Wellington, Dec. 10 : Umpiring controversies should be kept at a minimum when the first cricket test between New Zealand and West Indies begins Thursday, says New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.

The countries'' two-match series is the second on the international calendar to be part of a trial enabling players to appeal decisions.

Rival captains Daniel Vettori and Chris Gayle have the power to refer rejected appeals to the third umpire for his assessment. Batsmen can also ask for a second opinion when they are given out.

Cotabato City, Philippines - Thirteen Muslim separatist rebels and one soldier were killed in a firefight in the southern Philippines on Tuesday, the military said.

Eight soldiers were also wounded in the clash in Datu Saudi Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province, 930 kilometres south of Manila, brigade commander Colonel Marlou Salazar said.

The four-hour fight began when Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels opened fire at the soldiers who were sent to verify reports of gunmen harassing residents in the town, he said.

Srinagar, Dec 10 : With winter and snowfall coming early in Kashmir valley, Kangri (fire pot) a traditional wicker-work basket used as a heater with embers in it, is selling like hot cakes.

The Kangris helps people to keep warm despite the electronic heating gadgets available in markets.

Kangri, which holds hot embers inside, is used as a portable heater during winter. The wicker basket with the coal embers is held within the folds of the long and loose pherans (traditional garment) during winter.

The entrepreneurs dealing with Kangri can''t stop rejoicing as mercury dips down.

Sydney - Australia has offered Indonesia a loan of 1 billion Australian dol

New Delhi, Dec 10 : Sheila Dikshit was elected as the leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) here today.

Dikshit, leading the party to a third consecutive victory in the national capital, was elected at a meeting of all the newly elected 42 party MLAs.

The meeting was attended by AICC General Secretary Mohsina Kidwai, Minister of State for Finance P K Bansal and DPCC chief Jai Prakash Aggarwal.

At the meeting, a resolution supported by all the MLAs was placed which left the choice of the CLP leader to party chief Sonia Gandhi.

Washington, Dec 10 : A new research has determined that contrary to earlier projections, few developing countries will be able to afford more efficient technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the next few decades.

The study, by researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Colorado, warns that continuing economic and technological disparities will make it more difficult than anticipated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and it underscores the challenges that poorer nations face in trying to adapt to global warming.

Many developing countries, such as Mexico, are failing to adapt technologies that are substantially more efficient and could result in reduced carbon dioxide emissions.