s right to a speedy trial had been violated. ... Foreign agency engineered attack on AL rally: BD inquiry DHAKA, Oct 2: A foreign intelligence agency masterminded the August 21 grenade attack on the opposition Awami League s rally and carried it out in association with a local quarter ... Kuwait to issue 3-month visas KUWAIT CITY, Oct 2: Kuwait will issue visit visas from October this year for tourists that will last for three months. ... Wal-Mart faces 'pyramid rebellion' Mexico City: The ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan are among the most important pre-Hispanic sites in the Americas. ... Court asks FBI to release files on Lennon LOS ANGELES, Oct 2: An American judge has ordered the FBI to release its file on the late Beatle John Lennon who was targeted by US security services as a counterculture icon, a report said Friday. ... Ex-general captured in Hilla BAGHDAD, Oct 2: A former general in Saddam Hussein's armed forces was captured along with nine other people in operations conducted by Polish, US and Iraqi troops in south-central Iraq on Saturday, the military said. ... Israel spying on Iran, Syria, says Egyptian MP CAIRO, Oct 2: Israel has taken advantage of last year's invasion of Iraq to deploy large numbers of agents in the Kurdish north to spy on Iran and Syria, a leading Egyptian MP charged on Saturday. ... 156 tons of gold ore found in China BEIJING, Oct 2: A prospecting team of Chinese police have discovered an estimated 156 tons of gold ore deposits in the northwestern province of Gansu that are potentially worth 1.8 billion dollars. ... Muslim girl shaves head to protest scarf ban STRASBOURG, Oct 2: A Muslim high school student who refused to remove her headscarf as required by a new French law when she arrived for classes has shaved her head. ... UK court to try ex-Afghan warlord LONDON, Oct 2: A British court is to try an alleged former Afghan warlord in the first case of its kind since Britain ratified a 1988 convention allowing it to try crimes of torture committed abroad, a legal source said on Saturday. ... EU report sees major reforms in Turkey PARIS, Oct 2: Turkey has made significant reforms to position itself for one day joining the European Union, but in many key areas they still fall short, an EU report due to be published next week says, according to France's Le Monde newspaper. ...

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