The Daily Star: Internet Edition Mon. December 25, 2006

Vol. 5 Num 917

Mon. December 25, 2006


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International

Germany freezes aid pledges to Lanka
Artillery duels ahead of showdown
Germany said it will not offer the Sri Lankan government new aid until the peace process in the country advances and called on other nations to increase the pressure on Colombo.

Israeli ministers ask govt to respond to rocket attacks
Israeli ministers urged a response to continuing rocket fire from Gaza yesterday, as two more rockets were fired into the Jewish state by militants inside the coastal strip in a new breach of a nearly

94 die in Indonesia, Malaysian floods
At least 94 people were killed and dozens left missing by floods in Indonesia and Malaysia, officials said. Looting broke out in areas of Malaysia abandoned because of rising waters.

New Pentagon chief briefs Bush on Iraq
7 Iraqi cops, 2 GIs killed
President Bush, drafting an overhaul of his faltering and unpopular war plan, heard Saturday from a Pentagon chief who had just returned from Iraq with a positive impression of Iraqi leaders' plans to

Five Taliban killed in Nato-led raid
An air strike by Nato-led forces killed five insurgents in southern Afghanistan while two other rebels were blown up when their bomb exploded prematurely, the interior ministry said yesterday.

Colombian rebels kill 14 troops in ambush
Colombian rebels ambushed an army patrol and killed 14 soldiers on Saturday in one of the worst attacks this year on troops fighting in President Alvaro Uribe's US-backed campaign to end a four-decade

Row erupts in Bhutan over transition to democracy
A row has erupted over the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan's planned transition from royal rule to constitutional monarchy, reports said yesterday.

US eyes 'opportunities' in Central Asia after death of Turkmen ruler
The United States sees opportunities for expanded cooperation in Central Asia and wants a peaceful transition of power in Turkmenistan following the death of the country's president, a senior US official

Christmas in Asia
Shopping, barbecues and security worries
The day before Christmas was marked across Asia with last-minute shopping, security sweeps, transport congestion and final preparations for the holidays.

Iran has right to peaceful nuke programme: India
Nuclear-armed and energy-hungry India said yesterday that Iran had a right to pursue a nuclear energy programme, and said the crisis over Tehran's suspect ambitions should be resolved by dialogue.

North Korea vows fight against US sanction
North Korean state media praised the country's leader Sunday for standing up to its enemies a day after the army's chief of staff vowed to take action against US sanctions after nuclear disarmament talks

Search for other worlds to step up with launch of French planet hunter
A 12-year-old quest to find planets orbiting other stars gets a big boost this week with the launch of a French-made spacecraft that may help reveal a home-from-home for our descendants.

UNSC calls for an end to attacks on journalists
The UN Security Council has condemned attacks on journalists working in war zones and called on all parties to put an end to such violence.

4 militants killed in Kashmir
Four Islamic militants have been killed and four other people, including three policemen, injured in two separate gunbattles with Indian troops in restive Kashmir, police said Sunday.

3 shot dead after Shia scholar's funeral in Pakistan
At least three people were killed and five others injured in a gun battle in a northwest Pakistani city Sunday after the funeral of a slain Shia Muslim scholar, police said.

Bachchan is Indian of the Year
Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, whose star and sex appeal remains undiminished by age, has been voted Indian of the Year, The Times of India reported on Sunday.

3 of Egypt family test positive for bird flu
Three members of the same family in Egypt have tested positive for H5N1 bird flu, a World Health Organisation official said yesterday.

Lanka to rescue crew of Jordanian ship from north
Sri Lanka's military will mount an operation to rescue the crew of a Jordanian ship which drifted into waters near a Tamil Tiger stronghold, truce monitors said yesterday, the latest flashpoint in renewed

7 killed as Darfur rebels, govt forces clash
Fighting between Darfur rebels and government forces near the northern town of Kutum has killed seven people and insurgents said yesterday they shot down two army helicopters in the area.

Channel Tunnel 'under threat of attack'
The Channel Tunnel is under threat of attack from Islamist militants over the Christmas holiday period, British weekly newspaper The Observer said yesterday, citing French and US security services.

Myanmar rebel leader dies after long illness
A veteran leader of Myanmar's ethnic Karen rebel movement, which is fighting one of the world's longest-running insurgencies, has died aged 79, rebel officials said yesterday.