05 January 2005 Wednesday 23 Ziqa'ad 1425 Zarqawi claims responsibility for governor's assassination DUBAI, Jan 4: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility on Tuesday for the assassination of Baghdad's governor, which came amid mounting violence in Iraq in the run-up to landmark elections. ... Sectarianism risks Iraq's political future BAGHDAD: Only four weeks before crucial elections, sectarian divisions threaten to worsen Iraq's unrest, with majority Shia Muslims poised for political dominance and many Sunni Arabs boycotting the polls or too afraid to vote. ... Ties with Israel remain strong: Turkish FM JERUSALEM, Jan 4: Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul assured Israel of the strength of their relationship on Tuesday as he sought to draw a line under a period of tension between the traditional allies. ... Palestinian fighters are challenge for Abbas JENIN: Borne aloft by cheering gunmen, Palestinian presidential hopeful Mahmoud Abbas cut an unusual figure in his grey business suit. Smiling and raising his hand in salute ... Gaza bloodshed worries Annan UNITED NATIONS, Jan 4: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he was gravely concerned about Israeli military operations in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday that left eight Palestinians dead. ... Annan asks donor nations to keep their pledge UNITED NATIONS, Jan 4: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called on the donor nations on Tuesday to keep their pledges to Asian earthquake and tsunami victims as he left for Indonesia. ... UK Army secretly monitored recruits' race, files reveal LONDON, Jan 4: The British Army spent decades secretly noting the race of all soldiers with "Asiatic or Negroid features" for a quota system on non-white recruits, newly-released government files showed on Tuesday. ... 5,000 US citizens still missing: State Dept WASHINGTON, Jan 4: US authorities are still looking for answers to nearly 5,000 inquiries about missing Americans in parts of Asia hit by the tsunami. ... Why the UN needs international rescue LONDON: We have never done this before. What the UN, the governments of the world and the myriad aid agencies are attempting is unprecedented - more aid is going to more people in more countries more quickly than at any point in human history. ... Stone age tribes survive tsunami WASHINGTON: Asia's last Paleolithic tribes appear to have survived last Sunday's tsunamis, despite the fact that their homelands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Andaman Sea were among the hardest hit of all the areas affected by the catastrophe. ... Bush nominee's role in shaping torture policies questioned: Ex-generals send letter to US Senate WASHINGTON, Jan 4: White House chief counsel and President Bush's nominee for attorney-general, Alberto R. Gonzales, faces thorny questions about his role in shaping US policies ... US turns away from Arab reforms CAIRO: After a year of tough talk from US policymakers about the inevitable 'democratization' of the Middle East, Washington appears to be backtracking, along with its Arab friends in the region. ... Iran nuclear fuel deal stalled over fee: Russia LONDON, Jan 4: A deal that would clear the way for Iran to start up its Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant has been delayed over Moscow's fee for taking back Russian-made spent fuel, Russia's nuclear chief said on Tuesday. ... Briton's trial starts in missiles sale NEWARK, Jan 4: A jury was picked on Tuesday in the case of Hemant Lakhani, a British businessman arrested in August 2003 in an FBI sting operation for trying to sell missiles to militants intent on downing airliners. ... Mubarak arrives in Riyadh for talks RIYADH, Jan 4: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday on a visit which Egyptian officials said was aimed at smoothing out strained ties between Riyadh and Libya. ... Algeria's armed group wiped out ALGIERS, Jan 4: Algeria's government has announced that the killing of the head of the radical insurgent Armed Islamic Group (GIA) has led to the "almost total collapse" of the country's deadliest extremist force fighting secular authorities. ...

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