Gwinnett Daily Post

Pakistan arrests militants, seeks links to London

LONDON - Police rounded up Islamic militants in raids across Pakistan to determine whether the London bombing plot stretched to South Asia, while Egypt said Tuesday that a detained chemist wanted by Britain for questioning had no links to the attacks or to al-Qaida.

Three of the four suicide bombers visited Pakistan last year, and investigators want to find out whether they received training or other assistance from extremists in Pakistan.

Police block marchers from Gaza settlements

KFAR MAIMON, Israel - Israeli police encircled an encampment of thousands of Gaza pullout opponents Tuesday, pushing back a surging crowd trying to march to the nearby territory in a show of support for Jewish settlements marked for demolition next month.

It was the biggest showdown between protesters and the security forces since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced last year that he would dismantle all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank.

Gunmen attack Russian forces in Chechnya

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia - Insurgents fired on a minibus carrying security forces Tuesday in breakaway Chechnya and then set off a bomb when a second vehicle came to help, killing 14 people, including two children, regional officials said.

Chechen Interior Minister Ruslan Alkhanov said the bomb was equivalent to 171/2 pounds of TNT.

Chechen Interior Ministry official Akhmed Dakayev said at least 19 civilians were wounded.

Sunni helping to draft constitution killed in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq - One of the Sunni Arabs appointed to a committee to draft Iraq's constitution was assassinated Tuesday in a drive-by shooting, an Iraqi official said.

Mijbil Issa was gunned down, along with an adviser to the committee and a bodyguard, in the Karradah area of Baghdad, said Mohammed Abed-Rabbou, another Sunni member of the drafting committee.

Typhoon Haitang slams into China

SHANGHAI, China - Typhoon Haitang churned into southeastern China on Tuesday, bringing torrential rain and high winds to coastal areas where more than 1 million people had fled their homes.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The typhoon hit the mainland at 5:10 p.m., with wind speeds at its center up to 74 mph, said an official.

- From wire reports