A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Ban sought on extreme-right German party
BERLIN - Leading German politicians have called for a new effort to ban the extreme-right National Democratic Party (NPD), writes Derek Scally, as nearly 18,000 people participated in two anti- Nazi marches in the state of Brandenburg yesterday.
Nearly 10,000 people marched through the town of Hable to prevent a group of 1,000 neo-Nazis demonstrating at Germany's largest soldier graveyard.
Another demonstration in Seelow, 100km from Berlin, drew 8,000 people.
Support urged for Afghan aid plan
LAHORE - British prime minister Tony Blair has been urged by Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf to back a new "Marshall Plan" for Afghanistan to prise the country from the grip of the Taliban.
Following talks with Mr Blair in Lahore, Gen Musharraf called for a "massive inflow" of aid to rebuild the southeast, the centre of the Taliban insurgency. - (PA)
Call to separate Iranian students
TEHRAN - Religious fundamentalists in Iran are demanding separate university classes for men and women.
Senior cleric Hojatoleslam Mohammad Mohamadian warned that universities were descending into "fashion shows" and urged chancellors to punish students who breached Islamic rules on dress code and gender-mingling. - (Guardian service)
Royal partner not for the Elysée
PARIS - Socialist Party leader François Hollande, whose partner, Ségolène Royal, is bidding to become France's first woman president, has ruled out moving into the Elysée Palace, the official presidential residence.
He insisted that even if Ms Royal won the 2007 election and moved into the Elysée, he would only enter in a professional capacity. - (Reuters)
US politician calls for return of draft
WASHINGTON - A Democratic politician has called for reinstatement of the draft as a way to boost US troop levels and draw a broader section of the population into the military or public service.
Charles Rangel, the incoming chairman of the House of Representatives tax-writing committee, said he would introduce legislation to reinstate the draft as soon as the new Democratic-controlled Congress convenes in January. - (Reuters)
Parliament passes Prodi budget
ROME - Italian prime minister Romano Prodi won a confidence vote yesterday by winning approval for the centre-left government's planned 2007 budget, which has been severely criticised for its tax increases and spending cuts. The budget passed by 311 votes to 251, a day after the government won a vote of confidence on a series of measures tied to the budget. - (AP)
Kerry may run for president
WASHINGTON - John Kerry says he is still considering a second run for the White House in 2008, despite public criticism of what he has called a "botched joke" about Iraq. The Democratic senator for Massachusetts said yesterday: "I've apologised and we have to move on to the real issues that face this country." - (Reuters)
Flood crocodiles kill in Somalia
MOGADISHU - Crocodiles have killed five people forced to wade through flood waters devastating Somalia, as the interim government appealed yesterday for international help.
Floods have killed scores, driven tens of thousands from their submerged villages and washed away bridges and roads in south- central Somalia. - (Reuters)