BAGHDAD - A SUICIDE bomber struck inside a popular restaurant near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Thursday, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens more, police said.

Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qadir, commander of the Kirkuk police, said about 45 people were wounded in the blast, which occurred at a restaurant about two miles (four kilometres) north of Kirkuk, the center of Iraq's northern oil fields.

NAIROBI - Somali pirates have raked in more than US$120 million (S$179 million) in ransom money since the start of 2008, the United Nations' top envoy for Somalia said at an international conference here on Thursday.

Ahmedou Ould Abdallah said pirates had attacked 32 ships since October alone and warned the 140 delegates gathered in Nairobi that 'the threat of piracy cannot and should not be underestimated anymore.' 'They may have collected over US$120 million for this year, with total impunity,' he said.

POZNAN (Poland) - THE world must avoid backsliding in the fight against global warming and work out a 'Green New Deal' to solve twin climate and economic crises, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday.

'We must re-commit ourselves to the urgency of our cause,' Mr Ban told about 100 environment ministers at Dec 1-12 UN talks in Poland working on details of a new treaty to fight global warming. The talks are overshadowed by worries about recession.