News in Brief

De Klerk suspends tour over Mandela
Afp, Johannesburg

South Africa's last apartheid president FW de Klerk will cut short a visit to Europe because of the ailing health of his co-Nobel prize winner Nelson Mandela, his foundation said yesterday.
"Mr FW de Klerk and his wife Elita have decided to suspend their current working visit and holiday in Europe because of Mr Mandela's medical condition," the FW de Klerk Foundation said in a statement.

Countries hold meet on SE Asia's smog crisis
Afp, Bandar Seri Begawan

The foreign ministers of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia yesterday met to discuss solutions to the choking smog coming from forest fires in Sumatra ahead of a regional security forum.
The three ministers are in the Brunei capital for a series of annual meetings under the banner of ASEAN that kick off today. The thick smog from Indonesia that recently smothered Singapore and parts of Malaysia is expected to be a key issue at the ASEAN meet.

Iraq attacks kill six
Afp, Baghdad

Attacks in Sunni Arab towns surrounding Baghdad killed six people yesterday, the latest in spiralling violence that has left more than 420 dead this month and sparked fears of renewed sectarian war.
The surge in unrest comes as Iraq grapples with a prolonged political deadlock and months of protests by the Sunni Arab community alleging discrimination at the hands of the Shia-led authorities.

Rudd's return boosts Australia's Labor
Afp, Sydney

The dramatic return of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has delivered his flagging Labor party a six percentage point bounce, according to polls that also showed him as preferred leader over Tony Abbott.
Rudd, popularly elected to top office in a landslide 2007 election win, seized back the prime ministership on Wednesday in a snap leadership ballot which dislodged Julia Gillard, his former deputy.