In Brief

* PROBE – Two senior Brazilian officials were due to arrive in Britain to grill police officers and investigators about the fatal shooting of a Brazilian man mistaken for a suicide bomber exactly a month ago.

* DISSIDENT – Dissident journalist Akbar Ganji, Iran’s most prominent political prisoner, has ended a lengthy hunger strike and is in “fair” health, his wife confirmed to AFP. * HUNGER – Malnutrition and child mortality rates have increased in some of the worst affected regions in Asia and Africa despite a concerted international effort to cut them, a report by the UN health agency said.* MUSIC – The Rolling Stones kicked off a new world tour in Boston with the traditional high energy that has kept the legendary British rock band going for more than 40 years.* PEACE – Some 1 300 Indonesian soldiers pulled out of Aceh province, the first major step by Indonesia to begin implementing a historic peace deal struck last week with separatist rebels.* NUCLEAR – South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon said he was “optimistic” that a new round of six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons drive would yield results.* PROTESTS – Ecuador’s government has deployed troops to its Amazon region and claimed an end to six days of civil unrest that had cut oil exports, but protesters declared only a truce in their fight for a larger slice of oil revenues.* MILITARY – Chinese and Russian military forces were preparing a naval blockade and amphibious landing as part of a joint exercise involving nearly 10 000 personnel and a wide range of weaponry, state press said.* PRISONER – The family of an Indian whose death sentence for spying has been upheld in Pakistan pleaded for his life, proclaiming his innocence and saying they will commit suicide if Sarabjit Singh is hanged.* CLASHES – Hundreds of Thai workers torched a building and clashed with riot police in southern Taiwan during a protest over “unreasonable” rules banning drinking and gambling at their work dormitory, police said.- Nampa-Reuters* HUNGER – Malnutrition and child mortality rates have increased in some of the worst affected regions in Asia and Africa despite a concerted international effort to cut them, a report by the UN health agency said.* MUSIC – The Rolling Stones kicked off a new world tour in Boston with the traditional high energy that has kept the legendary British rock band going for more than 40 years.* PEACE – Some 1 300 Indonesian soldiers pulled out of Aceh province, the first major step by Indonesia to begin implementing a historic peace deal struck last week with separatist rebels.* NUCLEAR – South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon said he was “optimistic” that a new round of six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons drive would yield results.* PROTESTS – Ecuador’s government has deployed troops to its Amazon region and claimed an end to six days of civil unrest that had cut oil exports, but protesters declared only a truce in their fight for a larger slice of oil revenues. * MILITARY – Chinese and Russian military forces were preparing a naval blockade and amphibious landing as part of a joint exercise involving nearly 10 000 personnel and a wide range of weaponry, state press said.* PRISONER – The family of an Indian whose death sentence for spying has been upheld in Pakistan pleaded for his life, proclaiming his innocence and saying they will commit suicide if Sarabjit Singh is hanged.* CLASHES – Hundreds of Thai workers torched a building and clashed with riot police in southern Taiwan during a protest over “unreasonable” rules banning drinking and gambling at their work dormitory, police said. – Nampa-Reuters