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Hamas chief, Abbas cancel key meeting

By Wire services
Published January 21, 2007

Key talks on forming a Palestinian unity government and ending deadly infighting were canceled Saturday night, dimming expectations for a planned meeting in Syria between the Palestinian president and the exiled leader of the military group Hamas. Izzat Rashaq, a member of Hamas' politburo, said further preliminary negotiations were needed to resolve differences over forming a coalition government before Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal could meet. Before Abbas arrived in Damascus, he had billed talks with Mashaal as a last-ditch effort to end the crisis.

Police detain 15 in bomb inquiry

Authorities in Thailand detained 15 people, including eight military officers, in connection with a string of bombings that killed three people and disrupted celebrations on New Year's Eve, the police said Saturday. The arrests were made under the provisions of martial law imposed after a coup four months ago that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The police said no charges had been filed, and it remained unclear who was behind the bombings, which the government has blamed on supporters of Thaksin.

Vatican weighs China relations

The Vatican issued a statement Saturday on its future relations with China, saying it wanted a "respectful and constructive dialogue" to rebuild diplomatic ties but still noting the "suffering" of Chinese Catholics. The statement was issued after two days of high-level talks at the Vatican on rebuilding relations with China. The statement said Pope Benedict XVI intended to write a letter to Catholics in China, though it did not say when or hint at any message. Concrete steps on rebuilding relations were frozen after the official Chinese church, which answers to the government, appointed several bishops last year without the pope's consent.

Woman becomes latest flu victim

A 19-year-old Indonesian woman died of bird flu, a senior Health Ministry official said Saturday, raising the country's death toll to 62. The woman, from a village in West Java province, died on Friday after being hospitalized for three days, said Nyoman Kandun, the ministry's director general of communicable disease control. The woman's death is the fifth such fatality in the country since Jan. 9. Before that, Indonesia had not recorded any cases for six weeks - a lull that led some Indonesian officials to say they were succeeding in beating the disease.

Prince cancels trip citing emissions

Prince Charles canceled a traditional skiing holiday in Switzerland in a bid to reduce carbon emissions, his office said Saturday. The decision came a day after campaigners and a government minister criticized his decision to fly to New York to collect an award for work on environmental issues. Environment Secretary David Miliband expressed reservations about the heir to the British throne traveling to the ceremony, while advocacy groups urged him to use a video link instead. His office said he had decided last year to cancel the skiing holiday in an effort to reduce the number of flights he takes.

[Last modified January 21, 2007, 01:10:28]