At the weekend, Luis Moreno, the number two at the American embassy and a veteran Haiti hand, visited the president to tell him that the rebels were massing to attack the capital, and that America would not intervene to save him.
Russian president Vladimir Putin will no doubt use this revelation to support his claims that the Chechen rebels behind the Moscow theatre attack had links to al-Qaeda.
After launching a fresh rebellion in the east last year, the Rwandans flew thousands of troops and rebels across Congo to attack the capital, Kinshasa.
The Syrian government called for the United Nations to investigate alleged chemical weapons use by rebels in the attack that killed 31 people.
Syrian forces have previously fired mortars across the border and crossed into Lebanon to attack rebels.
Since the president announced, on October 21st, that Zimbabwean troops would attack the rebels in their eastern strongholds, some 10, 000 soldiers have been flown to Congo, bringing the total to an estimated 13, 000.
Correspondents said it was possible Mrs Kumaratunga had benefited from a sympathy vote following her narrow escape - but that the attack may equally have turned Sinhalese voters away from the opposition's plan to open talks with the rebels.
The Malian army has been fighting Islamist rebels in the northern city of Timbuktu after a suicide bomber attempted to attack an army checkpoint.
He said Darfuri rebels had tried to attack Sudan by coming through South Sudanese territory, and the Sudanese army had responded, but insisted the engagement was inside Sudan.
The rebels say they made a tactical withdrawal to allow civilians time to leave before they launch another attack.
Before the attack in Aleppo on Tuesday, Syria's government had never alleged rebels had access to chemical weapons, only refuting rebel claims last year that it had used such weapons or ever would against its own people.
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