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Reuters World News Highlights 0600 GMT Aug 30

Published: 30 Aug 2009 16:35:27 PST

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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MEXICO CITY - Hurricane Jimena, a strong Category 2 storm, blew northward up Mexico's Pacific coast on Saturday and was headed close to the Baja California peninsula resort of Los Cabos, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

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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.

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NANSAN, China - Groups of men who said they had been fighting Myanmar government troops in fierce battles over recent days streamed into China on Sunday, underlining the longer-term problems the fighting there could cause for China.

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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.

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WASHINGTON/BOSTON - Senator Edward Kennedy, the liberal champion of the U.S. Senate who carried on the political legacy of his slain brothers, was buried on Saturday after four days of emotional tributes.