Indonesia Investigators hunted for clues in the wreckage of the crashed jetliner in northern Indonesia as the airline ruled out terrorism in the disaster which killed at least 150 people on the aircraft and on the ground. US Thousands of residents returned to check on their wrecked homes in suburban New Orleans, as police struggled to evacuate diehard Hurricane Katrina survivors from the heart of the city. Mideast At least four people were killed and 30 others wounded in an explosion at a house belonging to a member of the radical Hamas movement in Gaza City, Palestinian medical and security sources said. Iraq Two British soldiers and at least 16 Iraqis were killed in attacks across Iraq, while US-led forces backed by fighter jets battled insurgents in a restive northern corner of the country. Mideast Israel moved swiftly to quash a new row over its settlements, with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office slapping down a minister who announced plans to build thousands of homes in the West Bank. Philippines The Philippine parliament formally killed off an opposition attempt to impeach President Gloria Arroyo for election fraud, ending a three-month battle to oust her from power. Egypt At least 30 people were killed and a further 45 injured when fire broke out in a crowded theatre in the town of Beni Suef, south of Cairo, a police source said. Austria Nine people were killed and four were critically injured when a helicopter accidentally dropped a large container transporting concrete onto a cable car, sending it crashing into a mountain in the Austrian Alps, police said. China British Prime Minister Tony Blair held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao and was to oversee the signing of a raft of important trade and investment deals before leaving for India. US-UN-Iraq UN chief Kofi Annan said he wished the United Nations had never been asked to take part in Iraq's oil-for-food programme as he braced himself for the results of the most detailed report yet into the scandal. Japan A powerful typhoon pounded Japan, leaving five people dead or missing, as 100,000 people were ordered to flee their homes to escape violent winds and mudslides.