January 19, 2006	Thursday	Zilhaj 18, 1426

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HR abuse: ‘Asian values’ questioned WASHINGTON, Jan 18: Respect for human rights in Asia has been seriously eroded over the past year, with some governments committing the worst abuses, US-based Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday....		BD dismisses ‘anti-India’ charges DHAKA, Jan 18: Bangladesh has rejected the perception that the present government is anti-India. The adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Reaz Rahman, reiterated Dhaka’s position of maintaining consistency in...
$1.9bn pledged for fight against bird flu BEIJING: An international bird flu conference has mobilized 1.9 billion dollars in pledges from countries and organizations for a first-ever global war chest to fight the killer virus which is at risk of becoming a pandemic....		Plot to kidnap Blair’s son foiled: paper LONDON, Jan 18: British police have foiled a plot to kidnap Prime Minister Tony Blair’s five-year-old son Leo, the Sun newspaper said on Wednesday....
US army can deploy 15 brigades in any ‘crisis’: Top official’s assertion WASHINGTON, Jan 18: The US army can deploy at least 15 additional combat brigades in a crisis, even though a large part of its force is in Iraq, the service’s civilian chief said on Wednesday....		Iran accuses Iraq of ‘encroachment’: ‘Kidnapping’ of nine guards BAGHDAD, Jan 18: The Iranian envoy in Baghdad said on Wednesday Iraqi vessels had encroached into Iranian waters and Tehran was investigating Iraqi accusations that Iran had kidnapped nine members of a coastguard patrol after a clash in the incident....
Saddam trial: appointment of new judge challenged BAGHDAD, Jan 18: The Iraqi court trying Saddam Hussein was thrown into fresh confusion on Wednesday when a senior official denounced the new chief judge as a member of Saddam’s banned Baath party who should be barred from office....		IAEA to discuss Iran on 2nd VIENNA, Jan 18: The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed on Wednesday that it would hold an emergency meeting on Feb 2 on Iran’s nuclear program following a request by Britain, France and Germany....
Missile downed US ’copter: TV WASHINGTON, Jan 18: A Russian-made surface-to-air missile launched by anti-American guerillas brought down a US military helicopter that crashed in Iraq on Monday, ABC News reported, citing unnamed Pentagon officials....		LTTE readying for war against govt KILLINOCHCHI: The time is 7.30 pm. It is an evening with a cup of tea and the television. A group of eager youth affiliated to the LTTE’ media unit sit around waiting for the beginning of the transmission....
Will S. Asian states sink differences for free trade? NEW DELHI: Will economics overtake politics in South Asia? Will the seven countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) be able to sink some of their deep differences...		Maoist rebels flaunt firepower KATHMANDU: Boom! A young policeman in blue fatigues jumps as the bomb explodes, echoing in the narrow streets and alleys of the Charkhal quarter in Nepal’s capital....
Bangladeshis world’s happiest nation: study DHAKA: Bangladesh is the happiest nation in the world, according to a recent study report of the World Happiness Survey. The United States, on the other hand, is a sad story,...		BJP split on Bofors protest NEW DELHI: The BJP’s move to take on the Congress over the Bofors controversy suffered a setback following differences surfacing over the issue in the saffron camp....
In India, family with ties to French Bourbon royals lives on BHOPAL: In this gritty Indian city, a crumbling palace and a few church graves whisper the curious history of Muslim queens who allied with scions of a French royal family....		Property prices sky-rocketing in Mumbai MUMBAI: For an indication of how Mumbai’s property prices have reached stratospheric heights over the past one year, consider this: In 2004, when bids were invited for an 18.5-acre...
Hezbollah chief pleads for Arab help on Syria BEIRUT, Jan 18: The chief of Lebanon’s pro-Syrian Hezbollah movement issued a ‘final appeal’ for Arab help in defusing tensions between Beirut and Damascus, in an interview published on Wednesday....		Syrian spy chief’s assets frozen WASHINGTON, Jan 18: The United States on Wednesday froze the assets of Syrian military intelligence director Asef Shawkat, accusing him of fomenting terrorism against Israel and backing Syria’s role in Lebanon....
Removal of BD CEC sought DHAKA, Jan 18: The Supreme Court Bar Association of Bangladesh on Wednesday demanded that the president initiate an inquiry into the ‘misconduct’ of the chief election commissioner, M A Aziz....		US torture damages global drive: HRW WASHINGTON, Jan 18: A human rights group said on Wednesday that torture and other abuses committed by the United States in its war on terrorism have damaged American credibility and hurt the global human rights cause....