January 1, 2006	Sunday	Ziqa’ad 29, 1426

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Assad blamed for Hariri’s murder: Ex-VP’s interview stuns Syria DAMASCUS, Dec 31: Syria’s parliament called on Saturday for the country’s former vice president to face treason charges after he publicly accused President Bashar al Assad of threatening Rafiq Hariri just months before former Lebanese premier’s murder....		Ex-German diplomat, family freed SANAA, Dec 31: A former German diplomat and his family who were taken hostage by Yemeni tribesmen this week were freed on Saturday after security forces laid siege to the kidnappers’ hideout....
US Justice Dept begins probe into wiretap leak WASHINGTON, Dec 31: The US Justice Department has opened a probe into the leaking of classified information which revealed that President George Bush had authorized a secret government wiretap program, an official source said on Friday....		Armed men storm PA buildings GAZA CITY, Dec 31: Dozens of armed militants briefly took control of Palestinian Authority buildings in a town in the Gaza Strip on Saturday....
Police chief, deputy shot dead in Manipur NEW DELHI, Dec 31: Suspected tribal rebels gunned down a top police official and his deputy in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur on Saturday....		Bomb threats mar festivities in India BANGALORE, Dec 31: Police evacuated a luxury hotel in Bangalore on Saturday following a bomb threat as detectives searched for a gunman who three days ago shot dead a professor at a science conference....
Rajapakse sticks to stand on unitary state COLOMBO, Dec 31: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has told the Indian government he would devolve power to the northeastern region in an attempt to find a political solution to the...		Over 100 detained in BD DHAKA, Dec 31: Police in the Bangladeshi capital raided university dormitories on Saturday, detaining more than 100 people, in a precautionary move to ensure order on New Year’s Eve, police said....
Trip to Iraq: US boy’s answer to a school essay MOST teenagers would have settled for a visit to the local museum. But Farris Hassan had greater plans for his latest school trip — running away to Baghdad for a first-hand look at one of the world’s most dangerous cities....		Oil and gas: Russia’s new weapons WARSAW (Poland): In the crowded hallways of the Polish Parliament, there is talk of a new Cold War in which the weapons have changed from nuclear warheads to oil and gas....
Austrian claims unsettle Croatia BELGRADE: Croatian plans to return property confiscated by Yugoslav communists after World War II to Austrian citizens have sparked controversy rarely seen within the nation....		Aid is an adjunct to Israeli occupation RAMALLAH: This month has seen a flurry of high-level activity designed to fund the Palestinians under occupation. A private sector investors’ conference took place in London to discuss ways of boosting the Palestinian economy....
A test for Cambodian judiciary BANGKOK: The credibility of Cambodia’s judiciary will come under international scrutiny in 2006 as plans to set up a special tribunal to prosecute the surviving members of the barbaric Khmer Rouge regime gather pace....		Strong rural support keeps embattled Thai PM alive BAAN TON TAN (Thailand): Graft scandals and mudslinging from a former business ally have eroded urban support for Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but the self-styled “CEO premier” remains as strong as ever in the rural heartlands....
Lynndie burned in jail accident SAN DIEGO, Dec 31: Lynndie England, the US soldier who came to symbolize the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, was burned in an accident in the California military prison where she is jailed, the US marines said on Friday....		UK police get greater arrest powers LONDON, Dec 31: British police will be able to arrest anyone for any criminal offence, including minor misdemeanours such as dropping litter, under new laws which come into force on Sunday....