Finally, non-bailable warrant (NBW) has been issued against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray.  The Mumbai Police have said that he might be arrested soon.

Johannesburg - Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai avoided a regional meeting on the impasse in Zimbabwe on Monday, and demanded instead a crisis summit on the situation.

President Robert Mugabe was in Swaziland on Monday to give his side on the breakdown in his unity talks with Tsvangirai to a small group of Southern African Development Community (SADC) members, led by Swazi King Mswati III.

South Africa's President Kgalema Motlanthe and senior officials from Mozambique and Democratic Republic of Congo were also attending the summit, at which former South African president Thabo Mbeki was due to report back on his latest failed mediation attempt in Zimbabwe.

Amman - The interior ministers of the countries neighbouring Iraq are due to meet in Amman on Thursday to look into means for helping the Iraqi government restore security.

Valletta, Malta - A group of 43 Somali would-be immigrants was rescued Monday off Malta, authorities on the Mediterranean island said.

Dhaka - A total of 107 political parties have applied to register with Bangladesh's Election Commission for eligibility in December's general election, officials said Monday.

Moscow/Yerevan - President Dmitry Medvedev began a two-day visit on Monday to Armenia, caught in a precarious security deadlock in the Caucasus following Russia's recent war with Georgia.

The trips marks Medvedev's fifth meeting this year with Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, a firm Moscow ally.

"The main provision on the agenda of Medvedev's visit will be talks in the tete-a-tete and extended formats talks with Sarkisian,"

a Kremlin official said on customary condition of anonymity Monday. "This vividly proves the high level of political dialog aimed at the further strengthening of strategic partnership."

The official added that trade and economic relations were the primary topics of discussion.