Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Dec.24

Five people were killed and 42 others were severely burnt in the Thursday night fire resulting from an explosion at a gas station in Ghana's capital Accra, authorities said on Friday.

The five killed were attendants of the Louis Gas Station behind the Trade Fair site. They were helping in discharging the gas from a tanker when an explosion suddenly occurred between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday, Accra Regional Police spokesperson Effia Tenge told the media. (Ghana-Explosion)

- - - -

UNITED NATIONS -- The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that 100 people are feared to have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday, bringing the number of casualties in the Mediterranean this year to more than 5,000, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said here Friday.

"UNHCR says this is the worst annual death toll ever seen," Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. (UN-Syria)

- - - -

KABUL -- Seven police personnel were killed and five others wounded in two separate attacks in Afghanistan on Saturday, authorities said.

In one attack, four police were killed and one wounded after a police vehicle was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in outskirts of Qalat city, capital of southern Zabul province. (Afghanistan-Military Attack)

- - - -

CAIRO -- The Arab League (AL) welcomed Saturday a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution that demands immediate and complete halt of all Israeli settlement activities on occupied Palestinian territories.

AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit congratulated the Palestinian people and government on the "pivotal" resolution that was endorsed by a large majority and after more than 35 years of attempts to issue a similar resolution. (Egypt-UN-Israel-Settlement) Endi