Egypt Egyptian investigators said they had identified a man suspected to be one of the bombers who died in the Sharm el-Sheikh attacks as Cairo denied the involvement of Pakistani nationals. Britain Fears rose that four fugitives suspected of trying to bomb London may have stocked up on explosives and plan to strike again, while Britain mulled stronger police powers to fight future terrorism. US Discovery blasts off carrying seven astronauts on the first US shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster in 2003, while NASA investigates debris that fell off during liftoff. Iraq An early draft of Iraq's planned constitution has revealed that Islam is set to play a dominant role in the country's basic law. Iraq-Algeria The group of Al-Qaeda frontman in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi posted a video on an Islamist Internet site showing the two Algerian diplomats it has kidnapped in Iraq and decided to execute. NKorea A second day of talks over North Korea's nuclear weapons programmes got under way with hopes buoyed by "positive" contacts between the Stalinist state and the United States. Afghanistan-US Over 1,000 villagers angered by overnight house raids by US troops rallied outside the main US military base in Afghanistan and left only after American forces handed eight captives to local authorities. ASEAN The United States welcomed Myanmar's decision to give up the chairmanship of ASEAN next year but accused it again of resisting democratic reforms and allowing "egregious" human rights abuses. Netherlands An Amsterdam court sentenced Islamic radical Mohammed Bouyeri to life in prison for the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh, a crime that shocked the Dutch and raised fears about homegrown terrorism. France-Israel Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon arrived in France for a three-day visit billed as the symbolic end to a period of sharp tension between the two countries. Georgia-US A Georgian man suspected of throwing a hand grenade at US President George W. Bush during a visit here in May now faces terrorism charges, the interior ministry officials said. China A disease caused by bacteria from pigs has affected more than 100 people in southwest China with the death toll rising to 24 and no effective drugs to treat it, the health ministry and state media said.