World Highlights

0 Iran is pushing ahead with plans to enrich uranium in defiance of international pressure to give up sensitive nuclear technology to allay fears that it is seeking a nuclear bomb, diplomats and intelligence sources say.

0 Saddam Hussein's trial enters a dramatic new phase when it resumes on Monday as witnesses take the stand for the first time, a move that has international observers concerned after the murder of two defence lawyers.

0 Satellite images could help determine if the CIA ran secret prisons in Europe, according to a Swiss lawmaker who is drawing up a report on the issue for the Council of Europe human rights watchdog.

0 Arabic news channel Al Jazeera's general manager flew to London yesterday to demand the British government explain a leaked report that US President George W. Bush wanted to bomb the TV station.

0 Lebanon's Hizbollah guerilla group said yesterday it had a duty to try to capture Israeli soldiers and swap them for Arab prisoners in Israel, hours after the Jewish state returned the remains of three fighters.

0 Hundreds of chickens have died of bird flu in Indonesia's Aceh in recent weeks, the first cases detected in the tsunami-hit province, an official said.

0 France's prime minister and the ambitious number two in his government set out different visions for helping minorities find jobs, drawing what could become battle lines in the 2007 presidential election.

0 Senegal's Appeals Court said it did not have the competence to rule on a Belgian extradition request for former Chad President Hissene Habre, who is wanted over atrocities committed during his government.

0 New Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said he would amend a ceasefire with rebels to halt "terrorist acts", saying he did not believe minority Tamils should have their own separate homeland.

0 A Japanese probe is readying itself to make a fresh and final attempt to land on the surface of an asteroid and pluck up rock samples, a delicate task officials said was like trying to land a jet in the Grand Canyon.