25 November 2004 Thursday 12 Shawwal 1425 Madrid urges Kabul to pardon killer MADRID, Nov 24: Spain's foreign ministry on Wednesday said Madrid was requesting clemency for an Afghan found guilty of the murder of four journalists, including a Spaniard, in 2001. ... Iraqi PM to lead alliance in elections BAGHDAD, Nov 24: Prime Minister Iyad Allawi will lead a broad alliance of political parties in the race to form Iraq's new government after landmark elections planned for January, his party said on Wednesday. ... US forces close in on 'triangle of death' BAGHDAD, Nov 24: The occupation forces swept hotspots in a "triangle of death" in Iraq on Wednesday in a push to reclaim guerrilla enclaves before January polls, as more than 200 political groups threw their hat in the electoral ring. ... Al Qaeda can make dirty bomb: CIA WASHINGTON, Nov 24: Al Qaeda is fully capable of building a radioactive "dirty bomb" targeting the United States and other Western nations and "has crude procedures" for producing chemical weapons, the CIA warned. ... Motion to impeach Blair over Iraq filed LONDON, Nov 24: Twenty-three members of parliament filed a motion on Wednesday to impeach British Prime Minister Tony Blair on charges of "gross misconduct" over the US-led invasion of Iraq. ... Zarqawi says ulema betrayed anti-US fighters DUBAI, Nov 24: Iraq's most wanted man, Jordanian Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, hit out at ulema for having "betrayed the mujahideen", especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, in a recording on an Internet site on Wednesday. ... Israeli army chief deplores acquittal JERUSALEM, Nov 24: The Israeli army's chief of staff admitted on Wednesday that an initial investigation that cleared a military commander accused of emptying his weapon into a Palestinian schoolgirl had been a serious failure. ... Israel spurns Syria's offer for talks DAMASCUS, Nov 24: Syrian President Bashar al Assad is ready to reopen negotiations with Israel "without conditions", the visiting UN Middle East envoy said on Wednesday - an overture Israel promptly rejected as propaganda. ... Powell warns Ukraine of action WASHINGTON, Nov 24: US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Wednesday the United States did not accept the results of the disputed presidential election in Ukraine as legitimate and called for immediate action. ... ICRC team meets Saddam AMMAN, Nov 24: The International Committee for the Red Cross said on Wednesday its staff had recently visited former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, who is in US custody awaiting trial on war crimes charges. ... EU rejects Iran's plea to exempt centrifuges: IAEA meets today VIENNA, Nov 24: In a dramatic 11th hour move before a crucial UN atomic agency meeting, Iran on Wednesday asked the watchdog to exempt several dozen centrifuges from its pledge to freeze its nuclear fuel cycle. ... US, Russia, Sudan violate housing rights: body GENEVA, Nov 24: The United States, Sudan and Russia were the worst offenders in breaking the basic right to housing in 2004 due to their role in conflicts which have forced hundreds of thousands from their homes ... Experts to analyse Viking map of America COPENHAGEN, Nov 24: Danish experts will travel to the United States to study a controversial parchment said to be the oldest map of America and which, if authentic, would support the theory that Vikings discovered the New World five centuries before Columbus ... EU dampens Turkey's hopes for membership THE HAGUE, Nov 24: The European Union said on Wednesday that its member states will make their own decision on whether Turkey has fulfilled conditions to start membership talks ... 2 BD dailies to contest contempt verdict DHAKA, Nov 24: Two Bengali-language dailies - Prothom Alo and Bhorer Kagoj - announced on Wednesday that they would contest a contempt verdict pronounced by the High Court for publicizing the allegedly doctored LL.B. result ... BD's anti-graft body raises hopes, fears DHAKA: The establishment of the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission has raised once more all the old questions of partisanship on the part of the government. ... Temples of holy are coffers for greedy NEW DELHI: The recent arrest of a highly influential Hindu cleric - regarded as Hinduism's Pope - on murder charges has exposed the huge wealth amassed by India's temples, religious institutions and shrines. ... India's democracy: challenges and prospects NEW DELHI: Indira Gandhi's name has come to be so associated in the public mind with action and decisiveness that she is not given credit for her deep interest in ideas. ...

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