Washington  - President George W Bush met with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday as Washington seeks to pressure the Pakistani government to crackdown on militants responsible for attacks on US forces in Afghanistan.

The issue has been a source of tension between the two countries, with the United States sceptical of efforts by the Pakistanis to secure peace deals with tribal leaders in remote areas of the country used by militants to launch cross-border raids into Afghanistan.

Washington  - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday he sees a chance for "common ground" in resolving the dispute with the West over the Islamic state's nuclear activities.

Ahmadinejad said on NBC television the United States has exhibited "new behavior" in its approach toward his country that could be an opportunity for better relations.

London, July 28 : A majority of British citizens believe that the Conservative Party leader David Cameron is ready to govern the country after next election, an opinion poll has pointed.

According to ComRes poll, a majority of people (53 per cent) think that the Tories are ready to govern after the next election, while 37 per cent disagree.

Almost one in four Labour voters (23 per cent) agrees. The findings increase the pressure on Prime Minister Gordon Brown as he tries to head off moves by his own party to force him to stand down, The Independent reported.

Hanoi  - North Korean Foreign Minister Park Ui Chun met with his Vietnamese counterpart in Hanoi Saturday, with outside countries hoping Vietnam would voice issues of international concern in its talks with the reclusive, nuclear-armed communist nation.

During an effusive exchange of greetings with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, Park complimented Vietnam on its "cleanliness."

Washington  - The US Senate Saturday passed a multi-billion- dollar bill to address the ongoing crisis in the American housing market, paving the way for US President George W Bush to sign the long-waited rescue package next week.

The legislation will allow some 400,000 struggling homeowners to refinance into government-backed, low-interest loans and approves a contingency plan in the event that mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are threatened with collapse.

Kabul - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Saturday that violence in Afghanistan had worsened over the past year, and promised more support from Germany for the building and reform of the Afghan police and military.

Aggression in the south of the country by Taliban insurgents has increased, Steinmeier said in a logistics school for the Afghan army, built by Germany in Kabul. The training of soldiers and police in Afghanistan must therefore be strengthened, he said.