London, Dec 8 : It’s not just humans, dogs too can feel the unpleasant pang of jealously when they see their owners offering affection to other pooches, according to researchers.

It was previously believed that canines are devoid of "sense of self" needed to experience so-called secondary emotions such as jealousy, embarrassment, empathy or guilt, however, a new study has shown that dogs are prone to such complex emotions.

Dr Friederike Range, of the University of Vienna''s neurobiology department, has shown that dogs feel intense jealously when they spot that they are unfairly treated compared with other dogs.

"Dogs show a strong aversion to inequity," the Telegraph quoted her as saying.

Hong Kong  - Rents for luxury homes are set to slump as jobs are cut in the face of the global economic downturn, a media report said Monday.

Property consultants expected rents for high-end homes, which were at record levels earlier this year, to drop by 15 per cent in the fourth quarter, with a further fall of 25 per cent anticipated next year, the South China Morning Post said.

Islamabad, Dec.

Beijing  - Envoys from North Korea and five other nations began a new round of talks Monday in Beijing to persuade North Korea to quit its nuclear weapons programme, Chinese officials said.

Ahead of a meeting of the chief negotiators, delegates from the United States, China, Japan, Russia, North and South Korea started a series of bilateral talks.

Muzaffarabad/Islamabad, Dec. 8 : Pakistani security forces have launched a ‘quiet’ crackdown on activists affiliated with the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the political wing of the banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba on the Pakistan side of Kashmir as well as in other parts of the country.

According to the Dawn, in Muzaffarabad, a major army operation was under way in the city suburbs on Sunday against a site being used by the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which is headed by Hafiz Mohammad Saeed.

Sources told the paper that more than 20 members of the banned organisation and Lashkar-i-Toiba’s ‘commander’ Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi had been arrested.

There are reports that similar actions are planned in some cities and towns of Punjab.

Washington, Dec 8 : Romantic comedy ''Four Christmases'', starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, has topped the box office for the second week running after raking in 18.2 million dollars.

As per studio estimates, ''Twilight'' landed the second spot after earning 13.2 million dollars while ''Bolt'' came third with 9.7 million dollars, reports E! Online.

''Australia'', starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, landed the fourth spot with 7 million dollars.