Iraq US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld paid a surprise visit to US troops in Mosul, northern Iraq three days after a deadly suicide bomb attack on the US base here killed 22 people, including 14 US soldiers. Iraq A steady stream of Fallujah residents returned home to the former Iraqi rebel bastion as fighting erupted between US troops and insurgents. Iraq One of two French journalists freed after a four-month hostage ordeal in Iraq spoke of having been "immersed in Planet (Osama) bin Laden" as the pair began giving media interviews after their return to Paris and debriefing by French authorities. Thailand Two people were killed and at least six others were injured when a bomb hidden in a motorcycle exploded next to a bank in insurgency-hit southern Thailand, police said. Philippines The Philippines military is questioning an already detained colonel for possible involvement in a suspected new plot against the government of President Gloria Arroyo, a spokesman said. Britain A police officer is to be questioned on suspicion of being the anonymous caller who warned police of a bomb attack which killed 29 people in Northern Ireland in 1998, Britain's Press Association said. US Former Democratic White House contender John Kerry announced that he will travel to Iraq early next year for firsthand look at events on the ground, and to meet with troops from his home state of Massachusetts. Australia The world's biggest earthquake in almost four years, measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale, struck off the coast of Australia's southern island state of Tasmania but caused no damage or injury. Indonesia As the faithful gathered for Christmas prayers, Indonesia was bracing for possible terrorist attacks with tight security at churches, hotels and other potential targets to safeguard seasonal festivities. US A federal jury convicted two men for their roles in a botched cross-border human smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of 19 Central American immigrants in Texas in 2003. Russia The Russian cargo vessel Progress M-51 carrying urgently needed water, oxygen and food to the International Space Station (ISS) lifted off successfully overnight, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting Russian space authorities. US The world's first commercially-cloned pet, a nine-week-old kitten, has been delivered to a US woman who paid 50,000 dollars for a copy of her beloved dead cat, the cloner said.