DOHA – The United States declared yesterday it saw few alternatives to more sanctions on Iran, saying it sought a peaceful end to a nuclear standoff but did not want to engage diplomatically “while they are building their bomb”.
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PUNE, India – Security officials were investigating the possible involvement of Pakistan-based militants in a bomb blast in western India that killed nine people, but New Delhi said talks with Islamabad later this month would go ahead.
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RIYADH/SANAA – Yemeni Shi’ite rebels are expected to hand over five captive Saudi soldiers within a week, a Saudi-owned newspaper reported yesterday, following a 48-hour ultimatum set by Riyadh.
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ISLAMABAD – A U.S. drone aircraft killed five militants in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region on the Afghan border yesterday, Pakistani security officials said.
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KIEV – Ukraine’s Viktor Yanukovich was declared president-elect by the main election body yesterday, leaving rival Yulia Tymoshenko with only a slender chance to take power through a legal challenge.
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BERLIN – A majority of Germans want debt-ridden Greece to be thrown out of the euro zone if necessary and more than two-thirds oppose handing Athens billions of euros in credit, a poll published yesterday showed.