UP TO THE TASK: The US Secretary of Defense said it's time for Asian states to assume responsibility for their own security instead of relying on the US to be `the guarantor'
US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called on Friday on Asian states to work more closely together on security issues and not to depend only on the US to ensure regional stability.

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ALL IN A DAY'S WORK: Despite a government-imposed media blackout, journalists in Pakistan are taking more extreme measures to make sure the news gets out
TV journalist Asma Chaudhry runs from baton-wielding police, shields her face as they fire tear gas and then describes to viewers how yet another protest against Pakistan's military ruler has been brutally crushed.

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Sri Lankan troops killed 17 Tamil Tiger rebels in clashes in the north of the island, while a soldier was also killed in the fighting, a military spokesman said yesterday.

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A two-year-old Indian girl separated from her conjoined twin was doing well yesterday after regaining consciousness for the first time after a grueling 27 hours of surgery.

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USE IT OR LOSE IT: Although ASEAN was founded 40 years ago, the charter to be signed this month will codify the group's principles and rules for the first time
A landmark charter to be signed by Southeast Asian leaders this month seeks to promote human rights and democracy but doubts remain over how it can bring rogue members such as Myanmar into line.

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EXPLOSIONS: A blast in Iraq targeting leaders of the fight against al-Qaeda killed four, while a bomber in northern Afghanistan `exploded himself' as he was chased by police
A suicide bomber exploded his vest inside a house in central Iraq, killing four tribal leaders spearheading the fight against al-Qaeda in Diyala Province, police and the US military said yesterday.

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TAINTED LAW: Former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik faces a 16-count federal indictment that includes charges of tax evasion and getting witnesses to lie
Bernard Kerik, a protege of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani who once led the US' largest police department, pleaded not guilty to a wide-ranging indictment charging him with "selling his office" and lying to cover up the scheme.

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Authorities in Chad released three Spanish flight crew members and a Belgian pilot detained in a suspected kidnapping plot by a French charity that tried to fly more than 100 African children to Europe, a defense lawyer said on Friday.

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez invited Brazil to become part of his "Petroamericas" initiative, which aims to strengthen a regional energy alliance on the back of surging world oil prices.

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Heavy fighting between insurgents and Ethiopian troops backing Somalia's shaky government has killed 50 people and wounded 100 in the past 24 hours, witnesses and doctors said on Friday.

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A WAY FORWARD: The diplomat said he was going to visit a 'friend' to express disappointment over a state of emergency that was approved by parliament on Friday
A US diplomat heading to the Republic of Georgia said he will express serious disappointment to Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili about his imposition of a state of emergency.

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All three suspects in the murder of a British student in Italy were remanded in custody on Friday by an investigating magistrate whose order, leaked to the media, painted a lurid picture of debauchery and depredation.

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HISTORY REPEATED?: The Venezuelan leader says the atmosphere is similar to tensions five years ago that led to a failed military rebellion
The defection of Venezuela's former military chief coupled with massive protests that have turned violent have given Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez a potentially explosive mixture to worry about as he seeks to expand his power through constitutional changes.

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Most of the oil that spilled into San Francisco Bay when a Chinese-owned container ship struck the Bay Bridge will never be retrieved and eventually will be absorbed into the ecosystem, authorities said.

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Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced a review into dealings between former prime minister Brian Mulroney and a businessman who is wanted in Germany on tax and fraud charges.

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■ SINGAPORE

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