World News: Middle-East leaders urged to 'get down to business'

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on both sides to get "down to business".

She also said that Israel should extend its partial moratorium on new settlement construction in the West Bank, which expires on September 26.

The Palestinian Authority has said it will walk out of the negotiations if building on occupied territory resumes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he could not extend the moratorium, but would not allow thousands of planned homes to be built. He said: "We will not freeze the lives of the residents.".

However, the chief Palestinian negotiator said there could be no "half solutions".

Another problem facing negotiators is that only one part of the Palestinian territories is represented because the Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, opposes the talks.

Today Mrs Clinton will hold separate talks with Mr Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. More meetings take place tomorrow.

15 die as flight hits steel mill

A PLANE carrying 51 people crashed in a steel mill yard in eastern Venezuela, killing 15 people on board, officials said.

Workers at the state-run Sidor steel foundry pulled people from the smoking wreckage of the plane owned by Venezuelan state airline Conviasa.

Deadly day of street battles

Indian forces fought Kashmiri demonstrators in street battles that killed 15 people - including a police officer - in the deadliest day in a summer of violence challenging Indian rule in the disputed territory.

Reports of a Koran desecration in the United States intensified the anger.

Church 'will punish abuse'

The Belgian Roman Catholic church has acknowledged widespread sexual abuse over years by its clergy and pleaded for time to set up a system to punish all abusers and provide closure for victims.

Belgium's Archbishop Andre-Mutien Leonard said "a feeling of anger and powerlessness" had taken hold of the church following a report last week in which hundreds of victims described sex abuse by catholic clergy over the past 50 years.

Oprah flies audience to Oz

Oprah Winfrey surprised her 300-strong studio audience at the start of the final season of her chat show last night by announcing she was taking them all to Australia.

The audience shrieked when Winfrey made the announcement and film star pilot John Travolta joined her on stage.

Arnie on tour

Arnold Schwarzenegger took his sales pitch for his state's goods to Tokyo hawking technology, tourism and wines on the second stop of his Asian tour.

He is on a weeklong trade mission with about 100 business leaders from his state.

Bin bag baby born on plane to be adopted

The baby boy born on a flight from the Middle-East to the Philippines and abandoned in an aeroplane bin bag will be put up for adoption if the mother is not found or declared unfit, officials said today.

The baby, named George Francis after Gulf Air's flight code GF, was doing well while authorities searched for his mother.

Officials have identified a person who occupied a bloodstained seat on the plane but are still verifying if she is the mother.