11 January 2005 Tuesday 29 Ziqa'ad 1425 Afghan group appoints new leader SPIN BOLDAK, Jan 10: An Afghan militant group that kidnapped three UN workers last year has appointed a new leader after its old chief was arrested by Pakistani security forces, its new head said on Monday. ... Experts see terrorism even 'after' Osama PARIS: The capture of Osama bin Laden, head of the Al Qaeda network, remains a major United States aim but will not be enough to end worldwide Islamic "terrorism," say politicians and specialists. ... US rejects Sunnis' plea for timetable: Troop pullout BAGHDAD, Jan 10: American embassy officials held unprecedented weekend talks with influential Sunni religious leaders but turned down an offer under which Sunni political parties would end their boycott of Jan 30 elections, diplomats said Monday. ... Abu Ghraib abuse was like an act of 'cheerleaders': lawyer FORT HOOD, Jan 10: A lawyer for Charles Graner, accused ringleader in the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal, defended piling naked prisoners in pyramids on Monday as valid prisoner control and compared it to shows by cheerleaders. ... Ukraine to withdrawtroopsfrom Iraq KIEV, Jan 10: Ukraine's outgoing president ordered officials on Monday to bring the country's 1,600 troops in Iraq back home in the first half of this year, after eight of its soldiers were killed in an explosion. ... UN may have overpaid Iraqi compensations UNITED NATIONS, Jan 10: The United Nations may have overpaid by as much as $5 billion to individuals, companies and Gulf states for losses in Iraq's 1990 invasion and occupation of Kuwait, according to audit reports made available on Monday. ... Charm of old Baghdad is finally gone BAGHDAD: The charm of old Baghdad is finally gone. Rashid Street, the once vibrant heart of the city, has been in decline for decades, its intellectual life choked by repression, its cafes and stores strangled by war and sanctions. ... Democracy is no more a panacea in Iraq LONDON: It is the direst of descants. Here, day after day, comes the rumble of guns from Iraq, a crescendo of destruction. Another roadblock bomb, another five dead, another house razed by mistake with 14 under the rubble. ... Abbas to be invited to White House WASHINGTON, Jan 10: President George Bush said on Monday he would invite Palestinian election winner Mahmud Abbas to Washington for talks and linked the success of the Palestinian vote to his hopes for Iraq later this month. ... Egyptian body seeks right to elect leader CAIRO, Jan 10: Egyptian reformists demanded on Monday that, like Palestinians, they too should have a chance to choose their leader. ... Blackwill interested in lobbying for India WASHINGTON, Jan 10: The former US ambassador to India, Robert Blackwill, wants New Delhi to hire him as a lobbyist in Washington, diplomatic sources told Dawn. ... Chandrika admits she blocked Annan's visit COLOMBO, Jan 10: Kofi Annan's two-day visit to Sri Lanka ended on Sunday amid fresh tension between government and Tiger rebels after President Chandrika Kumaratunga acknowledged she had blocked the UN chief's tour to rebel strongholds. ... Lankans see 'Allah' written in picture COLOMBO, Jan 10: God signed His name in the tsunami that battered Sri Lanka and other countries on Dec 26, and sent it as punishment because humans have been ignoring His laws, Sri Lankan Muslims say. ... 2 officials shot dead in Kuwait KUWAIT, Jan 10: Gunmen killed two Kuwaiti state security personnel pursuing them in Kuwait City on Monday, the interior ministry said. They said one of the suspects, a wanted Kuwaiti man identified as Fawaz al Otaibi ... Bush blows 50 million dollars on 'coronation' NEW YORK: It will be one of the biggest parties in American history, but half of the country will be left out. With a price tag of up to $50 million, President George W. Bush's inauguration in nine days' time will be an unashamed celebration ... Scientists claim finding clue to AIDS origin LONDON: A single change in a human gene may hold the key to preventing people living with HIV from progressing to full-blown AIDS, researchers said on Monday. ...

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