Islamabad - Pakistani army troops killed at least eight rebels Sunday as they continued with their push to root out Islamist militants in the restive Bajaur tribal district bordering Afghanistan, media reports said.

Ground troops backed by helicopter gunships and artillery pounded militant positions in the Tang Khata and Chaharmang areas of Bajaur, which is considered a stronghold of al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, the private Aaj television channel reported.

Tel Aviv - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is expected to formally recommend to President Shimon Peres later Sunday that he call new elections, as she has failed in her attempts to form a new government.

Livni apparently made the decision Saturday night, after two ultra-Orthodox parties ruled out sitting in a new coalition since she had not met their demands.

She said she was "at peace" with the decision, the YNet news site reported Sunday morning.

London, Oct 26 : With the Democrats poised for gains in the Senate and the House, moderate Republicans fear a wipeout that would leave their party in the grip of evangelicals increasingly out of touch with the public.

Some Republicans believe John McCain should adopt a more positive approach to campaigning, the Guardian reported.

Voting for a Republican president runs in the blood of places like Gainesville. The pretty little town of 15,000 sits in north Texas ranch country and it is safe to say that Barack Obama has few fans here.

Onboard Air India One, Oct 26 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has assured Pakistan of getting International Monetary Fund (IMF) help to bail it out from the present financial crisis.

Extending support to Pakistan in getting the funds, Dr. Singh said, "I wish the new democratic government in Pakistan well. We would like them to succeed. Pakistan is in serious difficulties. It is going to the IMF. We will support Pakistan getting help from the IMF."

The assurance given by Dr. Singh during a news conference on board his special aircraft on his way back to New Delhi from China is seen as another confidence building measure to foster ties between the two countries.

Rajgir (Bihar), Oct 26 : Hundreds of Buddhist monks from India and abroad gathered in Rajgir in Bihar to pray for world peace.

The prayers were held as part of 39th anniversary of the Vishwa Shanti Stupa, situated atop the Ratnagiri Hill.

The occasion also gained prominence as an American follower of Buddhism donated a peace bell made of an alloy of eight metals, weighing five tons, to the stupa.

Richard Dixcy, the donor of the bell said that the peace bell was a gesture for the hospitality shown to Tibetans by the State Government by giving them refuge.

London, Oct 26 : Bitter infighting between advisers to John McCain and his running-mate, Sarah Palin, has exploded into public view, with McCain supporters accusing her of being a “diva” and her own faction warning that they would not let her take the blame if the campaign suffers a heavy defeat.

Anonymous briefing and counter-briefing on Saturday suggested Governor Palin is “going rogue” and blaming many of the campaign’s senior advisers for her own plummeting poll ratings, the Independent reported.