International News

Heavy fighting as Lanka troops near rebel capital
Pro-LTTE party protests military operation
Afp, Pti, Colombo
Intense battles gripped Sri Lanka's northern Wanni region as government forces stepped up pressure on the Tamil rebel political capital, the defence ministry said yesterday.


Bush leaves ME peace puzzle for Obama
Ap, Jerusalem
The Bush administration has conceded that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is no longer possible by the end of its term and is preparing to hand the fragile, unfinished US-backed peace effort to President-elect Obama.


37 civilians killed in US airstrike
Confirms Afghan probe
Afp, Kandahar
An Afghan investigation has found that 37 civilians were killed in US airstrikes that hit a wedding party, along with 26 Taliban, the Kandahar provincial government said yesterday.


No hidden white bias seen in election
Ap, Washington
Whether whites supported Barack Obama or not, they don't seem to have lied to pollsters about it.


Obama receives greetings from world leaders
Ap, Chicago
President-elect Obama accepted congratulations from nine presidents and prime ministers Thursday, returning calls from world leaders who reached out after his presidential victory.


Bush admn deported record number of illegals last year
Ap, Washington
The US government arrested and deported record numbers of illegal immigrants nearly 350,000 in the past year, authorities say. It has also naturalized a record number of new Americans during the same time period, more than 1 million. Bush administration officials consider these to be great accomplishments within a system that President-elect Obama calls "broken and overwhelmed" on his transition Web site.


Arabs see hope in Obama after years of Bush
Ap, Cairo
An Arab news network blared US election coverage in a Cairo hair salon, and the barbers and beauticians watched the images of Barack Obama's victory in amazement.