World Highlights

¤ North Korea said it would attend a new round of six-party talks over its nuclear weapons programmes early next month as agreed but questioned whether Washington was prepared to stick to a deal reached last month.

North Korea has agreed to dismantle its nuclear programmes under the agreement reached with South Korea, the United States, Japan, Russia and China in return for aid and better ties with Washington and Tokyo.

¤ The United States and its allies considered a resolution demanding immediate cooperation with a UN probe on the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, diplomats said.

"This is true confession time now for the government of Syria," said US Ambassador John Bolton. "No more obstruction. No more half-measures. We want substantive cooperation, and we want it immediately."

¤ President George W. Bush, citing confidentiality, said he would refuse to release documents showing what US Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers recommended to him as a White House lawyer.

¤ A meeting in December of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is on a knife-edge and Europe must move to end the stalemate by offering to cut farm import tariffs, the European Union's top trade official said.

"I do not exaggerate when I say that the Hong Kong ministerial meeting is on a knife-edge," EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said in a prepared speech.

¤ Israeli troops killed a top militant in the Bank, while Gaza gunmen fired several rockets towards Israel in a flare-up of violence that threatened to unravel an eight-month ceasefire.

Israeli troops shot dead Islamic Jihad commander Loai Assadi during a raid in the West Bank city of Tulkarm. He was the most senior Palestinian militant to be killed since the start of the truce in March.

¤ Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Washington's most influential foe in Latin America, looks set to stay in power for another seven years unless he is ousted through violence or the price of oil suffers a huge collapse.