World highlights

¤ Iran's chief nuclear negotiator yesterday dampened hopes that Tehran was leaning towards a compromise solution put forward by Russia over its nuclear dispute with the West.

¤ A major earthquake struck in the Banda Sea in eastern Indonesia yesterday but no immediate threat of a tsunami was forecast, the National Earthquake Centre in Jakarta said.

¤ Nigerian militants believed to be holding four foreign oil workers hostage said yesterday they did not plan to release them any time soon, dashing hopes of an imminent end to the 17-day crisis.

¤ Tension in leading oil producers Nigeria and Iran pushed prices more than a dollar higher to more than $67 a barrel yesterday as high stockpiles in the United States failed to calm investor nerves.

¤ The US economy ended last year on a surprisingly soft note as consumer spending grew at the slowest rate since 2001 and businesses were less eager to boost investment, a government report yesterday showed.

¤ Vowing to strike Jesus from history, an Italian atheist took his legal crusade against the Church to court yesterday asking a judge to open a formal trial over whether Christ existed.

¤ Two policemen were killed and two wounded in Afghanistan when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb yesterday in a restive southern province where British troops will soon be based, police said.