New York, Aug. 22: American federal investigators are claiming that they have solved a mystery of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks: the collapse of World Trade Center building 7, a source of long-running conspiracy theories.

The 47-story trapezoid-shaped building sat north of the World Trade Center towers, across Vesey Street in lower Manhattan. On September 11, 2001 it was set on fire by falling debris from the burning towers.

Baghdad, Aug. 22: American and Iraqi negotiators have agreed to the withdrawal of all U. S. combat forces from the country by the end of 2011.

According to the Washington Post, Iraqi officials also said they are "very close" to resolving the remaining issues blocking a final accord that governs the future American military presence here.

Iraqi and U. S. officials said several difficult issues remain, including whether U. S. troops will be subject to Iraqi law if accused of committing crimes.

"We have a text," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said after a daylong visit Thursday by U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Melbourne, Aug 22: In a startling revelation made by Time magazine, poor children are first kidnapped from Chennai, in southern India, sold out to an adoption agency “Malaysian Social Services” for an amount as low as Rs 10,000-12000, and the agency finally sends them out to Australia to be “adopted” by different families.

More than a dozen “pretty” children kidnapped in Indian slums have ended up being adopted in Australia, the Magazine reported, and quoted the Indian Police as saying that at least 13 kidnapped children were adopted by Australian families in recent months.

Wah (Pak), Aug 22: The Pakistan’s unit of the Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has reportedly claimed the responsibility for yesterday’s blast in Wah locality in Pakistan tribal areas, and warned of more similar attacks in near future.

The terrorist organization also threatened to carry out further suicide attacks if an Army offensive against militants was not stopped.

A TTP spokesman said: “Our bombers carried out today’s attack. It is in reaction to military operations in Swat and Bajaur.”

Stockholm - Three agencies including the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said on Thursday that reducing food waste was a means to improve global water conservation and shore up future food production.

The call was made during World Water Week, currently taking place in Stockholm, where scores of experts and policy makers have gathered to discuss water and sanitation related issues.

A British researcher was to receive the 150,000-dollar Stockholm Water Prize, administered by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), on Thursday for launching the concept of "virtual water" - a system that measures the amount of water used to produce and trade goods.