SYDNEY (AFP) - Spending a couple of hours outdoors each day could help children avoid becoming short-sighted, Australian researchers said Tuesday.

NARATHIWAT, Thailand (AFP) - Separatist militants shot dead five people in Thailand's Muslim-majority south, where a bloody insurgency marked its fifth anniversary at the weekend, police said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - President-elect Barack Obama demanded bold action on his near 800 billion dollar stimulus plan, warning Congress would send the US economy into an even deeper hole if it fails to act swiftly.

WASHINGTON, (AFP) - The new US Senate is set to convene in a swirl of allegations of corruption, voter fraud and dynastic nepotism that threatens to dog the early days of Barack Obama's presidency.

GAZA CITY, (AFP) - The heaviest fighting of Israel's war on Hamas raged in Gaza City early on Tuesday as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rebuffed appeals to stop the death toll from mounting further.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The new US Senate is set to convene in a swirl of allegations of corruption, voter fraud and dynastic nepotism that threatens to dog the early days of Barack Obama's presidency.

QUITO (AFP) - A team of Ecuadoran and Italian researchers have discovered a unique species of pink land iguanas living on the Galapagos Islands, the scientist who wrote the report told AFP.

CHICAGO (AFP) - US auto sales crashed again in December as the industry posted its worst year since 1992 and the Detroit Three saw their annual market share slip beneath 50 percent for the first time, industry data showed Monday.

GAZA CITY (AFP) - The heaviest fighting of Israel's war on Hamas raged in Gaza City early on Tuesday as the Israeli government parried appeals to stop the death toll from mounting further.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US president-elect Barack Obama has chosen former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to head the Central Intelligence Agency, a Democratic Party official told AFP Monday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Milky Way, the Earth's home galaxy, is spinning much faster and has a mass 50 percent larger than previously believed, raising the probability of a collision with another galaxy, according to a report out Monday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - President-elect Barack Obama Monday demanded bold action on his near 800 billion dollar stimulus plan, warning Congress would wreak more dramatic damage on the US economy if it fails to act swiftly.

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Apple's iconic chief executive Steve Jobs, dogged by speculation about his health, announced on Monday that he is being treated for a "hormone imbalance" but will remain head of the company.

ATHENS (AFP) - A Greek policeman was seriously injured Monday in a shooting that police say marks the return of the country's most dangerous extremist group following nearly a month of youth unrest.

BERLIN (AFP) - Germany's ruling coalition has reached agreement on a 50-billion-euro (70-billion-dollar) economic stimulus plan over the next two years, representatives said after talks on Monday.

BERLIN (AFP) - The governing coalition in Germany has reached agreement on a 50-billion-euro (70-billion-dollar) economic stimulus plan over the next two years, representatives said after talks on Monday.

NEW DELHI (AFP) - India on Monday handed to Pakistan what it said was evidence linking the country to the Islamic militants who attacked Mumbai in November, India's foreign minister announced.

GAZA CITY (AFP) - Israeli troops tightened their military grip on Gaza with new air and ground attacks that claimed more than 20 more lives on Monday, while the Israeli government rejected European-led calls for an immediate ceasefire.

COLOMBO, Jan 5, 2009 (AFP) - Sri Lankan troops battling Tamil rebels Monday captured part of the highly strategic Elephant Pass in a second major success just days after taking the guerrillas' political headquarters, the army said.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Apple's iconic chief executive Steve Jobs, whose health has been the subject of rampant speculation, announced Monday he was being treated for a "hormone imbalance" but would remain head of the company.