A roundup of today's other stories in brief.
UN records highest troop level to date
NEW YORK - UN peacekeeping has surged to 93,000 troops, police and civilian personnel in 18 operations around the world, the most in the history of the world body, a UN official said. But this figure, which includes nearly 70,000 military personnel, could jump to 140,000 within a year, Jean-Marie Guehenno, the undersecretary general for peacekeeping, told a news conference. - (Reuters)
Argentine hunger strikers reach deal
BUENOS AIRES - Argentinian courts and inmates at three prisons have reached a deal to end a mass hunger strike by thousands of prisoners demanding speedier trials, according to provincial justice ministry officials.
The agreement came yesterday after the highest court in Buenos Aires province, where 12,500 inmates at 28 prisons have gone without eating for up to two weeks, ruled that each pretrial day spent behind bars would count as part of an eventual sentence. - (Reuters)
Rockets found near Pakistan assembly
MABAD - Pakistani police found two rockets and launchers yesterday near parliament house in the capital Islamabad, police said. The rockets were found in a patch of green across the road from parliament and main government buildings.
A police official said the rockets had been defused.
The parliament is not in session. - (Reuters)
Rice in surprise visit to Iraq
BAGHDAD - US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice flew into Baghdad yesterday for a surprise visit to press Iraqi leaders to resolve their differences and ease raging sectarian violence that has killed thousands.
"Our role . . . is to support all the parties and indeed to press all of the parties to work towards that resolution quickly, because obviously the security situation is not one that can be tolerated and is not one that is being helped by political inaction," Dr Rice told reporters travelling with her. - (Reuters)
Basinger in legal row over daughter
LOS ANGELES - Actor Kim Basinger will go to trial in Los Angeles after pleading not guilty to disregarding court orders concerning the visitation rights of her former husband, actor Alec Baldwin, with their daughter, Ireland, who is nearly 11. - (PA)