World highlights

• Iran said no amount of UN pressure would deter it from its nuclear programme, a day after major powers agreed a plan to impose new sanctions. "We have a nuclear fuel cycle. We will not give it up under pressure. By holding meetings you (the West) cannot block the Iranian nation's path," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a rally in the central town of Khatam, the official IRNA news agency reported.

• Nuclear talks in Beijing over coming days will focus on ensuring an initial disarmament deal with North Korea maintains momentum, the chief US envoy said, seeking to set aside a rift with China. US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said the six-party tallks would seek to advance a February 13 agreement offering North Korea improved aid and security in return for closing the reactor at the heart of its nuclear weapons programme by mid-April.

• The White House said no decision had been made on whether to let top political strategist Karl Rove testify to Congress in the flap over US prosecutor firings that is prompting calls for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' ouster. The Justice Department has released documents and e-mails related to the firing of eight US attorneys after critics questioned whether it was politically motivated.