A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Shia party to vote again on prime minister
BAGHDAD - Iraq's Shia Alliance has said it will hold a new internal vote to name a prime minister, raising the possibility that Ibrahim al- Jaafari will be removed to end a month-long impasse over a unity government.
The Alliance announced the move after Mr al-Jaafari, who had ignored calls from Sunni Arabs, Kurds and even some Shias to step aside, invited it to decide whether he should resign. - (Reuters)
Turkey prepares for Kurdish raids
ANKARA - Turkey has sent nearly 40,000 troops to the southeast to prepare for an expected rise in Kurdish rebel incursions from northern Iraq.
A senior military official said yesterday more troops would arrive from central and western Turkey to back up security forces fighting Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas in mountainous provinces. - (Reuters)
US, UK accused on torture intelligence
BRUSSELS - Britain and America have operated a policy of sharing intelligence information obtained from tortured terrorists held in other countries, a former British ambassador to Uzbekistan has said.
Craig Murray told a European Parliament inquiry yesterday he knew "with regret and with certainty" that both governments had taken advantage of testimonies extracted through torture. Neither the CIA nor MI6 had taken part in such interrogations. - (PA)
Church warned on vote for bishop
SAN FRANCISCO - The leader of the US Episcopal church, has warned parishioners of the diocese of California that they would widen the confrontation with the worldwide Anglican communion it they chose another gay bishop.
In a fortnight, the diocese, centred in San Francisco, will choose its next bishop from six candidates, three of whom are gay. - (Guardian)
Pete Doherty arrested yet again
LONDON - Rock star Pete Doherty was arrested yesterday on suspicion of fresh drugs offences. The Babyshambles frontman was held on suspicion of possessing class-A drugs with intent to supply after police stopped a car in east London.
Doherty (27) is in custody at a nearby police station. The arrest came just three hours after he was spared jail by magistrates for drugs charges. - (PA)
Goal urges UN force for Darfur
DUBLIN - The Government has been urged by Goal to support the call by US Secretary of State Condo- leezza Rice to insist that a UN force be deployed to stop the slaughter in Darfur.
Abramovich the richest Russian
MOSCOW - The 100 richest Russians have assets worth $248 billion or more than a quarter of Russia's nominal gross domestic product, according to this week's Russian version of Forbes magazine.
Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea FC, stayed at the top with a fortune of $18.3 billion, up $3.6 billion on last year. Collectively, the fortunes of Russia's richest grew by $107 billion over the past year. - (Reuters)
SA group pulls out of Aids forum
JOHANNESBURG - A top Aids activist group has pulled out of South Africa's delegation to a UN forum on HIV/Aids, saying it could not "lend respectability" to the government's approach.
The Treatment Action Campaign, which often clashes with President Thabo Mbeki's government on Aids policy, said officials had excluded critics and hand-picked supporters to show a united front at the coming UN General Assembly special session on Aids. - (Reuters)