Two suspected rebels killed in Aceh: Indonesian Military (TNI)

Two suspected rebels killed in Aceh: Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers have shot dead two suspected rebels in troubled Aceh province, the police said on Wednesday. The two Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels were shot dead early Wednesday after they attacked soldiers who were investigating reports of blackmail by GAM in the Limpok area of Pidie district, said city police chief, Adj. Sr. Comr. Alfons Toluhula. Soldiers confiscated an automatic rifle from the scene. A GAM representative in the Joint Security Committee, Amri bin Abdul Wahab, confirmed the incident but denied that the two rebels had carried automatic weapons. -- AFP

Scientists inch towards theory man descended from worms: Chinese scientists believe new finds support a theory that man ultimately descended from worms, state media reported on Wednesday. Fossilized ancient worms found in southwestern Yunnan province represent the "first step" in a long evolutionary process that eventually led to the human species, the Xinhua news agency said. The search should go on for more fossil evidence to test the theory in line with clues provided by modern zoological information, said Shu Degan, a professor at the Northwest China University. --AFP

Israel carries out major roundup of Palestinians: Israeli troops rounded up large numbers of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm on Wednesday in a fresh sweep for wanted militants. Soldiers in tanks and armored vehicles backed by helicopters imposed a curfew and searched homes for militants before telling males aged 14 to 40 to gather in the courtyard of a local school or face punishment, residents said. Palestinian witnesses said about 2,000 people were rounded up. The Israeli army said it was about half that number. --Reuters

Cuban ferry hijacked, drifting in international waters: A Cuban ferry was hijacked on Wednesday morning and was drifting in international waters about 100 kms off Key West, Florida, the FBI said. It was the second hijacking from Cuba in two days. FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said the Cuban government has told the agency that the craft is a 14 meter boat with 15 to 20 people on board. The FBI is sending hostage negotiators to the scene by helicopter, where they will rendezvous with a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, she said. Further details were not immediately available. --AP

Russia to send navy to Arabian Sea: Russia is likely to send its navy to the Arabian Sea near the Gulf region where the United States is leading a war against Iraq, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported on Wednesday. Russian navy officials had earlier announced that at least two fleets -- the Pacific and the Black Sea -- would stage exercises in the Indian Ocean next month. However, there had previously been no mention of the Arabian Sea, which is on the Indian Ocean's northern tip and washes the shores of India, Iran, Oman and Yemen. --AFP