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Reuters - Sunday, July 5

North Korea defies U.S. with new missile launches

SEOUL - North Korea fired seven ballistic missiles on Saturday, South Korea's defence ministry said, in an act of defiance towards the United States that further stoked regional tensions already high due to its nuclear test in May. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the missiles were "Scud-type," marking an escalation of recent sabre-rattling by the reclusive North, which has fired several non-ballistic, short-range missile since the May 25 nuclear test.

U.N.'s Ban rebukes Myanmar generals

YANGON - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon rebuked Myanmar's generals on Saturday for denying him a visit to see detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and said she should be allowed to take part in politics before 2010 elections. The U.N. Secretary-General expressed "deep disappointment" at the end of a two-day visit to the military-ruled state.

Iraq declines offer of U.S. help with reconciliation

BAGHDAD - Iraq Saturday ruled out foreign involvement in its efforts to reconcile rival factions, just after visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden urged Iraqis to do more to bury grievances and stave off renewed conflict. Biden, on a three-day visit, offered U.S. help in what he said was a long road ahead in uniting a country deeply split by years of sectarian war and riven by violence.

OAS set to suspend Honduras after coup

WASHINGTON - The Organisation of American States was likely to suspend Honduras on Saturday after a caretaker government refused to restore President Manuel Zelaya who was toppled in a military coup last weekend. Honduras' interim rulers who took power after the coup have rejected an OAS demand to restore Zelaya, and defiantly renounced the OAS charter in an apparent pre-emptive move.

Hardline Iran editor calls for Mousavi to face trial

TEHRAN - An editor seen as close to Iran's leadership said on Saturday that opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi should go on trial, and a lawyer said other reformists had already been accused of acting against national security. Mousavi and his supporters in last month's disputed presidential election had acted on the instructions of the United States in protesting against the results, said Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of the hardline Kayhan daily.

Pakistani forces attack militants near crash site

KALLAY, Pakistan - Pakistani helicopter gunships attacked Taliban militants on Saturday in a northwestern region where a military helicopter crashed the previous day killing 26 soldiers on board, a government official said. Fighting has intensified sharply in northwest Pakistan over the past two months since the army went on the offensive to push back an expanding insurgency that raised fears for the stability of the nuclear-armed U.S. ally.

Rescuers find debris of Yemenia aircraft

SANAA - Search crews have located a large piece of debris from a Yemeni jet that crashed into the Indian Ocean off the Comoros islands last week and are working to retrieve it, the Yemeni transport ministry said on Saturday. A 14-year-old girl appears to be the sole survivor of the crash. International rescuers have been unable to find any of the remaining 152 passengers and crew since the Yemenia Airbus A310-300 crashed in strong winds in the early hours of Tuesday.

Anti-G8 demonstrators clash with police in Italy

VICENZA, Italy - Anti-G8 demonstrators clashed briefly with Italian police on Saturday in the first big protest ahead of next week's summit of the world's richest nations. Police in riot gear fired teargas at protesters to prevent them from crossing a bridge and moving closer to a controversial U.S. military base in the north-eastern city of Vicenza.

Sudan police search for kidnapped aid workers

KHARTOUM - Sudanese security services were searching Saturday for two kidnapped female aid workers, one Ugandan and one Irish, taken from their compound in Darfur, said Irish humanitarian group Goal which employs the women. Armed men seized the two from their base in the north Darfur town of Kutum Friday evening, in the third abduction of foreign aid staff in the territory in four months.

Crew onboard hijacked ship are "desperate" - report

BERLIN - The 24 hostages on board a German ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates in April have no more water, food or medicine, a German weekly reported, citing comments emailed by the captain of the ship. The 20,000-tonne container vessel, Hansa Stavanger, was captured about 400 miles off the southern Somali port of Kismayu on April 4.

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