Briefly World

China confirms visit by Kim Jong-il

BEIJING: North Koreas leader Kim Jong-il met Chinas president on a state visit to increase cooperation on economic development,Chinas state broadcaster CCTV and Xinhua News Agency confirmed Thursday.

Al-Sadr followers rally in Iraq

BAGHDAD: Followers of anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr led a massive rally on Thursday,marching in Baghdad in a show of force as Iraqi leaders weigh whether to keep US troops in the country beyond year end.

Farthest-ever blast in cosmos found

LONDON: A group of researchers claim theyve found the most distant explosion ever a pulse of high energy gama radiation sent by a disintegrating star near the very edge of the universe. The stellar blast was first spotted by a NASA in April 2009,but researchers said they have since gathered data placing it over 13 billion light years away meaning it occurred when it universe was in its infancy.

Arrested marine commando warned of PNS Mehran attack

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani marine commando from South Waziristan Agency posted at PNS Mehran naval airbase which was attacked by terrorists this week was arrested in January for his links with militants and had warned about an impending attack,a media report on Thursday. The commando was arrested for his links with the Taliban and al-Qaeda affiliates,The News daily quoted sources as saying.

Pak govt worried about army misuse of US aid: Cables

ISLAMABAD: Pakistans government complained that US aid for the war against terror had been used for other purposes by the army,according to US cables released by WikiLeaks and accessed by Dawn newspaper. One 2009 cable said,then finance minister Shaukat Tarin told former US Ambassador Anne Patterson that army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani does not pass on information about aid.