AFP - A nickel mining partnership between BHP Billiton and an Indonesian firm in a protected island paradise has "strategic" importance and should proceed, Indonesia's investment chief said Wednesday.

AFP - Sudanese authorities have expelled from Darfur the head of the Dutch branch of the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in the south of the war-stricken region, a humanitarian source said on Wednesday.

AP - A violin case slung over her shoulder, 10-year-old Daniela Fagundez trudges home along a row of muddy yards where chickens scratch among banana trees and laundry hangs drying on wire fences.

AP - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says his Cabinet will vote Sunday on a proposal to exchange prisoners with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

AFP - New mayor Boris Johnson has pulled out of a global campaign group that calls for nuclear disarmament, saying the city's membership was "not a priority", his office told AFP Wednesday.

AP - Iran's parliament speaker warned the West on Wednesday that it may face "a done deal" if it provokes Iran, a stern hint that Tehran could build nuclear weapons if attacked.

AP - A ship's sail, a crooked nail, or a giant headache — the people of Jerusalem can't agree about how best to describe the newest landmark their ancient city inaugurated Wednesday.

AP - A roadside bomb killed three American soldiers and an interpreter north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said Wednesday, and Iraqi police reported 14 Shiite gunmen were arrested after fighting south of the capital.

AP - North Korea is expected this week to turn over its long-delayed accounting of its nuclear weapons activities, part of a chain of events leading to a unique photo opportunity: the destruction of the cooling tower at Pyongyang's main reactor.

AP - Zimbabwe's opposition leader briefly emerged from his refuge at the Dutch Embassy Wednesday and called for African leaders to guide talks to end Zimbabwe's crisis, saying a presidential runoff this week was no solution.

AP - Seven indigenous Maori tribes signed New Zealand's largest-ever settlement Wednesday over grievances arising from 19th century losses of lands, forests and fisheries during European settlement of the country.

AFP - Pakistan's Supreme Court Wednesday ordered the postponement of a by-election while it decides on a government appeal against the disqualification of former premier Nawaz Sharif, lawyers said.

Reuters - Southern African leaders will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss Zimbabwe's crisis, but the region's designated mediator, South African President Thabo Mbeki, will not attend, officials said.

AP - Iraqi police say 14 Shiite gunmen have been arrested during clashes in southern Iraq.