A US combat helicopter carrying troops on a nighttime mission crashed outside an American military base near the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday, killing at least five soldiers and injuring seven others. The helicopter was a MH-53 Pave Low, one of the largest and most technologically advanced choppers in the world, used primarily in special operations. Central Command said the cause of the crash remained unknown and was under military investigation. TALIBAN SAY MORE ATTACKS TO COME

KABUL – The Taliban said they were behind a blast at Kabul's largest hotel on Saturday, and warned there would be more attacks on foreigners. There were no casualties in the explosion, which damaged a wall and shattered windows at the Intercontinental hotel. Afghan police said the explosion was caused by an improvised bomb. Attacks on aid agencies have claimed more than 350 lives since August, forcing the UN to suspend road missions across much of south and southeast Afghanistan. TURKISH POLICE SEIZE 133 KILOS OF HEROIN

ISTANBUL – Turkish police discovered 133 kilograms (about 290 pounds) of heroin hidden in a truck and in the garden of a restaurant in a village near Istanbul. Three people were detained on charges of drug-trafficking. A record 507 kilograms of heroin were seized in Istanbul and the northeastern province of Rize in early November. Thirteen people, including a well-known Turkish drug-smuggler, were arrested in the bust. ITALY'S FINI SHAKES OFF NEO-FASCIST PAST

JERUSALEM – Italy's deputy prime minister, Gianfranco Fini, long considered persona non-grata by Israel for his neo-fascist background, condemned the "shameful chapters" in his country's history as he visited the Jewish state's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial on Monday. Former justice minister Yossi Beilin said the invitation to visit Israel had only been extended because of Fini's support for the controversial barrier being built between Israel and the Palestinian territories. SAUDI ARRESTS SUSPECTED MILITANTS

RIYADH – Saudi police have arrested more than 10 people believed to pose a security threat and to have alleged links to the Al Qaeda terror network over the last two weeks. Saudi security forces have reinforced their presence around religious sites, after the November 8 bombing of the Al Muhaya residential compound west of Riyadh, which killed 17 people. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack and threatened new operations in the Arabian Peninsula. TIES WITH SAUDI UNHARMED, SAYS MALAYSIAN FM

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar said ties with Saudi Arabia had not been hurt by a recent newspaper article that angered Riyadh. The editor of the government-linked New Straits Times, Abdullah Ahmad, 66, was sacked last Friday following publication of an article entitled "Freeing the Prophet's Land", which called for the removal of authoritarian regimes in Muslim countries. SUDANESE REBEL LEADER BRIEFS UN CHIEF ON PEACE PROCESS

NEW YORK – Sudanese rebel leader John Garang briefed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Monday on progress made during peace talks in the country. Sudan's war erupted in 1983 when Garang's SPLA took up arms to end domination of the mainly Christian and animist south by the Arabised, Muslim north. ISRAEL-EU COMPROMISE OVER PRODUCT LABELS

JERUSALEM – Israel has agreed to label products with their town of origin, including the West Bank, Gaza Strip or the Golan Heights, which are considered occupied territories by the international community. Only products originating from within the internationally recognized borders of Israel are entitled to EU tax breaks. A fraction of Israel-EU trade involves products from Jewish settlements built on Palestinian territory, but the issue has been a source of tension. ARABS MUST WORK FOR REFORM, SAYS JORDAN'S Prince Hassan

BERLIN – Arabs must do more to instill democracy in their own countries and fundamentally reform monarchies and the patronage system, Prince Hassan of Jordan said in a German newspaper interview published Tuesday. The prince called on the West not to work with "neo-nationalist" Muslim organizations, which he said would tend to hinder democratic development. He said well-funded, motivated extremists wanted to repress the "silent majority" of Arabs. BUSH SHARES EID WISH FOR PEACE

RIYADH – Americans share with Saudis their hope for Middle East peace, US President George W. Bush told Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz in a message on the occasion of the Eid Al Fitr holiday. The two peoples hope the Middle East is "freed from tyranny and terrorism," Bush said in the message. NORWAY TO EXPEL EX-HEAD OF ANSAR AL-ISLAM TO IRAQ

OSLO – Norway has reiterated its decision to expel Mullah Krekar, the founder of the radical Muslim group Ansar Al Islam, to Iraq, a day after refusing to extradite him to Jordan. Norway rejected Amman's request because there was insufficient evidence to prove allegations that Krekar smuggled heroin to fund terrorist activities. Krekar, who has enjoyed refugee status in Norway since 1991, says he has not led Ansar al-Islam since May 2002.