IN BRIEF

*TALKS – Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon signalled he was ready to open negotiations with a new Palestinian leadership, as Yasser Arafat’s top lieutenants filled the void left by his medical treatment in Paris.

*NUCLEAR – Iran’s parliament passed a bill backing the resumption of uranium enrichment, as the government left the door open for further negotiations with Europe over the controversial practice. *DISARM – UN peacekeepers arrested a dissident rebel leader and seized weapons in a clampdown on the Liberian capital on the last day of a campaign to disarm fighters in the west African state.*STRIKE – Nigeria’s senior labour leader called for an indefinite general strike in protest at rising fuel prices and warned that workers would disrupt exports of crude oil from Africa’s biggest producer.*WARNING – South Korean naval ships fired warning shots to drive away North Korean vessels violating their border in the Yellow Sea, the joint chiefs of staff office said.*WITHDREW – US troops withdrew from the world’s last Cold War frontier, transferring security at a crucial truce village to South Korean forces as part of a major relocation.*PROTESTS – Up to 100 000 farmers clashed with police in southwest China, protesting compensation payments for farmland requisitioned to make way for a hydroelectric plant, according to residents and reports.*ELECTION – Australia’s opposition called on Prime Minister John Howard to publicly retract comments he made hoping President George W.Bush would win the US election.- Nampa-AFP*DISARM – UN peacekeepers arrested a dissident rebel leader and seized weapons in a clampdown on the Liberian capital on the last day of a campaign to disarm fighters in the west African state.*STRIKE – Nigeria’s senior labour leader called for an indefinite general strike in protest at rising fuel prices and warned that workers would disrupt exports of crude oil from Africa’s biggest producer.*WARNING – South Korean naval ships fired warning shots to drive away North Korean vessels violating their border in the Yellow Sea, the joint chiefs of staff office said.*WITHDREW – US troops withdrew from the world’s last Cold War frontier, transferring security at a crucial truce village to South Korean forces as part of a major relocation.*PROTESTS – Up to 100 000 farmers clashed with police in southwest China, protesting compensation payments for farmland requisitioned to make way for a hydroelectric plant, according to residents and reports.*ELECTION – Australia’s opposition called on Prime Minister John Howard to publicly retract comments he made hoping President George W.Bush would win the US election.- Nampa-AFP