GUWAHATI (India) - AT least five people were killed on Thursday in separate bombings in the Indian city of Guwahati, police said, blaming a well-known insurgent group active in the northeast of the country.

Two of the bombs went off in crowded marketplaces while the third explosion was reported beside a road in Guwahati, the largest city in the troubled state of Assam, officials said.

ISLAMABAD - PAKISTAN denied reports on Thursday that a militant arrested last month had confessed to involvement in the Mumbai attacks, saying no conclusions could be made until investigations are complete.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed officials, that authorities had obtained a confession from a key leader of the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which India has blamed for the carnage in Mumbai.

SEOUL - NORTH Korea ushered in 2009 with an appeal on Thursday to unite around leader Kim Jong Il and bolster the country's military while reaffirming its commitment to denuclearisation.

North Korea traditionally marks New Year's Day with a joint editorial by the country's three major state-run newspapers representing its communist party, military and youth militia force.