In Brief

*NUCLEAR – Hundreds of tonnes of powerful explosives that could be used in conventional missiles, or as a trigger for nuclear devices, have disappeared from a military installation in Iraq left unguarded by the US army, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

*DEBATE – President Pervez Musharraf called for a national debate on ways to resolve Pakistan’s dispute with India over Kashmir, with options to include independence or joint control of the Himalayan state. *VOTE – Hamid Karzai was set to become Afghanistan’s first elected president after winning historic October 9 polls by a landslide, but a fraud inquiry and a slow final count delayed a formal announcement.*QUAKE – The death toll from Japan’s worst earthquake in nearly a decade rose to 27 after two elderly men died, with 2 500 people injured and three still missing, police said.*UNREST – Thailand’s troubled south was rocked by sporadic violence overnight despite a curfew imposed after clashes between security forces and demonstrators left six dead and dozens injured, officials said.*SECURITY – Asia-Pacific countries need to develop tamper-proof “biometric” passports for their citizens as part of security measures against terrorism, Singapore’s interior minister said.*DOLLAR – Cuba will stop allowing commercial sales in dollars on the communist island starting November 8, the Central Bank said in a statement, blaming tougher US policies for the decision.- Nampa-AFP*VOTE – Hamid Karzai was set to become Afghanistan’s first elected president after winning historic October 9 polls by a landslide, but a fraud inquiry and a slow final count delayed a formal announcement.*QUAKE – The death toll from Japan’s worst earthquake in nearly a decade rose to 27 after two elderly men died, with 2 500 people injured and three still missing, police said.*UNREST – Thailand’s troubled south was rocked by sporadic violence overnight despite a curfew imposed after clashes between security forces and demonstrators left six dead and dozens injured, officials said.*SECURITY – Asia-Pacific countries need to develop tamper-proof “biometric” passports for their citizens as part of security measures against terrorism, Singapore’s interior minister said.*DOLLAR – Cuba will stop allowing commercial sales in dollars on the communist island starting November 8, the Central Bank said in a statement, blaming tougher US policies for the decision.- Nampa-AFP