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Reuters - 1 hour 26 minutes ago

More than 18,000 buried by quake in one China town

BEIJING - China said on Tuesday 18,645 people were buried under debris in the city of Mianyang, neighbouring Wenchuan county, the epicentre of Monday's devastating earthquake. Some 3,629 people had been confirmed dead. The death toll from China's most devastating earthquake in three decades has jumped to more than 12,000, a top disaster relief official said on Tuesday, as storms hampered rescuers in the most devastated areas.

Rain lashes Myanmar cyclone survivors

YANGON - Heavy rains pelted homeless cyclone survivors in Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta on Tuesday, complicating already slow delivery of aid to more than 1.5 million people facing hunger and disease. As more foreign aid trickled into the former Burma, critics ratcheted up the pressure on its military rulers to accelerate a relief effort that is only delivering an estimated one-tenth of the supplies needed in the devastated delta.

Shi'ite gunmen in Baghdad ignore truce

BAGHDAD - An agreement aimed at ending fighting in the Baghdad bastion of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was on the verge of collapse on Tuesday after gunmen launched a spate of attacks on U.S. troops. The deal between the ruling Shi'ite alliance and Sadr's opposition movement in parliament to end fighting in the Sadr City slum district was formally signed on Monday.

Lebanese army begins drive to restore order

BEIRUT - Lebanon's army stepped up patrols on Tuesday as part of a drive to restore order after a week of fighting between Hezbollah fighters and pro-government gunmen. Hezbollah, the Shi'ite Muslim movement backed by Iran and Syria, and its opposition allies have routed supporters of the Sunni-led government in Beirut and hills to the east in fighting that has pushed Lebanon to the brink of a new civil war.

Zimbabwe opposition says regional observers enough

JOHANNESBURG - The leader of Zimbabwe's main opposition group said on Tuesday he would contest a presidential run-off against veteran President Robert Mugabe even if only regional observers could be present. Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai had previously called for unfettered access for international observers, which the government rejected. The MDC accuses Mugabe of trying to intimidate voters and rig the poll.

Blair says Israel agrees to ease West Bank restrictions

JERUSALEM - Israel has agreed to ease gradually some travel and trade restrictions on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Middle East envoy Tony Blair said on Tuesday. The measures, unveiled by Blair a day before a visit by U.S. President George W. Bush, were intended to boost Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that have show little sign of progress.

Taliban ban TV in Afghan province

KABUL - Taliban insurgents have ordered residents of a province near the capital Kabul to stop watching television, saying the networks were showing un-Islamic programmes, officials and local media said on Tuesday. The order is the last in a wave of curbs that the resurgent militants have announced in areas they are active.

Clinton aims for big win in West Virginia

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton appeared headed to a big West Virginia victory over front-runner Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential race on Tuesday, although it could be too late to turn around her faltering White House bid. Clinton has an advantage of at least 20 points in most opinion polls in West Virginia, a bastion of the white working-class voters who have become her strongest supporters in the gruelling battle for the Democratic nomination.

Rights group concerned at mass arrests in Khartoum

KHARTOUM - Human Rights Watch voiced concern on Tuesday at mass arrests in Khartoum after an attack on Sudan's capital by Darfur rebels and said it feared some people had been tortured or killed. Authorities were shaken by the attack, the first time fighting had reached the capital in decades of conflict between the traditionally Arab-dominated central government and rebels from far-flung regions in the oil-producing country.

Split in Pakistani coalition dashes hopes of many

ISLAMABAD - Pakistanis are shocked by the split of a six-week-old coalition government on which they had pinned hopes for stability and change, and fear another bout of political polarisation and turbulence. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who heads the second biggest party in the coalition, announced on Monday his members were quitting the cabinet after failing to reach agreement with the party of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on the restoration of judges fired by President Pervez Musharraf.

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