Asia The death toll from last month's Indian Ocean tsunami disaster rose towards a quarter of a million while floods hampered relief efforts in worst-hit Indonesia's Aceh province. Iraq At least 20 people were killed when insurgents went on a bloody seven-car bomb rampage in Iraq, targeting the Australian embassy in Baghdad and Iraqi security forces, with elections just 11 days away. US US Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice acknowledged some "bad decisions" had been made in Washington's war on terror and that US forces went into Iraq unprepared for the tough task of post-war reconstruction. US A Senate panel cleared the nomination of Condoleezza Rice as US secretary of state after marathon confirmation hearings that highlighted deep partisan differences over Iraq and the war on terror. US After four years as the top US diplomat, an emotional Colin Powell bade farewell to State Department employees with a speech in which he hailed US successes from Iraq to Afghanistan, in Asia and on AIDS. US A US federal judge has exempted Saudi Arabia, along with several of its leaders and financial institutions, from prosecution over the September 11 attacks, ruling that the plaintiffs did not provide sufficient proof of their alleged involvement. Mideast Israel resumed contacts with the Palestinians but also gave the green light to a large-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip if new leader Mahmud Abbas fails to end attacks by militants. Ukraine Ukraine's final supreme court appeal over Viktor Yushchenko's election as president moved into its final phase as justices began hearing closing arguments. Guinea Shots were fired at a convoy carrying Guinea President Lansana Conte in what security officials said was an attempt on the life of the ailing west African head of state. US A newly discovered cousin to the SARS virus may be the cause of several childhood illnesses, such as Kawasaki disease, which can damage the heart, said a new study.