TEHRAN - Iran said it viewed today’s nuclear talks with six world powers as an “opportunity and a test,” and the United States said “an extraordinarily difficult process” was starting and more meetings were likely.

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TEGUCIGALPA - Honduran police cracked down on supporters of ousted President Manuel Zelaya yesterday as the country’s de facto leader came under pressure to lift curbs on civil liberties and end a post-coup crisis.

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BRUSSELS - An independent report blamed Georgia yesterday for starting last year’s five-day war with Russia, but said Moscow’s military response went beyond reasonable limits and violated international law.

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BEIJING - China plans to cut back its army and boost the navy and air force, sources with ties to the People’s Liberation Army said, extending its military reach and risking greater regional tensions.

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UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations yesterday dismissed the top US diplomat at the UN mission in Afghanistan after he quarrelled with his European boss over the Afghan presidential election.

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GAZA - Israel will free 20 Palestinian women from jail as early as today in exchange for a videotape from Hamas proving an Israeli soldier held in the Gaza Strip since 2006 is alive, officials on both sides said yesterday.

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MOGADISHU - Somalia’s al Shabaab rebels declared war on rival Hizbul Islam militants yesterday, setting up a showdown between the two main insurgent groups in an important southern port that could spread across the nation.

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BANGKOK – Negotiators at UN climate talks yesterday tried to break the deadlock on finance and steps to cut greenhouse gas emissions as a string of reports warned of dire consequences from global warming.