The United Nations on Tuesday began an appeal for almost a third of a billion dollars in aid to help people hit by the huge typhoon that raked the Philippines last week.

"We've just launched an action plan focusing on the areas of food, health, sanitation, shelter, debris removal and also protection of the most vulnerable with the government and I very much hope our donors will be generous," humanitarian chief Valerie Amos told reporters in Manila.

Israeli security sources claimed Tuesday that Iran's controversial nuclear program has cost the country $170 billion, mostly due to tough economic sanctions.

The figures came as Israel and the U.S. were locked in a war of words over negotiations between world powers and Iran that could see sanctions relaxed in exchange for Tehran curbing or freezing parts of its controversial nuclear program.

More than 5,000 people have fled their homes in western Indonesia in recent days following a series of violent volcanic eruptions, an official said Tuesday.

Mount Sinabung on the north of Sumatra island has been hurling out red-hot ash, rocks and torrents of glowing lava up to seven kilometers (four miles) into the air since the start of the month.

Poland was in hot water on Tuesday after ultra-nationalist rioters went on the rampage outside the Russian embassy in Warsaw, igniting a diplomatic row with Moscow.

The violence, which marred Polish independence day on Monday, reflects growing far-right and anti-Russian sentiment in Poland, an ex-communist country and European Union member.

Ethiopia has warned of an increased threat from Somalia's al-Qaida-linked Shebab, saying the country should expect more attacks, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The announcement comes after two Somali nationals were killed last month when a bomb they were making exploded in Addis Ababa. Officials said they planned to target crowds gathered for a World Cup qualifying match.

Bangladesh police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at garment workers who stitch clothes for Western retailers during clashes on Tuesday as demonstrations against low wages intensified, an officer said.

Some 40,000 workers downed tools and took to the streets in the Ashulia export zone on the outskirts of Dhaka for the second day, forcing around 200 factories to suspend production, police and factory owners said.

Philippine troops killed two armed insurgents who attacked an aid convoy en route to typhoon-devastated Tacloban on Tuesday, the military said, as soldiers were deployed to quell looting by hungry survivors.

Bodies still littered the streets of the city, where the United Nations fears 10,000 people could have died when the category-five Haiyan struck on Friday.

Peace efforts between Democratic Republic of Congo and defeated M23 rebels will continue, Uganda's government said Tuesday, a day after the two sides failed to sign a much hoped for agreement.

The last-minute failure to sign a deal on Monday was a blow to international efforts to stabilize the African nation's conflict-prone east.

A 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of far eastern Russia Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

It said the quake hit about 170 kilometers (100 miles) off the Kamchatka Peninsula, at a depth of 47 kilometers (33 miles).

Britain's heir to the throne Prince Charles can draw his state pension from Thursday when he turns 65 -- despite having yet to start the job he has eyed for a lifetime.

Queen Elizabeth II's eldest son has endured the longest wait in history by a British heir, and it hasn't been easy.