Washington  - US President George W Bush acknowledged on Wednesday that US and NATO forces in Iraq have faced a "tough" fight in recent weeks but expressed confidence the resurgent Taliban militants will be defeated.

"It has been a tough month in Afghanistan, but it's also been a tough month for the Taliban," Bush said.

The Taliban launched an assault in June throughout Eastern Afghanistan until being pushed back by US and NATO forces, but the fighting claimed the largest number of lives of US soldiers since the US-led coalition invaded the country in 2001.

Washington  - Rising food and energy p

London, July 2: African Union has asked Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to hold talks with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party over how to form a unity government.

The move, which is likely to increase the pressure on MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to reach a deal, was made at an African Union (AU) summit, The Telegraph reported.

Both sides ruled out power sharing after the presidential run-off, which was contested only by Mugabe, but delegates at the AU summit hope their resolution could resolve the crisis.

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