Iran defiant

Dubai, Feb. 10 (Reuters): Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Tehran would not negotiate about its disputed nuclear programme under pressure, but would talk to its adversaries if they stopped “pointing the gun”.

Ahmadinejad struck a more conciliatory tone than supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who on February 7 rebuffed a US call for direct negotiations on disputes between the two countries. The authority to authorise negotiations over the nuclear programme lies with Khamenei.

Saudi deal

Berlin (Reuters): Saudi Arabia is looking into buying patrol boats worth 1.5 billion euros ($2 billion) from a German firm, and appears to have won the Berlin government’s approval despite widespread public criticism of arms deals, a newspaper reported on Sunday.

Mali bomber

Gao, Mali (Reuters): Malian troops shot at a suicide bomber who then blew up at a checkpoint at the northern city of Gao late on Saturday, the second attempted suicide attack on the same location in two days, a Malian military has said. No other casualties were reported in the incident at the Saharan town, which was recaptured late last month by French and Malian troops who drove out Islamist insurgents.