10 December 2004 Friday 27 Shawwal 1425 Sistani to lead alliance of Shia groups in Iraq polls BAGHDAD, Dec 9: Iraq's Shia parties on Thursday unveiled a slate of candidates for the election campaign with a coalition of 22 parties and groups, to be called the United Iraqi Alliance. ... US to use biometric scans in Fallujah FALLUJAH, Dec 9: Fingerprint and iris scans will be used to track civilians returning to Fallujah, which was only last month wrested away from rebels, the US marines' top commander in Iraq said on Thursday. ... Soldiers' concerns valid, says Bush WASHINGTON, Dec 9: President George W. Bush said on Thursday he understands the concerns of US soldiers deployed in Iraq and said that they were being addressed. ... US moves to reconcile with Europe BRUSSELS, Dec 9: The United States on Thursday pledged a new drive to improve relations with its European allies in Nato after last year's deep rifts over the Iraq war. ... Iraqi casualties: diplomats call for inquiry How many Iraqis will die today? Maybe 10. Maybe 100. We have no way of knowing. Blair and Bush, who invaded and occupied Iraq in order to make the world a safer place ... Powell attacks European allies over Iraq BRUSSELS, Dec 9: US Secretary of State Colin Powell accused European allies of undermining NATO on Thursday by refusing to allow staff seconded to the alliance to take part in its military training mission in Iraq. ... Al Azhar chief permits organ transplants CAIRO, Dec 9: Two of Egypt's top Islamic scholars on Wednesday withdrew opposition to the practice of organ transplants, but stressed they be carried out only under certain conditions. ... US warned against preaching democracy to Arabs RABAT, Dec 9: Two days before Morocco was set to open its doors to the Forum for the Future, devoted to the US "Greater Middle East" initiative, people in the host nation warned the US against preaching democracy to them. ... Three Muslim charities ordered to pay $156m: US teenager's death in Jerusalem SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 9: American Muslim organizations have expressed shock and dismay at a judgment against three Muslim charities and Mohammad Salah, an alleged fund-raiser for the Palestinian group Hamas ... Sanctions sought on firms trading with Israel SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 9: Many American Protestant churches are pressing for economic sanctions against certain companies doing business with Israel - namely those that profit from the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, says a report. ... World needs reforms: Annan UNITED NATIONS, Dec 9: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Wednesday called on member states to make the necessary reforms to deal effectively with a new globalization of threats ... Great Lakes are Canada's terror risk: study OTTAWA, Dec 9: Terrorists could exploit a huge security black spot across the vast Great Lakes system between Canada and the United States, warned a new report by a parliamentary panel issued on Wednesday. ... Police claim thwarting attack on London LONDON, Dec 9: Security services have thwarted a planned attack on London similar to the March 11 train bombings in Madrid by extremists, the British capital's police chief said on Thursday. ... Parties in Indonesia, India most corrupt: TI PARIS, Dec 9: Political parties in Latin America, India, Indonesia, and certain eastern European states are judged the most corrupt, according to a new survey released by the Transparency International on Thursday. ... Bush not buoyed by intelligence reform WASHINGTON: While opinions are divided over whether the revamp of the US intelligence community laid out in the compromise bill just approved by Congress will improve the performance of the relevant agencies ... Sacked CIA official says he was told to falsify WMD report WASHINGTON, Dec 9: A sacked CIA official is suing the agency for allegedly retaliating against him for refusing to falsify his reports on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction to support the White House's pre-war position ... Shastri's son quits BJP NEW DELHI, Dec 9: A son of former Indian prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri who fought the 1965 war with Pakistan, Mr Sunil Shastri, on Wednesday resigned from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). ... No commitment made to Iran on gas: India NEW DELHI, Dec 9: The Indian government told parliament on Thursday that the proposed gas pipeline from Iran via Pakistan was one of the viable options to ensure the country's energy security. ... Opposition plans protest in Lanka COLOMBO, Dec 9: The Opposition United National Front (UNF) is gearing up for a mass protest against the coalition government of President Chandrika Kumaratunge after the party's national organizer and former UNF minister S. B. Dissanayake ... Russia examines Ukraine 'fiasco' MOSCOW: There are many ways history may judge last month's presidential elections in Ukraine, but in Russia these days the reverberations are most often described with a single word, the same in Russian as it is in English: fiasco. ...

© The DAWN Group of Newspapers, 2004