Home > Community > Financial Markets > Reuters World News Highlights 0200 GMT Aug 30

Reuters World News Highlights 0200 GMT Aug 30

Published: 30 Aug 2009 16:34:57 PST

-----------

TOKYO - Japanese voted in an election on Sunday that looked set to oust the long-ruling conservative party and give the untested opposition the job of nurturing a recovery from the country's worst recession since World War Two.

- - - -

TEHRAN - Iran said on Saturday the U.N. atomic watchdog had confirmed its nuclear programme was peaceful and vowed to resist political pressure to change it, a news agency reported.

- - - -

GAZA - Israeli aircraft bombed a building in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Sunday which the military said had been used by Palestinians to enter a tunnel and carry out cross-border attacks in Israel.

- - - -

KABUL - Partial Afghan election returns released on Saturday showed President Hamid Karzai extending his lead in last week's vote, but still falling short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a run-off.

- - - -

NAJAF, Iraq - Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, one of Iraq's most powerful Shi'ite Muslim leaders, was buried in the holy city of Najaf on Saturday, three days after his death cast more uncertainty over Iraq's turbulent politics.

- - - -

SEOUL - A South Korean fishing boat and its crew that strayed into North Korean waters and were held for a month were returned on Saturday as the communist state reaches out to its foes after months of military grandstanding.

- - - -

NANSAN, China - Fighting erupted in northeast Myanmar on Saturday after days of clashes in which the leader of ethnic forces said more than 30 government troops had been killed.

- - - -

LIBREVILLE - Gabon holds an election on Sunday that is likely to hand power to Ali Ben Bongo, the late president's son, though he faces a late challenge from a group of contenders who have united behind an independent candidate.

- - - -

WASHINGTON - Hurricane Jimena strenghtened to a category 2 in the eastern Pacific on Saturday, but in the Atlantic Tropical Storm Danny weakened to a tropical depression and storm alerts were discontinued for the North Carolina coast.

- - - -

WASHINGTON/BOSTON - Washington said goodbye to Senator Edward Kennedy on Saturday as the casket of the man President Barack Obama called the "greatest legislator of our time" was driven through the capital to his burial.