New Delhi/Kabul - Afghanistan's government denied speculation about secret talks between the government and Taliban militants in Mecca at the occasion of the end of the hoy Muslim month of Ramadan.

British and Afghan media reported that Saudi King Abdullah invited the conflict parties to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan in late September.

Another rumoured participant was former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif, said to be well-connected to the Saudi rules and the Taliban, whom he helped to establish during his time in office with the aid of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

Budapest - NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Thursday said the global financial crisis should not stand in the way of desired increases in military spending by the alliance's member states.

"The global financial crisis will certainly add pressure to national budgets, but we must defend our joint values and prepare for facing challenges," de Hoop Scheffer told the Hungarian daily Nepszabadsag.

"We need to do more, not only through increased military spending, but also by developing the efficiency of our forces," he said.

Washington, Oct 9: Afghanistan is in a "downward spiral" and there are serious doubts on the ability of the Afghan Government to stem the rise in the Taliban''s influence there, according to a draft report by US intelligence agencies.

The report finds that the breakdown in central authority in Afghanistan has been accelerated by rampant corruption within the government of President Hamid Karzai and an increase in violence by militants who have launched increasingly sophisticated attacks from safe havens in Pakistan.

Washington - The number of civilians killed in a US attack on a village in Afghanistan was more than four times higher than previously acknowledged by the US military, the Pentagon has concluded in a report of an investigation released Wednesday.

US Central Command, which oversees military operations in Afghanistan, said in the report that 33 civilians died in addition to 22 militants in the air raid on Azizabad in western Afghanistan.

Kabul, Oct. 8 : Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai''s elder brother, Qayum Karzai, is said to have had talks with former Taleban leaders during a traditional religious meal hosted by the Saudi King Abdullah last month.

According to the BBC, former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and a delegation of at least 15 Afghans also participated in the talks.

Washington - The death toll of civilians killed in a US air attack on a village in Afghanistan in August was more than four times higher than first admitted by the US military, the New York Times reported Wednesday, citing US army sources quoting an internal probe.

At least 30 civilians had been killed in US airstrikes on Azizabad in the province of Herat in western Afghanistan, the daily reported.