● <B>GAZA. Aid agencies condemn carnage </B>

International aid agencies have reacted with dismay to the violence in Gaza in which at least 18 Palestinian civilians are known to have died. The Red Cross and Unicef said they were appalled by the deaths of women and children from Israeli tank fire in the town of Beit Hanoun. Israeli PM Ehud Olmert has expressed regret over the attack and offered help for the many wounded. Israel has ordered a halt to all artillery attacks in Gaza.

● <B>RESEARCH. Smoking, a blight on fertility</B>

Heavy smoking appears to cut the chances that an embryo will successfully imbed in the wall of the womb, research suggests. Fertility experts examined pregnancy rates in women who underwent a cycle of IVF using donated eggs. Researchers from Portugal and Spain, found 52.2% of light smokers became pregnant at the first time of asking, compared to 34.1% of heavy smokers.

● <B>FUNERAL. Apartheid-era leader remembered </B>

The funeral of PW Botha, the last South African leader to staunchly defend the apartheid system, has taken place with President Thabo Mbeki in attendance. Some South Africans have viewed Mr Mbeki's attendance as a betrayal of those who suffered during apartheid.

● <B>ALLEGATIONS.‘Cheating’ in Congo’s vote count </B>

An ally of presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba has claimed there is evidence of cheating in vote counting in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Eve Bazaiba said the official results so far from October's presidential run-off do not tally with the figures collected by her political alliance. President Joseph Kabila has taken the lead in partial results that are mainly from the east, where he is popular.

● <B> SRI LANKA. Army ‘kills 45 civilians’</B>

At least 45 civilians have been killed in eastern Sri Lanka after army shells hit a camp for people displaced by the fighting, Tamil Tiger rebels say. Independent monitors who visited the scene confirm that many people were killed or injured. They say the attack seems to have come from army areas. Another 125 were wounded in the shelling in the Vakarai region, rebel spokesman S Puleedevan told the BBC. The army accused rebels of using civilians as human shields in the area. Ceasefire monitors from the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) say they have counted 23 bodies, and there could be many more.