● <B>DIPLOMACY. Israël agrees to free 9 Jordanian prisoners. </B> Israël said yesterday it would release nine of the 18 Jordanians in its jails in a bid to improve ties with Jordan, which recently returned its ambassador to Tel Aviv after a four-year absence. ?We want to improve and strengthen the relations between Israel and Jordan,? Vice-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Reuters.?I am very happy that we can make this gesture to honour the King of Jordan,? he said about the move approved by the cabinet at its weekly meeting. A senior Israeli official said none of the nine prisoners slated for release was involved in deadly attacks against Israelis and they would probably be free on Wednesday.

● <B>PEACE PROCESS. India, Pakistan leaders hold ?very positive? talks. </B> Leaders of India and Pakistan held more than two hours of ?very businesslike and positive? talks yesterday to advance their peace process after watching the start of a cricket match between their national teams. The talks came a day after Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf arrived in India for his first visit since a failed summit in 2001 and near war over Kashmir three years ago, saying he had come with a message of peace.

● <B> INVALID DOCUMENTS. Bangladesh detains French freelance journalist. </B>Bangladesh police have detained a French freelance journalist and his Indian guide at the western Satkhira border with India, police said yesterday. Arnaud Mondagaran was taken into custody on Friday for entering Bangladesh without valid travel documents, officials said. He identified himself as a French freelance journalist and film producer. ?We have arrested Frenchman Arnaud Mondagaran and his Indian assistant for suspicious movement,? Inspector General of Police Hadis Uddin told Reuters. Police said Arnaud would be sent to Dhaka for interrogation while the detained Indian, Mofizul Islam, was in police custody in Satkhira.