World Highlights

¤ The Hong Kong government said yesterday that two dead birds - a wild crested myna and a domestic chicken smuggled in from mainland China - had tested positive for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus. Three people who came into contact with the fowl and ate another chicken that had also been around the smuggled bird have been put into isolation at a local hospital for tests.

¤ Doctors yesterday inserted a feeding tube into the stomach of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a hospital statement said, raising new doubts about his chances of a swift recovery after last month's massive stroke. Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital said Mr Sharon, in a coma since undergoing surgery for his January 4 stroke, remained in critical but stable condition after the latest procedure, which required anaesthetic.

¤ Street protests erupted across Nepal yesterday on the first anniversary of King Gyanendra's power seizure despite his promise to hold national polls by 2007. The protests came after Maoist rebels killed 19 police and soldiers in an overnight raid on Palpa town, targeting army barracks, police posts and government buildings.

¤ Kenyan Finance Minister David Mwiraria resigned yesterday, saying he had been wrongly linked to a multimillion corruption scam that has rocked President Mwai Kibaki's government.

¤ US troops in Iraq fired warning shots at the Canadian envoy's car on Tuesday after it failed to slow down while approaching an American military convoy, the US military said yesterday. But a Canadian diplomatic spokesman had a different account. She said there was "to say the least reasonable" space between the vehicles and there were no warning shots or signals before three bullets hit the car. There were no injuries.