Sirens sounded and Chinese students stood at attention yesterday to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan's notorious wartime massacre of civilians in the city of Nanjing.

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`ABUSE OF POWER': Police and soldiers were guarding the Solomons' Parliament House to dissuade unrest after lawmakers voted 25 to 22 to oust the prime minister
Solomon Islands lawmakers ousted Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare in a vote of no-confidence yesterday, as large numbers of police and soldiers patrolled the South Pacific nation's capital in case the ballot triggered unrest.

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SECURITY ACT: Rights activists have called for the abolition of the act, which allows detention without trial, as the government uses it to crack down on dissent
Five leaders of the Malaysian Indian activist group Hindraf were detained yesterday under controversial internal security laws that allow for detention without trial, a spokesman said.

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A Japanese navy officer suspected of leaking classified data on the high-tech AEGIS radar system, part of a Japan-US mutual defense agreement, was arrested yesterday, the Japanese navy said.

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North and South Korean soldiers engaged in a minor scuffle during military talks yesterday over the two countries' long-running dispute on their sea border.

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DOUBLE TEAM: NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer made his plea in Tokyo, while US Defense Secretary Robert Gates pressured EU ministers in Scotland
The head of NATO called yesterday for Japan's support for efforts to quell insurgency in Afghanistan amid intense debate in Japan about how to contribute to global security.

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BACK TO WORK: Rome said the protest, which cost farms and businesses millions of dollars and left many gasoline stations dry, would come to an end
Italian truck drivers agreed to call off a protest that has blocked highways and borders for three days, causing shortages of gasoline, medicines and perishable foods across Italy, government officials said.

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CONSENSUS CRUMBLES: The right-wing party withdrew after its leader suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of a more moderate member
The right-wing Swiss People's Party withdrew from Switzerland's coalition government yesterday following the ousting from the Cabinet on Wednesday of leading figure Christoph Blocher.

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Kremlin critic and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov will not run in the Russian presidential election, his spokeswoman said yesterday, accusing authorities of blocking supporters' efforts to hold a nominating conference.

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The waters off Somalia's 2,900km coast are the most lawless in the world, with pirates -- some working for the clans who rule instead of a government ashore -- cruising the sea with impunity as their country festers in chaos.

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SOVEREIGNTY THREAT: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the murder of top Lebanese army officer Brigadier General Francois Hajj in a bomb blast
The killing of a top army officer in Lebanon is a clear message aimed at terrorizing the country's military chief who has been tipped to become president, the country's newspapers said yesterday.

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A warning on a small tractor that reads "Danger: Avoid Death" was named on Wednesday as the US' wackiest warning label by an anti-lawsuit group.

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Overriding the safety concerns of its regulator, the Canadian government is rushing through legislation to reopen a nuclear reactor that produces most of the world's supply of a medically important diagnostic isotope.

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US President Bush may call the shots around the White House. But now there is video proof that his dog Barney doesn't listen to him.

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Ike Turner, whose role as one of rock's critical architects was overshadowed by his ogrelike image as the man who brutally abused former wife Tina Turner, has died at his home in suburban San Diego. He was 76.

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FUNNY MONEY: The Venezuelan foreign minister, Nicolas Maduro, slammed allegations that clandestine funding emanated from Caracas
US prosecutors said a suitcase filled with nearly US$800,000 was brought into Argentina from Venezuela as a campaign contribution allegedly intended for Argentina's newly elected president.

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■ INDIA

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