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. US The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the confirmation of outgoing national security adviser Condoleezza Rice as US secretary of state. Iraq Insurgents mounted a string of brazen assaults around central Iraq, blowing up seven car bombs and killing at least 20 people as rebels flexed their muscles ahead of January 30 elections. Iraq Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday described his disgust at photos showing abuse of Iraqi civilians, as news of the courts martial of British soldiers accused of carrying out the abuse stunned and shamed the nation. Mideast Israel's security cabinet decided to renew contacts with the Palestinian Authority that were severed in the wake of a suicide bombing last week, army radio reported. Mideast The Israeli security cabinet gave the green light for military commanders to prepare for a large-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip if Palestinian attacks do not stop, public radio reported. Asia Norway's top peace envoy Erik Solheim arrived in Sri Lanka to launch the first post-tsunami attempt to salvage faltering peace efforts, diplomats said. Russia The Russian Pensioners' Party threatened more protests as it called on President Vladimir Putin to sack his government and scrap social security reforms that have removed Soviet-era benefits such as free transport from the elderly. Albania Albania hopes to sign a stabilization and association agreement with the European Union this year and to join the 25-member bloc in 2014, Prime Minister Fatos Nano said in an interview with AFP.