World News

I was woken up by the sound of muffled explosions in the vicinity, apparently still on the outskirts of Grozny. In the last few days I have learned to distinguish between the thunder of a tank and the explosions of bombs, dropped by planes. The aerial bombing produces more noise. Besides that, when the Russian planes appear over Grozny, the chechen anti-aircraft guns open their fire. This time the fire came from the tanks.

The rumbling did persist. Every minute the city was shaken by a few thunderous hits. No doubt, all city's inhabitants were awakened. At that time I still did not know, but guessed that the attack of Grozny has begun.

Gaza's main hospital, already full of Palestinians wounded in the week-long Israeli air assault, reached critical mass on Sunday, according to a Norwegian doctor volunteering at Shifa Hospital.

"We've had a steady stream [of patients] every day, but the last 24 hours has [brought] about triple the number of cases," Dr. Erik Fosse told CNN. "So this day has been extremely busy."

Fosse said he estimated that about 30 percent of the casualties at Shifa Hospital on Sunday were children, both among the dead and the wounded.

The search continues for more possible victims after a series of powerful earthquakes in remote eastern Indonesia killed at least four people.

Launching a much expected ground offensive in a widening war on Gaza's Hamas rulers, Israeli tanks and infantry entered Gaza after nightfall Saturday.

Australia has told the United States for a second time that it will not resettle detainees freed from the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba.

Raul Castro was unanimously selected by Cuba's National Assembly in February to succeed Fidel Castro after his nearly 50-year reign as Cuba's leader. The younger Castro had largely been in charge since an aging Fidel underwent major surgery in July 2006.

When Raul officially took the reins, he quickly focused on overhauling Cuba's lackluster economy, which had weakened under trade embargos and long-held communist policies. The first wave of reforms instituted included the right for Cubans to buy new electronic goods, most notably cell phones; the right to operate private transportation practices, such as a taxi or bus routes; the right to obtain the title to a state-owned home; and the right to stay in tourist hotels.

Gazprom , the Russian energy monopoly, shut the entire flow of natural gas intended for Ukraine 's domestic consumption Thursday morning after negotiations over prices and transit fees unraveled the day before.

The Iraqi government made final preparations for what it considers a restoration of its full sovereignty when a new security pact with the United States goes into effect today.

Dec 31 - An Indonesian court acquits a former intelligence official of the murder of Munir Said Thalib, a prominent rights activist, in 2004.

A Latvian citizen asked Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich to buy his country.

The Latvian specified advantages of his country in the letter. "I would like you to consider the possibility of purchasing Latvia: the population is hard working and pleasant, environmentally clean area and plenty of space to dock your yacht," the letter said. Over 400 Latvian citizens signed the letter. Earlier in the year some 2,000 Latvian residents, the country has a population of around 2.3 million, posted a petition on the internet asking the government of Sweden "to occupy" their country.

Israeli airstrikes pounding Gaza are deepening the humanitarian crisis in an area that was already in deep distress, according to a United Nations aid official.

"The situation is absolutely disastrous," U.N. official Christopher Gunness told CNN on Sunday, as a second day of aerial attacks brought the death toll in Gaza close to 300. Hundreds more people have been injured.

Late at night, the neighbors saw a little girl at the kitchen sink of the house next door.

They watched through their window as the child rinsed plates under the open faucet. She wasn't much taller than the counter and the soapy water swallowed her slender arms. To put the dishes away, she climbed on a chair.

But she was not the daughter of the couple next door doing chores. She was their maid.

A single-file line of school children walked past a military checkpoint Sunday as a bomb-loaded truck veered toward them and exploded, ending the lives of 14 young Afghans in a heartbreaking flash captured by a U.S. military security camera.