An Egyptian court has sentenced a schoolteacher to six years in jail for beating a pupil to death because he had not done his homework.

Maths teacher Haitham Nabeel Abdelhamid, 23, took Islam Amr Badr outside the classroom and hit him violently in the stomach.

The 11-year-old boy fainted and later died in hospital of heart failure in the city of Alexandria.

The court was told the boy had four broken ribs.

Abdelhamid was convicted of manslaughter.

He said he only meant to discipline the pupil and did not mean to hurt anyone.

The teacher's lawyer was quoted as saying in court: "Hitting [a child] is not banned in schools and my client did not break the law."

National outrage

Observers say the case has been seen as a shocking reminder of the fa

The new US embassy in Baghdad is due to be officially opened, with a dedication service led by Ambassador Ryan Crocker.

Security will be tight at the ceremony for one of the biggest and most expensive embassies the US has ever built.

On 1 January, the US officially handed over responsibility for security in the fortified Green Zone to Iraqi forces.

The US also gave back Saddam Hussein's palace there, which had been their headquarters in the city.

The new complex, which will house a total of 4,000 staff, has been built with security very much in mind - so much so that camera crews will not be allowed to film the buildings at the opening ceremony.

The new year has opened with bloodshed in Iraq. The worst attack so far, a suicide bombing on pilgrims gather

Intense diplomatic efforts are under way to try to secure a ceasefire in Gaza as the Israeli assault against Hamas militants enters its 10th day.

Separate missions to the Middle East are being led by the French president, and a high-level team from the EU.

Israeli troops pushed deeper into Gaza, with reports by unnamed Palestinian sources of Israeli tanks moving towards the southern town of Khan Younis.

Palestinians say two adults and five children were killed overnight.

They say more than 500 people have been killed so far.

Hamas officials say that 10 of its fighters have so far been killed in the ground offensive while the Israeli military reports one of its soldiers dead and 34 wounded.

Israel said it would allow more aid into Gaza later, with 8

Intense diplomatic efforts are under way to try to secure a ceasefire in Gaza as the Israeli ground assault against Hamas militants rolls on.

French President Sarkozy is heading to the Middle East to try to persuade Israeli and Arab leaders to agree to a 48-hour humanitarian truce.

A separate, high-profile EU delegation and a Russian envoy are already there.

Reports suggest Israel's ground assault on Gaza took a new turn overnight with tanks entering the south of the strip.

Anti-war protesters in Sydney condemned Israel's actions on Sunday

Earlier, Israeli forces took up positions in the north on either side of Gaza City, in effect cutting Gaza into two parts, from the Karni crossing to the Mediterranean Sea.

A female suicide bomber has killed at least 35 Shia pilgrims including 16 Iranians near a shrine in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, police say.

As many as 72 people were injured in the blast, in the Kadhimiya area of the Iraqi capital, where pilgrims were gathering for a religious ceremony.

There were fears that the death toll would rise.

Processions of Shia pilgrims across Iraq have been targeted by Sunni insurgents in the past.

Police said the suicide bomber detonated her device at a checkpoint outside the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim shrine on Sunday.

An Iranian pilgrim wept outside a hospital where the injured were taken

"A woman wearing an explosive vest managed to reach one of the security checkpoints near the