A day after Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh asserted that India is committed to resolving all outstanding issues with Pakistan through bilateral negotiations, Islamabad has blamed New Delhi of deliberately delaying the peace talks.

A UN panel on Friday blasted Iran for "serious, ongoing and recurring" human rights violations, including violence against protesters after the disputed June presidential elections.

Michael Jackson's deathbed doctor waited over an hour to call for help when he realised the pop star wasn't breathing, and could not be found for hours afterward, according to a search warrant unsealed Friday.

Sri Lanka said yesterday it would grant free movement to the remaining war-displaced civilians held in internment camps, meeting a key demand of the international community.

The leader of Indian Kashmir's moderate separatists said on Saturday that China has a stake in peace in restive Kashmir as part of the disputed Himalayan region is under Beijing's control.

Afghan and foreign troops killed 23 Taliban militants in separate operations a day after the president pledged to take responsibility for security in his new five-year term, police said Saturday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday said India is looking forward to building on the strategic dialogue with the US and seeking greater cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, services, energy, science and technology and defence.

The United States said Friday it hopes Iran will still accept a confidence-building nuclear deal even as it plans to meet again with five other world powers to discuss steps to end Tehran's defiance.

Scientists moved Saturday to prepare the world's largest atom smasher for exploring the depths of matter after successfully restarting the $10 billion machine following more than a year of repairs.

Calling Afghan President Hamid Karzai an "unworthy partner," a key Democratic leader warned Friday that Congress cannot fund an expanded military mission without a reliable ally in Kabul.

Italian police yesterday arrested two Pakistani men accused of providing logistical support for last year's terror attacks in Mumbai, officials said.

Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha, during his meeting with Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Leon Panetta, has reportedly presented evidence regarding India's hand in fanning terrorism in Baluchistan and Waziristan.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed almost 8,900 lives in two decades, the vast majority of them Palestinians, the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said in a statement published yesterday.

A British couple held hostage by Somali pirates said in a video telecast Friday that their captors are "losing patience" and could kill them "within a week" if no ransom is paid.

Former South African president Nelson Mandela and his wife Graca Machel have been voted Decade Child Rights Heroes by 7.1 million children, the World's Children's Prize foundation said Friday.