September 20, 2005	Tuesday	Sha'aban 15, 1426

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Iraq robbed of $1bn in arms deals, says paper: Scam linked to Pakistan, Poland LONDON, Sept 19: One billion dollars have been plundered from the coffers of Iraq’s defence ministry, seriously affecting the government’s ability to combat the resistance, the Independent newspaper reported on Monday, citing the Iraqi finance minister....		British tank attacked; 2 troops held in Basra BASRA, Sept 19: Angry crowds attacked a British tank with petrol bombs and rocks in Basra on Monday after Iraqi authorities detained two British undercover soldiers in the southern city for firing on police....
7 policemen shot dead on Karbala road KARBALA, Sept 19: Two suicide car bombers struck checkpoints south of Baghdad on Monday on a road used by thousands of Shia pilgrims making their way by foot to Karbala....		Pentagon plans to ‘boost size’ of Iraq force WASHINGTON, Sept 19: US military planners are considering extended tours of duty for some units in Iraq in the event more US troops are needed during upcoming elections there, a Pentagon spokesman said on Monday....
Church offers to apologize for war LONDON, Sept 19: The Church of England offered on Monday to take the lead in reconciling with Muslims by apologizing to their leaders for the US-led war in Iraq if the British government fails to do so....		50pc of Afghans voted: official KABUL, Sept 19: Early estimates showed a turnout of just over 50 per cent in Afghanistan’s first parliamentary polls in more than three decades, below that of last year’s presidential vote, the election chief said on Monday....
EU, US press for UN action against Iran: Russia calls for deferment VIENNA, Sept 19: The European Union and the United States pressed the UN atomic watchdog on Monday to bring Iran’s nuclear programme before the Security Council over suspicions it wants atomic bombs, but Russia called for a delay....		Ex-Ukraine PM alleges sex bias KIEV, Sept 19: Ukraine’s sacked premier Yulia Tymoshenko said Monday that President Viktor Yushchenko fired her because he couldn’t handle political competition from a woman and that he was aware of corruption allegations against his entourage long before they became public....
World leaders stress UN role UNITED NATIONS, Sept 19: World leaders attending the UN summit stressed the leadership role of the United Nations in setting the international agenda, as they addressed the General Assembly on Sunday on its 60th anniversary session....		Schroeder says he won’t give up BERLIN, Sept 19: German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder vowed not to give up his post without a fight after his party was pipped by Angela Merkel’s conservatives in a tight election, setting the stage for weeks of political turmoil....
Colombo drops plan to lower age of consent COLOMBO, Sept 19: Following intense criticism and pressure from women and child rights groups, the Sri Lankan government has dropped the idea of lowering the age of consensual sex for girls from 16 to 13....		US to resume manned flights to moon by ’18 WASHINGTON, Sept 19: Nasa on Monday unveiled a $104 billion plan to return Americans to the moon by 2018 aboard a capsule-like vehicle the space agency’s chief described as ‘Apollo on steroids’....
North Korea accord: hard part lies ahead BEIJING: Now comes the hard part. It took more than two years and four rounds of talks, the latest a marathon 20 days, to finally get North Korea to agree to abandon all of its nuclear programmes....		Africa’s time has come — and may have gone LOOKING back, it is clear when the tide turned on Britain’s year for Africa. The four bombs in the London rush hour on the morning of July 7 marked the high...
Madagascar education drive overwhelms schools ANTANANARIVO: Madagascar is victim of its own success in promoting education as thousands of pupils who enrol for primary school have had to be turned down owing to lack of capacity, according to a senior education official....		Al Qaeda’s slaughter has one aim — civil war THE unemployed gather like blown drifts where jobs are to be had. They queue around the block in weary, patient lines at barracks and police stations, clutching their identity papers....
Waist size as indicator of heart disease LONDON: Patients, and even some doctors, are unaware that abdominal fat and waist circumference are important risk factors for heart disease, which kills 17 million people worldwide every year....		German polls set back reforms BERLIN: German reform is likely to come to a standstill, at least in the short term, after an election on Sunday left the country’s two main parties almost level in parliament and scrapping over who should head a new government....