* Pakistani court declares nuclear scientist free A Pakistani court declared disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan free on Friday.

* Iraq calm after election results Iraq remains peaceful following the announcement of provincial election results, which show strong support for Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s party.

* Tony Blair wins the race to be at President Obama’s side It is a ritual as old as American superpower. Every time a new president enters the White House a stampede starts to rumble.

* UN Secretary General Visits Iraq United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is in Baghdad for talks with Iraqi leaders.

* Top EU delegation in Moscow talks A high-powered EU delegation is visiting Moscow amid continuing strains over Russian gas supplies and last August’s Georgia conflict.

* Swarm of caterpillars infests West Africa, menacing crops A bizarre swarm of caterpillars is munching its way through the forests, cocoa and coffee fields of Liberia.

* Political Divide Between Hamas, Fatah Deepens Hamas security men are back on the streets, directing traffic and trying to restore some semblance of law and order.

* Likud slips, but on course for win The Likud will win an unexpectedly close race but the right-wing bloc will easily defeat the Left.

* Sarkozy pledges ‘results’ at G20 economic crisis meeting EU countries should forge a common position on the need to reform and regulate the financial system.

* The escalating war of the summits Earlier this week, nine Arab foreign ministers met in Abu Dhabi.