Previous Day
Cleric in mosque siege offers to surrender
PAKISTAN: As smoke poured from the roof of his
Islamabad mosque, a radical Pakistani cleric offered to surrender
last night to try to end an intense three-day siege by government
security forces. p
Israeli troops kill seven in Gaza incursion
MIDDLE EAST: Israeli troops crossed into the central Gaza Strip yesterday, killing seven Palestinian fighters, including six from Hamas. p
Resolution to Tamil conflict more remote than ever
SRI LANKA: Sri Lanka's 2007 defence budget is to surge 45 per cent and there are plans to recruit 50,000 more troops for the army, writes Tom Farrell in Jaffna. p
Other World Stories
London security tightens for Tour de France
THE UK: Security will be tight in London again today as the Tour de France arrives in the capital ahead of tomorrow's second anniversary of the July 7th bombings on the transport network. pTerror suspects' families left reeling over arrests
INDIA: When Sabeel Ahmed (26) did not make his daily telephone call from England to his mother in Bangalore at the weekend, she became worried, writes Rahul Bedi from Bangalore. pRwandan ex-major is jailed for murder of peacekeepers
BELGIUM: A Belgian court sentenced a former Rwandan army major to 20 years in prison yesterday for murdering 10 Belgian peacekeepers at the start of the genocide in the African state in 1994. pArafat's legacy of lawlessness
MIDDLE EAST: Palestinian leaders must break with the past and impose law and order, writes Michael Jansen . pJazz world pays tribute as George Melly dies
THE UK: He always said he wanted to die either coming off stage with applause ringing in his ears or by a riverbank with two trout by his side. It didn't happen quite like that for George Melly. And he would probably have been withering about some of the more flamboyant tributes paid to him yesterday. pChinese police seek cause of blast that killed 25 in karaoke bar
CHINA: A birthday party celebration in a karaoke bar in northeastern China turned horribly wrong after an explosion ripped through the parlour killing 25 people and injuring 33. pTaiwan seeks Ozzy to boost its UN bid
TAIWAN: The self-ruled island state of Taiwan has enlisted no less a figure than rock legend Ozzy Osbourne to boost its latest bid to join the United Nations. pPolish opposition calls on minister to resign
POLAND: Poland's leading opposition party has called for the resignation of foreign minister Anna Fotyga, tabling a parliamentary motion of no confidence in her political abilities. pLabour party in Wales is split over sharing power with nationalists
WALES: Former Welsh secretary of state Paul Murphy has urged his Labour colleagues in the Welsh Assembly to reject a proposed coalition deal with Plaid Cymru. pEco-tourism thrives where bears don't fear the bullet
Letter from Transylvania: The hide has thick walls and windows and we cannot be heard in the clearing outside, but as light drains from the forest our conversation dwindles to brief whispers, writes Daniel McLaughlin . pIn short
A round-up of today's other stories in brief p
