US Senate panel to weigh Ashcroft's confirmation
After weeks of being hailed and denounced by friend and foe, John Ashcroft will speak for himself on Tuesday when the Senate Judiciary Committee opens confirmation hearings on President-elect George W Bush's nomination of him as the next US Attorney General.



Lankan army launches assault on major Tiger base
Government troops, backed by MiG-27 bombers and artillery, began an assault at dawn Tuesday to retake a major Tamil Tiger rebel bastion in the northern Jaffna Peninsula.



North Korean leader on secret visit to China
Making his second secretive visit to China in eight months, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has met Chinese officials and tentatively plans to inspect first-hand changes brought by two decades of market reforms.



Other headlines
Ancient bone tools suggest apemen ate termites
Hurriyat visit no deviation from Kashmir stand -- Pak
Bangladeshis flee as tensions rise over Myanmar dam
Air France Concorde gets okay for subsonic flight
Population woes for Europe, but of a different kind
Kuwait high court dismisses women's rights case
Israel to punish soldiers who fired in error
Japan prosecutors arrest LDP lawmaker over bribe