Ukraine Ukraine's parliament voted to dismiss the government of pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, who is locked in a bitter battle with opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko over the presidency following an election marked by alleged fraud. Ukraine Russia attacked "excessive" Western intervention in Ukraine's political crisis, saying it flouted the West's own calls against foreign interference and had only fueled tensions over a disputed presidential election in the former Soviet republic. Health The murderous advance of AIDS was commemorated around the world in pledges, appeals, processions and concerts, but the day was stamped by China's warnings about its exposure to the epidemic. Mideast The radical Islamist movement Hamas told supporters to boycott the election to replace Yasser Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority ahead of a midnight deadline for candidates to register, threatening to undermine the legitimacy of the eventual winner. Mideast PLO chief Mahmud Abbas, the frontrunner in the Palestinian leadership vote, said in remarks published in Egypt's Al-Mussawar magazine he was ready to negotiate a final settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- even raising the prospect of a deal next year. China All 166 miners trapped after a gas blast in China were confirmed dead, sparking riots by hundreds of angry relatives who stormed a government office, smashed windows and beat officials. Ivory Coast French peacekeepers who shot and killed around 20 people during anti-French violence in Ivory Coast early last month were acting out of self-defence, Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told journalists. France In a vote which could have profound knock-on effects in both France and Europe, members of France's opposition Socialist party were being ballotted on whether to back the EU's proposed new constitution. Philippines Terrified survivors were fleeing the northeastern Philippines as a new storm bore down on the area where floods and landslides have killed more than 400 people and left nearly 200 missing. Romania Romania's outgoing Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, a Social Democrat, won the first round of presidential elections, according to official results, and faces a run-off against the centre-right opposition whose leader claims fraud. Serbia Pro-West Serbian President Boris Tadic survived an apparent assassination attempt when a car repeatedly tried to ram his vehicle during a high-speed attack on one of Belgrade's busiest streets, his office said. Britain British Home Secretary David Blunkett denied any wrongdoing as it emerged that a visa application for his ex-lover's Filipina nanny had been processed in a mere matter of days. Iraq Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi was engaged in a flurry of contacts ahead of the country's January 30 elections after one of the deadliest months since the war prompted calls to delay the landmark vote. Mozambique Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano voted in a landmark election which will see him step down after 18 years in power, saying he was proud of his role in cementing peace after helping end a brutal civil war that killed about one million people.