World briefs 1/15/06

Former Taliban minister who switched sides killed

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Gunmen killed a former Taliban leader who switched loyalties and supported Afghanistan's U.S.-backed government after the hard-line militia was ousted in late 2001. Two men on a motorbike fatally shot Mohammed Khaksar, the former Taliban deputy interior minister, police chief Gen. Abdul Wahid said. He said Khaksar was shot in the heart and head on Saturday in the southern city of Kandahar, a former Taliban stronghold. A purported Taliban spokesman, Qari Mohammed Yousaf, claimed responsibility.

Iran's president shrugs off sanctions threat

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's president stood fast Saturday behind his decision to resume uranium enrichment research, shrugging off threats of international sanctions while his Foreign Ministry invited Europe and the U.N. nuclear watchdog back to the negotiating table. In a ringing defense of his government's move, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tehran had not violated the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which he said allows signatories to produce nuclear fuel. On Tuesday, Iran removed some U.N. seals from its main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, central Iran, and resumed research on nuclear fuel -- including small-scale enrichment -- after a 2 1/2-year freeze.

Tests show activity on both sides of Sharon's brain

JERUSALEM -- A test has shown activity in both sides of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's brain, but he remains comatose and in critical but stable condition, Hadassah Hospital said Saturday in its first update on the Israeli leader's condition in more than 24 hours. Experts said activity in both sides didn't indicate anything about the extent of the brain damage Sharon may have suffered as a result of his devastating stroke on Jan. 4. Sharon could still have extensive brain damage but show activity on both sides of his brain, Ifergan said.

Emir of Kuwait, ruler for 27 years, dies at age 79

KUWAIT CITY -- Sheik Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, the emir of Kuwait who survived an assassination attempt in the 1980s and a decade later escaped Iraqi troops invading his oil-rich Persian Gulf state, died Sunday (Kuwait local time), state television announced. The sheik was 79. Crown Prince Sheik Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, a distant cousin chosen as heir apparent in 1978, takes over as ruler of the tiny oil-rich country -- a key U.S. ally in the Middle East. Sheik Jaber was a close friend of the United States even before U.S. forces led the fight to liberate his country in 1991. Kuwait has remained reliant on U.S. forces for defense, and the close alliance is likely to continue under Sheik Saad.

-- From wire reports