Wednesday International News

IAEA presses Iran, N Korea to come clean on nukes
Afp, Vienna
UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei urged Iran yesterday to come clean on its contested atomic drive and North Korea not to resume its own nuclear activities as international disarmament talks founder.

 
Security on Afghan border is a job for Pakistan, not US
Says Zardari 
Afp, Washington
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said in an interview broadcast Sunday that Islamabad's military is capable of quelling militant elements on its border with Afghanistan, and again urged the US military against launching incursions into its territory.

 
5 Lebanese soldiers killed in bomb blast
Afp, Tripoli
Five Lebanese soldiers were killed yesterday in a car bomb blast targeting an army bus on the outskirts of the restive northern city of Tripoli, security and military officials said.

 
US 'war on terror' failed to weaken al-Qaeda
Reveals global poll 
Afp, London
Most people across the world believe the US-led "war on terror" has failed to weaken al-Qaeda and many think the group has actually grown stronger, a BBC World Service poll revealed yesterday.

 
Egypt desert hostages freed after 10-day ordeal
Afp, Cairo
A group of European tourists and their Egyptian guides who were kidnapped by armed bandits in a remote desert 10 days ago have been freed unharmed, officials said yesterday.

 
France and India vow to boost civil nuclear cooperation
Afp, Marseille
Indian and French leaders vowed yesterday to boost nuclear energy cooperation at an annual summit on EU-India ties dominated by trade, global warming and the world financial crisis.

 
India extends defence coop pact with Russia
Pallab Bhattacharya, New Delhi
India will buy 347 T-90 tanks from Russia and manufacture another 1,000 tanks under transfer of technology as the two countries yesterday gave a major boost to bilateral defence cooperation by extending the tenure of the Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation by 10 more years on the expiry of its present term in 2010. 

 
Pakistan, India close to conclude a pact on Sir Creek: Kasuri
Pti, Islamabad
Pakistan and India are close to concluding an agreement on the Sir Creek maritime boundary dispute, which has been hanging fire for decades, with all issues having been resolved, former Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has said.

 
Nepali Maoist govt, not priests, select 'living goddess' 
Afp, Kathmandu
Nepal's new Maoist government has taken over the task of selecting a girl to be a "living goddess," ousting royal priests from a role they fulfilled for centuries.