Writing by Ori Lewis Editing by Alistair Lyon World

Amnesty said the government and army chiefs in Bangkok had issued frequent directives against torture but the abuse was "sufficiently frequent and widespread that it cannot be dismissed as the work of a few errant subordinates in isolated instances". The report detailed the cases of 34 Muslims detained by police and the army from March 2007 to May 2008 in the region, an independent sultanate until it was annexed by predominantly Buddhist Thailand a century ago. One victim described being buried up to the neck in a pit, while another talked of being made to dunk his face into sewage before having a plastic bag forced over his head. The decree allows officials to detain suspects without formal charges for up to 30 days, provided preliminary court approval is obtained. Abhisit has made ending the conflict one of his top priorities, although his comments echo those of his four predecessors, none of whom made any headway. Tensions have always been high in the provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani and Songkhla, where 80 percent of the population are Muslim and have more in common with neighbouring Malaysia, speaking a Malay dialect, not Thai.

No credible group has ever claimed responsibility or stated political demands, although the targeting of symbols of the Thai state from teachers and monks to soldiers, police and government buildings leads analysts to describe the insurgents' aims as broadly separatist.(Additional reporting by Arada Therdthammakun; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Bill Tarrant). GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli tank fire killed two boys at a U.N.-run school in the northern Gaza Strip Saturday, not six people as previously reported, a U.N official said. WorldAn Israeli army spokesman said he was checking the report.Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said two brothers had been killed and 14 people had been wounded, including the boys' mother, when Israeli tank fire hit a school run by UNRWA in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.Palestinian medics had earlier put the death toll at six."Israel must be held accountable for what happened," Abu Hasna told Reuters.About 45,000 Gazans fleeing battle zones are sheltering in U.N.-run schools in the enclave.Hospital staff in Gaza said four Palestinians had died in other violence Saturday morning, including three killed by a tank shell that hit a residential area.The military, which said it hit about 50 targets in the Gaza Strip overnight, said it was also checking that report.More than 1,150 Palestinians have been killed and 5,100 wounded, many of them civilians, since Israel launched an air blitz on Gaza on December 27 and sent in ground forces a week later.Ten Israeli soldiers and three civilians, hit by rockets fired from Gaza, have been killed during the campaign.(Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Alistair Lyon) World.

Jan 17 (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 0730 GMT on Saturday. BAGHDAD - A bomb attached to a vehicle belonging to a municipal official killed his driver and wounded a bystander in the Yarmouk district of western Baghdad, police said BAGHDAD - A U.S. soldier died from wounds sustained when roadside bomb struck a patrol on Friday, the U.S military statement said.. DHAKA (Reuters) - The World Bank plans to lend Bangladesh $100 million by June to promote renewable sources of energy, particularly solar power, officials said. Green BusinessA delegation from the World Bank visited Bangladesh last week to explore the possibility of renewable energy development."Bangladesh has sought a $100 million loan to set up a solar power plant and to explore other sources of alternative energy in the country," an official of the World Bank told Reuters on Saturday."It may take couple of months to reach an agreement with the new government to promote renewable energy as the country's natural energy (gas) is depleting gradually," said the official, who declined to be named.Bangladesh's main source of energy, natural gas, is depleting fast and its recoverable gas reserve will meet demand only up to 2012, the state-run oil, gas and mineral corporation, or Petrobangla, has said.Bangladesh now faces a shortage of over 250 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcfd) against demand for over 2000 mmcfd.Compounding problems, power generation has been hampered over the last few years as nearly 80 percent of the country's electricity is produced using gas.The government has formulated a renewable energy policy to encourage the private and public sectors to develop alternative sources of energy, with the aim of meeting up to 10 percent of total electricity demand through renewable energy.Also on Saturday, Japan said it had pledged to lend Bangladesh nearly $440 million for power generation and bridge construction projects.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also in charge of ministry of power, energy and mineral resources, has asked that taxes and duties on the import of solar energy systems such as solar panels be waived."It will be done very soon and is a only matter of processing," government energy secretary Mohammad Mohsin said on Saturday.At present, importers pay around 3 percent duty and 15 percent value-added tax to import solar panels.The importers, mostly non-governmental organizations, have been urging the government to forego all taxes to promote the use of renewable energy.Mohsin said the prime minister felt that solar energy systems had not made much progress in the country despite their huge potential.Officials say that around 300,000 solar panels have been installed by different NGOs in the country.(Reporting by Serajul Islam Quadir; Editing by Ben Tan) Green Business. CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chris Drury delivered a game-winning goal in overtime to push the New York Rangers past the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Friday. SportsDrury tipped the puck past goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin on a power play 2:23 into the extra session to help the Rangers retain a one-point lead in the Atlantic Division over the Philadelphia Flyers, who also won.Chicago (24-10-8) still trail leaders Detroit in the Central Division."It was an all-around team effort," Brandon Dubinsky told reporters.