Reuters - VIENNA (Reuters) - Forty-five countries mulling dropping a ban on nuclear trade with India welcomed an Indian pledge on Friday to uphold non-proliferation standards but some felt it did not go far enough, diplomats said.

Reuters - MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Maasai warrior Lempuris Lalasho went to Kenya's tourist haven Mombasa to find a white woman to marry, but he ended up working as a hairdresser, a profession that is taboo in his culture.

Reuters - KHARTOUM/JUBA (Reuters) - In a dusty church in Khartoum's Jeberona camp for displaced persons, the congregation claps and sings beneath a portrait of a smiling woman who has become a focus of hope for a divided country.

AFP - NEW DELHI (AFP) - An Indian court on Friday jailed the well-connected son of a rich arms dealer for five years for killing six people in a hit-and-run car accident nearly a decade ago, lawyers said.

AFP - TOKYO (AFP) - The United Nations on Friday launched a bid to designate Iraq's famed marshlands, which were ravaged by Saddam Hussein, a World Heritage site after a four-year restoration project.

AFP - LISBON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday hailed the West's reconciliation with Libya ahead of a landmark meeting with its leader Moamer Kadhafi but also highlighted the "suffering" caused by the prolonged standoff.

AFP - LISBON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday hailed the West's reconciliation with Libya ahead of a landmark meeting with its leader Moamer Kadhafi but also highlighted the "suffering" caused by the prolonged standoff.

AFP - TOKYO (AFP) - Beijing Olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya vowed here Friday to go for a world record in the Berlin Marathon next year and retain his title at the 2012 London Games.

Reuters - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's new president, almost certain to be the widower of Benazir Bhutto, will have to contend with a host of critical problems including militant violence and an economy in crisis.

AFP - PATNA, India (AFP) - Rescue workers in flood-hit northern India have brought over 800,000 people to safety, but tens of thousands more are still believed to be trapped, officials said Friday.

AFP - BEIJING (AFP) - China dispatched large numbers of soldiers and armed riot police to quell two major protests, officials and a rights group said Friday, in the latest public discontent to rock the communist nation.

AFP - LUANDA (AFP) - Angola is staging its first peacetime election but European Union observers said Friday that the organisation of the poll in Africa's new oil boom nation is a "disaster".

AFP - ST PAUL, Minnesota (AFP) - John McCain vowed to fight for America as long as he draws breath, in a patriotic pledge to bring political change as he accepted the Republican presidential nomination.

AFP - NEW DELHI (AFP) - India on Friday asserted its credentials as a "responsible" nuclear weapons state in last-minute lobbying for international backing for its atomic energy deal with the United States.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - The mother of schoolgirl Shannon Matthews, who went missing for 24 days earlier this year until she was found safe and sound, pleaded not guilty to kidnapping charges on Friday.

AFP - MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (AFP) - Three children and two women were killed when missiles fired by a suspected unmanned US aircraft hit a Pakistani tribal village Friday in the third such attack in as many days, officials said.

Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi -- once reviled as a "mad dog" by a U.S. president -- on Friday on a historic visit which she said proved that Washington had no permanent enemies.

Reuters - SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Thousands of Muslims staged sit-in protests in parts of Indian Kashmir on Friday, resuming demonstrations against New Delhi's rule in the disputed Himalayan region after a three-day break, witnesses said.

Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi -- once reviled as a "mad dog" by a U.S. president -- on Friday on a historic visit which she said proved that Washington had no permanent enemies.

Reuters - LISBON (Reuters) - Condoleezza Rice hailed as "historic" her trip to Libya later on Friday, the first by a U.S. secretary of state to the former pariah nation in 55 years and a visit aimed at erasing decades of enmity.

Reuters - HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A U.S.-led coalition air strike killed a woman and child and eight Taliban fighters in western Afghanistan on Friday, a top Afghan army official said.

Reuters - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, was poised on Saturday to win an election to become president.

AFP - TOKYO (AFP) - Flamboyant front-runner Taro Aso formally announced his bid to become Japan's next prime minister on Friday as younger rivals called for generational change in the ailing ruling party.

AFP - MIAMI (AFP) - Tropical Storm Hanna closed in on the US east coast Friday on the verge of hurricane strength after leaving 136 dead in Haiti, as powerful Hurricane Ike threatened Caribbean islands and the United States.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - London shares were falling Friday on a weak outlook for the global economy following further disappointing US and European data.

AFP - OSLO (AFP) - Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus may launch legal proceedings against Telenor to force the Norwegian telecom operator to honor a deal concerning their joint subsidiary in Bangladesh, GrameenPhone, he said.

AFP - TRIPOLI (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi on a landmark visit to Tripoli Friday, heralding a new chapter in Washington's reconciliation with the former enemy state.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - A 17-year-old girl was killed as floods struck Britain on Friday, forcing evacuations from homes as severe weather warnings were issued.

AFP - TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran on Friday dismissed as baseless remarks by French President Nicolas Sarkozy that Tehran was pursuing its controversial nuclear programme for military purposes.

AFP - LAGOS (AFP) - Nigeria has set up a 40-member technical committee on peace talks to end the crisis in the oil-rich Niger Delta, the government said Friday.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - Heavy metal fans and lovers of classical music have more in common than they like to think, according to research published Friday by a university in Edinburgh.

Reuters - BANGKOK (Reuters) - Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has bought some time with a referendum aimed at defusing street protests, but it will do nothing to resolve Thailand's fundamental political conflict, analysts say.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - Iraq's government wants to buy 36 advanced F-16 fighters from the United States, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing US military officials.

AFP - MIAMI (AFP) - Tropical Storm Hanna closed in on the southeastern US coast on Friday after leaving 136 dead in Haiti, as a powerful hurricane swept across the Atlantic, posing a potential threat to Caribbean islands and the United States.

The Canadian Press - POTI, Georgia - The flagship of the U.S. navy's Mediterranean fleet anchored Friday outside this key Georgian port, defiantly delivering humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged U.S. ally in a slap at Moscow.

AFP - LUANDA (AFP) - Voting was set to go into a second day Saturday in Angola's first peacetime elections, after chaos at the start of ballot-casting on Friday led the opposition to cry foul and demand new polls.

Reuters - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's new president, almost certain to be the widower of Benazir Bhutto, will have to contend with a host of critical problems including militant violence and an economy in crisis.

AFP - KIEV (AFP) - US Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday pledged support for Ukraine and pointed to Russia as the reason for the country's woes as he held talks with the squabbling president and prime minister.

AFP - GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) - Guatemalan police discovered a breakout plan in which a look-alike was due to replace the suspected deputy leader of a Mexican drug gang in jail, local media reported Friday.

Reuters - LISBON (Reuters) - Condoleezza Rice travels to Libya on Friday, the first trip there by a U.S. secretary of state in 55 years, signaling improved ties between the two countries.

AFP - DETROIT, Michigan (AFP) - The US presidential election campaign went into full swing Friday under the shadows of a struggling economy, with unemployment figures soaring to a five-year high and triggering recession fears.

AFP - LAGOS (AFP) - Nigeria has set up a 40-member technical committee on peace talks to end the crisis in the oil-rich Niger Delta, the government said Friday.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - Heavy rain and strong winds are pounding parts of Britain as the first major storm of the autumn pushes in from the Atlantic.

Reuters - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's new president, almost certain to be the widower of Benazir Bhutto, will have to contend with a host of critical problems including militant violence and an economy in crisis.

AFP - LUANDA (AFP) - Chaos at the start of Angola's first peacetime elections Friday prompted opposition calls for fresh polls, as the ruling party looked set to keep its grip on power in Africa's leading oil producing nation.

Reuters - LUANDA (Reuters) - Angola's first election for 16 years will go into an unscheduled second day on Saturday, the official in charge said after opposition parties had condemned the vote as chaotic and demanded a re-run.

AFP - JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli security forces detained 12 Palestinians near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron overnight, a military spokeswoman said on Friday.

AFP - KIEV (AFP) - Vice President Dick Cheney looked to heal wounds over Russia in Ukraine's ruling coalition on Friday as he wrapped up a regional tour aimed at bolstering key US allies following the conflict in Georgia.

Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - U.S. and Libyan relations are "off to a good start," Condoleezza Rice said on Friday as she became the first U.S. secretary of state to visit the North African country in 55 years.

Reuters - HARARE (Reuters) - South African President Thabo Mbeki is expected in Harare on Monday to continue mediation efforts to break a deadlock in power-sharing talks, a Zimbabwean official said on Friday.

AFP - ABIDJAN (AFP) - Ivory Coast's cocoa sector needs to be comprehensively modernised to deliver its full potential, the deputy chief of the World Bank for Africa, Obiageli Ezekwesili, said here Friday.

Reuters - PURNEA, India (Reuters) - Authorities battling a massive deluge in eastern India issued public warnings on Friday of more floods to come and asked villagers not to return home from temporary shelters yet.

AFP - DETROIT, Michigan (AFP) - The US presidential election campaign went into full swing Friday under the shadows of a struggling economy, with unemployment figures soaring to a five-year high and triggering recession fears.

The Canadian Press - MIAMI - The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Ike has weakened to a Category three storm in the Atlantic.

AFP - MIAMI (AFP) - Tropical Storm Hanna closed in on the southeastern US coast on Friday after leaving 136 dead in Haiti as a powerful hurricane swept across the Atlantic, posing a potential threat to Caribbean islands and the United States.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - A hotel in Surrey was forced to apologise Friday for turning away an injured soldier on leave from Afghanistan, after it provoked public outrage and an intervention from a government minister.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - League Managers' Association (LMA) chief executive Richard Bevan on Friday called on Newcastle to sort out their structural problems to ensure their next manager does not suffer the same fate as Kevin Keegan.

Reuters - VIENNA (Reuters) - Forty-five countries resumed crunch talks on Friday on whether to drop a ban on nuclear trade with India, amid efforts by Washington to allay fears the move could be at odds with non-proliferation principles.

Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi -- once reviled as a "mad dog" by a U.S. president -- on Friday on a historic visit which she said proved that Washington had no permanent enemies.

Reuters - HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Seven people, including two children, were killed in an air strike in western Afghanistan on Friday that was aimed at the house of a Taliban commander, a district official said.

AFP - LUANDA (AFP) - Angola President Jose Eduardo dos Santos on Friday voted at a Luanda polling station in the country's first elections after a decades-long civil war.

Reuters - BANGKOK (Reuters) - Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has bought some time with a referendum aimed at defusing street protests, but it will do nothing to resolve Thailand's fundamental political conflict, analysts say.

AFP - ST PAUL, Minnesota (AFP) - John McCain vowed to fight for America as long as he draws breath, in a patriotic pledge to bring political change as he accepted the Republican presidential nomination.

The Canadian Press - BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government reacted sharply Friday to published allegations that the United States spied on Iraq's prime minister, warning that future U.S. ties could be in jeopardy if the report were true.

AFP - LUSAKA (AFP) - Zambia's ruling MMD party is set to choose a presidential candidate to fight forthcoming elections following the death of President Levy Mwanawasa, a party official said Friday.

The Canadian Press - CHICAGO - Rev. Jesse Jackson has been released from a Chicago hospital, two days after he was admitted for severe stomach pains.

AFP - LISBON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice travels to Libya on Friday for a landmark meeting with its leader Moamer Kadhafi to mark the end of the Arab nation's international isolation.

The Canadian Press - DURYEA, Pa. - Barack Obama says John McCain's speech on Thursday night capped an out-of-touch Republican convention that focused on McCain's biography instead of the struggles facing middle class American voters.

AFP - BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanon's ruling bloc accused Damascus on Friday of "flagrant interference" in its affairs after the Syrian president urged his Lebanese counterpart to send troops to the north to quell sectarian fighting.

Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi -- once reviled as a "mad dog" by a U.S. president -- on Friday on a historic visit which she said proved that Washington had no permanent enemies.

The Canadian Press - MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Tropical storm Hanna picked up speed Friday as it cruised toward the Carolinas, promising to deliver gusty winds and heavy rain during a dash up the Eastern Seaboard that could wash out the weekend for millions of people.

Reuters - By Nopporn Wong-Anan BAAN BANGSAI, Thailand (Reuters) - Rural Thais say the middle class Bangkok protesters occupying Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's compound are destroying their livelihoods and should end their three-month campaign to topple the government.

AFP - LUANDA (AFP) - Chaos at the start of Angola's first peacetime elections Friday prompted opposition calls for fresh polls, as the ruling party looked set to keep its grip on power in Africa's leading oil producing nation.

Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi -- once reviled as a "mad dog" by a U.S. president -- on Friday on a historic visit which she said proved that Washington had no permanent enemies.

AFP - BANGKOK (AFP) - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej found little support Friday for his proposal to hold a referendum to resolve the stalemate with protesters who have occupied his offices for 11 days.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari insisted Friday that the failure to sign his fellow Brazilian Robinho would be no loss to the Premier League club this season.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown has stepped up his political fightback, vowing to protect voters from the effects of the credit crunch and promising to "free" Britain from the "dictatorship of oil".

AFP - TRIPOLI (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi on a landmark visit to Tripoli Friday, heralding a new chapter in Washington's reconciliation with the former enemy state.

AFP - TOKYO (AFP) - Flamboyant front-runner Taro Aso formally announced his bid to become Japan's next prime minister on Friday as younger rivals called for generational change in the ailing ruling party.

AFP - ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan's presidential hopefuls began a final push for support Friday on the eve of an election that slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's widower is expected to win.

AFP - MANILA (AFP) - At least a thousand troops have been rushed to the southern Philippines to protect communities and help in the relief effort after a major upsurge of Muslim separatist violence, the military said Friday.

AFP - MADRID (AFP) - Spanish police said Friday they detained a top Colombian drug trafficker who had been indicted in the United States for being a major supplier of cocaine to the United States during the 1990s.

Reuters - MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - Five Islamist militants were killed on Friday in a missile attack by a suspected U.S. drone in Pakistan's North Waziristan region, in a stepped up campaign against militants near the Afghan border.

Reuters - HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Seven people, including two children, were killed in an air strike in western Afghanistan on Friday that was aimed at the house of a Taliban commander, a district official said.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - Food prices have risen by 8.3% since the beginning of the year amid fears that Britain is facing the worst economic conditions in decades, a report said Friday.

AFP - DUBAI (AFP) - Al-Qaeda has released a video featuring a senior commander who was rumoured to have been killed in Pakistan in July, threatening more attacks after a suicide bombing on the Danish embassy in Islamabad, according to the SITE group which monitors Islamist websites.

AFP - ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan's presidential hopefuls began a final push for support Friday on the eve of an election that slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's widower is expected to win.

AFP - BRUSSELS (AFP) - Kenya's Pamela Jelimo scooped the Golden League million dollar jackpot Friday, after winning the 800m here to record her sixth successive win of the season.

AFP - TRIPOLI (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was due Friday to make the first visit to Libya by the top US diplomat since 1953 and meet Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.

AFP - MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (AFP) - At least three children were killed Friday when missiles fired by an unmanned aircraft hit a house in a Pakistani tribal border area, officials said.

Reuters - HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Seven people, including two children, were killed in an air strike in the western Afghan province of Farah on Friday, a district official said, adding the raid was aimed at the house of a Taliban commander.

AFP - LA PAZ (AFP) - Rebel governors in the east of Bolivia are mounting a "civil coup" against the government, President Evo Morales has charged, as a political crisis gripping the country edged closer to confrontation.

AFP - DARWIN, Australia (AFP) - Seamer Stuart Clark said Australia's lopsided one-day series against Bangladesh has been a worthwhile hit-out ahead of next month's tough tour against fierce rivals India.

AFP - MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia won backing over Georgia on Friday from six heads of ex-Soviet republics and hit out at the United States for sending its Mediterranean naval flagship to a key Georgian port where Russian troops have been patrolling.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - The mother of nine-year-old girl Shannon Matthews whose disappearance sparked a massive three-week search until she was found safe and sound, is due in court Friday along with the man accused of her abduction.

AFP - BEIJING (AFP) - Authorities in China's Muslim-populated far northwest are seeking to prevent mass prayers and the distribution of religious material as part of a security crackdown for Ramadan, government notices said.

AFP - SRINAGAR, India (AFP) - The three top separatist leaders in Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir were put under house arrest Friday ahead of planned protests against Indian-rule during weekly prayers, police said.

Reuters - LUANDA (Reuters) - Angola's UNITA opposition demanded a re-run of Friday's parliamentary election because of widespread delays at polling stations, describing the country's first vote in 16 years as a "mess."

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States spied on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his government even as President George W. Bush vowed a strong relationship with the Iraqi leader, according to a new book reported Friday by the Washington Post.

Reuters - VIENNA (Reuters) - Resistance to lifting a global ban on nuclear trade with India diminished at a 45-nation meeting on Friday but it was unclear if a revised U.S. proposal would convince the last doubters.

AFP - NEW DELHI (AFP) - Human Rights Watch on Friday demanded the Indian government and Maoist rebels stop using child fighters in their escalating battle in the country's eastern jungles.

AFP - SRINAGAR, India (AFP) - The three top separatist leaders in Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir were put under house arrest Friday ahead of planned protests against Indian-rule during weekly prayers, police said.

Reuters - MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - Five Islamist militants were killed on Friday in a missile attack by a suspected U.S. drone in Pakistan's North Waziristan region, the second such attack in as many days, security officials said.

Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has offered to help Cuban victims of Hurricane Gustav by sending aid through relief organizations instead of the government of President Raul Castro, the State Department said on Friday.

AFP - LUANDA (AFP) - Angolans voted Friday in their first peacetime elections with the ruling leftwing MPLA expected to keep a firm grip on the war ravaged new oil power while the opposition said the poll is unfair.

AFP - TRIPOLI (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi on a landmark visit to Tripoli Friday, heralding a new chapter in Washington's reconciliation with the former enemy state.

AFP - LUSAKA (AFP) - Zambia's ruling MMD party was set Friday to choose a presidential candidate to fight forthcoming elections following the death of President Levy Mwanawasa, a party official said.

Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Top U.S. diplomat Condoleezza Rice met Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Friday on a historic trip to the north African country she said was proof that Washington had no "permanent enemies."

AFP - HONG KONG (AFP) - A Hong Kong television reporter who quit his job after he was arrested for masturbating naked on a bus said he was only trying to "ease his stress", reports said Friday.

AFP - TRIPOLI (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was due Friday to make the first visit to Libya by the top US diplomat since 1953 and meet Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.

AFP - COLOMBO (AFP) - Government forces and Tamil Tiger separatists fought heavy battles in northern Sri Lanka with another 34 combatants killed in fresh clashes, the defence ministry said Friday.

AFP - NAWABSHAH, Pakistan (AFP) - In the extreme heat that allows sugarcane and bananas to flourish in the fields around Nawabshah, builders are busy working on "Zardari House," the home of Pakistan's likely next president.

Reuters - LUANDA (Reuters) - Angola's UNITA opposition demanded a re-run of Friday's parliamentary election because of widespread delays at polling stations, describing the country's first vote in 16 years as a "mess."

AFP - KIEV (AFP) - Vice President Dick Cheney looks to heal wounds over Russia in Ukraine's ruling coalition on Friday as he wraps up a regional tour aimed at bolstering key US allies following the conflict in Georgia.

Reuters - CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's 25th governor-general was sworn into office as the representative of Britain's Queen Elizabeth on Friday, with republicans holding out little hope that Australia will abolish the job any time soon.

Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's chief nuclear envoy on Friday pressed North Korea to halt plans to rebuild a mothballed nuclear plant that makes arms-grade plutonium and instead return to the bargaining table.

AFP - MADRID (AFP) - Spanish police said Friday they had detained a top Colombian drug trafficker who had been indicted in the United States for being a major supplier of cocaine to the United States during the 1990s.

AFP - LUANDA (AFP) - Polls opened Friday in Angola's first elections following a decades-long civil war in which the ruling left-wing MPLA looks set to keep its grip on the oil-rich southern African country.

AFP - CANBERRA (AFP) - Lawyer, academic, women's activist and grandmother Quentin Bryce was sworn in as Australia's governor general Friday, the first woman to act as the British queen's representative Down Under.

AFP - ST PAUL, Minnesota, Sept 4, 2008 (AFP) - John McCain Thursday vowed to fight for America as long as he draws breath, in a patriotic pledge to bring political change as he accepted the Republican White House nomination.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - Top US defense officials have recommended US President George W. Bush order only a modest US troop withdrawal from Iraq next year, with some of the forces shifted to Afghanistan, officials told AFP Friday.

AFP - MIAMI (AFP) - A powerful hurricane and two tropical storms threatened Friday to deliver more destruction in the northeastern Caribbean and the United States as the death toll in Haiti from Tropical Storm Hanna rose to 136.

AFP - STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt on Friday criticised Iran for sentencing women's rights activist Parvin Ardalan to prison, saying it revealed Tehran's "deteriorated respect for human rights."

AFP - MADRID (AFP) - Spanish police said Friday they had detained a top Colombian drug trafficker, Edgar Guillermo Vallejo Guarin, who was wanted in the United States and several other countries.

Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda issued new threats against Denmark in an Internet video released on Friday, saying an attack on the Danish embassy in Pakistan was the start of its retaliation for perceived insults to the Prophet Mohammad.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States would make only modest cuts in US force levels in Iraq early next year under a plan presented to President George W. Bush that calls for a shift in forces to Afghanistan, US defense officials said Friday.

The Canadian Press - POTI, Georgia - The flagship of the U.S. navy's Mediterranean fleet anchored outside a key Georgian port Friday, defiantly bringing what Washington said was humanitarian aid to a city still partly occupied by hundreds of Russian troops.

AFP - SRINAGAR, India (AFP) - The three top separatist leaders in Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir were put under house arrest Friday ahead of planned protests against Indian-rule during weekly prayers, police said.

AFP - LUANDA (AFP) - Angola's first peacetime election Friday was marred by a chaotic start as the ruling party looked set to keep its more than three-decade-long grip on power in Africa's top oil producer.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States would make only modest cuts in US force levels in Iraq early next year under a plan presented to President George W. Bush that calls for a shift in forces to Afghanistan, US defense officials said Friday.

AFP - TRIPOLI (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Libya on Friday on the first such visit in more than half a century, marking a new chapter in Washington's reconciliation with the former enemy state.

AFP - TOKYO (AFP) - North Korea will delay a long-awaited probe into abductions of Japanese citizens, officials said Friday, as dovish Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's sudden resignation set back moves to ease tension.

AFP - LUANDA (AFP) - Angola's first peacetime election Friday was marred by a chaotic start as the ruling party looked set to keep its more than three-decade-long grip on power in Africa's top oil producer.

AFP - KIEV (AFP) - US Vice President Dick Cheney was set Friday to meet with Ukraine's squabbling leaders as he continues his tour to bolster US allies in the region following the conflict between Georgia and Russia.

AFP - CHANDPUR BHANGAHA, India (AFP) - As men, women and children stream off boats at this launching spot to rescue flood victims in northern India, the road to town has turned into a vast camp where thousands wretchedly squat.

AFP - GOMA, DRCongo (AFP) - Fighting resumed between government troops and rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday in a new breach of a truce agreement, as mediation efforts appeared doomed to failure.

AFP - SYDNEY (AFP) - The embattled premier of Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, was forced to resign Friday after his party withdrew support for him over a dramatic reshuffle of his cabinet.

AFP - CEDARBURG, Wisconsin (AFP) - Republican and Democratic presidential hopefuls hit the campaign trial Friday wooing voters with competing pledges of change as the starting gun fired on the last lap of the White House race.

Reuters - VIENNA (Reuters) - Forty-five countries considering lifting a ban on nuclear trade with India welcomed an Indian pledge on Friday to honor non-proliferation pacts it has not signed, but some felt it did not go far enough, diplomats said.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - British triple Olympic sailing champion Ben Ainslie on Friday said he may not compete in the 2012 London Games in order to concentrate on winning the America's Cup.

AFP - DAKAR (AFP) - A Senegalese newspaper chief appeared in court Friday to answer charges of insulting President Abdoulaye Wade in an article that resulted in his paper being banned for a week.

Reuters - LUANDA (Reuters) - Delays marred Angola's first vote in 16 years on Friday, a parliamentary election in which the ruling party is expected to extend its hold of more than three decades in the oil-rich African nation.

Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda issued on Friday an Internet video featuring senior group leader Mustafa Abu al-Yazid who was reported to have been killed last month, but it was not immediately clear when the footage was made.

AFP - TRIPOLI (AFP) - The oil market is starting to suffer from oversupply, the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) chairman said on Friday, days before a key OPEC meeting on crude output levels.

AFP - BEIJING (AFP) - Authorities in China's Muslim-populated far northwest are seeking to prevent mass prayers and the distribution of religious material as part of a security crackdown for Ramadan, government notices said.

AFP - HERAT, Afghanistan (AFP) - Air strikes killed eight Taliban rebels including three militant commanders in southwestern Afghanistan early Friday, the Afghan army said, adding two civilians were also slain.

AFP - ANKARA (AFP) - Turkey's President Abdullah Gul goes to Armenia Saturday to watch a football match and start to tackle nearly 100 years of animosity over Ottoman Empire massacres that has left the two neighbours barely able to talk to each other.

AFP - TOKYO (AFP) - Fresh faces within Japan's ailing ruling party said Friday they would run for prime minister against perennial candidate Taro Aso, calling for a generational change as general elections loom.

AFP - MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia won backing over Georgia Friday from six heads of ex-Soviet states and hit out at the United States for sending a navy flagship to a key Georgian port where its troops have been patrolling.

AFP - ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan's presidential hopefuls began a final push for support Friday on the eve of an election that slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's widower is expected to win.

AFP - KIEV (AFP) - US Vice President Dick Cheney urged Ukraine's leaders on Friday to unite against the "threat" posed by Russia at separate talks with the country's deeply divided president and prime minister.

AFP - ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan's presidential hopefuls made a final push for support Friday on the eve of an election that slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's widower is expected to win.

AFP - SINGAPORE (AFP) - Former India coach Greg Chappell believes cricket's future lies in privately-owned Twenty20 club franchises around the world with Tests taking a back seat.

Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was quoted as saying on Friday that he doubted a full peace deal with Israel could be reached this year and urged the next U.S. administration to continue negotiations.

AFP - ROME (AFP) - Iran's nuclear program demands a political rather than a military response, Israeli President Shimon Peres said Friday, a day after his French counterpart warned Tehran risked a possible Israeli strike.

AFP - BAGHDAD (AFP) - Seven minutes of "No to America" and then they left, ducking for shade. That was the extent of the protest by fewer than 200 Shiite radicals after Friday prayers in Baghdad's anti-US enclave of Sadr City.

AFP - TRIPOLI (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Libya on Friday for a landmark meeting with its veteran leader Moamer Kadhafi, hailing Washington's reconciliation with the former enemy state.

The Canadian Press - CEDARBURG, Wis. - John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin have received a rousing reception in their first joint appearance in a politically vital state after the Republican convention.

AFP - LUSAKA (AFP) - Zambia's ruling party on Friday elected the country's vice president Rupiah Banda as its candidate for an upcoming presidential vote following the death of Levy Mwanawasa.

AFP - ST PAUL, Minnesota (AFP) - John McCain Thursday vowed to fight for America as long as he draws breath, promising to unleash a torrent of political change as he accepted the Republican White House nomination.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - The pound received a slight boost against the dollar Friday following worse-than-expected US jobless data.

The Canadian Press - ST. PAUL, Minn. - John McCain, hoping to win the U.S. presidency that eluded him nearly a decade ago, dug deep into his trademark maverick image as he vowed to put the nation's interests ahead of his own and reform the Washington establishment.

AFP - NEW DELHI (AFP) - The Indian military on Friday took its long-running battle for higher wages to the prime minister, warning poor perks were hurting morale in one of the world's biggest armies.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - The FTSE ended the week sharply lower Friday, with miners suffering the biggest losses amid ongoing concerns over the global economy and disappointing US jobless data.

AFP - MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (AFP) - Three children and two women were killed when missiles fired by a suspected unmanned US aircraft hit a village on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border Friday in the third such attack in as many days, officials said.

AFP - BANGKOK (AFP) - Thailand's prime minister said Friday he will consider ending a state of emergency in Bangkok, after the army chief refused to use the special powers to evict protesters squatting outside his offices.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush is drawing closer to a decision on US troop levels in Iraq after receiving top US commander General David Petraeus's advice, the White House said Thursday.

Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda issued new threats against Denmark in an Internet video released on Friday, saying an attack on the Danish Embassy in Pakistan is just the start of its retaliation for perceived insults to the Prophet Mohammad.

AFP - ST PAUL, Minnesota (AFP) - John McCain Thursday billed himself as a battle-scarred reformer and vowed he and running mate Sarah Palin would change Washington as he accepted the Republican presidential nomination.

AFP - TOKYO (AFP) - The United Nations on Friday launched a bid to designate Iraq's famed marshlands, which were ravaged by Saddam Hussein, a World Heritage site after a four-year restoration project.

The Canadian Press - SEOUL, South Korea - Top nuclear envoys from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan were to converge in Beijing on Friday to discuss the worsening impasse over North Korea's nuclear programs as Pyongyang took steps seen as reversing its promised disarmament.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush is likely to announce a decision on US troops levels in Iraq next week, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Friday.

Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was quoted as saying on Friday that he doubted a full peace deal with Israel could be reached this year and urged the next U.S. administration to continue negotiations.

AFP - BANGKOK (AFP) - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej found little support Friday for his proposal to hold a referendum to resolve the stalemate with protesters who have occupied his offices for 11 days.

AFP - JAKARTA (AFP) - With his sculpted abdominals proudly displayed on his Facebook profile, male model Adrian Maulana cuts a very different figure to the ex-generals and dynastic heirs who dominate Indonesian politics.

AFP - TRIPOLI (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Libya on Friday for a landmark meeting with its leader Moamer Kadhafi as she hailed the West's reconciliation with the long-ostracised nation.

AFP - TRIPOLI (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Libya on Friday for a landmark meeting with its leader Moamer Kadhafi as she hailed the West's reconciliation with the long-ostracised nation.

AFP - ST PAUL, Minnesota (AFP) - John McCain Thursday billed himself as a battle-scarred reformer and vowed he and running mate Sarah Palin would change Washington, as he was to accept the Republican presidential nomination.

Reuters - HARARE (Reuters) - South African President Thabo Mbeki is expected in Harare on Monday to continue mediation efforts to break a deadlock in power-sharing talks, a Zimbabwean official said on Friday.

AFP - NAIROBI (AFP) - Three million children in the Horn of Africa are at risk from death or disease as the effects of drought, conflict and rising food prices worsen, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Friday.

AFP - BEIJING (AFP) - US nuclear envoy Christopher Hill called on North Korea Friday to accept the inspection and verification of its nuclear facilities as part of ongoing six-nation disarmament talks.

The Canadian Press - ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday reinstated three judges ousted by Pervez Musharraf, but the move only cemented political divisions in the country a day before it elects a new president.

Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Top U.S. diplomat Condoleezza Rice arrived in Tripoli on Friday on the first trip by a U.S. secretary of state to Libya since 1953, and said it was proof that Washington had no "permanent enemies."

AFP - LUANDA (AFP) - Africa's biggest oil producer Angola goes to the polls Friday for its first peacetime elections with the ruling left-wing MPLA widely expected to keep a firm grip on power.

AFP - PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) - Around 3,000 Pakistani tribesmen Friday chanted "Allahu Akbar and death to America" in protest at a raid by Afghanistan-based US-led troops that saw at least 15 people killed.

AFP - MIAMI (AFP) - Tropical Storm Hanna closed in on the US east coast Friday after leaving 136 dead in Haiti, as powerful Hurricane Ike threatened Caribbean islands and the United States.

The Canadian Press - ST. PAUL, Minn. - John McCain, hoping to win the U.S. presidency that eluded him nearly a decade ago, dug deep into his trademark maverick image as he vowed to put the nation's interests ahead of his own and reform the Washington establishment.

AFP - TRIPOLI (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Libya on Friday for a landmark meeting with its leader Moamer Kadhafi as she hailed the West's reconciliation with the long-ostracised nation.

Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Top U.S. diplomat Condoleezza Rice arrived in Tripoli on Friday on the first trip by a U.S. secretary of state to Libya since 1953, and said it was proof that Washington had no "permanent enemies."

Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's chief nuclear envoy on Friday pressed North Korea to halt plans to rebuild a mothballed nuclear plant that makes arms-grade plutonium and instead return to the bargaining table to discuss disarmament.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States spied on Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his government even as President George W. Bush vowed a strong relationship with the Iraqi leader, according to a new book reported Friday by the Washington Post.

AFP - ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan's presidential hopefuls made a final push for support Friday on the eve of an election that slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's widower is expected to win.

AFP - OSLO (AFP) - Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is threatening legal proceedings against Norwegian telecom operator Telenor to force it to transform their joint Bangladeshi subsidiary into a "social business" aimed at helping the poor.

AFP - LUANDA (AFP) - Angola's first peacetime election Friday was marred by chaos as the ruling party looked set to extend its three-decade rule in Africa's top oil producer which was ravaged by a 27-year civil war.

AFP - TAIPEI (AFP) - Taiwan on Friday denied a media report it routinely offers extra aid to allies in exchange for their support in its campaign to join the United Nations.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States would make only modest cuts in US force levels in Iraq early next year under a plan presented to President George W. Bush that calls for a shift in forces to Afghanistan, US defense officials said.

AFP - SRINAGAR, India (AFP) - The three top separatist leaders in Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir were put under house arrest Friday, police said, as security forces struggled to contain new anti-India protests.

AFP - KIEV (AFP) - US Vice President Dick Cheney was set Friday to meet with Ukraine's squabbling leaders as he continues his tour to bolster US allies in the region following the conflict between Georgia and Russia.

AFP - TOKYO (AFP) - North Korea will delay a probe into abductions of Japanese civilians due to the change of government in Tokyo, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Friday.

AFP - BANGKOK (AFP) - Thailand's prime minister said Friday he will consider ending a state of emergency in Bangkok, after the army chief refused to use the special powers to evict protesters squatting outside his offices.

AFP - CANBERRA (AFP) - Lawyer, academic, women's activist and grandmother Quentin Bryce was sworn in as Australia's governor general Friday, the first woman to act as the British queen's representative Down Under.

AFP - JERUSALEM (AFP) - Ninety thousand Muslims attended the first prayers of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City on Friday amid tight security, police said.

AFP - MIAMI (AFP) - A powerful hurricane and two tropical storms threatened Thursday to wreak more destruction in the northeastern Caribbean and the United States as the death toll in Haiti from Tropical Storm Hanna rose to 136.

AFP - HARARE (AFP) - South African President Thabo Mbeki is expected in Harare next week to help revive stalled power-sharing talks between Zimbabwe's ruling party and the opposition MDC, a minister said Friday.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - A goalkeeper who blackmailed a top English Premier League footballer over a sex video was jailed for 20 months on Friday.

AFP - TRIPOLI (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was due Friday to make the first visit to Libya by the top US diplomat since 1953 and meet Libyan leader Colonel Moamer Khadhafi.

AFP - KIEV (AFP) - US Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday pledged support for Ukraine and pointed to Russia as the reason for the country's woes as he held talks with the squabbling president and prime minister.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton was banned Friday for six matches - with another six suspended - and fined 25,000 pounds for assaulting team-mate Ousmane Dabo.

AFP - YANGON (AFP) - Myanmar's detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has refused to accept food rations for three weeks, her party said Friday, calling on the military regime to take steps to ensure her "survival."

The Canadian Press - NASSAU, Bahamas - Tropical storm Hanna roared along the edge of the Bahamas on Thursday ahead of a possible hurricane hit on the Carolinas, leaving behind at least 137 dead in Haiti.

AFP - POTI, Georgia (AFP) - Russia criticised the United States on Friday for sending a navy flagship to a key Georgian port, while US Vice President Dick Cheney raised the spectre of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

AFP - NICE, France (AFP) - Cameroon striker Joseph-Desire Job has transferred from Nice to Qatari club Al Kharaitiyat, the French first division side confirmed on Friday.

Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's chief nuclear envoy pressed North Korea on Friday to halt plans to rebuild a mothballed nuclear plant that makes arms-grade plutonium and to instead return to the bargaining table.

Reuters - HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Two civilians were among eight people killed in a U.S.-led coalition operation in western Afghanistan on Friday, the U.S. military said, the latest in a mounting toll of civilian deaths that has outraged Afghans.

Reuters - BANGKOK (Reuters) - A national referendum proposed by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to end a political crisis in Thailand was dismissed by critics on Friday as a stalling tactic that would resolve little and simply prolong the unrest.

AFP - ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan's presidential hopefuls began a final push for support Friday on the eve of an election that slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's widower is expected to win.

AFP - MANILA (AFP) - The Philippines has sent 1,000 troops to guard food aid in its troubled south, officials said Friday, as the Red Cross warned of a "humanitarian crisis" after a surge in separatist violence and the halting of a peace process.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - Drivers hit by petrol price hikes lined up outside a gas station in London Friday to take advantage of 20,000 pounds worth of free fuel, causing traffic chaos.

AFP - ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan's presidential hopefuls began a final push for support Friday on the eve of an election that slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's widower is expected to win.

AFP - ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan's presidential hopefuls began a final push for support Friday on the eve of an election that slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's widower is expected to win.

Reuters - VIENNA (Reuters) - Forty-five countries considering lifting a ban on nuclear trade with India welcomed an Indian pledge on Friday to honor non-proliferation pacts it has not signed but some felt it did not go far enough, diplomats said.

AFP - CANBERRA (AFP) - Lawyer, academic, women's activist and grandmother Quentin Bryce was sworn in as Australia's governor general Friday, the first woman to act as the British queen's representative Down Under.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - John Darwin, who faked his death in a canoeing accident so he and his wife could claim a life insurance payout, has launched a bid to appeal against his jail sentence, his lawyer said Friday.

AFP - SYDNEY (AFP) - The embattled premier of Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, was forced to resign Friday after his party withdrew support for him over a dramatic reshuffle of his cabinet.

AFP - CANBERRA (AFP) - The suspected remains of a World War II-era airman found dangling in trees in the jungle of Papua New Guinea have turned out to be just a moss-covered branch, the Australian military revealed Friday.

AFP - PATNA, India (AFP) - Rescue workers in flood-hit northern India have brought over 800,000 people to safety, but tens of thousands more are still believed to be trapped, officials said Friday.

AFP - BAGHDAD (AFP) - The US military said on Friday it plans to free 3,000 detainees held in Iraq during the month of Ramadan, taking the number of those released so far this year to more than 15,000.

Reuters - HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Two civilians were among eight people killed in a U.S.-led coalition operation in western Afghanistan on Friday, the U.S. military said, the latest in a mounting toll of civilian deaths that has outraged Afghans.

Reuters - MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - At least five people were killed on Friday in a missile attack by a suspected U.S. drone in Pakistan's North Waziristan region, in a stepped up campaign against militants near the Afghan border.

Reuters - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's new president, almost certain to be the widower of Benazir Bhutto, will have to contend with a host of critical problems including militant violence and an economy in crisis.

Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda issued new threats against Denmark in an Internet video released on Friday, saying an attack on the Danish Embassy in Pakistan is just the start of its retaliation for perceived insults to the Prophet Mohammad.

AFP - ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan's presidential hopefuls began a final push for support Friday on the eve of an election that slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's widower is expected to win.