• Serbia again rejected a UN plan for independence for its breakaway Kosovo province as a final round of talks on the blueprint began. Serbia's recalcitrance was a predictable opener to what UN mediator Martti Ahtisaari says will be final talks on the issue over the next two weeks, after which he will take his proposal to the UN to let it decide.

• Russia called for an easing of pressure on the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority but the US said an aid embargo must remain in place until the Palestinians meet conditions set out by western powers. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said conditions drawn up by the quartet of Middle East mediators were still valid.

• US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rejected criticism of Washington's plans to build a missile shield in central Europe and described hostile Russian comment as extremely unfortunate. Ms Rice was reacting to remarks by General Nikolai Solovtsov, commander of Russia's strategic forces, who said that if Poland and the Czech Republic accepted parts of the US system on their territories Russian missile forces would be capable of having these installations as their targets.

• Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe marked his 83rd birthday with a police ban on political rallies and a suggestion that though some party members wanted him out of power he would not bow to pressure. The three-month ban followed weekend clashes between the police and Movement for Democratic Change supporters in Harare's Highfield township - a traditional hotspot of opposition politics. Riot squads fired teargas and water cannon to stop the rally.

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