France violence

Paris, March 16 (Reuters): French police used tear gas when violence erupted as students turned up the heat on Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin over a jobs law today, while his government struggled to defuse the crisis.

A kiosk was set on fire and some students threw stones at police at the end of a rally in Paris by several thousand university and high school students.

Milosevic

Belgrade (Reuters): A closed coffin bearing the body of former Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic was put on view in Belgrade on Thursday and hundreds queued up to pay their emotional last respects.

Iran access

Tehran (Reuters): Iran on Thursday offered more access to UN inspectors if their watchdog agency, not the Security Council, dealt with its nuclear dispute with the West.

Contact lens

Kuala Lumpur (AFP): Malaysia today ordered all contact lens solution companies to prove the safety of their products after concerns about a series of fungal eye infections.