Mideast Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas has secured a ceasefire promise from the radical Islamist Hamas movement and its smaller rival Islamic Jihad, persuading them to end their campaign of anti-Israeli attacks, Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said. Asia The death toll from the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Indian Ocean nations passed 227,000 with another 7,000 deaths being reported by Indonesia's health ministry. Iraq Chinese officials were trying to track down eight nationals reportedly freed by their captors in Iraq, as Beijing pondered the risks of sending more workers abroad. Iraq Only around one in 10 Iraqi exiles eligible to vote in the January 30 election have yet registered worldwide, prompting a two-day global extension of the registration period, election organisers said. Saudi The annual hajj pilgrimage drew to an end as 2.5 million Muslims from across the world performed the final ritual of stoning the devil, some of them in heavy rain, before preparing to leave Mecca. Asia Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels said they had put aside their political struggle to deal with the tsunami disaster, as peacebroker Norway urged all parties to work together to rebuild the battered country. Spain More than 10,000 people, including senior politicians, took to the streets of Madrid to remember the victims of terrorism. Asia More than 60,000 people attended a marathon musical extravaganza in Wales which raised more than two million dollars for the victims of last month's Indian Ocean tsunami disaster. India Ongoing heavy fighting in the thick jungles of Myanmar between government troops and Indian separatists has left at least five rebels and 10 soldiers dead, a rebel leader said.