In Brief

India launches first Moon mission

India has successfully launched its first mission to the Moon.

The unmanned Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft blasted off smoothly from a launch pad in southern Andhra Pradesh to embark on a two-year mission of exploration.

The robotic probe will orbit the Moon, compiling a 3-D atlas of the lunar surface and mapping the distribution of elements and minerals.

The launch is regarded as a major step for India as it seeks to keep pace with other space-faring nations in Asia.

Indian PM Manmohan Singh hailed the launch as the "first step" in a historic milestone in the country's space programme.

"Our scientific community has once again done the country proud and the entire nation salutes them," Mr Singh said in a message.

The launch was greeted with applause by scientists gathered at the site. The chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Madhavan Nair, said it was a "historic moment" for the country.

-BBC

Gordon Brown wades in with call for George Osborne investigation

Philip Webster, Political Editor

Gordon Brown tried to pile pressure on George Osborne yesterday by demanding an investigation into the Oleg Deripaska affair.

The Prime Minister told the Commons that the claim that the Shadow Chancellor solicited a donation from Russia's richest man was "a very serious matter and I hope it is investigated by the authorities".

But his comments appeared to back-fire as Downing Street officials, taken by surprise, could not say to which authorities Mr Brown was referring. A spokesman said simply: "Whichever authorities are appropriate."

-Timesonline

Egypt arrests pro-Gaza Islamists

Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood movement says 32 members have been detained for joining protests aimed at breaking the Gaza Strip blockade.

The group said 14 people were held in Port Said, 12 in Fayyoum and a number of others in Cairo and Beni Sueif.

The Egyptian government co-operates with Israeli-led sanctions against the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Palestinian Islamist movement, Hamas.

Many Egyptians, including the Muslim Brotherhood, disagree with the policy.

The Brotherhood is Egypt's largest opposition group but is officially banned by the authorities. Earlier in October, Egyptian police blocked a convoy organised by opposition groups to carry medical supplies to the Gaza Strip.

-BBC

Terrorist watch lists shorter than previously reported

The federal government's terrorist watch lists are far shorter than have been reported, the secretary of homeland security said Wednesday.

Michael Chertoff revealed for the first time that 2,500 people are on the "no fly" list and only about 10 percent of those are U.S. citizens. Individuals on this list are barred from boarding aircraft because intelligence indicates they pose a threat to aviation.

Fewer than 16,000 people are designated "selectees," he said, and most are not Americans. These people represent a less specific security threat and receive extra scrutiny, but are allowed to fly.

The American Civil Liberties Union has estimated more than 1 million names have been added to the lists since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The FBI, which manages the Terrorist Screening Database, said in August that there were about 400,000 people on its list, but that approximately 95 percent of those people were not U.S. citizens.

-CNN

Pakistan seeks IMF financial help

The International Monetary Fund says Pakistan has asked it to help deal with its looming balance of payments crisis.

Talks on plans to strengthen Pakistan's economic stability would begin in the next few days, an IMF statement said.

It said Pakistan's difficulties were "a result of high food and fuel prices and the global financial crisis". The scale of financing had yet to be determined.

Pakistani officials had said they would only ask the IMF for money if other options failed.

Pakistan is going through its worst economic crisis in a decade, with massive trade and budget deficits, plunging foreign currency reserves and capital flight.

-BBC

Malaysia blocks Iran Nobel winner

A Malaysian university has cancelled a scheduled speech by the Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi.

Ms Ebadi, an outspoken human rights lawyer, had been due to speak at the University of Malaya early in November.

Foreign ministry officials admitted that they had advised the university to withdraw Ms Ebadi's invitation.

Ms Ebadi, who won the peace prize in 2003, has often found herself at odds with the Iranian government over her human rights work.

Ms Ebadi had been due to deliver the speech entitled Islam and Cultural Diversity on 3 November. But an official told the Associated Press news agency that the foreign ministry had sent a letter "strongly advising" the organisers not to go ahead with the speech.

-BBC