World Highlights

¤ Chinese President Hu Jintao accused Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian yesterday of provoking confrontation by scrapping a council on unification, and China warned the United States not to offer Mr Chen any leeway.

¤ US Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said yesterday that more information had made him more comfortable with a deal for a state-owned Dubai company to manage terminals at major US seaports.

¤ Russia expects Iran to agree soon to enrich uranium on Russian soil, a move which could avert suspicions that Tehran might use nuclear fuel for a weapons programme, Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday.

¤ Israel backed off its harsh criticism of Russia yesterday ahead of Moscow's talks with leaders of Hamas following the Islamist militant group's victory in Palestinian elections.

¤ Hundreds of thousands of costumed revellers shouted for beads and danced in the streets yesterday as New Orleans bid the blues goodbye, at least for a day, to close the first Mardi Gras season after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city.

¤ The US economy grew at an upwardly revised but still-weak 1.6 per cent annual rate in the fourth quarter, while sales of existing homes tumbled in January, according to data yesterday that led financial markets to scale back bets of interest-rate hikes.

¤ The Philippine government said yesterday it may lift emergency rule within days, but prosecutors filed rebellion charges against a lawmaker and a soldier as fears lingered of an attempt to oust President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

¤ Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra defied threats of street marches by foes who demand he quit, but said yesterday he was willing to accept any democratic way out of a growing crisis proposed by the political opposition.

¤ Maoist rebels set off a landmine under a truck yesterday in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, killing 55 people and wounding at least 20 who belonged to a government-backed anti-Maoist group, police said.

¤ Bird flu is likely to hit poultry flocks in a number of European states, experts said yesterday, while alarm over the spread of the H5N1 virus was fuelled by a report that it had been found in a dead German cat.

¤ Four of five militants killed by Saudi security forces this week were on a most wanted list of al Qaeda-linked suspects and two of them took part in an attack on Saudi oil facilities, the Interior Ministry said yesterday.