UNDER PRESSURE: Bainimarama asked for the world to understand the situation as he attempted to consolidate his control by appointing a colleague as prime minister
Fiji's self-proclaimed military leader yesterday appealed to the world for understanding of his coup, claiming democracy was being used as a Trojan horse for corruption in the Pacific island state.

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A US serviceman fatally shot a civilian at the US military air base in Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday "in response to a threat," the US military said.

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A Tamil lawmaker said yesterday a decision by the Sri Lankan government to enforce a tough anti-terrorism law will strip the ethnic minority group of human rights.

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LOW PRESSURE: A top Hamas official said that donations from European and Arab countries to the government or to Palestinians had increased, despite sanctions
UN aid groups are asking for a record US$450 million to staunch a deepening Palestinian humanitarian crisis, saying on Wednesday that international sanctions on the Hamas-led government and Israeli restrictions on Gaza exports have devastated the Palestinian economy.

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INADEQUATE PROTECTION: Residents and refugees near El Fasher protested against African Union peacekeeping troops ill-equipped to stop the aggression in the region
The UN has airlifted dozens of its own and other agencies' staff out of the main Darfur town of El Fasher and said on Wednesday it was prepared for more evacuations if the already tense situation worsens.

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INTERNATIONAL CASE: Terrorism Command investigators met with a witness in Moscow on Wednesday, in spite of Russia's discouragement
British police said on Wednesday that they were now proceeding with their investigation into last month's poisoning of former Russian intelligence agent Alexander Litvinenko as a murder inquiry.

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The UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Wednesday night ordered the force-feeding of a Serbian warlord and senior politician who has been on hunger strike in custody for almost a month.

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that he and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will discuss a proposed South American megapipeline during energy talks in the capital of Brasilia.

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SPRING BABY: Dick Cheney is looking forward to the arrival of his grandchild but his office declined to elaborate on the circumstances of his lesbian daughter's pregnancy
Conservative leaders voiced dismay on Wednesday at news that Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of US Vice President Dick Cheney, is pregnant, while a gay-rights group said the vice president faces "a lifetime of sleepless nights" for serving in an administration that has opposed recognition of same-sex couples.

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A US report on the country's strategy in Iraq was welcomed by some governments on Wednesday, but its call for talks with Iran and Syria and for action on the Arab-Israeli conflict drew criticism elsewhere.

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New Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced a program to help the country's 100 poorest communities on Wednesday, responding to leftist critics who accuse the conservative leader of wanting to help only the rich.

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■ Macau
Minister arrested for bribes
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