Brussels - European Union leaders were gathering in Brussels on Friday in a bid to forge a common position on overhauling the world financial system and avoiding a repeat of the current market turmoil.

During their lunchtime summit in Brussels, leaders were to discuss a revised paper submitted by the French presidency of the EU, which sets out five broad guidelines.

In particular, the paper calls for strengthening the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) supervisory role and boosting funding for the Washington-based body with additional contributions.

London, Nov. 7 : North Korean leader Kim jong Il’s recent spate of appearances is intended to remind the West, specifically America, that he is still in control of the nuclear-armed nation in spite of rumors that he had suffered a stroke in August.

“I think this is a message to the United States,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies.

London, Nov 7 : The stars, who appeared in the hit TV series of the 80s, Dallas, are now planning for a reunion to commemorate the show’s 30th anniversary.

Among those who are expected at the event at the Ewing''s ranch Southfork, include Larry Hagman, who played bad boy JR Ewing, his alcoholic on-screen wife Linda Gray (Sue Ellen), and younger brother Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing).

The show, which involved sex, intrigue and power struggle, is best remembered for who shot the lead character, big hair and Sue Ellen''s big shoulder pads.

And the hoopla around the reunion is so much so, that many fans across the world have paid hundreds of pounds each to attend the celebration and barbecue alongside the stars in Parker, just outside Dallas.

Beijing - The foot injury that forced China's star hurdler Liu Xiang to withdraw from this year's Olympic Games is looking more likely to need surgery that could keep him out of competition for six months, Chinese media said on Friday.

Liu, 24, returned to China on Wednesday after consulting US medical experts but had still not made a final decision on whether to opt for surgery, the official China Daily and other media said.

Islamabad - At least 13 people were killed on Friday in a suspected US aerial strike in Pakistan's north-western tribal region close to the Afghan border, officials said.

Two missiles believed to be fired from drones targeted a compound in Kamsham village, around 30 kilometres south of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, which is considered a hotbed of al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

Ramallah  - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Ramallah early Friday afternoon for talks with President Mahmoud Abbas, a day after the US conceded that Israel and the Palestinians will not reach a peace deal by their end of year deadline.

Rice had landed in the region Thursday ahead of a crucial briefing in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on Sunday on the peace process.