New Delhi - After dipping by over 3 per cent in early trade, India's stock indices staged a smart recovery on assurances by the country's federal bank that it was committed to ensuring adequate liquidity in financial markets.

The Bombay Stock Exchange's benchmark 30-share Sensex saw a day of volatile trading. Beginning on a positive note, it hit the day's lowest of 8,956 points after Japan announced it had slid into recession. It then recovered to close at 9291.01 points, about 1.01 per cent below its previous close.

Vilnius - The first sitting of a new Lithuanian parliament took place Monday afternoon with the incoming centre-right coalition administration announcing its list of policy priorities and likening the situation it inherits to a "time bomb".

Stockholm- Several forms of sexual behaviour including cross-dressing and transvestism are to be removed from a list of medical "diagnoses" in Sweden, the National Board of Health and Welfare said Monday.

The agency has in recent years been approached by various organizations including the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU) that have been concerned over the classification system, which is used mainly to compile healthcare statistics.

Islamabad - Five soldiers were killed on Monday in a suicide bombing at an army check post in Pakistan's restive Swat valley, security officials said.

"A suicide bomber riding a red colour Mazda Datsun (mini truck) hit the post this morning near Gashkor village. Five soldiers were killed while five more troops and three civilians were injured in the attack," district police chief Dilawar Bangash said.

New Delhi - Two Dutch tourists were duped into paying 200 dollars for a plate of samosas, an Indian snack which usually costs less than 15 cents, at a cattle fair in eastern Bihar state, a newspaper report said Monday.

The young couple ate four samosas while visiting the annual cattle fair in Sonpur on the outskirts of Bihar capital Patna.

Once they were done, they were told by the stall owner that the samosas were special ones made of herbs with aphrodisiac qualities and cost 2,500 rupees (about 50 dollars) a piece, the Hindustan Times reported.

Madrid, Paris - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Monday hailed the arrest of the suspected military leader of the militant Basque separatist group ETA as a "determining" blow to the group, "which is weaker today."

Mikel Garikoitz Aspiazu Rubina, known by his alias Txeroki, was "directly responsible for some of the latest killings" by ETA, Zapatero said.

Txeroki was arrested at 3:30 am with a woman near the Cauterets ski resort 30 kilometres from Lourdes in the Pyrenees in a coordinated operation between French and Spanish security forces.

The suspects were asleep when police broke into their flat, Spanish media reported. Both were armed.