World Update from BBC News
Fighting flares outside Gaza CityMilitants engage Israeli forces near Gaza City as "friendly fire" kills three soldiers on the third night of the ground offensive.N Korea rallies for absent leaderTens of thousands of North Koreans hold a New Year rally celebrating leader Kim Jong-il, who did not appear in footage of the event.Warnings issued amid Arctic chillThe Met Office issues severe weather warnings as temperatures in the UK plummet as low as -10C (14F) overnight.Russia cuts transit gas by fifthRussia's Gazprom cuts gas transiting Ukraine by a fifth, accusing Kiev of stealing gas intended for EU states.Turkey rehabilitates poet HikmetTurkey is to restore the citizenship of one of its most illustrious writers, the late Nazim Hikmet.US vows 'huge' marine protectionThe US is to establish "the largest area of protected sea in the world", banning fishing and mining, around its Pacific islands.Japanese whaler reported missingRescuers hold out little hope of finding a Japanese sailor alive after he goes missing from a whaling ship in the Antarctic.
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