Around the world: Taliban suicide bombers kill 40 people in Pakistan blast

AT Least 40 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in north-west Pakistan, according to local officials.The attack took place at the office compound of a government official in the Mohmand region.

Dozens of people are also reported to have been hurt in the attack. It was carried out by two suicide bombers disguised in police uniforms in Ghalanai, about 110 miles north-west of the capital Islamabad.

More than 100 people were said to be in the compound, where talks were taking place between government officials, tribal elders and local anti-Taliban groups. The area borders Afghanistan and is a stronghold of the Taliban and al-Qaida.

A Taliban spokesman said the group was behind the latest attack.

Amjad Ali Khan, the top government official in Mohmand and the apparent target of the attack, said "There were two bombers. They were on foot. The first blew himself up inside the office of one of my deputies while the second one set off explosives when guards caught him."

Pakistan's army has said offensives it has launched since last year have weakened al-Qaida-linked Pakistani Taliban militants.

Bodies found in landslide rescue effort

Columbia: Rescuers say they have recovered 17 bodies, following a landslide near the Colombian city of Medellin.

Officials say they fear up to 106 people may be buried after a hillside collapsed on Sunday, following heavy rains.

Egypt: Shark experts are investigating a series of attacks that have killed one tourist and injured four others off the coast off the Red Sea. Shark attacks at Egypt's Red Sea resorts, famed for diving, are rare.

Hu's fears over Korea row

Chinese President Hu Jintao has warned US President Barack Obama thst the situation on the Korean peninsula could "spin out of control".

China is under pressure to help defuse the situation, which arose after North Korea's attack on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong.

Strike ban 'to be extended'

Spain may extend the emergency decree that ended a 24-hour air traffic controllers strike, the prime minister said, as flights returned to normal after a weekend of travel chaod.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said he would decide over the coming days whether to extend it to cover the busy Christmas travel season. The "state of alarm" measure threatened jail time for controllers who refuse to work. It took effect on Saturday for an initial 15 day period.

Video Barbie paedophile risk

The FBI has raised concerns that a Barbie doll featuring a video camera could be used by paedophiles.

A memo to investigators warned that the Barbie Video Girl could be used for the "production and possession of child pornography". The FBI said there was no evidence the doll had been used such a way.

Meat to meet big boar bill

A GERMAN butcher facing a 4000 bill after a wild boar tore through his shop has said he will recover some of his losses - by selling slices of the dead animal.

The boar wandered out of a nearby forest and into the shop and destroyed the shop before being shot by a local hunter.

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