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JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Wednesday it accepted an Egyptian-brokered truce with Hamas Islamists ruling the Gaza Strip but voiced skepticism the ceasefire involving all Palestinian militant groups in the territory would hold.

ARGHANDAB, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Helicopter gunships and troops blasted a valley in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday in a huge offensive by NATO and local forces against Taliban insurgents, many of whom broke out of jail last week.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A meeting between the Indian government and its communist allies to break a deadlock over a controversial nuclear deal with the United States has been postponed, a senior communist leader said on Wednesday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's new president will replace his chief of staff and members of his inner circle this week after an unpopular deal to import U.S. beef triggered street protests against his government, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces on Wednesday blamed a rogue Shi'ite militia group seeking to stir up sectarian violence for a devastating truck bombing that killed 63 people in Baghdad.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian banks are not moving funds from Europe, the head of a state bank was quoted as saying, contradicting reports that Tehran was withdrawing assets in the face of tightening sanctions over its nuclear program.

TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia said on Wednesday it had released four Russian peacekeeping troops detained a day earlier near its breakaway region of Abkhazia on suspicion of transporting weapons without proper documents.

FENGKOU, China (Reuters) - China has posted hundreds of police and rescue officials to shore up dams threatening to burst under torrential rain that has already flooded 9,000 square miles of crops and homes.

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (Reuters) - U.S. and Chinese officials agreed on Tuesday that turbulence sweeping global markets holds lessons for Beijing, but the United States warned it should not cause China to block access to its markets.

HAVANA (Reuters) - Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, looking thin but animated, was shown on Cuban TV on Tuesday with his brother, President Raul Castro, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, in the first public images of the bearded revolutionary since January.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Wednesday will call on Congress to pass legislation lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling as he seeks remedies to record-high energy prices, the White House said.

NIR OZ, Israel/GAZA (Reuters) - For Yossi Atzili, a truce with Hamas Islamists is the only way to stop mortar bombs from the Gaza Strip whizzing across the border and smashing into his paint factory in Israel.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House hopeful Barack Obama said on Tuesday the weakness in the U.S. dollar reflects the soft economy and large trade deficits, and the best way to strengthen the currency is to restore the economy's health.

KASHGAR, China (Reuters) - The Olympic torch was paraded on Wednesday through China's sensitive former Silk Road city of Kashgar, home to ethnic-minority Muslim Uighurs, under the scrutiny of soldiers and choreographed cheering crowds.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican John McCain's camp accused Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama on Tuesday of being weak on terrorism, drawing a sharp rebuke from Obama on the politically charged issue of how to deal with Islamic extremists.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain called on Tuesday for energy conservation and an end to a ban on U.S. offshore oil and natural gas exploration to help curb the nation's "dangerous" dependence on foreign oil.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush will make an announcement on Wednesday about energy and call on Congress to pass legislation lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling, the White House said.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Democratic Rep. William Jefferson, who faces bribery charges over $90,000 found in his freezer, said on Tuesday that he plans to seek re-election.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate leaders have agreed to a bipartisan bill to establish a $300 billion rescue fund for troubled mortgages and a new regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, lawmakers said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican John McCain's camp accused Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama on Tuesday of being weak on terrorism, drawing a sharp rebuke from Obama on the politically charged issue of how to deal with Islamic extremists.