20 February 2005 Sunday 10 Muharram 1426 Iraq: all not quiet on the northern front ISTANBUL: Turkey holds the option of unilateral intervention in northern Iraq if Kurds declare independence and claim the oil wealth of disputed Kirkuk, considered the main spoils in the uncertain Iraqi equation. ... Osama trail leads to Iran? KARACHI: Osama bin Laden may be in Iran. One of the most senior American diplomats in Pakistan has said the US believes Osama may have been intercepted and detained against his will by Iranian agents ... Salvaging books in Fallujah FALLUJAH: Months after Fallujah was pounded to rubble, teachers, children and volunteers are sifting through the ruins to salvage a few school books as classes resume. ... US-Europe ties vital to security, says Bush WASHINGTON, Feb 19: President George Bush has said that during his upcoming trip to Belgium, Germany and the Slovak Republic, he hopes to strengthen ties with Europe and bury past differences. ... Annan to send probe team to Beirut UNITED NATIONS, Feb 19: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is sending a team to Beirut within the next few days following a request of the Security Council that he report urgently on the circumstances ... US church faces dissent over Israel CHICAGO: A threat by the biggest US Presbyterian church group to dump investments in companies profiting from Israel's occupation of the West Bank and related strife has set off a wave of dissent in the church and angered American Jewish leaders. ... Bush will have to mend fences with 'Old Europe' Romantic transatlanticists, who look back fondly to the days when Europe and the United States were best of friends, will feel a pang of nostalgia next week. ... 'Like minded' states submit proposals: UN reforms UNITED NATIONS, Feb 19: A group of "like minded countries" on Friday called for "broadest possible consensus" to reform the UN Security Council "to make it more democratic, more effective, more equitably representative ... US senators for suspending Russia from G8 WASHINGTON, Feb 19: Influential US senators Joe Lieberman and John McCain called on Friday for Russia's suspension from the Group of Eight industrialized powers accusing it of abusing democracy. ... US refuses to rule out action against Iran BRUSSELS, Feb 19: Military action against Iran's nuclear programme is not the United States's first choice but can never be ruled out, President George Bush said on Friday. ... Oceans of evidence for global warming WASSHINGTON: The first evidence of human-produced global warming in the oceans has been found, thanks to computer analysis of seven million temperature readings taken over 40 years to depths of 700 metres (2,300ft). ... Britons most cultured Europeans ROME: The Italians have Michelangelo, the French Moliere and the Germans Beethoven. But, according to an Italian survey, the British - the beer-swilling, tabloid-reading, supposedly sports-crazy British - are more cultured than any of them. ... Two ex-US presidents tour tsunami-hit area BAN NAMKHEM, Feb 19: Former US presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush came close to tears on their tour of tsunami-wrecked Asian coasts on Saturday after meeting Thai children who lost their parents in the disaster. ... Hezbollah calls upon Lebanese to cool off anti-Syria line BEIRUT, Feb 19: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned on Saturday that popular agitation against Syria's grip on Lebanon after the killing of former prime minister Rafik al Hariri could plunge the country back into civil war. ... Quake rocks Indonesian island JAKARTA, Feb 19: A powerful earthquake rocked parts of Sulawesi in eastern Indonesia on Saturday, causing panic among residents, officials and media reports said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. ... Saudi Arabia extradites 19 Yemenis RIYADH, Feb 19: Saudi Arabia has handed over 19 Yemenis to Sana'a detained on security charges. This latest extradition follows earlier handing over of wanted men by both Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The two states are faced with uprising from extremists elements. ... BD journalists seek protection DHAKA, Feb 19: Journalists across Bangladesh called on the government on Saturday to step up efforts to track down culprits behind "regular" killings of media figures as they demanded greater protection. ... The 'saint' of tea and wisdom GADAIPUR: Thousands of devotees are flocking to the northern Indian farmlands of Gadaipur on the outskirts of New Delhi for spiritual fulfilment at the feet of a rustic Punjabi-speaking Indian "saint" who dispenses tea and wisdom. ...

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