World datelines

Afghanistan

KABUL — A Canadian soldier was killed Friday in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, while an insurgent attack on a police checkpoint left three dead, officials said.

Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO— A Brazilian jetliner with 140 people aboard was reported missing Friday over the Amazon jungle after colliding with a smaller executive jet, aviation authorities said. The air force was searching for the jet in a densely forested region.

China

China on Friday backed a U.S.-South Korean proposal aimed at luring North Korea back to long-stalled international talks on its nuclear program.

Georgia

TBILISI — Russia warned on Friday that its plans to close military bases in Georgia were in doubt, and Georgia claimed Russia was moving troops near their shared border as relations between the countries deteriorated in one of their worst crises since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Germany

BERLIN — German lawmakers called on authorities Friday to guarantee the security of a Berlin opera house that pulled a production featuring the severed head of Muhammad, amid ongoing calls to stage the production as a sign of moral courage.

India

NEW DELHI — A 61-year-old cancer patient died after fasting for two weeks in an ancient rite that a human rights activist went to court to stop, news reports said.

Indonesia

JAKARTA — Christians angered by last week's executions of three Roman Catholic militants set fire to a police station Friday and hurled rocks at a helicopter carrying a police chief, the state news agency Antara reported.

Ireland

DUBLIN — Prime Minister Bertie Ahern faced mounting pressure Friday to explain why he received money from Irish businessmen in England, a scandal threatening to torpedo his leadership after nine years in power.

Israel