Chirac - everything must be done to avoid Iraq war: French

Chirac - everything must be done to avoid Iraq war: French President Jacques Chirac said on Wednesday everything should be done to avoid war in Iraq and that France would do all it could to avoid such a conflict. "This region does not need another war, if it can be avoided. And so everything has to be done to avoid it," he told a joint news conference with Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak in Alexandria. -- Reuters

India to withdraw troops from most Pakistan borders: India announced on Wednesday it would withdraw troops from its frontiers with Pakistan except in the divided region of Kashmir. The decision marks the biggest step towards de-escalation of tension between the nuclear-capable rivals since they geared for war in the wake of an attack on India's parliament last December by gunmen New Delhi claims were sponsored by Islamabad. --AFP

Four parcel bombs go off in Karachi: Four small parcel bombs exploded within minutes of each other at police and government offices in Pakistan's volatile port city of Karachi on Wednesday, injuring at least nine people, police said. A fifth bomb was sent to a police station but did not go off. At least one of the parcels had "From Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal" written on it. --AP

KL arrests four figures in regional Islamic militant: Malaysia's Police on Wednesday arrested four fugitives believed to be members of a Southeast Asian Islamic group with suspected links to al-Qaeda, the national police chief said. Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai said the four men were Malaysian members of Jamaah Islamiah, an al-Qaeda-linked organization that allegedly plotted to bomb the U.S. Embassy and other Western targets in Singapore. --AP