Baghdad - More than 10,000 detainees have been released from US-run detention centres in Iraq so far this year, compared with some 8,900 released in all of 2007, the US military said Saturday.

The military said in a statement the release of the detainees was part of its programme to rehabilitate prisoners through religious counseling and education and vocational training.

About 21,000 detainees are currently held in US-run detention centres in Iraq, including about a dozen women and over 300 juveniles, according to the statement.

Everyday, US troops detain about 30 people and release 45 detainees on average, the military said, adding that the average detention time is 330 days.

Washington, Aug 2: Fearing that it would leak intelligence reports to extremists operating from its tribal areas, the US has for the past four months not shared information with Pakistan prior to carrying out air strikes on areas lying in Pakistan territory targeting al Qaeda and Taliban suspects.

The revelation on the Bush administration’s toughening stance on its long-time ally in the war against Islamic extremism came as Pakistani officials angrily denied a newspaper report that its intelligence service helped plan the July 7 bombing of India's embassy in Kabul that killed at least 41 people.

Hong Kong - Soldiers from the People's Liberation Army could be called in to help provide security at the equestrian events being held in Hong Kong, a senior police officer said Saturday.

Operations director Henrique Koo said the PLA would be brought in as a last resort.

Speaking on a radio programme on government broadcaster, RTHK, Koo - who is also a senior assistant commissioner - said police were well prepared to deal with emergency situations. But he said soldiers would be available if necessary.

He reiterated that the threat level remains moderate because there was "no concrete evidence Hong Kong was a potential target for terrorist attacks."

Washington, Aug 2: If a CBS News report is to be believed, Al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri has reportedly been critically injured, and might be possibly dead.

The report is based on a copy of an intercepted letter from sources in Pakistan, which urgently requests a doctor to treat al-Zawahiri. If injured and alive, he is believed to be somewhere in Pakistan's remote tribal areas of Pakistan, said the report.

Ottawa, Aug. 2: To accommodate India's entry into the international nuclear club so that it can trade openly in nuclear fuel and technology, Canada has changed its policy on nuclear non-proliferation.

According to a Globe and Mail report, India's emergence as an economic power is one reason for Canada overlooking its concerns about making it an exception to the world's non-proliferation rules.

London, Aug. 2: Problems for the Gordon Brown show no signs of abating. Already under pressure over losing a safe electoral seat like Glasgow East to the Scottish National Party, the government is now facing legal action from an Iraqi terror boss over pornographic material being left in his jail toilet.

Ahmed Al-Fartoosi, who has been blamed for the deaths of dozens of Brits, has decided to sue the Government for tens of thousands of pounds. Fartoosi is suing for false imprisonment and violations of new European human rights laws.