Around the World

PAKISTAN

Three Judges Restored

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday reinstated three judges ousted by then-President Pervez Musharraf, cementing political divisions in the country a day before it elects a new president.

Musharraf's purge of the court last year deepened his unpopularity and helped his political foes to a victory in February elections. Musharraf resigned last month.

However, the second-largest party then quit the ruling coalition over the failure to restore all the judges -- including the ousted chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.

Tassadiq Hussain Jillani, Shakirullah Jan and Syed Jamshed Ali were sworn in on the court in Islamabad, the capital. Law Minister Farooq Naek said that Chaudhry was also welcome to take a fresh oath but that he could not return as chief justice because removing the judge who replaced him could trigger a "constitutional impasse."

The move deepens the rift between the ruling Pakistan People's Party of Asif Ali Zardari, the front-runner to become president in a vote Saturday, and the party of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Drone Kills 5 in North

At least five people were killed Friday in a missile attack by a suspected U.S. drone in Pakistan's North Waziristan region, part of a stepped-up campaign against insurgents near the Afghan border.

U.S.-controlled Predator aircraft have struck several sites used by al-Qaeda operatives in Pakistan this year, most recently on Thursday, when four al-Qaeda-linked fighters were killed in the same region, security officials said.

One intelligence official said Friday's attack on a house in the Guvrek area killed five insurgents, but another said the victims were civilians, four children and a woman.

BELARUS

U.S. Lifts Sanctions

The Bush administration has suspended some economic sanctions against this former Soviet republic, the U.S. Embassy in Minsk said Friday.

An embassy spokesman said the Treasury Department has suspended its ban on U.S. companies dealing with two Belarusan firms, Lakokraska and Polotsk-Steklovolokno, although the ban on the state-run oil and chemical company Belneftekhim remains in place.

The move follows the release last month of several opposition activists by Belarusan authorities.

Nuclear Group Puts Off Decision

The 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, adjourning early Saturday in Vienna, delayed until later in the day a decision on whether to drop a ban on nuclear trade with India. The cartel's clearance is needed to finalize a U.S.-Indian civilian nuclear deal, which also requires ratification by the U.S. Congress.

Italian Premier Loses Libel Suit

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi lost a defamation suit against Britain's Economist magazine over a 2001 story that accused him of being "unfit to lead Italy." Berlusconi was ordered by a Milan court to pay the magazine's legal costs.

Canadians to Go to Polls Early

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to dissolve Parliament on Sunday and call early elections Oct. 14 in hopes of boosting his minority government's hold on power, a spokesman said.

From News Services