Sana'a, Yemen - A senior Yemeni local official began on Sunday a new round of negotiations with kidnappers of a Dutch couple after mediation led by tribal leaders foundered, a municipal official said.

"A new round of talks is under way after negotiations between tribal chieftains and the abductors broke down yesterday," said Jamil Shuraih, the secretary-general of the Bani-Dhabian district where the Dutch hostages are being held.

The Hague (Netherlands), Apr. 1 : US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned North Korea that its plans to launch a missile is being considered as another provocation against Japan, and hence, North Korea should be ready to face the consequences.

“It is an unfortunate and continuing example of provocation by the North Koreans. Japan has every right to protect and defend its territory,” Fox News quoted Clinton, as saying at a conference in The Hague.

Noting possible UN Security Council actions, she added, “There will be consequences.”

The Hague (Netherlands), Apr. 1  US Presidential envoy Richard C. Holbrooke met an Iranian diplomat here, marking the first face-to-face encounter between the Obama administration and the Government of Iran.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton confirmed that Holbrooke, the administration's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, greeted Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mohammad Mehdi Akhondzadeh, on the sidelines of a major conference here devoted to Afghanistan.

Born, Netherlands  - Mitsubishi is reducing the Colt model range's fuel consumption with several measures including start-stop technology and roll-resistance tyres, the Japanese car maker has announced.

Start-stop technology would be fitted to the 1.1 and 1.3 litre petrol models on the European market as part of "Clear Tec" measures that reduces consumption of the 1.1-litre model to 4.9 litres per 100 kilometres. This translates to an emission figure of 115 grammes per kilometre. The 1.3-litre model consumption is down to 5.1 litres (119 g/km).

The Hague - Iran on Tuesday was set to offer a cautious welcome to the United States' new strategy for Afghanistan by telling a conference in The Hague that it was "fully prepared" to help the country's reconstruction and to fight drug trafficking.