Reuters World News Highlights at 0200 GMT, Dec 26

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday issued a "last-minute" appeal to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to reject their Hamas rulers and stop rocket fire at Israel, warning them he would not hesitate to use force.

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CONAKRY - Guinea's new military rulers were endorsed by the deposed prime minister on Thursday, but condemned by the United States which demanded an immediate return to civilian rule.

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LONDON - Harold Pinter, the British playwright and Nobel laureate famous for his brooding portrayals of domestic life and barbed politics, has died aged 78.

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YEVPATORIA, Ukraine - A suspected gas explosion devastated a five-storey apartment building in southern Ukraine, killing 22 people and leaving more than 20 still unaccounted for, officials said on Thursday.

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KUALA LUMPUR - Quick action by a German warship halted an attack on an Egyptian bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday by Somali pirates trying to hijack it, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said.

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BANGKOK - New Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva vowed on Thursday to take legal action against leaders of protesters whose week-long occupation of two Bangkok airports has brought billions of dollars of losses to the economy.

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VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict said on Thursday he hoped Christmas would bring hope to those suffering from war, terrorism, injustice and poverty and appealed for peace in the Holy Land.

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WASHINGTON - Eartha Kitt, who rose from the Southern cotton fields to captivate audiences around the world with sultry performances as a singer, dancer and actress, died on Thursday at the age of 81.

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HARARE - Armed police took a leading Zimbabwean human rights campaigner and eight activists to an undisclosed location on Thursday after the High Court ordered their immediate release to a local hospital, their lawyer said.

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BAGHDAD - A car bomb near a popular restaurant in northwestern Baghdad killed four people and wounded 25 on Thursday, police said.

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DHAKA - Militants with enough explosives for 50 grenades have been detained in Bangladesh, police said on Thursday, four days before a major election in the South Asian country.