WORLD NEWS SCHEDULE AT 2300

Duty editor: Mohammad Zargham

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Photo queries: Asia Picture Desk

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U.S. Pictures Desk

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All times GMT (EST is five hours behind GMT)

TOP STORIES

BAGHDAD - Britain hands over security in Basra

SULAIMANIYA, Iraq - Turkish warplanes bomb Iraq villages

WASHINGTON - US Congress, Justice face off over CIA tapes

POLOKWANE, SAfrica - ANC conference could tap new leader

IRAQ

BASRA, Iraq - Britain hands over security in Basra province to Iraqi forces, effectively marking the end of nearly five years of British control of southern Iraq (IRAQ/ (WRAPUP 7), moved at 2145, pix, tv, graphic, Aref Mohammed and Mussab Al-Khairalla, 700 words)

SULAIMANIYA, Iraq - Turkish warplanes bomb villages deep in northern Iraq, killing one woman and wounding two other people in one of the heaviest raids against Kurdish rebels in months, local officials say (TURKEY-IRAQ/STRIKES (UPDATE 9), moved at 2045, by Sherko Raouf, 600 words)

See also IRAQ/USA-TROOPS, moved at 1501, by Dean Yates, 600 words, IRAQ-BASRA/BRITAIN (FACTBOX), moved at 1038, 550 words

CIA INTERROGATION TAPES

WASHINGTON - U.S. Congress members vow to investigate the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotapes even though the Justice Department advised the agency not to cooperate (SECURITY-CIA/INTERROGATIONS (UPDATE 1), moved at 1746, by Randall Mikkelsen, 600 words)

SOUTH AFRICA

POLOKWANE, South Africa - South Africa's ruling ANC, riven by the worst divisions in its history, begins conference expected to put controversial populist Jacob Zuma on the road to country's presidency (SAFRICA-ANC/ (UPDATE 6), moved at 2035, pix, tv, by Bate Felix, 600 words)

See also: SAFRICA-ANC/COUNTRY (FACTBOX), SAFRICA-ANC/ZUMA (PROFILE), SAFRICA-ANC/MBEKI (PROFILE), SAFRICA-ANC/HISTORY (FACTBOX), SAFRICA-ANC/ISSUES (FACTBOX), all moved

CLIMATE

WASHINGTON - A breakthrough deal forged by delegates from 190 countries has revived world efforts to fight global warming and may help push the debate to the front and center of the U.S. political debate (USA-POLITICS/CLIMATE, moved at 1703, pix, by Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent, 800 words)

See also CLIMATE-SEA/, moved at 1431, 380 words)

OTHER STORIES BY REGION

AMERICAS

BOSTON - A snowstorm that blanketed parts of the Midwestern United States barrels into New England, bringing snow, freezing rain and high winds that ground flights and make driving treacherous (USA-STORMS/ (UPDATE 1), moved at 2118, pix, by Scott Malone, 450 words)

PHOENIX - In recent weeks the battle lines in a heated debate in the United States over illegal immigration have been drawn across the sidewalk outside an Arizona furniture store (USA-IMMIGRATION/PROTEST, moved at 1259, by Tim Gaynor, 700 words)

EUROPE

MOSCOW - Defiant ex-Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky blames Russia's secret services for trying to block his efforts to run for Russia's Presidency when he successfully took the first step to register as a candidate (RUSSIA-DISSIDENT/VOTE, moved at 1657, pix, tv, by Conor Sweeney, 500 words)

BRUSSELS - The European Commission and a group of countries in the Caribbean agree on a wide-ranging new trade deal, only days before an end-of-year deadline (EU-CARIBBEAN/ (UPDATE 2), moved at 1529, by William Schomberg, 500 words)

MIDDLE EAST

MECCA, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia vows to maintain the safety of over 2 million Muslims performing haj pilgrimage next week, citing new procedures at a bridge where hundreds have died before in stampedes (HAJ-SECURITY/, moved at 1016, pix, tv, by Jonathan Wright, 500 words)

See also PALESTINIANS-ISRAEL/PILGRIMAGE, moved at 1721, 250 words

AFRICA

BAIDOA, Somalia - Somalia's new prime minister dismisses cabinet in a drive to unify an interim government crippled by a power-sharing row (SOMALIA-CONFLICT/ (UPDATE 2), moved at 1947, 600 words)

NAIROBI - The military wing of Somalia's Islamist movement plans to intensify its offensive against government troops and their Ethiopian allies, a senior commander says, warning of more bloodshed amid a spiraling human crisis (SOMALIA-CONFLICT/ (INTERVIEW), moved at 1052, 650 words)

See also SOMALIA-JOURNALIST/ (UPDATE 3), moved at 1709, by Abdiqani Hassan, 600 words)

ASIA-PACIFIC

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan government hails end of emergency rule, but many politicians, voters and media say President Musharraf remains entrenched in power with Jan. 8 elections unfairly skewed in his favor (PAKISTAN/, moved at 0845, pix, tv, by Alistair Scrutton, 800 words)