By DPA,

Kabul : Afghan and coalition forces killed at least 24 Taliban militants in clashes and airstrike in eastern and southern parts of the country, officials said Sunday.

Twelve Taliban militants were killed in a US-led coalition airstrike in Sabari district of south-eastern province of Khost Saturday, Arsala Jamal, provincial governor said.

He said the combined forces targeted a compound where they had intelligence information that militants had gathered.

By Xinhua,

Beijing : Chinese President Hu Jintao Sunday congratulated Pakistan's president-elect Asif Ali Zardari and pledged to maintain an "all weather friendship" with Islamabad.

In a message to Zardari on his election victory, President Hu said the two countries are neighbours joined by common mountains and rivers and have developed an all-weather friendship.

"The friendship is in the real interests of the two peoples and makes active contributions to peace, stability and development of the region and the world as a whole," he said.

By Xinhua,

Tehran : Iran will hold the presidential election in June next year, official IRNA news agency reported Sunday quoting interior ministry sources.

"Based on a proposal of the interior ministry and the approval of the Guardian Council, the election for the 10th presidency will be held June 12, 2009," deputy interior minister Ali-Reza Afshar told reporters Sunday.

By Adeeb Al-Sayed, KUNA,

Moscow : The holy month of Ramadan is an occasion for cultural and spiritual development for Muslim around the world, including those in Russia.

Director of Russia's Islamic Civilization Institute, Saeed Kamelov, told KUNA on Sunday that Ramadan was not only a month for worshipping, but also a month for studying Islamic principles and the history of the religion.

By KUNA,

Sydney : Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith urged on Sunday newly-elected Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to focus on security issues, particularly on his country's border with Afghanistan.

"We hope now that the Pakistani government and political system can start to focus on the very serious political and economic and social and strategic and security problems that Pakistan has, particularly abutting the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which bring very deleterious consequences for our troops in Afghanistan," Smith told Sky News.

By RIA Novosti,

Tehran : Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and armed forces will begin on Monday a three-day military exercise to test new weaponry and practice repelling potential air strikes on its territory, the local media said on Sunday.

"The main goal of the exercise is to evaluate the combat readiness [of the Iranian army], to test new weapons developed by Iranian scientists, and to practice defensive measures in case of a potential violation of the Iranian airspace by the enemy," the media said.

By Xinhua,

Ramallah : The Israeli armed forces arrested13 Palestinians in different areas in the occupied West Bank early on Sunday, Israeli and Palestinian security sources said.

Israel Radio quoted Israeli army sources as saying that the army arrested 11 wanted Palestinians in Nablus and two in Anatta village near Ramallah, adding that the detainees were taken for interrogation.

Palestinian security sources said that 11 of the detainees were taken from their houses in city of Nablus during an Israeli military incursion, raids and search operations.

By NNN-Bernama,

Melbourne : Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has urged the newly-elected Pakistani President to focus on security issues, particularly on his country's border with Afghanistan.

Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, yesterday won a landslide victory to become Pakistan's new President.

The US has been pressing Pakistan hard to eradicate Taliban and al-Qaeda havens near its border with Afghanistan, a sentiment echoed by Smith.

By NNN-IRNA,

Tehran : Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held talks with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in Beijing on major bilateral, regional and international issues in a meeting here on Saturday.

Talking to IRNA, earlier on Sunday prior to his departure for home, the president Ahmadinejad made the remarks referring to the outcome of his China visit as positive and fruitful.

Ahmadinejad also announced that Tehran-Beijing bilateral relations would further develop in all areas in the future.

He added that "good decisions" were also made in the meeting.

By NNN-IRNA,

Tehran : Translations of the holy Quran in 107 living world languages are on display at the Qur'an translation section of the ongoing 16th Tehran International Qur'an Exhibition.

Announcing this, director of the section, Naqdi said that those interested can read the Qur'an in any language they like.

Stating that efforts are underway to promote translation of the holy book in various languages, he further said that in addition to the biography of translators, their photos and ways of life are also featured in the section.