TANOUT, Niger - Rebels in Niger have attacked a town, killing or abducting several people, including the town's mayor, in the biggest raid in recent months. Tuareg rebels, seeking more autonomy and a better share of the profits from uranium mining, say they abducted 11 people from Tanout, which is northeast of the Nigerien capital of Niamey, the BBC reported Tuesday. The government broadcast messages over state radio this month, calling on citizens to report ... [full story]

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The Pakistani military Tuesday claimed its security forces killed 37 militants in clashes in the South Waziristan tribal area.The military said five government soldiers were killed in the fighting, GeoTV reported.The fighting started after the militants attacked a check post and a fort in Ladha in South Waziristan, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told Geo News.The military spokesman said the security forces launched a counter attack, killing 37 insurgents.In a separate incident in ... [full story]

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - The Sri Lankan government Tuesday claimed its forces destroyed 24 Tamil Tiger bunkers in separate clashes in the northern region, killing 15 rebels.The announcement said the forces lost two of its soldiers in the fighting reported in the region's Nagarkovil, Muhamalai and Kilali districts. The report said 30 more rebels and nine more soldiers were wounded.The rebels' Web site, TamilNet, claimed Tiger forces beat back the army's advances in some of ... [full story]

OTTAWA - Canada must emphasize diplomacy and reconstruction in Afghanistan, and its military must move from combat to training Afghan forces, a panel recommended."We are recommending a Canadian commitment to Afghanistan that is neither open-ended nor faint-hearted," the report released by the advisory panel Tuesday said.The panel, led by former Cabinet minister John Manley, was established to offer recommendations on Canada's future role in Afghanistan once its current military commitment ends in February 2009, the ... [full story]

LONDON - Queen Elizabeth II of Britain made a secret deal to have the wills of her mother and sister sealed, according to testimony before an Appeals Court.The Daily Telegraph reported a transcript of the hearing last month shows the attorney general and the judge then heading the family court agreed in 2002 to allow all royal wills to remain under seal in the future. Even Mark Potter, who succeeded Elizabeth Butler-Ross as head of ... [full story]

GAZA - Palestinian protesters and Egyptian forces clashed Tuesday at Rafah Crossing after protesters demanded the crossing be opened to ease the Gaza siege.Palestinians reported 50 women were injured in the incident with security forces, including 15 suffering gunshot wounds, Ynetnews reported. Israel initiated the blockade in response to rocket attacks.The security forces used dogs and water hoses to push back protesters, the Israeli news service reported. Several Palestinians were arrested.Meanwhile, Arab members of the ... [full story]

MOSCOW - Russian naval war games are taking on a nuclear flavor with maneuvers involving cruise missiles and strategic bombers.The Russian navy said Tuesday that a pair of Tu-160 bombers were taking part in exercises in the Bay of Biscay to practice the launch of tactical missiles while working in conjunction with warships.Additional nuclear-capable bombers will join the operations later this week, the RIA Novosti news service said.RIA Novosti said Moscow also reported the flagship ... [full story]

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said Tuesday he is against a military solution to the decades-long Tamil ethnic conflict on the island nation."I have never been for a military solution," Rajapaksa told reporters in the capital, Colombo. "I have been and will always want a political solution."Violence has escalated in recent years with the government currently involved in a campaign in the northern region to root out the Tamil Tigers, who ... [full story]

NEW YORK - Australian film actor Heath Ledger was reportedly found dead in a New York apartment Tuesday. He was 28 years old.Police told The New York Times they did not suspect foul play and said they found pills near Ledger's body. Ledger starred in the movies "Monster's Ball," "The Patriot," "A Knight's Tale," "10 Things I Hate About You" and "Ned Kelly," but his major breakthrough was in the 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain," for ... [full story]

CARLSBAD, Calif. - A California home buyer who says she paid too much for her home sued her real estate agent, claiming the agent hid information to collect a larger commission.Real estate lawyers and brokers say the case, which goes on trial Monday, probably would be the first of many in which buyers seek compensation from their agents who found their home and arranged its purchase, The New York Times reported Monday.In her suit, Marty ... [full story]