Former Pakistani President Ghulam Ishaq Khan was laid to rest on Friday evening in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday accused the United States and South Korea of preparing for a nuclear war against it.

Russia planned to write off 700 million U.S. dollars in debt owed by African countries, a special Africa envoy of the Russian president said on Friday.

Egyptian security agencies have seized explosives in the Sinai Peninsula, the official news agency MENA reported Friday.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul- Gheit said Friday that his country would operate its first nuclear power station within 10 years, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

Mohamed al-Madhoun, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya's chief of staff revealed on Friday that a Palestinian prisoners' swap would be reached with Israel very soon.

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Iraqi prime minister issued a rare joint statement on Friday in which they agreed on a timeline for resolving Iraq's political problems.

Kuwait will host a preparatory meeting on Oct. 31 for developing an international compact concerning Iraq's reconstruction, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) said Friday.

Iran cannot produce weapons-grade uranium in the foreseeable future, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Friday.

U.S. President George W. Bush said on Friday that the international community should double efforts to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.