World Highlights

¤ France imposed emergency measures in 38 suburbs, towns and cities including Paris and police said a wave of riots was waning despite a 13th straight night of firebombs and torched cars.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin published a decree invoking a 50-year-old law that gives regional government officials the power to impose nightly curfews against the rioters, mainly protesting against unemployment and racism.

pLawyers for Saddam Hussein and his aides severed all contact with the court trying the former Iraqi president after the second killing of a member of the defence team since the trial began last month.

The judge said the court was considering its response.

¤ At least six people were killed and 25 wounded when two car bombs exploded near a police station and a mosque in a mainly Shi'ite area of Baghdad, police, witnesses and the US military said.

¤ A Syrian panel is questioning six Syrian officials who had been summoned to Beirut by UN investigators probing the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, the panel spokesman said.

The interrogation of the officials effectively prevents them from going to Beirut for questioning by UN officials.

¤ Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi met US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, stirring Iraq war critics who denounced the visit of the man most associated with discredited prewar intelligence.

¤ A new round of talks aimed at defusing the North Korean nuclear crisis made some progress on the opening day yesterday with all parties committed to making further steps forward in the coming weeks, the chief US negotiator said.

¤ Egyptians voted in the first stage of legislative elections expected to make only minor inroads in the domination of parliament by President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party (NDP).