PERILOUS PAKISTAN: Western allies, particularly the US and Britain, viewed Benazir Bhutto as a potential ally for Musharraf who could stand up to threats by militants
The assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto deals a stunning blow to liberal political forces trying to combat rising Islamic extremism in Pakistan.

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Benazir Bhutto was the target of threats from virtually all of the militant groups who make Pakistan their home -- from al-Qaeda to homegrown terrorists to tribal insurgents on the Afghan border.

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BUDDYING UP: Japanese and Chinese leaders were optimistic after summit talks yesterday, but made little progress on a long-running dispute over gas reserves
Japan urged China to use its growing influence to make an impact on key global issues such as climate change as the visiting Japanese prime minister held summit talks yesterday that reflected warmer ties between the countries.

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DEPORTED: Julian Moti says a Vanuatu court dismissed the charges in 1997, but his deportation to Australia could leave him spending 17 years in jail if convicted
The former top legal official of the Solomon Islands appeared in court yesterday after being deported on child sex charges.

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Convicted terror supporter David Hicks will walk free today after being held captive in Guantanamo Bay and Australia for nearly seven years, though the Australian government has imposed strict controls on his movements.

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'DIALOGUE BETWEEN ALL PARTIES': Laurent Nkunda has yet to be invited to the talks, but his representatives have already declared their willingness to participate
Hundreds of officials have de-scended on this eastern outpost to begin preparations for upcoming peace talks even as fighting continued in the tangled forests of eastern Congo.

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Kenyan election officials were counting millions of ballots yesterday in the country's closest-ever presidential race as unofficial early results showed President Mwai Kibaki trailing.

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Egypt is considering copyrighting its pharaonic antiquities, from the pyramids to scarab beetles, in an attempt to get a cut from trinkets sold around the world, antiquities chief Zahi Hawass said on Thursday.

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'FINAL STATUS': The lead Palestinian negotiator said key issues like final borders, Palestinian refugees and Jerusalem holy sites will be discussed starting next week
Israeli and Palestinian leaders decided to downplay a dispute over construction in Jerusalem and begin negotiations on larger issues, clearing the way for US President George W. Bush to try his hand at significant peacemaking next month.

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Seven Palestinian militants, one of them a senior commander, were killed and 16 other people wounded in the Gaza Strip on Thursday in four Israeli raids on the Hamas-run territory, medics and witnesses said.

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PERILOUS JOURNEY: Smugglers typically charge relatives up to US$8,000 a head to have loved ones smuggled to the US, and often overload boats to make more money
Two Cubans in a boatload of people being smuggled to the US drowned last week when their craft capsized off the island's coast, authorities said on Thursday. Nine other passengers and two smugglers managed to swim to shore.

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If Colombia's leftist rebels safely deliver three hostages to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, it will likely increase pressure for government concessions to achieve what has so far proven impossible: the swap of 44 other high-profile captives for hundreds of rebels imprisoned in Colombia and the US.

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Six French charity workers convicted in Chad of attempting to kidnap 103 children flew out of the central African country yesterday to serve out their sentences in France.

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Osama bin Laden will release a new Internet message that focuses on Iraq and an al-Qaeda linked insurgent group, a terrorism monitoring group said.

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■ PHILIPPINES

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