Saturday's Daily News 12/31/2005

Bombing Kills Eight at Indonesian Market, By Abdi Mari, AP, 12/31/2005
PALU, Indonesia (AP) -- Suspected Islamic militants set off a powerful bomb packed with nails Saturday at a busy market frequented by Christians, killing eight people and wounding 45 as they bought pork for New Year's Eve celebrations. (Suspicion immediately fell on Jemaah Islamiyah, an al-Qaida-linked group.)

Some Chechen Schools Closed After Illness, Dec. 21, 2005
GROZNY, Russia (AP) -- Authorities closed schools in part of Russia's Chechnya region Wednesday after a mysterious poisoning [gas] sickened at least 70 people, most of them schoolchildren, officials said.

Sudanese Death Toll at 25 After Camp Raid, By Salah Nasrawi, AP, 12/31/2005
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Several Sudanese migrants injured when Egyptian police violently cleared a ramshackle camp died later from their wounds, raising the death toll from the clash to 25, a security official said Saturday.

The UNHCR stopped hearing the cases of Sudanese seeking refugee status after a January peace deal ended a civil war in the south [South Sudan, not Darfur] of their homeland.

Two Suspected Taliban Bombers Die in Blast, By Noor Khan, AP, 12/29/2005
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- Two suspected Taliban suicide bombers died Thursday when explosives they were strapping to their bodies exploded prematurely in southern Afghanistan, officials said.

Poland Extends Iraq Mission Through 2006, By Vanessa Gera, AP, 12/29/2005
WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- Poland's president said Thursday that he has approved extending the country's military mission in Iraq for another year.

Lech Kaczynski decided "to extend the duration of the mission" through Dec. 31, 2006, reversing a decision by Poland's last government to bring the troops home within weeks, his office said in a brief statement.

Chilean Judge Strips Pinochet of Immunity, By Eduardo Gallardo, AP, 12/30/2005 and Chilean Police Book Gen. Augusto Pinochet, By Eva Vergara, AP, 12/29/2005
[Eva] SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- Chilean police took fingerprints and mugs shots of Gen. Augusto Pinochet on Wednesday following his indictment for the killing and disappearance of nine dissidents during his dictatorship - the first time he has had to submit to a police booking.

[Eduardo] SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- Former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet was stripped of his legal immunity Friday to face charges of diverting public funds to personal bank accounts.

Judge Juan Escobar, president of the Santiago Court of Appeals, said his tribunal voted 21-3 to remove the immunity Pinochet enjoys as a former president.

Note: It is necessary to use the same link for both articles, because when I went back to write about a different article-it was gone! I have collected the breaking news in a seperate file. If you are interested in an article and cannot find it through the link provided, please let me know. I will do what I can to help you. Thank you, and have a great day.

Update: Thank you, SignOn San Diego, for catching that first breaking news story about Pinochet! Good job.