World highlights

¤ A week of intense diplomacy has left world capitals still unsure as to whether North Korea will test a second nuclear device or return to talks following the imposition of UN sanctions. News reports had raised hopes that tension was easing after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was quoted as telling Chinese envoy Tang Jiaxuan that he planned no further tests following the detonation of a device on October 9 that shocked the world.

¤ Several Israeli cabinet ministers called for a military operation to retake control of Gaza's southern border and prevent Palestinian militants smuggling weapons from neighbouring Egypt. "Action must be taken without hesitation. Any hesitation is dangerous and we must act immediately," Industry and Trade Minister Eli Yishai of the religious party Shas said.

¤ Iran said that the West's "carrot and stick" method for getting it to halt sensitive atomic work was doomed to failure. Iran's case has been returned to the UN Security Council because the Islamic Republic failed to heed a UN demand to suspend uranium enrichment, a process the West believes Tehran is using to develop nuclear weapons, despite Iran's denials.

¤ Heavily armed Islamist fighters gathered near a key southern Somali town a day after their allies were chased out by government troops, sending many residents fleeing in fear of an all-out attack. One Islamist source said its troops were also planning an attack on the government's base in provincial Baidoa town, and in the south residents said Islamist forces routed militia loyal to the government's defence minister, forcing him to flee.