PROTEST: Fretilin supporters held a brief demonstration outside the government's offices as the new Cabinet arrived, but the rest of Dili was reported to be largely calm
Former guerrilla leader Xanana Gusmao pledged to unite East Timor as he was sworn in yesterday as the young country's new prime minister at a ceremony boycotted by the previous ruling party.

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HOT ISSUES: The voting came at the end of a two-week campaign that threw a spotlight on the role of Islam in politics, and a host of social and environmental concerns
Millions of people in the Indonesian capital voted for their governor for the first time yesterday, the latest in a wave of direct local elections hailed as key to strengthening democracy in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

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Ma Lik (馬力), the leader of Hong Kong's leading pro-Beijing political party, DAB, has died, a party official said yesterday. He was 55.

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The Yangtze river dolphin, until recently one of the most endangered species on the planet, has been declared officially extinct following an intensive survey of its natural habitat.

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Coral reefs in much of the Pacific Ocean are dying faster than previously thought, according to a study released yesterday, with the decline driven by climate change, disease and coastal development.

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As exceptionally heavy rains continued to cut a wide swath of ruin across northern India, a top UN official warned on Tuesday that the vagaries of climate change could destroy vast swaths of farmland, ultimately affecting food production and adding to the woes of already desperate peasants who live off the land.

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PRESSURE: Moscow is refusing to meet commitments it made to Tehran until the latter shows more willingness to cooperate with the UN on its nuclear activities
Moscow has warned Tehran it will not deliver fuel to a nearly completed Russian-built nuclear reactor unless Tehran lifts the veil of secrecy on suspicious past atomic activities, a European diplomat said.

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The EU is threatening to impose tit-for-tat entry restrictions on all US citizens traveling to Europe in response to new US laws designed to strengthen security at airports and prevent would-be terrorists entering the country. US tourists can now travel to Europe without a visa.

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EXPLOSIVE: A Russian general said a missile fired on Georgian territory was Georgian, while Tbilisi countered that it has neither aircraft of the type seen or any such missiles
Georgia said yesterday it had proof that Russian jets violated its airspace and released a missile that landed near a house. Russia has denied the claim.

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The UN said it has received pledges of troops and police for a predominantly African peacekeeping force to help end the four-year conflict in Darfur that has claimed more than 200,000 lives, which would meet a key Sudanese demand.

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British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was waiting for a second report yesterday on Britain's foot-and-mouth (FMD) outbreak after an initial probe fingered human activity at a laboratory as the most likely cause.

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U-TURN: Pressure from the families of UK residents held at Guantanamo prompted the change in policy, a move the US welcomed to reduce its detainee population
The British government on Tuesday called on the US to return five UK residents held without charge at Guantanamo Bay in a sudden reversal of policy which follows years of refusing to help the men.

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LIVING IN LUXURY: Police said Juan Ramirez Abadia, who faces three US federal indictments on drug and racketeering, had surgery to alter his appearance
A top leader of Colombia's biggest drug cartel was captured in a luxurious home and alleged to have used legitimate business interests in Brazil to launder money from cocaine shipped to the US and Europe.

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The administration of US President George W. Bush is becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of an imminent British withdrawal from southern Iraq and would prefer that UK troops remain for another year or two.

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Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrived in Iran yesterday for a visit aimed at winning Tehran's full support for restoring security to his war-torn country and continuing talks with the US.

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A wrongly deported US citizen who was missing for nearly three months in Mexico ate out of garbage cans, bathed in rivers and was repeatedly turned away by US border agents when he tried to return to California, his family said.

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■ CHINA
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