<B> LASHKAR GAH. NATO troops among dead in Afghan suicide raids </B> Several Afghans and two NATO soldiers were killed when a suicide bomber threw himself at the troops in southern Afghanistan yesterday, witnesses and an army officer said. In a similar attack a few hours later, a police officer was killed and four others injured outside the southeastern town of Khost, officials said. The first attack took place in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, in which a NATO vehicle was set alight. British troops were among the wounded, a Defence Ministry spokeswoman said in London. Several bodies of civilians were scattered on the ground, some with limbs blown off, witnesses said. British troops make up the bulk of NATO forces in Helmand, a Taliban stronghold and the heart of the illegal opium industry in the world’s biggest producer. This is Afghanistan’s bloodiest year since a US-led invasion ousted the Taliban’s strict Islamist government in 2001. More than 3,000 people, including more than 150 foreign soldiers, have died in fighting.

<B>MIDDLE-EAST. Israelis kill 2 Palestinians in Gaza</B> For the first time since its pullout from Gaza a year ago, Israeli tanks and infantry took up positions on the Egypt-Gaza border Wednesday, killing two Palestinian gunmen as the army broadened its search for arms smuggling tunnels.Palestinian security officials said Israeli troops and tanks moved into the border town of Rafah before dawn Wednesday and took over a section of the frontier, including the area around the Rafah border terminal.The army said Israeli forces were pressing an operation aimed at uncovering tunnels used by Palestinian militants to smuggle weapons from Egypt. The army said Wednesday it has uncovered five tunnels so far. Israel has sent tanks and troops in and out of Gaza and stepped up airstrikes against suspected militants and weapons caches since Hamas-linked militants tunneled under the border in late June and attacked an Israeli army post, killing two soldiers and capturing another, Corporal Gilad Shalit

<B>STUDY. Cocaine alters brain cells, impairs impulse control</B> A number of studies presented at the 36th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, being held this week in Atlanta, show that cocaine use negatively affects the functioning of neurons (cells located in the brain and spinal cord), primarily in the prefrontal cortex, but also in a number of other areas in the brain. The result is a reduced ability to weigh benefits versus drawbacks, and to control behavior.The prefrontal cortex is located in the frontal lobe of the brain. It is though to play a role in neuropsychological processes, such as orchestrating thoughts in accordance with actions, as well as other processes.

<B> PARIS. Zidane coping well with life outside football </B> Zinedine Zidane said he was coping well with life outside soccer and had no immediate plans to embark on a coaching career. The former France and Real Madrid playmaker, who retired after his country’s defeat by Italy in the World Cup final in July, said he did not miss competitive football. “I’m not missing it,” he told L’Equipe in an interview yesterday. “When Real Madrid started the season, I didn’t feel anything, but it may come.” Zidane, who has just signed a deal to work as a consultant for French pay-television channel Canal Plus, said he might become a coach one day, but not just yet. “I will stay close to football because that’s what I know how to do,” he said. “If you ask me if I will become a coach, for now, it’s no. But in 10 years, I don’t know.” Buying a club, he added, might also be on option. “That could be a nice challenge,” he said. Zidane was shown a red card 10 minutes before the end of extra time in the July 9 World Cup final after headbutting Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the chest. That ensured he missed the penalty shootout that decided the match in Italy’s favour.

BANGLADESH. Nobel winner may enter politics </B> The Bangladeshi Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has announced that he may form his own political party. Mr Yunus said he was disillusioned with the two main political parties, and may launch a nationwide movement to find “honest” parliamentary candidates. He said he may have a role in resolving the country’s political stand-off. Mr Yunus was speaking before leaving for South Korea, where he is to receive another peace prize for his role in developing small loans to the poor.