World

A survivor was pulled from the wreckage of a power plant in China Tuesday, becoming the second person to be found alive a week after the May 12 earthquake. But a warning of strong new aftershocks panicked thousands of people in southwestern Szechuan Province. The government said it needs donations of 3 million tents to house those left homeless but that all such people will receive a $1.44-a-day subsidy.

Iraqi Army units had to clear more than 100 roadside bombs but met no other resistance Tuesday as they moved deep into Baghdad's Sadr City slum. The deployment, coordinated with radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, is aimed at extending government control over the sprawling area for the first time in more than five years. No US soldiers were involved in the operation, a spokesman said.

Informed sources in Israel's Defense Ministry said a new cease-fire with Hamas covering the Gaza Strip could go into effect by the end of the week. The truce, being brokered by Egypt, reportedly became more likely after Defense Minister Ehud Barak agreed to postpone discussions on kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been in Hamas custody for almost two years. But Shalit's father said he'd been assured by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that "there will not be any agreements ... with Hamas that do not include Gilad's release."

Mediators in Lebanon's political crisis gave Hezbollah until Wednesday to respond to two "best solutions" for ending the deadlock. The mediators said the anti-Syrian governing coalition has agreed to the proposals on sharing power and on changes in election law that would redistrict Beirut, the capital. Sources close to the mediation effort in neutral Qatar said it probably would be suspended if Hezbollah fails to accept the proposals.

Two more people were killed in townships around Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday night, bringing the total to at least 24 in attacks against migrants from neighboring countries. With thousands of other foreigners seeking refuge in police stations and refugee shelters, the BBC said the government has discussed sending Army troops to quell the violence, worrying about its effect on the vital tourism sector. Almost 300 suspects have been arrested so far, police said.

Amid tight security, President Jose Ramos-Horta was to announce a list of prisoners being granted reduced sentences as part of East Timor's independence celebrations Tuesday. But his plan to extend amnesty was rejected by parliament, which claims exclusive power to pardon. The fledgling nation still is emerging from a period of violent civil unrest, and Ramos-Horta, only recently returned from hospitalization in Australia after he was wounded in an assassination attempt, was being guarded everywhere he went by crack international peacekeepers.

A "life web" initiative that would extend protected areas for plant and animal life around the world was outlined by Germany at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Tuesday. The government's Environment Ministry appealed to industrialized nations to cover the costs of setting aside such zones in poorer countries. A ministry official said Congo was expected to be one of the first in announcing a commitment to protect forests.

At least 90 people are dead and more than a dozen others are in hospitals in southern India after drinking tainted homemade liquor. All of the casualties have come since Saturday, when stores selling alcohol had to close prior to an election for a new state government. Samples of the liquor were being analyzed to determine whether it was laced with pesticides or other chemicals. The affected area is India's information technology hub.

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