A British-educated neurosurgeon who spent 30 years in exile in Britain, and who has close links with both the CIA and MI6, was named as Iraq's new interim prime minister last night.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1227372,00.html

Ayad Allawi, 58, the head of the Iraqi National Accord (INA), emerged as Iraq's surprise new leader after weeks of speculation and intrigue.

Earlier this year the INA said it had provided "in good faith" the raw intelligence from a single source that was used to support the claim that Saddam Hussein was able to deploy weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes of the order.

Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN's special envoy to Iraq, was taken off-guard by the announcement of the decision, which he had originally planned to make before the UN security council next month. A spokesman for Mr Brahimi, acknowledged that he was not present when Mr Allawi was chosen, but said that he would "respect" the governing council's choice.