ISRAELI forces killed three Palestinians in Gaza yesterday, including two gunmen, in air strikes and clashes, rescue workers said.

One of the gunmen was killed in a battle with Israeli soldiers, backed by tanks, near the northern town of Beit Hanoun, witnesses said.

Militants fired anti-tank rockets at troops, they added. Another soldier was badly wounded.

The violence came a day after Israel killed 17 people, about half of them civilians, including two women acting as human shields between troops and gunmen hiding in a mosque.

Delaware man must wear sex offender T-shirt A Delaware judge ordered a man who twice exposed himself to a 10-year-old girl at his workplace to wear a T-shirt with the words: 'I am a registered sex offender' in bold letters, a prosecutor said.

Russell Teeter, 69, who pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent exposure, also was sentenced to 60 days in jail. Deputy AG Donald Roberts said he requested the punishment because he was concerned about Teeter exposing himself to children at the gardening business he runs with his wife.

North Korea tells Japan to stay away from nuclear talks

NORTH KOREA said Japan should not bother to attend the six-country nuclear talks, because Tokyo is refusing to recognise the reclusive communist country as a nuclear weapons state.

"There is no need for Japan to participate because it is no more than a state of the US, and it is enough for Tokyo just to be informed of the results of the talks by Washington, " North Korea's foreign ministry said.