December 17, 2005	Saturday	Ziqa’ad 14, 1426

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Zarqawi was captured, but unwittingly freed: minister BAGHDAD, Dec 16: Iraqi security forces captured Al Qaeda frontman Abu Musab al Zarqawi last year, but released him because they did not know who he was, a senior Iraqi official said on Friday....		Bush approved spying on Americans: NYT NEW YORK, Dec 16: President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for evidence of terrorist activity without court-approved...
Turnout in Iraq polls was 70pc, claim officials BAGHDAD, Dec 16: More than two-thirds of Iraq’s electorate voted in Thursday’s election, officials claimed, spawning hope for the country and boosting the prospect of encouraging Sunnis back into politics....		India refuses to share data on earthquakes HYDERABAD, Dec 16: India said on Friday it would not share information on earthquakes below a magnitude of six on the Richter scale due to security concerns, drawing criticism from the United Nations....
Taliban attack people listening to music KABUL, Dec 16: Afghan police said on Friday they had confronted Taliban fighters quizzing and assaulting motorists in eastern Afghanistan, including for listening to music, with one fighter killed in an ensuing gunfight....		Blast near Russian N-plant; no leak ST PETERSBURG, Dec 16: A small explosion near a Russian nuclear power station killed a metal worker and injured two others, officials said on Friday, but there was no radiation leak or threat to people living nearby....
White House agrees to back torture ban move WASHINGTON, Dec 16: Bowing to bipartisan pressure after months of resistance, President George Bush agreed on Thursday to back legislation proposed by Senator John McCain to ban inhumane treatment of prisoners in US custody....		China’s toxic slick reaches Russia VLADIVOSTOK, Dec 16: A toxic slick that threatened the water supply of millions of people in China entered Russia’s far eastern Amur River on Friday, but officials said the danger was under control — at least for now....
Beatles sue EMI over royalties LONDON, Dec 16: Echoing their song ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’, The Beatles have sued record company EMI Group, claiming that they are owed 30 million pounds ($53.1...		Nepal army under fire after massacre KATHMANDU, Dec 16: A general strike called by Nepal’s opposition parties to protest the massacre of 14 civilians by a soldier shut down much of Kathmandu on Friday as police patrolled the streets....
US to reduce number of troops in Iraq WASHINGTON, Dec 16: The number of US troops in Iraq, boosted to provide additional security for Thursday’s election, should return to a pre-election ‘baseline’ level by the end of next month...		UN employees leave Eritrea ASMARA, Dec 16: The United Nations said on Friday it had completed the withdrawal of North American and European UN peacekeepers from Eritrea, meeting a deadline set by Asmara for their expulsions....
Anti-corruption body under BD court’s scrutiny DHAKA, Dec 16: The Bangladesh High Court on Thursday asked the government and the anti-corruption commission to explain within three weeks why the formation of the commission should not be declared illegal....		UN’s deputy chief resigns UNITED NATIONS, Dec 16: United Nations Deputy Secretary General Louise Frechette resigned her post on Friday in order to take up a new post as ‘distinguished fellow’ at the Centre for...
War rocks a cradle of civilization WASHINGTION: Excavations at a ruined city on the plains of northeastern Syria have turned up the oldest known example of large-scale warfare — a massive campaign that pummelled the city into...		As McCain held all the cards, Bush folded up WASHINGTON: By refusing to agree to an all-out ban on the torture of terrorist suspects held in US custody, President Bush in recent months was triggering political problems for his administration at home and around the world....
First Afghan parliament meets on Monday KABUL: Four years after the overthrow of the Taliban, a new Afghan parliament will meet for the first time on Monday in the culmination of an international plan to bring democracy to the country following three decades of conflict....		Only negotiation with Iraq’s resistance can bring peace BAGHDAD: A thousand days after the American invasion, on Thursday Iraqi election was promising. The result is not yet known, but the signs of a relatively strong turnout among Sunnis offer...
Insurer gazes at the stars ZURICH: Sabine Holl is a former rocket engineer who still gets a thrill from watching a shuttle blast off into space. “You bet, I enjoy that very much ......		The futility of holding inquiries LONDON: The default response of an opposition party is to call for a public inquiry, but we’ve finally reached a political crisis to which this remedy can’t easily apply....