Former UN special representative to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, accused Pakistan on Friday of arresting key Taliban leaders in a deliberate move to stop secret peace talks, in a BBC interview.

The United States on Thursday left open the possibility of further arms sales to Taiwan, with a senior official saying that China's military buildup was aimed squarely at the self-governing island.

US President Barack Obama has been forced to postpone until June a trip to Asia, as his fellow Democrats scrambled for support on Thursday ahead of a final vote on health care reform as early as this weekend in the House of Representatives.