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Leaders of India, Pakistan to Meet at South Asia Summit


SAARC - SUMMIT: The prime ministers of India and Pakistan are set to meet on the sidelines of a South Asian summit in Colombo today, amid rising tensions between the two countries. It will be the highest-level meeting between the two sides in 15 months. Relations between the nuclear-armed countries have been strained by clashes on their disputed Kashmir border and a July bomb attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul in which 41 people died. India has accused Pakistan's spy agency of involvement in the Kabul attack -- a charge Pakistan denies.

IRAN NUCLEAR: Iran is facing a deadline today to decide if it will accept an incentives package in exchange for suspending uranium enrichment activities, or face additional sanctions. The United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia said on July 19th - a Saturday - that Iran had two weeks to accept the package. It is not clear whether the United States and Europe plan to strictly hold Iran to the deadline. Iran said earlier this week that no firm deadline had been set. Iran state television reported Friday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed to use force against what he calls "enemies" who want to curtail Tehran's controversial nuclear program.

PALESTINIANS - VIOLENCE: Palestinian officials say at least two Hamas security officers were killed in fresh clashes with members of the Fatah faction loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Gaza Strip . Officials say at least 16 other people were wounded in the fighting between the rival factions today in a suburb of Gaza City. They say the clashes occurred as Hamas security forces continued their efforts to arrest suspects they believe were behind a bombing a week ago that killed five Hamas members and a young girl. Fatah denies any involvement. On Friday, Hamas security forces arrested 15 senior Fatah leaders in Gaza.

IRAQ: The U.S. military in Iraq says it has released more than 10 thousand detainees from facilities in the country so far this year - more than were released in all of 2007. In a statement released today the military credits the higher release rate to a program designed to better integrate detainees into society. They say less than one percent of those released have been detained again. The military says it is currently holding slightly less than 21 thousand detainees in two different facilities in Iraq. Meanwhile, the military says coalition forces today detained 12 suspected terrorists - including two wanted men - during operations targeting al-Qaida in Iraq leaders.

JAPAN POL: Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's new Cabinet met for the first time today, after being sworn in at a ceremony in front of Emperor Akihito at the imperial palace. At the meeting, Mr. Fukuda pledged to fight rising prices and go ahead with his reform policies. Mr. Fukuda replaced 13 of his 17 government ministers Friday, including his economic team, in an effort to revive the country's stagnant economy. He named Kaoru Yosana as his new economics minister, while tapping Bunmei Ibuki as finance minister. The Japanese prime minister said the new Cabinet is charged with implementing reforms to improve people's lives, including dealing with issues such as rising fuel costs and a declining domestic birth rate.

JAPAN - US SUBMARINE: U.S. defense officials have warned various foreign authorities that a nuclear-powered submarine may have leaked trace amounts of radioactive water during multiple ports of call. The Pentagon Friday revealed that a leak was found on a nuclear-powered U.S. Navy submarine after it recently cruised through the Pacific. During the trip, the USS Houston made stops in japan, Guam and Hawaii. Officials say the amount of radioactivity or radioactive water that could have leaked through a faulty valve would almost be too small to detect.

US POLITICS: Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama says he would consider allowing some offshore oil drilling if it was necessary to achieve his wider aims of greater energy efficiency and creating alternative energy sources. Obama made the comments in an interview with a Florida newspaper ("The Palm Beach Post") published today. In the past, he has opposed Republican presidential candidate John McCain's call for more off-shore oil drilling, but now says he would support a compromise with Republicans and oil companies if it prevented gridlock over energy policy.

CAMBODIA - KHMER: Former Khmer Rouge Foreign Minister Ieng Sary, jailed for crimes against humanity, has been hospitalized in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. A spokesman for the United Nations-backed genocide court says Ieng Sary was taken to the hospital Friday after blood was found in his urine during a routine health check. The former Khmer Rouge official has been hospitalized several times in the last few months, and his lawyers argue he should be released immediately and is too ill to stand trial.

Listen to our World News for details.

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