A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Al-Qaeda stokes Afghan bloodshed
KANDAHAR - Al-Qaeda stepped up its propaganda war against foreign troops in Afghanistan yesterday with a new video by deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri urging Afghans to rise against "infidel invaders", Declan Walsh reports.
Seated against a black background with an AK-47 rifle at his side, the Egyptian-born fundamentalist attempted to stoke a wave of bloodshed that has destabilised southern Afghanistan in recent months.
"I am calling upon the Muslims in Kabul in particular, and in all Afghanistan in general, to stand against the infidel forces that are invading Muslim lands," he said. - (Guardian Service)
Somali factions in first direct talks
KHARTOUM - The interim government of Somalia and the Islamic Courts Union movement which took control of the capital, Mogadishu, this month recognised each other yesterday after their first direct high-level talks in Sudan. In a written agreement signed by the two sides, they also agreed to further talks in Khartoum on July 25th, officials said.
Somali foreign minister Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail and the head of the Islamic Courts Union delegation, Mohamed Ali Ibrahim, embraced each other after the signing. - (Reuters)
Iran considering offer of incentives
GENEVA - UN secretary general Kofi Annan said yesterday that Iran's foreign minister had told him Tehran was seriously considering an offer of incentives aimed at defusing a row about its nuclear programme.
The US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany have presented Iran with a deal, including access to advanced civilian nuclear technology, but say Tehran must first suspend enrichment before any discussions can start. - (Reuters)
Olmert and Abbas to hold summit
PETRA - Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas agreed at an informal meeting in Jordan yesterday to hold a summit in the next few weeks.
The breakfast hosted by Jordan's King Abdullah for Nobel prize laureates and other dignitaries in the ancient town of Petra was the first time Mr Olmert and Mr Abbas had met since the Israeli leader took office last month. - (Reuters)
Opinion polls put Mexico left ahead
MEXICO CITY - Left-wing Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador edged further ahead yesterday in Mexico's tight presidential race, and investors' fears that he may damage the economy eased when the government said it was paying a $7 billion debt early.
Two out of three new opinion polls showed Lopez Obrador, the former mayor of Mexico City, leading conservative rival Felipe Calderon before the July 2nd election. - (Reuters)
Wine production to be curtailed
BRUSSELS - Europe's wine industry faces sweeping changes over the next few years, as producers are offered big cash rewards to dig up their vines and finally drain the EU's lakes of surplus wine.
In a blueprint for reforming policy on wine, EU agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel is keen to scrap or at least simplify many existing subsidies and curtail unnecessary production. - (Reuters)
Islamists kill six Algerian soldiers
ALGIERS - Suspected Islamist gunmen killed six soldiers in an ambush east of Algiers, a security source said yesterday, in the latest in an escalating series of attacks apparently aimed at wrecking Algerian peace efforts. - (Reuters)