--------------------
3 Die in Shootout in Kuwait's Capital
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By DIANA ELIAS
Associated Press Writer

January 30 2005, 3:14 AM PST

KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwaiti security forces stormed a building in a residential part of the capital and exchanged gunfire with suspected terrorists on Sunday, killing one in a battle that also left a security officer and a bystander dead, the government said.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...opinternational

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...inaeconomygates

China has created brand new form of capitalism: Bill Gates

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...p/iraq_the_vote

Iraqis Cast Their Votes, Despite Attacks

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...3&u=/ap/us_iraq

Rice: Iraqi Voting Exceeds Expectations

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;j...storyID=7474213

Bush: US Must Stay in Iraq After Election

Iraqi Polls Close; Voter Turnout Good

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Iraqis voted in large numbers, defying insurgents who threatened to
"wash the streets" with their blood

Thousands of Iraqis made a trip on foot to the town of Al Alamara to
place their votes

Polls in Iraq are now officially closed for the nation's first free
election in nearly 50 years.

Those waiting in line may still cast their ballot.

Iraqis voted in large numbers, defying insurgents who threatened to
"wash the streets" with their blood. Some Iraqis said they were
casting ballots for a peaceful and free Iraq that will determine its
own future.

A national election commission official estimated that 72 percent of
eligible voters had cast ballots. But the top U.N. election official
in Iraq, Carlos Valenzuela, cautioned it was too early to confirm that
figure. But he added turnout had exceeded expectations.

Despite the heavy presence of Iraqi Army, National Guard and police,
at least 23 people were killed in a series of attacks. Most were
suicide bombings around Baghdad during the first few hours of voting.

An Internet statement attributed to the al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist
group led by Iraq's most-wanted fugitive, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,
claimed responsibility for seven of the attacks.

Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who voted in Baghdad's heavily
protected Green Zone, said the election is the start of a new era in
Iraq.

More than 5,000 polling stations were open nationwide for the 14
million Iraqis eligible to vote. Final election results are not
expected for several days.

Some information for this report provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

Rice Says Remarkable Day for Iraqi People

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US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says election was not perfect,
but overall, Iraq has taken a huge step forward

Condoleezza RiceU.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Iraqis
turned out in larger numbers than expected to vote in their national
elections, defying threats of violence.

The new secretary of state says she has talked to President Bush about
the election. She says the president is encouraged by the Iraqi
people, and their commitment to a better future.

"Well, he just said, this is a great day for the Iraqi people," said
Ms. Rice.

Speaking on the Fox News Sunday television program as polls were
closing, Condoleezza Rice said the election was not perfect, and there
were scattered acts of violence. But she stressed that, overall, Iraq
has taken a huge step forward.

"This election is, of course, a first step," she said. "And what it
really says is the Iraqi people are not prepared to be fearful and
intimidated and kept from their right to exercise their voice."

Ms. Rice said U.S. military commanders in Iraq report Iraqi security
forces are performing well, and said the aim now is to reach the point
where the Iraqi people can protect themselves.

Iraqis Brave Violence to Vote

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Thousands went to polls, expressing hope that elections will bring
freedom, stability they have long waited for

30-year-old Fatima Barzani followed by her mother-in-law, queue to
cast their ballots for the Iraqi elections at a polling station in
downtown ErbilVoting began in Iraq several hours ago and Iraqis in
many parts of the country are braving insurgent violence to vote in
their first multi-party elections in 50 years.  Thousands are
heading to the polls, expressing hope that elections will bring
freedom and the stability they have long waited for.

As American attack helicopters circled overhead in the Karrada
district of Baghdad early Sunday morning, hundreds of people - young
and old, mothers, fathers and children - walked nervously down heavily
guarded streets.  Many of the streets were blocked off from main
roads by concrete barriers and barbed wires.

Several loud explosions echoed across the city as 26-year-old Lamia
Allawi prepared to enter a primary school turned into a polling
center.  But Ms. Allawi remained undeterred from voting.

Ms. Allawi says it is the on-going insecurity and violence that have
convinced her to vote.  She adds that helping to bring freedom
and security to Iraq is a cause worth dying for.

Forty-five year-old businessman Hekmat al-Rubaie agrees.  He says
he and his wife never considered staying home on election day.

"Some of the people are frightened because the terrorists may
attack the election places, but I feel very happy because this is the
first time for us to elect a government, which we like," Mr. al-Rubaie
says.

As people lined up to enter, others emerged from the polling station,
smiling and showing their ink-stained index finger, which proved that
they had voted.

Just then, a mortar landed nearby, reminding everyone here that across
Iraq, militants were making good on their threat to attack voters at
polling places.

Suicide bombers struck at least seven voting centers within the first
six hours of the polls opening.  Insurgents lobbed mortars and
fought gun battles with Iraqi forces, which are providing the bulk of
the security at polling sites.

The core of the insurgency is made up of Sunni Muslim militants who
oppose the polls.  They fear that Sunnis, who are a minority in
Iraq but have long-dominated Iraqi politics, will be marginalized by
the country's majority Shi'ite Muslims.

Some Sunni leaders have called for a boycott of the elections, arguing
that insecurity would prevent too many Sunnis from going to polls and
would skew the voting results.

An official for the Iraqi Electoral Commission says polling centers in
several towns in the Sunni-dominated area south of Baghdad did not
open on Sunday because of threats.

Early voter turnout on Sunday indicated that an overwhelming number of
voters are Shi'ites, who make up 60 percent of Iraq's 26 million
people and have enthusiastically supported the election process. 

Northern Iraq Voter Turnout Strong

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=B47459:2F72C9D

Voting peaceful, despite warnings by insurgents that election would be
disrupted

Women in front of the polling station in downtown ErbilVoters in
the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq turned out in large numbers to
take part in the country's election. VOA's Jeffrey Young has been
tracking the balloting at a number of polling stations in the city of
Erbil. The polls opened at 7 a.m. Sunday, just one hour after the
end of a nationwide overnight curfew. Despite the chill, people
started coming to the balloting stations immediately.

The lines of voters waiting to cast ballots soon grew lengthy. Men
were sent to stand to one side, the women to another before entering
the stations. Every person was searched carefully before being allowed
to proceed.

So far, the voting has been peaceful, despite warnings by insurgents
that the election would be disrupted.

The spectrum of who has come to vote is wide, from those just 18 years
old, the minimum age, to the very elderly.  People pushed
invalids in wheelchairs to the polls, and helped along others having
trouble walking. At one polling place, several people carried a
crippled man in their arms so he could vote.

The ballot itself is huge.  There are some more than 100 separate
political parties, each fielding a large number of candidates. But in
the Kurdistan Region, two parties predominate: the Kurdistan
Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Before the
election these two parties joined together to field a common slate.
The tactic is meant to try and place as many Kurdish representatives
in the new National Assembly, both to strengthen the Kurd's political
voice in Baghdad and to help ensure that when Iraq's new constitution
is written later this year Kurdish interests such as continued
autonomy are preserved. 

To ensure people do not vote more than once, each voter must dip a
finger in indelible blue ink.  And people leaving the voting
stations are holding those fingers high, to show they have taken part
in Iraq's first free balloting in half a century.

Iraqi Exiles in Britain Cast Votes, Express Hopes

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About 37,000 Iraqis registered to vote in Britain, a significantly
smaller number than 100,000 expected to sign up

Iraqi ambassador to Britain Dr Salah al-Shaikh, right, places his vote
in ballot box Iraqi exiles in Britain are casting their absentee
ballots on the final day of voting. The Wembley Conference Center in
London is one of three locations in Britain where Iraqis can vote.

Election officials overseeing the Iraqi exile voting process in
Britain say nearly 60 percent of all registered voters had cast
ballots on Friday and Saturday, and they expected a last-minute rush
to vote in London, Manchester and Glasgow.

In all, about 37,000 Iraqis registered to vote in Britain, a
significantly smaller number than the 100,000 that had been expected
to sign up. Some non-voters said it was inconvenient to travel long
distances to register. Others said they had lived in exile for so long
they no longer felt a tie to Iraq. And some said they oppose any
elections as long as the U.S.-led multinational force operates in
Iraq.

But those views are not heard around the voting center in Wembley. One
of the poll workers, Ziryan Ismail said that after so many years of
repression and violence in Iraq, he felt a duty to participate.

"It really is a mark of the beginning of Iraq, hopefully for a
democratic Iraq, for a new beginning and for all the people who died
for me to get here," he said.

Mr. Ismail says he hopes the election sends a message to the militants
in Iraq that they cannot stop the force of democracy.

"I hope the turnout would be something to push people to know that we
are Iraqis and we are here to stay and we will vote no matter what,"
said Mr. Ismail. "We are scared here as well, in case of any problems,
but I'm still going to be doing it."

There have been some minor problems and arguments at the London
absentee balloting center, primarily over language differences between
Kurdish and Arabic speakers.

And handful of anti-vote demonstrators protested outside the Wembley
center to denounce the balloting as unfair as long as foreign troops
are in Iraq. Police say the demonstration went off without incident.

Iraqi Expats Vote in California, Other US Polling Sites

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=B4745F:2F72C9D

Voters handed huge ballot with slates of candidates

An Iraqi voter is given a ballot - VOA Photo - M. O'SullivanIraqi
expatriates around the United States have been voting since Friday in
Iraq's first democratic election in decades.

Iraqis are voting in Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, suburban Washington
DC, and here in Irvine, just south of Los Angeles. Salman Al-Barkawi
made the 14-hour drive from Salt Lake City, Utah, saying he wants a
voice in his country's future. "And for the new generation to have a
new freedom, and we pave the road for our children in the future, and
establish a democracy and freedom in Iraq," he said.

Voters are handed a huge ballot with slates of candidates. They make
their choice, then fold the ballot and cast it. Applause is heard from
voters still waiting in line. "Mr. Al-Barkawi says he selected
candidates who have an established record of opposing the regime of
Saddam Hussein, but he adds that the act of voting itself is
important," he said.

Hussain Al-Harbi and children at a Iraqi polling center in California
- VOA Photo - M. O'SullivanHussain Al-Harbi drove from his home in
Phoenix, Arizona, with 14 family members and friends. His teenage
daughter translated as he explained why he made the journey. "For 35
years, nobody enjoyed their time while Saddam was there. So right now,
they want to make a change so they can start a new life," he said.

He adds that just a few days ago, his older brother in Baghdad was
killed in a bomb attack. Three brothers and three sisters still live
in Iraq, and Mr. Al-Harbi is optimistic that conditions will improve
for them after this election.

Abbas Al-Remahi also drove to this polling place from Phoenix,
Arizona. "Really, we enjoy this moment. We drove six hours, but we've
been waiting for 30 years for this time," he said.

Nearly 4,000 Iraqis have registered to vote at a former Marine Corps
base outside Los Angeles. Nearly 26,000 are expected to vote across
the United States, and Iraqi expatriates will vote in 13 other
countries, including Jordan, Turkey, Australia, and Britain.

Yousif Poulus is casting his ballot after driving to Irvine from the
central California town of Modesto. "I believe every Iraqi, if he
believes in the freedom of his country, he's going to do it. He's
going to take this opportunity," he says.

Virginia Badal, who lives in northern California, says she made the
journey here on behalf of Iraq's people. "For our children in Iraq.
We're doing this for their sake. We're living here right now, but
we're still thinking of our people back home. And it's a good
opportunity for us to stand behind them and do whatever is good for
them," she says.

Edward Haskel left Iraq in 1969, and hopes that after the election,
his native country finally take its place among the world's
democracies. "We've been waiting for this moment for the last 83
years. We want to have a democratic country. Iraq is a very rich
country, a very cultured country. We can do good for all the nations
around the world," he says.

Muhammed Al-Basrawi says this election offers an opportunity. "This is
very, very important because for too many years, we cannot choose any
government or any president," he says.

Osama Muhammed agrees that this election is important. "It's our
responsibility for our future. So it's our country, and we have to
vote," he says.

The tremendous distances between U.S polling places have dissuaded
many from voting. But others traveled long hours by car, bus or
airplane: Chaldean Christians from San Diego, Shiite Muslims from Los
Angeles, Kurds from Oregon, and Sunni Muslims from all around the
region.

One man, Faisal Al-Hamad, says he had to vote. "I wait for this day
for all my life. That's why I came," he says.

Osama Mohammed believes that voting in this election will make a
difference. "We hope so. We are so optimistic. We hope that this will
change something in our country. It's the first step to do that, so we
hope so," he says.

Voters left the polling place with ink-stained index fingers, a
security measure intended to prevent double voting. Then they gathered
in clusters to talk about their country's future.

US Says 7 Suspects in Custody for Attack on US Embassy in Baghdad

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=B4745C:2F72C9D

Suspects caught by surveillance cameras firing rocket

The U.S. military in Iraq says it has detained seven suspects in
Saturday's rocket attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.  Two
Americans were killed and four others wounded in the attack.

A U.S. statement says the suspects were caught by U.S. troops in
southeastern Baghdad about an hour after the strike, which was
recorded by police surveillance cameras.

In other developments Sunday, The Washington Post newspaper says the
Bush administration does not have a timetable for withdrawing U.S.
troops from Iraq.

The report quotes U.S. officials as saying U.S. forces will leave only
after Iraqi military units take the lead in combat operations.  A
senior administration official also said a U.S. departure will be
linked to a reduction in overall violence, once an elected Iraqi
government is operational.

The report says commanders want to withdraw about 15,000 troops by the
middle of this year.

Some information for this report provided by AFP.

Israelis, Palestinians to Hold High-Level Talks

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Palestinian official announced Saturday that President Abbas and
Israeli PM Sharon will meet in two weeks

Mahmoud Abbas

Officials say Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas plan to meet in two weeks for their first face
to face talks since Mr. Abbas' election earlier this month.

The meeting will coincide with a planned visit to the region by U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

News of the talks came Saturday, as Israeli and Palestinians security
officials met to discuss the security situation.

The Israelis and Palestinians have recently taken steps to try to
revive the peace process. Israel stopped offensive operations in the
Gaza Strip and the Palestinians deployed thousands of police in the
territory to stop militants from firing rockets on Israelis. Mr. Abbas
is also trying to get Israel and Palestinian militants to agree to a
ceasefire.

Indonesia-Aceh Rebels Talks End Day Early Amid Skirmishes

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=B47456:2F72C9D

Optimism about ending 28-year conflict remains, despite absence of
agreement on formal cease-fire in tsunami-devastated region Indonesian
officials and Aceh rebels have ended their first talks in 20 months
with an agreement to meet again soon with mediators in Finland.
Optimism about ending the 28-year conflict remains, despite the
absence of an agreement on a formal cease-fire in the
tsunami-devastated region.  Meanwhile, clashes between the
rebels and Indonesian military continue.

Deadly skirmishes between Indonesia's military and separatist rebels
in Aceh Province punctuated peace talks in Helsinki.


Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari explains the latest
developments in talks between members of the Indonesian government and
the Aceh rebel movement

The military says it killed four rebels on Saturday, just as former
Finnish President  Martti Ahtisaari was hosting the talks
between the Indonesian government and exiled leaders of Aceh's GAM
rebel group.

The two days of talks ended early, but with an agreement to meet
again.

GAM representative Malik Mahmood said: "We end our talk because there
are some issue that we have to iron out again. We will arrange a
next meeting in the near future." 

There had been some expectations of reaching a formal cease-fire
agreement that would shore up an informal truce declared after the
December 26 tsunami that devastated Aceh.

The talks in Helsinki mostly concentrated on the immediate concern of
getting aid to the hundreds of thousands of Acehnese displaced by the
tsunami. Some 230,000 people have been killed in the province.

Neither side was willing to discuss the talks in detail, but
Indonesia's minister of communications, Sofyan Djalil, who attended
the meetings, says this first contact in 20 months is helpful.

"The government of Indonesia extends our willingness to solve the
problem in Aceh. But since we don't talk to each other, you know, for
quite some time, I think this meeting is profitable," Mr. Djalil
says. "At least we talk,  we see each other, and hear each other
and this in terms of confidence building is quite good, very good."

Since taking office in September, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono has shown a willingness to consider new, non-military,
solutions.  Earlier this month he formally offered a special
autonomy deal to the rebels.

Mr. Ahtasaari says that offer is the basis of negotiations at the
moment.

GAM has long rejected anything but outright independence.

The war in Aceh is one of Asia's longest-running conflicts. Some
13,000 people are estimated to have died since GAM took up arms in
1976 in the resource-rich province.

Reducing Poverty in Africa, Environment, Dominates World Economic
Forum

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World Economic Forum meeting in Davos also focused on environmental
protection and improved global trade relations

Musician Bono, second right, gestures prior to  start of 
'G8-Africa' plenary session at World Economic Forum in
DavosReducing poverty in Africa was a key theme of the annual meeting
of business and government leaders in Davos, Switzerland, that ended
Saturday. The World Economic Forum also focused on environmental
protection and improved global trade relations.

The need for action to fight poverty and disease in Africa resonated
through five days of discussions. European presidents and prime
ministers identified the widening gap in living standards between
Africa and the rest of the world as a challenge to globalization. They
promised more assistance, and said they would put Africa at the top of
the international agenda.

The Irish rock star, Bono, was a formidable presence at Davos. 
He had kind words for the politicians who have responded to calls to
end extreme poverty in Africa, a cause he has taken a particular
interest in.

"Extreme poverty, or stupid poverty is actually the word I like, where
a child dies for lack of immunization or for lack of food in its
belly,” he said.  “Or people die - I think it is 100,000 a month
of malaria, people dying of a mosquito bite. So, we're going to say
'no' to that. And if we work together, we will prevail."

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and the world's richest man, also
spoke with passion of the need to fight AIDS and malaria in Africa.
Gordon Brown, the British finance minister, said Africa would be the
centerpiece of the industrial summit Britain will host in July.

"I now sense that in 2005, hundreds, then thousands, then millions in
every continent are coming together with such a set of insistent
demands [to fight poverty] that no politician, no government, no world
leader can ignore them," said Mr. Brown. 

But Davos always focuses on more than one issue. There were more than
200 seminars on dozens of subjects.

The World Economic Forum prides itself on early identification of
critical global issues.  This year's meeting, like the ones that
have proceeded it, was largely a networking session where the rich and
powerful came together to share ideas and contacts.

Ivory Coast Lepers Combat Stigma

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Ivorians suffering from disease use International Leprosy Day to fight
negative prejudices about leprosy

Woman, who lost both her hands, feet to leprosy, crawls through dirt
while preparing lunch in the leper colony of Kuelquac in southern
SudanSunday is International Leprosy Day, and in the Ivory Coast
people suffering from the disease are using the day to fight negative
prejudices about leprosy.

Children practiced a song and dance at the Raoul Follereau Institute
in preparation for International Leprosy Day celebrations. Most of the
children here have leprosy, and are at the institute to be cured.

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that can cause festering
wounds and skin deformities. It is still endemic in Ivory Coast and in
nearby African countries, as well as in southern Asia.

The founder of the Adzoupe center is Raoul Follereau, who created
World Leprosy day in 1954 in an effort to combat the stigma against
the disease.

34-year-old Djedjiro Thomas came to the center for treatment four
months ago. He says he initially kept his disease a secret from his
family because many lepers are rejected by their relatives.

"The problems of the leprosy are not known by the people. When I
contracted this [leprosy], the family doesn't know. When I come here I
don't tell to my family that," he said.

The United Nations World Health Organization says half a million
people in the poorer areas of the world are infected by the disease
annually, which is now treatable with a four-month course of
antibiotics. But if the antibiotics are not taken soon after the
disease is contracted, some effects of the disease remain.

Here in Adzoupe, there are signs education about the disease has been
a success. A local taxi driver, Gbocho Maurice, says he is not afraid
of living near lepers.

He says they are men like him, and that he lives with them, and that
they are always together.

The World Health Organization has set the goal of eradicating leprosy
in 2005.

But achieving that goal may be difficult. Health professionals say it
is hard to provide treatment in areas, like Ivory Coast, that are torn
by fighting.

India to Attend G-7 Meeting for First Time

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New Delhi finance minister to join London gathering in February India
is set to attend the forthcoming finance meeting of the Group of Seven
leading industrial nations in London. India's presence at the meeting
reflects its rise on the world economic stage.

Indian Finance Minister P. Chidambaram says he will attend a meeting
of finance heads from the Group of Seven nations in February in
London.

He will join his counterparts from four other rapidly developing
countries who have been invited to the meeting. Like India, Brazil and
South Africa have been asked for the first time. China has been
invited for the second time, while Russia has been attending the
meetings for many years.

The G-7 nations are the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain,
France, Italy and Canada. The group functions as a kind of global
economic council.

Economist C.D. Wadhwa of the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi
said the invitation to India reflects the growing global importance of
one of the world's fastest-growing economies. "This is a recognition
that India is an emerging (economic) power. It has already made the
mark and by 2020 it will have much greater role to play, and therefore
it is important for G-7 to involve it in the reshaping of any
international economic order that they think about," he said.

In recent years critics have said the G-7 no longer reflects the
reality of the global economy, and have advocated its expansion or
reform to account for the rise of new economic powerhouses.

Mr. Wadhwa says any such changes will have to take into account China
and India, which together are home to more than one-third of the
world's six billion people, and which have both experienced rapid
economic growth over the past few years.

India's economy grew 8.2 percent in the year ending April 2004, and is
expected to grow another seven percent his year. Economists widely
expect the nation of one billion people to sustain growth of around
seven percent over the next decade.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4219755.stm

Thousands of people have demonstrated in support of a Moroccan newspaper which claimed that the tsunami was an act of divine retribution.

The newspaper of Morocco's Islamic party, PJD, said the disaster showed God's displeasure with South-East Asia's sex tourism industry.

The comments have provoked outrage among human rights groups and rival political parties.

But the protesters defended the newspaper's right to express its views.

The Attajdid newspaper said that Morocco could face a similar disaster to the devastating tidal wave if it did not stamp out immorality.

The articles have been condemned on Moroccan television and have prompted calls for censorship of the press.

The PJD said that 5,000 people took to the streets of the capital, Rabat, in support of the party.

A counter-demonstration called by human rights groups failed to materialise.

The BBC's Pascale Harter says there is widespread fear among moderate Moroccans that support for radical Islamic opinions is growing.

The Indian Ocean earthquake on 26 December which sparked a massive tidal wave has left at least 280,000 people dead or missing across 13 countries from Malaysia to Tanzania.

The United Nations says $5.3bn has been pledged by foreign governments in aid to deal with the devastation.

http://www.turkishpress.com/world/news.asp...56.rvi3clrt.xml

Bush priases Iraq elections, warns of work ahead

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/internat...html?oref=login

Bush Hails Iraq Vote as 'a Resounding Success'

Zhao remembered, but cautiously
In Beijing Saturday, mourners braved police presence to pay respects at
purged premier's funeral. By Robert Marquand
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0131/p06s01-woap.html?s=hns

Small game, big problem as poaching grows in Kenya
Environmentalists claim a million wild animals are snared annually for
their meat, bringing 50 cents a pound. By Mike Pflanz
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0131/p07s01-woaf.html?s=hns

Out of tsunami, a quiet Arab media revolution
Arab leaders came in for rare criticism over tepid aid; more remarkable
- they changed. By Marc Lynch
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0131/p09s01-coop.html?s=hns

A focus on facts ought to dispel mistrust of US Muslims
The atmosphere of suspicion and harassment around Muslims in America
risks creating radicalism that doesn't now exist. By JOHN TIRMAN
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0131/p09s02-coop.html?s=hns

Disaster aid furthers fears of proselytizing
The massive tsunami relief efforts deepen fears about proselytizing by
Christian aid groups. By Jane Lampman
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0131/p11s01-lire.html?s=hns

Israel to Hand Over Security Role in Several West Bank
Cities
By GREG MYRE
Israel is prepared to hand over security control of several
West Bank cities to the Palestinians in the next few days.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/31/internat...mideast.html?th

Arab Media Focus on Voting, Not Violence
By HASSAN M. FATTAH
After months of closely covering Iraq's mayhem, Arab news
outlets found that violence wasn't the story on election
day - the voting was.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/31/internat...31press.html?th

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More International News
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/world/index.html?th

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Allawi: Terrorists Now Know They Cannot Win

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Iraqi prime minister appeals to all Iraqis to put aside their
differences, join forces to build country's new political system

Iyad Allawi Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi says his countrymen's
mass participation in this week's national elections has defeated
those who seek power through violence, and he is calling for all
Iraqis to work together for peace.

Speaking to his nation Monday, Mr. Allawi appealed to all Iraqis - to
those who cast ballots and to those who did not vote - to put aside
their differences and join forces to build the country's new political
system.

In comments televised worldwide, Mr. Allawi said that the big turnout
for Sunday's landmark vote means "terrorists now know they cannot
win."

The prime minister said his interim government will continue to run
Iraq until the newly-elected national assembly chooses a new
leadership. Mr. Allawi promised he will work to draw all groups of
Iraqis into the next government.

There is no word yet on the makeup of the new, 275-member assembly.
Election officials expect to spend over a week compiling final results
of Iraq's first multiparty vote in half a century - since 1954.

Turnout was far higher than expected. Iraq's election commission
estimates up to 8 million people - more than 60 percent of all
eligible voters - cast ballots.

Kurds in the north and majority Shi'ites in the south voted in large
numbers. In Sunni Muslim areas of central Iraq, voter turnout was
lower, but even there it appeared to be higher than anticipated.



Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.

Iraqi Shiites and Kurds Overwhelmingly Attend Polls Despite
Violence

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Voter turnout on Sunday has exceeded all expectations, officials
say

Baghdad residents line up for vote (Courtesy of MNF-I Public Affairs)
Voting stations in Iraq have closed, but official results will not be
known for more than a week. Iraqi electoral commission officials say
voter turnout on Sunday has exceeded all expectations. Turnout was
especially heavy in Shi'ite and Kurdish-dominated regions of the
country.

A spokesman for the Iraqi Electoral Commission, Farid Ayar, says,
based on preliminary surveys from polling centers, he believes about
60 percent of the 13 million registered voters went to the polls on
Sunday to elect a new 275-member Iraqi assembly.

The assembly is to choose a new government and draft the country's
constitution.

"We say about eight million will participate and this is not only
guessing," said Mr. Ayar.

If true, Iraq's first democratic elections in half a century would be
seen as an overwhelming success, defying insurgent vows to stop the
polls.

For months, Sunni Muslim militants, who make up the core of the
insurgency in Iraq, had threatened to kill anyone who dared to vote.
They killed scores of candidates, election workers, police and others
in a bloody campaign of intimidation leading up to the polls.

They made good on their threat to attack voters on Sunday, unleashing
a wave of suicide and mortar attacks in the capital and other areas of
the country throughout the day. But the violence, which killed more
than three dozen people, was not enough to deter millions from voting.

Seventy-year-old Zahara Uboud Mansour appeared frail, leaning on her
daughter's arm for support while she waited to vote at a polling site
in Baghdad. The Shi'ite woman says she came because she loves her
country.

Her voice shaking with emotion, Ms. Mansour says she is voting for
freedom and democracy. But most of all, she says, she is voting as a
final farewell gesture to the tyrant Saddam Hussein, the ousted
dictator.

Polling centers in the Shi'ite-dominated areas of southern Iraq
reported heavy voter turnout, as did polling centers in the Kurdish
regions in the north of the country. Iraq's majority Shi'ites and
Kurds, long oppressed by Saddam Hussein, have enthusiastically
supported the U.S.-sponsored election process.

But few people ventured out to vote in Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland,
where the violence has been fiercest. In insurgent strongholds, such
as Ramadi and Beiji, polling centers remained deserted for most of the
day.

The polls are opposed by Sunni Arabs, who have long dominated Iraqi
politics, but now fear being marginalized by Shi'ites and Kurds.
Analysts have warned that a low Sunni turnout could undermine the
credibility of the elections, and prompt a greater Sunni rebellion in
Iraq.

But the spokesman for interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, Thair Naqib,
dismissed such worries. Instead, he congratulated the Iraqi people for
taking what he called "the first step toward peace and stability." He
also noted that, for the first time in decades, Iraqis had a choice of
voting for someone other than Saddam Hussein.

"This is a great and a proud day for Iraqis, not such a great day for
Saddam Hussein," said Mr. Naqib. "Two years ago, Iraqis had to choose
Saddam or death. Today, they have more than 100 choices on their
ballot papers. Today, is a true birth of democracy in our great
country." 

Election officials say they are pleased with the high turnout in
Baghdad, which has a mix of religious and ethnic groups, and has been
a center of insurgent violence since late 2003. Many polling centers
reported long lines of voters, who did not complain about the
extraordinary security measures, which made the physical act of voting
a feat in itself.

A country-wide ban on car travel Sunday forced most people to walk to
the centers. They walked gingerly through streets littered with barbed
wire, and navigated around rows of concrete barriers. At polling
sites, each person waited patiently in line to be searched multiple
times before entering.

Election workers at polling centers have begun counting the ballots.
But because the ballots will have to be recounted at the Iraqi
electoral commission office in Baghdad, officials say they do not
expect to have the final results for at least 10 days.

Voting in Southern Iraq Takes on Festive Spirit

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Millions cast ballots in landmark election, Shi'ite Muslim
residents flock to polls joyfully

An Iraqi woman holds up her hand, and shows a purple finger,
indicating she has just voted, as she leaves a polling station in the
centre of Az Zubayr, southern IraqMillions of voters have cast their
ballots in Iraq's landmark election. For the first time in 50 years,
votes are being counted in what looks to be a free and open poll. The
turnout around the country was higher than organizers had dared to
hope. In southern Iraq, the largely Shiite Muslim residents flocked to
the polls joyfully and peacefully.

It was an amazing sight on a bitterly cold morning. There were no cars
on the roads, but instead hundreds of people, walking steadily toward
the schoolhouses that were doubling as polling stations in Basra's
eastern suburbs.

Whole families went to cast their votes together. Groups of women clad
in flowing black abayas smiled and waved as they passed on their way
to the voting centers. Elderly people were pushed toward the polls in
wheelchairs, or moved slowly there under their own power, step by
step, leaning on canes and walkers.

Everyone seemed excited and happy, even festive. British soldiers
stationed in the area and foreign journalists who have spent months
covering Iraq agreed that the mood was decidedly more positive they
had ever encountered in the country.

The goodwill persisted despite long lines outside some polling
stations in the morning. At one schoolhouse, at least 300 people were
waiting to be searched and scanned so they could enter and vote. At
another, people started lining up two hours before the polls even
opened, rubbing their hands together to keep warm.

Voters waited patiently in areas roped off by brightly colored plastic
tape, behind barricades made from classroom desks. By afternoon, the
lines had largely disappeared, but a steady stream of voters kept
heading to the polling stations right up until they closed at 5 PM.

Inside a polling station, election workers were trying hard to keep
order and make sure things were done properly. But for most Iraqis,
this was the first time they had ever voted in a free election, and
the ballot paper itself would have confused even the most experienced
voters.

The national ballot was the size of a broadsheet newspaper, with two
columns of so-called political entities to choose from. Voters
sometimes crowded two or three to a cardboard polling booth, talking
animatedly about which party was which, and where to make their marks.
At times they looked more like a voting committee than a set of
individual voters.

Over and over, election workers explained to voters how to fold their
ballots just right, and which ballot to drop into which box.

A woman covered head to toe in flowing black robes, except for tiny
slits in her veil for her eyes, removes one black glove to reveal a
small hand with close-cropped fingernails a bit of pink nail polish on
the thumb. She dips her right index finger in a jar of purple ink, and
then places her ballots one by one in the proper plastic ballot boxes
- one for the national election, the other for the provincial one.

Voter turnout was expected to be higher in southern Iraq than in the
country's more troubled central regions. This area is heavily
dominated by Shiite Muslims, who view the election as a chance to
regain control of the country after decades of oppression under Saddam
Hussein. Iraq's most senior Shia cleric, the Grand Ayatollah Ali
al-Sistani, declared voting to be a religious duty for his followers.
But their jovial demeanor made it clear that they took great pleasure
in doing that duty.

There had been fears that the Shiite areas would be targeted for
attacks by the Sunni-led insurgency, but those fears turned out to be
largely unfounded. The region suffered none of the deadly suicide
attacks that plagued Baghdad and other cities. But Iraqi and
international troops were taking no chances as darkness fell and the
ballot boxes were being transported to the airport so the votes could
be tallied. They remained on full alert.

Preliminary results are expected sometime in the next few days, but
final official results will probably not be in for over a week.

Bush Declares Iraqi Elections a Success

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Speaking at the White House, US president says Iraqis turned out in
great numbers and at great risk to cast ballots across the nation

President Bush

President Bush says the people of Iraq have taken control of their
destiny and are on the path to freedom. The president says they have
shown courage and commitment.

President Bush says the Iraqi election was a resounding success.

"Today, the people of Iraq have spoken to the world, and the world is
hearing the voice of freedom from the center of the Middle East," said
Mr. Bush.

The president says Iraqis showed great courage in casting their
ballots. He says they defied threats of violence, and refused to be
intimidated.

"In great numbers, and under great risk, Iraqis have shown their
commitment to democracy. By participating in free elections, the Iraqi
people have firmly rejected the anti-democratic ideology of the
terrorists," he said.

In a brief statement broadcast from the White House, Mr. Bush stressed
this election is but a first step, and there is a great deal of work
yet to do. He said Iraqis have shown their determination to build a
free country, and must now move forward.

"This historic election begins the process of drafting and ratifying a
new constitution, which will be the basis of a fully democratic Iraqi
government," he added. "Terrorists and insurgents will continue to
wage their war against democracy, and we will support the Iraqi people
in their fight against them."

The new U.S. secretary of state says a primary goal will be training
Iraqi forces so the country can ultimately defend itself. Appearing on
the Fox News Sunday television program, Condoleezza Rice said U.S.
commanders in the field were pleased with their performance on
election day.

"We have to get to the point where this is Iraq's fight for Iraq, the
fight of Iraqis for their own freedom. And I think this is what you
are seeing today," said Mr. Rice.

All this comes at a time when the Bush administration is urging the
U.S. Congress to approve an additional $80 billion for military
operations.

During an interview with NBC television's Meet the Press, Senator John
Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, openly questioned the
president's Iraq policy. He noted that in areas of Iraq dominated by
Sunni Muslims, voting turnout was light.

"It is hard to say that something is legitimate, when whole portions
of the country can't vote and doesn't vote," he commented.

But Bush administration officials say they believe the Sunnis will be
brought into the governing process. Ms. Rice told CNN's Late Edition
that leaders of the Shiite Muslim and Kurdish communities have
stressed the importance of building a government that represents all
the people of Iraq.

"And they understand what we should know, that their Sunni brethren,
if they were unable to vote, it was not because they did not want to
vote, but because of the intimidation," said Ms. Rice. "So, I am sure
they will have a process moving forward that takes account of
everyone's interests."

She went on to say the Iraqis have shown remarkable bravery, and the
world needs to show more faith in them and their future.

Blair Hails Iraq Election as 'Blow to Global Terrorism'

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British leader vows to stand by Iraq as it moves to build a democracy

British Prime Minister Tony Blair - File PhotoBritish Prime Minister
Tony Blair calls the Iraq election a blow against global terrorism,
and he vows to stand by Iraq as it moves to build a democracy. Mr.
Blair also paid tribute to British military personnel who died in a
plane crash on election day.

Mr. Blair made a nationally broadcast statement saying the force of
freedom was felt throughout Iraq on election day. "It was moving and
humbling for those of us lucky enough to live in a democracy and take
it for granted, to see the enthusiasm and the simple determination,
the clear sight of courage of millions of Iraqis that came out to vote
for the first time in their lives, despite the terrorism, despite the
threats, despite the dangers," he said.

The British leader also said the Iraq election will benefit all
countries who are threatened by terrorism. "Democracy in Iraq is not
just good for Iraq itself. It is also a blow right to the heart of the
global terrorism that threatens destruction not just in Iraq but in
Britain and virtually every major country around the world," he said.

Mr. Blair, who has suffered politically at home for his support of the
U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, says Britain will remain engaged to help
democracy grow in Iraq, to build up Iraqi security forces and work for
the reconstruction of Iraq.

He also paid what he called "an immense debt of gratitude" to the
British armed forces in Iraq, and said his thoughts and prayers are
with the British troops who died in the crash of a military transport
plane Sunday northwest of Baghdad.

A spokesman for the Royal Air Force, Wing Commander Nigel Arnold, said
there are few details of the crash. "A C-130 aircraft from Royal Air
Force Lyneham has crashed in northern Iraq. The incident occurred at
25 minutes past five local Iraqi time. We are in the process of
contacting the families of those involved. And until that is done I'm
afraid we will not be releasing any details of the crew. It would also
be wrong of us at this stage to speculate on the cause of the crash.
But we can assure you that a thorough investigation will take place,"
he said.

President Bush also spoke of the incident, saying he mourns the
American and British military personnel who died on Sunday.

The U.S. military says the British plane's wreckage was spread over a
wide area about 30 kilometers outside Baghdad, and American
helicopters had gone to the scene of the crash.

Expatriate Iraqis Vote in 14 Countries

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About 280,000 registered to vote out of more than one million living
abroad who were eligible to cast ballots

Iraqi immigrant Marwa Sadik from Seattle celebrates before casting her
vote in El Toro Marine Base in Irvine, California While millions of
Iraqis went to the polls in their native land, Sunday marked the last
day when Iraqi expatriates could cast ballots through an
out-of-country voting program. The special polling stations opened for
a total of three days to give those who live far away extra time to
take part in the democratic process.

From Jordan to California, Iraqis living outside their homeland cast
ballots Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In Amman, Jordan, a woman who
identified herself as Fadia relished being able to vote.

"It feels free. Having a chance to make any choice you want,something
Iraqis never had before, and I am one of them," she said.

About 280,000 overseas Iraqis registered to vote in 14 countries. That
total was but a fraction of the more than one million Iraqis living
abroad who were eligible to vote, but, according to organizers, a
respectable figure given the great distances many people had to travel
in order to register.

At a polling site in Manchester, England, a skirmish broke out between
mostly Kurdish Iraqi voters and a group of protesters who criticized
the election as legitimizing the presence of foreign troops in Iraq.

But that kind of trouble was the exception, not the rule. In London,
poll worker Ziryan Ismail described the election as Iraq's first step
toward self-governance.

"It really is a mark of the beginning of [a new] Iraq - hopefully a
democratic Iraq, for a new beginning and for all the people who died
for me to get here," he said.

The Iraq Out-of-Country Voting Program featured five polling stations
in the United States, including one in Irvine, California, where
Virginia Badal cast a ballot Saturday. Ms. Badal said she was acting
in solidarity with Iraqis back home, especially the younger
generation.

"For our children in Iraq. We are doing this for their sake. We are
living here right now, but we are still thinking of our people back
home. And it is a good opportunity for us to stand behind them and do
whatever is good for them," she said.

Spontaneous dancing, chanting and singing erupted at many
out-of-country polling stations as jubilant voters cast ballots for
Iraq's first multi-party elections in half a century.

Iraqi expatriates cast ballots in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France,
Germany, Iran, Jordan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Syria, Turkey, the
United Arab Emirates, Britain and the United States.

US Editorials Salute Iraqi Voters' Courage, Desire for Peace

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New York Times, Washington Post praise Iraqi elections as a remarkable
display of courage Two of America's leading newspapers see the Iraqi
elections as a remarkable display of courage by millions of people,
Iraqis who suffered for years under dictatorship and now want to live
in a free and peaceful country.

In an editorial Monday, The New York Times says the turnout by Iraqi
voters sent "a message that all but the most nihilistic of the
[country's] armed insurgents will have to accept."

The newspaper says "all those who claim to be fighting in the name of
the Iraqi people should now recognize" that average Iraqis clearly
want future political battles to be fought not in the streets, but
"exclusively in the peaceful, constitutional arena."

The Times has criticized President Bush's policy on Iraq frequently in
the past, and says it continues to have "grave doubts about the
overall direction of American strategy," but it calls Sunday's vote
"remarkably successful."

Here in the U.S. capital, The Washington Post says the world saw a new
picture of Iraq Sunday, "one in which millions of people from all over
the country turned out to vote, even in places where their nominal
leaders had proclaimed a boycott, even at polling stations where
mortar rounds fell or gunfire rang out."

"The day's message was unmistakable," the newspaper's editorial today
says. "The majority of Iraqis support the emerging democratic order in
their country, and many are willing to risk their lives for it."

Investigation Under Way Into C-130 Crash in Iraq

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British officials say 10 military personnel are believed to have died
in crash An investigation is under way into the crash of a British
military transport plane north of Baghdad. Officials in London say
casualties from the crash were the most British forces have suffered
in a single incident since the start of the war in Iraq, nearly two
years ago.

British officials say 10 military personnel are believed to have died
in the incident. There has been no comment on British news reports
that the victims included commandos from Britain's elite SAS (Special
Air Service) regiment.

British defense officials also have not responded to a claim by an
Iraqi militant group, Ansar al-Islam, which says it shot down the
C-130 aircraft Sunday as it flew from Baghdad to the town of Balad,
site of a large American airbase.

The C-130 Hercules can carry heavy payloads or as many as 128 troops.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.

Kuwaiti Security Forces Battle Suspected Militants 

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At least one militant and a Kuwaiti security officer killed Monday
morning in intense gun battle south of Kuwait City At least one
militant and a Kuwaiti security officer were killed, Monday morning,
in an intense gun battle south of Kuwait City between security forces
and militants believed to be loyal to Osama bin Laden. A civilian was
also reported to have been killed in the latest clash between
militants and security forces.

Kuwaiti police, in pursuit of a group of suspected militants, raided a
villa south of Kuwait City, Monday, reportedly firing thousands of
rounds of ammunition.

Kuwaiti television reported security forces were in pursuit of as many
as nine suspected militants. Police surrounded a villa in the
al-Qurain district, early Monday, morning after receiving a tip.

Witnesses say sporadic gunfire broke out about three o'clock in the
morning. Four hours later, heavy gunfire was heard as hundreds of
police and commando units were reported to have stormed the villa.

Kuwait has been experiencing a surge of violence with militants
suspected of having links to the terror group al-Qaida.

Sunday, a policeman and a militant were killed in a gun battle in
Kuwait. Two security officers and two gunmen were also killed in
clashes, earlier this month.

The Kuwaiti government has vowed raids against militant groups will
continue.

Tens of Thousands of Israelis Demonstrate Against Gaza Pullout

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Protests come amid renewed efforts by Israeli and Palestinian leaders
to ease tensions

Israeli protestors hold signs and flags during a demonstration in
front of the parliament building in JerusalemTens of thousands of
Israeli settlers and their supporters demonstrated Sunday evening in
Jerusalem against the government's plan to withdraw from the Gaza
Strip and small portions of the West Bank. The protests come amid
renewed efforts by Israeli and Palestinian leaders to ease tensions
and perhaps resume peace talks.

A huge crowd of thousands of settlers and their supporters gathered
around the parliament building, the Knesset, on Sunday to voice their
protest against the government's plan to evacuate Jewish settlements
later this year. Israeli television estimated as many as 130,000
protesters took part in the demonstrations.

Police were out in force blocking roads, and helicopters circled
overhead as part of the security measures. By late evening the crowds
could be seen dispersing. They included families and many children and
adolescents carrying the orange banners that have become the symbol of
their protest.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to dismantle all 21 Jewish
settlements in the Gaza Strip and four small ones in the northern West
Bank beginning in July of this year. The settlers and their supporters
are vehemently opposed to the idea and insist it at least be put to a
national referendum, something the prime minister has rejected as a
stalling tactic.

Sunday's protest comes amid renewed efforts by Israeli and Palestinian
leaders to reduce tensions and perhaps get back to peace talks in the
near future.

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told the Cabinet on Sunday that
Israel would hand over control of some West Bank cities to Palestinian
security forces within the next few days. That news comes after Mr.
Mofaz met with Palestinian security official Mohammed Dahlan late
Saturday. In an interview with Israel Radio Sunday, Mr. Mofaz said
there is now a new opportunity for peace that must be seized.

He said there is a chance to end terror and create a new relationship
with the Palestinians that could lead to a peace agreement.

The defense minister did not say which Palestinian cities are to be
turned over or exactly when the transfer of security responsibility
would take place.

Palestinian sources, however, said their forces would assume
responsibility for Ramallah first and then Tulkarem, Qalqilya and
Jericho.

Israeli officials were also quoted as saying they are considering
granting amnesty to suspected militants. Such a move is one of the
significant demands made by Palestinian militants in agreeing to halt
their attacks against Israeli targets.

There has been a decrease in Israeli military raids in Palestinian
areas in recent days and a general decrease in violence.

Palestinian President Abbas has been working on getting militants to
agree to a temporary cease-fire.

President Abbas is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon
February 8th and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is due in the
region a few days before the planned summit.

African Union Tackles Conflicts, Disease

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Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo stresses leaders moving in
positive direction, despite challenges and obstacles Africa faces

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo (File photo)Two dozen African
leaders are finishing up a two-day African Union summit in Abuja,
Nigeria - tackling conflict, poverty, disease and failure to meet
development goals.

Early Monday, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo stressed leaders
were moving in a positive direction, despite the challenges and
obstacles Africa faces.

"We have tackled conflict situations with courage; invested heavily in
infrastructure, capacity-building and reconstruction," he said. "We
have attracted home a sizable number of our professionals, taken a
clear position against illegal or extra-legal seizure of power. We
have, above all, said goodbye to coups and counter-coups and sustained
democratic practices and institutions."

Themes of the summit include ensuring food security, combating AIDS
and malaria more effectively and reducing illiteracy.

African Union spokesman Desmond Orjiako told VOA it is essential
leaders contain conflicts.

"There's no way a country can develop without peace and security and
this is the essence of talking about conflict resolution," he said.
"They examined the conflict in Darfur, in the Democratic Republic of
Congo in relation to Rwanda and the conflict in Cote d'Ivoire. All
these have been given special attention because if they are not
properly managed they could escalate into a very dangerous situation
and that we do not want to happen. So we are applying carrot and stick
measures to bring about peace on the continent."

On the issue of delegating permanent African seats on a possibly
expanded U.N. Security Council, Mr. Orjiako said leaders decided to
let a 15-member committee decide within the next month.

"People have been dissuaded from jostling for who occupies these
positions because we don't have it as yet," he said. "We are still
negotiating and these important negotiations come first. When we get
it we will go home in Africa and then decide who gets what."

The leaders of Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt have all been lobbying
for a permanent seat to better defend the interests of Africa within
the world body.

Bangladesh Government, Interpol Probe Attacks on Opposition

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Meanwhile, general strike called by opposition to protest attack is in
its third day  Agents of the international police organization,
Interpol, are to help police in Bangladesh investigate a grenade
attack that killed a top opposition official last week. Meanwhile, a
general strike called by the opposition to protest the attack is in
its third day.

Bangladeshi authorities on Monday began questioning witnesses to last
week's attack, which killed former Finance Minister Shah A.M.S. Kibria
and four other members of the opposition Awami League. Officials say
two Interpol agents are helping with the investigation.

Meanwhile, opposition activists held anti-government demonstrations,
and riot police stood guard in Dhaka on the third day of a general
strike called by the Awami League to protest the attack.

Businesses, stock exchanges and public transport have been disrupted
since the strike began on Saturday. Police, wielding canes and firing
tear gas, have clashed with protesters, leaving dozens of people
injured.

The Bangladeshi authorities asked for assistance from Interpol, the
United States and Britain after Western countries expressed concern
over the government's failure to identify and detain those responsible
for a string of bomb and grenade blasts that have rocked the country
in recent months. Some of the attacks have targeted the political
opposition.

Washington is considering the request, but the U.S. State Department
says the Bangladeshi authorities should give foreign investigators
full access to evidence and witnesses.

Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil says his party welcomes the
assistance of foreign investigators. But he says they must be allowed
to conduct an independent inquiry.

"If these organizations come to Bangladesh to assist the government
inquiry, there will not be any result," he said. "The terms and
condition of inquiry should be set first, and they should be given a
free hand."

The Awami League accuses the government of involvement in the blasts.
The government strongly denies the allegations.

International investigators assisted a probe into an attack last
August on an opposition rally in Dhaka. Awami League leader and former
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina attended the meeting, and narrowly
escaped injury. No culprits have been identified to date.

The impoverished South Asian nation has a history of political
violence.

Aceh Rebels Offer to Put Demands for Independence on Hold

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Government quickly rejected the idea, placing future peace talks in
question Indonesia's separatist Aceh rebels have offered to put their
independence demands on hold, if the government agrees to a referendum
within 10 years. But the government quickly rejected the idea, placing
future peace talks in question.

Rebels from Indonesia's Aceh province made the offer Monday,- two days
after their exiled leadership held talks with Indonesian government
ministers in Finland. Those talks, the first in 20 months, ended
without a hoped-for official cease-fire, but with plans for more
negotiations soon.

The rebels say they will suspend independence demands now, if they can
hold an independence referendum within 10 years.

Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng says a referendum is out of
the question, but the government will consider anything short of
independence.

"We came to Helsinki to offer this whole solution, permanent and
comprehensive solution within the context of special autonomy. And
there are some positive signs, in that they are trying to study the
special autonomy law, but we are offering only a solution within the
context of special autonomy," he said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono offered the special autonomy plan
in the wake of December's tsunami, which killed more than 230,000
people in Aceh and decimated the province.

Few observers believe it will be easy to overcome the differences,
entrenched by more than a quarter of a century of bitter conflict. But
they say these peace proposals and new talks are the best chance for
peace in Aceh for some time.

OPEC Maintains Oil Output Levels

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World oil prices rise to near $50 a barrel, well above OPEC target
band of $22 and; $28 a barrel OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries, has decided to keep crude production at current
levels, but will intervene if prices fall after the cold winter spell
in the northern hemisphere.

OPEC oil ministers say there is no need to cut production quotas,
officially set at 27 million barrels per day, because global oil
supply is currently exceeding demand.

World oil prices have risen sharply in recent weeks hovering near $50
a barrel, well above the OPEC target band of $22 and $28 a barrel.

OPEC recognizes that the price band, established in 2000, is now
unrealistic, and has suspended it pending further study.

Analyst Ehsan Ul-Haq of PVM oil in Vienna says OPEC members will have
a reserve plan to cut production, if demand falls off too dramatically
in the spring.

But Mr. Ul-Haq says the market remains nervous that instability in
Iraq could affect oil supplies.

"Iraq has not been able to export from its northern outlet to the
Turkish border, because insurgents attacked once again the oil
infrastructure, and from the south they are exporting less than in the
past few months," he explained. "So, more Iraqi oil companies said
they have to decrease oil exports by 10 percent until June, because of
technical problems."

OPEC ministers will meet again in mid-March in Iran to review prices
and production.

Qatar Considers Selling al-Jazeera Network

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=B48DFB:2F72C9D

Doha decided more than a year ago to study whether the state-sponsored
network could be privatized Qatar says it is considering proposals to
sell the pan-Arabic al-Jazeera satellite television network.

A spokesman for the U.S. allied Qatar government said Doha decided
more than a year ago to study whether the state-sponsored network
could be privatized.

Both popular and controversial, al-Jazeera has come under harsh
criticism from the United States for what it alleges is its biased
coverage of the Iraq war. Several Arab governments have also blasted
the station for criticizing Arab leadership in other countries.

The Bush administration has repeatedly accused the network of what it
calls inflammatory reporting in Iraq, arguing that it encourages
violence against U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The tiny Gulf nation set up al-Jazeera in 1996 as the first
Arabic-speaking news channel, hiring reporters from a failed Arabic
television station run by the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Some information provided by AP.

------------------------------------------------------

Deal Creates Biggest Telecom Firm in US

[http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=B48DF1:2F72C9D

Texas-based SBC will buy New Jersey-based AT&T for $16 billion SBC
Communications, the second-largest telephone company in the United
States, says it will buy long-distance carrier AT&T in a deal that
would create the nation's biggest telecommunications firm.

Under terms of the deal, Texas-based SBC will buy New Jersey-based
AT&T for $16 billion. The decision announced Monday merges SBC's
regional phone services with AT&T's long-distance and high-speed
internet services.

The deal brings both companies full circle back to their shared roots.
AT&T traces its history to the invention of the telephone by
Alexander Graham Bell in 1875. It operated as the sole telephone
company in the United States for many decades, earning the nickname
"Ma Bell." However, after lengthy legal proceedings, it was broken
apart in 1984 into seven regional companies dubbed "Baby Bells"
including SBC.

U.S. government regulators must approve the deal before it is
finalized.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

Tens of Thousands Protest Gaza Pullout Plan

By Mark Lavie

Tens of thousands of Jewish settlers and their supporters protested outside parliament against Israeli plans to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, saying Sharon does not have a mandate to dismantle settlements.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...er=emailarticle

For countries with thousands left homeless and bereft by the tsunami, the outpouring of help from around the world is a godsend.

Yet in some nations, the growing presence of faith-based agencies dispensing the aid is posing another challenge - stirring tensions already simmering around evangelism and anti-Christian violence.

Read more:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0131/p11s01-lire.html

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World Forums Are Poles Apart but Headed in the Same Direction
--------------------

By Henry Chu and Sebastian Rotella
Times Staff Writers

January 31 2005

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil — They're thought of as polar opposites, a clubby meeting of the rich and powerful up in the Swiss Alps versus a messy rally of leftists down in southern Brazil. The World Economic Forum in Davos preaches globalization; the World Social Forum here wants to stop it.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...1,0,55548.story

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Israel to Leave 4 West Bank Towns Soon
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Palestinian forces will assume security duties, perhaps within days, for the first time since 2000. Roadblocks may also be removed, officials say.

By Ken Ellingwood
Times Staff Writer

January 31 2005

JERUSALEM — In the latest sign of budding cooperation, Israel's defense minister said Sunday that the army probably would withdraw troops from some West Bank cities in a matter of days, turning security over to Palestinian forces.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,3419729.story

A city rebuilds with elephants and prayer
In tsunami-ravaged Banda Aceh, Indonesia, survivors have a gritty
determination to start over. By Daniel B. Wood
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0201/p01s04-wosc.html?s=hns

Israeli-Palestinian balancing act
Peace gestures gain momentum, but Sharon and Abbas must still face
hard-line opposition groups. By Joshua Mitnick
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0201/p06s01-wome.html?s=hns

To halt brain drain, Germany adopts 'competition' mantra
A German court last week lifted a ban on tuition. 'Elite' is in;
'egalitarian' is out. By Isabelle de Pommereau
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0201/p07s01-woeu.html?s=hns

Tunneling to Africa
A tunnel linking Spain and Morocco deserves a serious look, providing
costs can be worked out. The Monitor's View
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0201/p08s02-cogn.html?s=hns