World News Briefs -- February 21, 2010

GATHERING INTEL - U.S. Army Sgt. Shaun Amend talks with a village elder about recent activity in the area of Surkabad, Logar province, Afghanistan, Feb. 13, 2010. Amend is assigned to the 118th Military Police Company, which is attached to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Deyonte Mosley

Taliban Reject Renewed Karzai Call For Peace -- Yahoo News/Reuters

KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan's Taliban on Sunday rejected President Hamid Karzai's latest call for peace, despite pressure from a NATO offensive and the capture of its number 2.

Karzai renewed his appeal in parliament on Saturday for the Taliban to accept his peace proposal.

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MIDDLE EAST

Popular Sunni political party to boycott Iraqi elections.

IAEA: Iran's nukes 'also for army’.

Dubai killers used diplomatic passports: police.

ASIA

Marines converge on Taliban holdouts in Marjah.

Thailand prepares for violence ahead of verdict on Thaksin Shinawatra assets.

Seoul, Washington to end talks on U.S. troop flexibility by October: source .

CIA post in Karachi helped catch top guns of Taliban.

Busiest day of the year on China's railway.

AFRICA

The rise of extremism in Somalia.

Sudanese government to sign formal peace deal with Darfur rebels.

Political standoff puts Kenyans’ rage in focus.

Envoys arrive in Niger where rallies back coup.

Defiant at 86, Zimbabwe's Mugabe may try to prolong his rule.

EUROPE

At least 38 die in mudslide on Portuguese island of Madeira.

Dutch Government collapses over its stance on troops for Afghanistan.

Ukraine's Tymoshenko set to fight on.

British PM denies hitting staff.

AMERICAS

Asia-produced ozone making its way to U.S., study finds.

Wife of U.S. contractor jailed in Cuba pleads for his release. Cuba blasts US leaders for meeting with dissidents.

The Botox Evita seeks a new lift.

What's behind America's falling crime rate.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Justice Department decision on terror memos sparks legal debate.

US Feds seize 3 Florida businessmen for ties to Hezbollah.

Philippines says kills Islamic militant leader. Philippine troops kill 6 al-Qaida-linked militants.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

Bad economies in US states to worsen: governors.

Banks in Calif., Ill., Fla., Texas are shut down.

China tightens bank lending rules.