Mideast A new chapter opened in the troubled history of the Middle East as the dovish Mahmud Abbas replaced the late Yasser Arafat and a new Israeli government that will give up the Gaza Strip was due to be ushered in. Mideast Militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad pledged to cooperate with Palestinian president elect Mahmud Abbas but to continue attacks against Israel, setting the scene for a showdown over the prospect of truce talks. Mideast The international community expressed cautious optimism that the "historic" election of Mahmud Abbas as Palestinian president would lead to the creation of a viable state for his people and a lasting peace in the Middle East. Asia A US helicopter crashed and a strong aftershock struck off Indonesia's traumatised Sumatra island as aid groups struggled to reach survivors of the tsunamis that killed more than 156,000 people around Asia, while rich countries promised debt relief. Asia A UN conference on small islands opened in Mauritius with a call to set up a global early warning system in the wake of the tsunami disaster in Asia that left more than 156,000 dead. Ukraine Ukraine election officials were set to officially declare Viktor Yushchenko winner of a presidential rerun vote, paving the way for the "orange revolution" hero to be sworn in as the third president of an independent Ukraine. Forex The dollar remained near six-week highs against the euro despite easing against major rivals amid lingering concerns over the large US current account and budget deficits, analysts said. AfricanUnion Gabon's President Omar Bongo welcomed other African leaders to help tackle the continent's most intractable conflicts in the first summit meeting of the African Union's Peace and Security Council. Europe A clean-up operation was in full swing across northern Europe after violent storms left 14 people dead and thousands of homes swamped and without power, amid warnings more gales were on the way. Luxembourg Luxembourg declared five days of national mourning after the death of Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte, the mother of the country's reigning monarch Grand Duke Henri.