Somali presidential palace attacked

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Islamic insurgents attacked Somalia's presidential palace and five civilians were killed Wednesday, underscoring fears the country could collapse into further chaos only a day after Ethiopian troops handed over security duties to a Somali force.

The extremist group at the center of the fighting, which wants to establish an Islamic state in Somalia, said it now would focus its attacks on the thousands of African Union peacekeepers in the country.

"You used to hear Ethiopian bases were attacked daily, but from now you will hear the African Union bases were attacked," said Sheik Muktar Robow, spokesman of the Islamic insurgency group, al-Shabab, which the U.S. State Department considers a terrorist organization with links to al-Qaida. "We ask them to leave our country. If not, we will force them to leave," Robow said of the peacekeepers at a news conference in the Somali capital.

There are currently about 2,400 Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers in Mogadishu whose mandate is restricted to guarding key government installations such as the port and airport. To date, they have rarely been the target of insurgent attacks.

Sri Lankan military seizes key peninsula

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Government forces have seized a final strip of land from Tamil Tiger rebels in a key northern peninsula of Sri Lanka, securing control of the symbolic heart of the 25-year separatist insurgency, the military said.

The defense secretary, meanwhile, accused some journalists of being "terrorists" trying to save the rebel group from the brink of defeat.

The military took full control Wednesday of the northern Jaffna peninsula, the cultural capital of Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority, leaving the rebels in control of only one remaining district.

The peninsula was fully secured when soldiers captured Chundikkulam village, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said. Last week, troops captured the Elephant Pass base, the insurgents' final stronghold on the peninsula.

Nanayakkara said the rebels retreated with their dead and that the military did not suffer any casualties.

Rebel officials could not be reached for comment.

U.N. demands Eritrea pullback from Dijbouti

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday unanimously demanded that Eritrea quickly pull its troops back from the Djibouti border and acknowledge the dispute with its Horn of Africa neighbor in an important area overlooking critical Red Sea shipping lanes.

In June, the Security Council condemned Eritrea for launching an attack against the tiny port nation of Djibouti, a key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism, which the U.S. said left 44 Djiboutian soldiers dead and many more missing.

The council had called for a cease-fire and urged the two countries to withdraw their forces from the border. Djibouti did, but Eritrea did not.

The council's resolution Wednesday expressed "deep concern" that Eritrea has not withdrawn its forces and has refused to engage in dialogue with Djibouti or accept the offers of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the African Union and others to help resolve the dispute.

Protest in Bulgaria turns violent

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- An anti-government demonstration in Sofia turned violent Wednesday, with protesters clashing with police and hurling stones and bottles at the Parliament building.

A local hospital said 23 people were injured, including six police officers.

The demonstration started peacefully, with about 2,000 students, farmers and medical workers gathering to protest the government, which they accuse of failing to cope with the economic crisis and tackle widespread corruption.

But shortly after the start, masked youths believed to be nationalists and football hooligans began throwing stones and chunks of ice at police officers and vandalized several police vehicles. Riot police responded with tear gas and dispersed the crowd. Interior Minister Mihail Mikov said 53 people were arrested.

Many Bulgarians blame the Socialist-led government for the country's woes, which have been greatly exacerbated by the current crisis over Russian gas. The opposition is demanding that the government step down and hold early elections. Parliamentary elections are due this summer.

Venezuela term-limit vote gets final OK

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelan lawmakers on Wednesday approved amendments to the constitution that would allow President Hugo Chavez to run for re-election indefinitely, the final step before the proposal goes before voters in a referendum.

Allies of Chavez, who hold a strong majority within the 167-seat National Assembly, overwhelmingly voted in favor of lifting term limits for all elected officials. Six lawmakers voted against the proposal while five abstained.

Election officials have yet to set a date for the referendum.

Latvian president blasts politicians

RIGA, Latvia -- Latvia's president lashed out at lawmakers Wednesday and threatened to dissolve Parliament after more than 40 people were injured in the worst rioting since the Baltic country split from the Soviet Union in 1991.

President Valdis Zatlers said he would disband the legislature by March 31 unless lawmakers agree to a series of reforms to help restore political and economic order in the crisis-hit nation.

The ultimatum came a day after an anti-government demonstration that included an estimated 10,000 participants turned violent when scores of angry protesters tried to storm Parliament and clashed with police.

More than 40 people were injured, mostly protesters but also six police officers and eight military police, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sigita Pildava said. Police detained 106 people.

The rampage echoes similar clashes in Greece and Bulgaria, where protesters vented their anger at deteriorating economic conditions and widespread corruption.

Mexican billionaire's name held for ransom on Web

GENEVA -- Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu has won a legal dispute with a cybersquatter who held his name for ransom on the Web.

The U.N. intellectual property agency says current owner Ahmad Rusli of Indonesia was wrong to register the Web address www.carlosslimhelu.com and demand up to $55 million to hand it over.

The World Intellectual Property Organization says Rusli briefly redirected Web surfers who visited the address to a pornographic site "to attract (Slim's) attention."

The Geneva-based agency said Wednesday that Rusli should transfer the domain to Slim, who holds a trademark on his name.

Slim was named the world's second-richest man last year by Forbes magazine.

Mexico restores damaged sculptures

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico -- Mexico is restoring nearly two dozen pre-Hispanic Olmec sculptures damaged by an American woman and two Mexican men.

The three were arrested Sunday for allegedly throwing a grape juice-and-oil mixture on the statues as part of a bizarre religious act. The mixture left dark stains on the porous stone carvings in the Gulf state of Tabasco.

Mexico's National Institute for Anthropology and History says the 300,000 peso ($21,000) restoration process began Wednesday with pressurized hot water and organic solvents.

The Olmecs are referred to as the "mother culture" of the region that later saw the rise of the Mayas and Aztecs. The flat-faced, carved heads are often considered the most emblematic pieces of Olmec art.