Mideast The Israeli police were placed on "red alert" to prevent tens of thousands of opponents of Israel's historic Gaza Strip pullout from marching to settlements in the territory. US-India President George W. Bush said he would ask Congress and allied nations to lift sanctions preventing Indian access to civil nuclear technology as part of a new bilateral partnership forged with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Britain Prime Minister Tony Blair prepared for talks with British Muslim leaders after his drive against the religious extremism he blames for the London attacks was boosted by a fatwa banning suicide bombings. Germany-Spain-Syria A suspected Al-Qaeda financier was freed from jail in Germany after the country's highest court blocked his extradition to Spain, dealing a new blow to German anti-terror efforts. Britain Britain's interior minister moved a step closer to passing tough new anti-terrorism laws by December after he won "broad support" from the opposition parties in the wake of the London bombings. Iraq After a weekend bombing frenzy, Iraq rebels began the week killing 18 people, most of them police officers, as a top US military official warned of increased violence in the days ahead. Taiwan Two people were killed and another two were feared dead after Typhoon Haitang pounded Taiwan with powerful winds and rains, causing millions of dollars of losses to crops, rescue officials said. Mexico Hurricane Emily lashed beach resorts on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, where thousands of tourists were evacuated or took refuge in shelters while the storm toll across the Caribbean rose to 10 dead. US Proceedings against two "war on terror" suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba will resume "as soon as possible" after a court ruling upholding the legality of trials by special military commissions, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said. UN African countries appeal for world support for their bid to secure two veto-wielding permanent seats on the UN Security Council, saying it was needed to correct historical injustice. Britain The number of confirmed dead in the July 7 bombings in London rose to 56, police said. US-Vietnam Retired US General William Westmoreland, the highly decorated former commander of US forces during the Vietnam War, died at 91 years of age, said the retirement home in South Carolina where he was staying.