KUALA TERENGGANU - MALAYSIA'S opposition on Saturday snatched a parliamentary seat from the beleaguered coalition government, in a by-election seen as a test of the nation's political mood.
The opposition alliance said the victory in northeastern Terengganu state was a huge boost to its campaign to seize power after it won a third of parliamentary seats and five states in landmark general elections last year.
GAZA CITY - ISRAEL plans to halt its three-week-old Gaza offensive because it has achieved its goals, a senior Israeli official said on Saturday.
'The goal is to announce, subject to the approval of the cabinet, a suspension of military activities because we believe our goals have been attained,' said the official who asked not to be named.
ISLAMABAD (Pakistan) - INVESTIGATORS have 10 days to complete their inquiries into the Mumbai terror attacks, Pakistan's top Interior Ministry official said on Saturday.
Mr Rehman Malik told reporters that investigators were looking at information handed over by India and leads gathered independently.
SEOUL - SOUTH Korea's armed forces ordered a border alert on Saturday after North Korea's military threatened an 'all-out confrontational posture' against Seoul.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff ordered an intensified guard by the army, navy and air force and called for increased reconnaissance flights by spy planes, a spokesman for the joint chiefs told AFP.
