Mideast New Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas ordered large numbers of security forces to be deployed around the Gaza border in a bid to prevent attacks by militants, a senior security source said, as Hamas dismissed a demand by the Palestine Liberation Organisation to halt attacks against Israel, saying such a call helped Israel justify its military operations in the occupied territories. Iraq Iraqi forces killed 35 insurgents over the past 48 hours during a sweep near the Sunni rebel bastion of Fallujah west of Baghdad, the Iraqi government said as Iraqi expatriates around the world began registering for their country's upcoming elections. China Former Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang, who put China on the road to economic reform but was purged for opposing the bloody 1989 crackdown on the Tiananmen democracy movement, died aged 85 after nearly 16 years under house arrest. Asia The death toll topped 168,000 in one of the worst natural disasters in global memory as survivors of the Asian tsunamis grappled with bureaucracy and politicking. US Pakistan denied a report by Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker magazine that it was helping American special forces target suspected weapons sites for air strikes in neighbouring Iran. Croatia Croatia's leaders were urged to unite for the sake of European integration after President Stipe Mesic, a centrist with opposition support, crushed his rival from the ruling conservative party in weekend elections. Japan Japanese leaders vowed to help the world protect itself from disasters as the nation mourned the 6,400 people killed 10 years ago in the Kobe earthquake, saying the rebuilt city could be a beacon of hope. Sudan The Sudanese government and National Democratic Alliance signed a political agreement that should see the exiled opposition umbrella group reintegrated into Sudan's political life, diplomats said. Greece The bodies of two sailors were pulled out of the Aegean Sea and six other crew were missing after the sinking of a cargo ship flying the North Korean flag, Greek officials said. India A train fire that killed 59 Hindu pilgrims, setting off deadly sectarian riots in Gujarat state in 2002, was an accident and not caused by a Muslim mob as originally alleged, an Indian government investigation concluded.