Asia The confirmed number killed in the massive earthquake and tidal waves that hit Indian Ocean shorelines a week ago passed 144,000, as over 14,000 more deaths were confirmed by Indonesian officials. Indonesia Indonesia's tsunami death toll passed 94,000 as desperate survivors in isolated areas of Aceh province remained without aid more than a week after the disaster, despite a huge global relief effort. SriLanka Floods slowed aid to thousands of marooned survivors in Sri Lanka as the United States prepared to mount a military operation to help relief work as the tsunami death toll rose to nearly 30,000. Iraq Nineteen people were killed in a suicide attack against the Iraqi national guard as more US troops were sent to the main northern city of Mosul to bolster security with landmark polls just weeks away. Canada Canada announced that a cow from the western province of Alberta had tested positive for mad cow disease -- but said the discovery should not quash plans to reopen the US border to its cattle exports. Peru Renegade combat veterans that captured a police station in a Peruvian town and killed at least four police officers in fighting announced they would lay down their arms if government forces refrain from attacking. Croatia Croatia's incumbent President Stipe Mesic overwhelmingly won the first round of elections taking 49 percent of the vote, official results showed, but faces a runoff to win a second five-year term to lead the country as it seeks to join the EU. Mideast Palestinian presidential election favourite Mahmud Abbas rebuked militants for launching rocket attacks into Israel, as the army ended its latest incursion in the northern Gaza Strip aimed at countering the tactic. China The population in China, the world's most populous nation, will officially hit 1.3 billion this week, the state-run Xinhua news agency said, citing government figures.