World Briefs

MEXICO CITY – Confronting a Mexican drug war that is "sowing chaos in our communities," President Barack Obama signaled Thursday he will not seek renewal of a US assault weapons ban but instead will step up enforcement of laws banning the transfer of such guns across the border.

Obama had pledged during his campaign to seek renewal of the ban but has bowed to the reality that such a move would be unpopular in politically key US states and among Republicans as well as some conservative Democrats.

RAMALLAH, West Bank – A Palestinian state alongside Israel is the only way to end the Mideast conflict, President Barack Obama's Mideast point man said Friday, sending a stern message to Israel's hardline leaders, who have expressed misgivings about a two-state solution.

"This conflict has gone on far too long, and the people of this region should no longer have to wait for the just peace that guarantees security for all," US Middle East envoy George Mitchell said.

WASHINGTON — A growing number of US intelligence, defense and diplomatic officials have concluded that there's little hope of preventing nuclear-armed Pakistan from disintegrating into fiefdoms controlled by Islamist warlords and terrorists, posing the a greater threat to the U.S. than Afghanistan's terrorist haven did before 9/11.

"It's a disaster in the making on the scale of the Iranian revolution," said a U.S. intelligence official with long experience in Pakistan who requested anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly.

CAIRO – Human rights groups and former detainees in US custody expressed disappointment Friday with the decision by President Barack Obama not to prosecute CIA operatives who used interrogation practices described by many as torture.

Obama sought to turn a page on what he called "a dark and painful chapter" with his announcement a day earlier. He condemned the aggressive techniques used on terror suspects while promising not to legally pursue the perpetrators.

SYDNEY – Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Friday insisted his government was tough on immigration, labelling people smugglers as "scum of the earth" in the wake of a deadly blast aboard an intercepted boat.

The explosion off Australia’ s coast on Thursday killed three people and injured dozens but the death toll is expected to rise. It has sparked a political row over policies towards refugees.