A roundup of today's other world stories in brief:
Police bugged politician's conversations
LONDON- Police twice bugged private prison conversations between a Muslim MP and a terrorism suspect who was his constituent, an official report said yesterday.
Ministers ordered an inquiry earlier in the month after media reports said that police had bugged Labour MP Sadiq Khan when he met Babar Ahmad, who was awaiting extradition to the US.
Home secretary Jacqui Smith said the surveillance was targeted at Mr Ahmad and not Mr Khan and was authorised by senior police officers, but not government ministers.
- (Reuters)
Ugandan rebels' demands rejected
KAMPALA- Negotiators for Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels walked out of peace talks in southern Sudan after their demands for cash and cabinet jobs were rejected, the government said yesterday.
"We flatly rejected LRA's demands for cabinet posts and cash rewards," Capt Chris Magezi, a spokesman for the government delegation at the negotiations in Juba, said. "When they saw they were not getting anything out of their tall orders, they walked out of the talks this evening."
- (Reuters)
Strong earthquake strikes Nevada
SALT LAKE CITY- A strong 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Nevada at dawn yesterday, damaging buildings, rupturing water lines and knocking down power lines, officials reported.
The earthquake, 17 km east-southeast of the town of Wells, sparked fires at the town's grocery and truck stores.
"The city of Wells has sustained major damage from an earthquake," an official said.
- (Reuters)
US happy with missile shield talks
BUDAPEST- The US has made good progress in talks with Poland and the Czech Republic over the possible siting of the US missile defence shield, and all major issues have been resolved, a US official said.
Acting undersecretary of state John Rood also met Russian diplomats in Budapest yesterday as part of discussions on security and non-proliferation issues, including missile defence. Mr Rood said he was very optimistic about the negotiations with the Polish and Czech governments but did not indicate when they could be completed.
- (Reuters)
Paul Gascoigne sectioned
LONDON- Former England soccer star Paul Gascoigne has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, after he was said to be acting as a "potential menace" at a luxury hotel.
Gascoigne was detained after Northumbria police were called to the Hilton Hotel in Gateshead last night. It followed an incident at the Malmaison Hotel in Newcastle hours earlier, where the hotel said he made other guests and staff feel "threatened".
The 40-year-old has been treated numerous times for drink and mental health problems. Police said there were no injuries.
- (PA)
Bush pledges US support for Liberia
MONROVIA- President George W Bush pledged US support for Liberia in its recovery from a crippling civil war as he visited the close US ally on the last stop of a five-nation tour of Africa yesterday.
"We want to help you recover from a horrible period," Mr Bush told Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in Monrovia, the war-damaged coastal capital of the small west African state.
Africa's first republic, Liberia was founded by freed slaves from America in 1847 and has close ties with the United States.
However, Mr Bush's visit was the first by a US president in three decades.
- (Reuters)