Evidence Aceh rebels behind rise in piracy: Separatist rebels

Evidence Aceh rebels behind rise in piracy: Separatist rebels from Indonesia's Aceh province could be behind an increase in pirate attacks on oil tankers in busy sea lanes between Indonesia and Malaysia, the International Maritime Bureau said. Pirates have lurked in the Strait of Malacca for centuries, but the frequency of attacks has increased in recent months, the London- based bureau said in a report. -- Reuters

Spain's Aznar reshuffles cabinet: Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar reshuffled his cabinet on Wednesday to give the ruling party's newly-appointed prime ministerial candidate freedom to campaign for a general election in March. First Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, confirmed on Tuesday as the Popular Party's candidate, is leaving the cabinet to devote himself full- time to party and campaign activities. -- Reuters

Mexico's Fox fires two ministers to push reforms: Mexican President Vicente Fox fired his energy and environment ministers on Tuesday in a Cabinet reshuffle aimed at winning back popular support and reviving his troubled reform agenda. Battered by a weak economy and climbing unemployment, Fox replaced Energy Minister Ernesto Martens with Felipe Calderon, a former leader of the ruling National Action Party, or PAN. Environment Minister Victor Lichtinger was replaced with Alberto Cardenas, another of the conservative party's heavyweights. --Reuters

Afghans say Taliban retreat, violence continues: Afghan and U.S. forces have driven Taliban fighters from a district in the southern Zabul province, an official said on Wednesday, but violence continued as a senior commander was assassinated in neighboring Uruzgan. The Taliban withdrawal from the Dai Chopan district of Zabul came after nine days of intense bombardment by fighter jets and helicopter gunships and ground attacks against the fighters of the Islamic militia ousted from power late in 2001. Zabul's intelligence chief, Khalil Hotak, said authorities from neighboring provinces had rushed fighters to the borders of the district to capture Taliban forces trying to flee. --Reuters

Libya closes Beirut embassy, denies severing diplomatic ties: Libya closed down its embassy in Beirut on Wednesday, but denied it had severed diplomatic relations with Lebanon in a row over the disappearance of a prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric, a government spokesman said. The decision was a protest against "the inability of the Lebanese authorities to prevent attacks by certain Lebanese officials against Libya. Tripoli was responding to accusations by Lebanese religious and political officials that Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi helped cover up the disappearance of prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric, Imam Mussa Sadr, who went missing on a trip to Libya in 1978. --AFP

UK intelligence officers unhappy with Iraq dossier: Some British intelligence experts were unhappy with the strength of language used in a now-famous dossier on Iraq's weaponry, an inquiry into the death of government scientist David Kelly heard on Wednesday. Kelly, 59, committed suicide after being exposed as the source for a BBC report which claimed the government exaggerated its case for war. His death, following a public parliamentary grilling, has plunged Prime Minister Tony Blair's administration into crisis. --Reuters