World highlights

• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's allies failed to dominate elections for a powerful Iranian clerical body and local councils, early results showed, and analysts said it was a setback to the president's standing. Friday's twin elections for the clerical Assembly of Experts and local councils, the first nationwide vote since Ahmadinejad took office in 2005, will not directly affect policy.

• France has decided to pull its special forces out of Afghanistan after a Nato-led stabilisation force extended operations to the whole country, the French defence ministry said. The 200 elite troops, operating under US command near the Pakistan border, will be withdrawn at the beginning of next year, a spokesman said.

• The United States and Japan demanded real progress when talks on scrapping North Korea's nuclear arms resume this week, warning Pyongyang that sanctions and isolation were its only alternative. Analysts and officials held out little hope of a major breakthrough when negotiations reopen today between the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, Russia and host China after a gap of more than a year.

• Imprisoned Egyptian politician Ayman Nour has been sent back to jail after being questioned by prosecutors on a number of new allegations, including defaming President Hosni Mubarak, his wife said. Gameela Ismail said Mr Nour, 41, was also being questioned on suspicion of insulting religion and mocking God, among other charges.