Los Angeles  - Rapper T. I. was sentenced to a year in jail Friday for violating federal weapons charges by attempting to buy unregistered automatic weapons and silencers.

The sentence was part of a plea deal under which T. I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, has already served more than 1,000 hours of community service.

T. I., 28, is also starring in an MTV reality show called Road To Redemption in which he speaks out about the pitfalls of guns, drugs and violence.

Kabul  - Afghan President Hamid Karzai welcomed the new strategy unveiled by US President Barack Obama on Friday and said the chances for success were greater, because the plan has recognized that the war on terrorism was a regional problem.

"The Afghan government welcomes the new US strategy, because it has taken into consideration the Afghan government's ideas and its demand that the terrorism is a regional problem," Karzai said in a statement issued by his office.

Vina del Mar, Chile  - US Vice President Joe Biden, in Chile to discuss world economic issues as well as relations within the Americas, Friday proposed that Latin America and the United States "work together, as partners," and move "toward a new day" in their relations.

Biden arrived in Chile Friday, where he was to meet with President Michele Bachelet ahead of a so-called Progressive Leaders' Summit in the seaside resort of Vina del Mar intended to prepare for next week's G20 summit in London on the global financial crisis.

Washington - US President Barack Obama was to court support from banking executives later Friday in an effort to transcend the furious standoff between the public and the industry over bailouts and bonuses.

The meeting at the White House was to include chief executive officers Vikram Pandit of Citigroup Inc, Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase & Co and Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

A total of 15 executives from the nation's largest banks were to join the meeting, Bloomberg financial news service reported.

Washington, March 27 : Pakistan and Afghanistan have hailed the US President Barack Obama's new plans to root out extremists. Both the countries have pledged to extend cooperation to the U. S in this endeavour.

Pakistan''s Ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, on Friday said it was an "extraordinarily positive" sign that Obama was re-examining US policy in the region.

Washington, March 27 : The U. S. President Barack Obama on Friday said Al-Qaeda is `actively planning'' attacks on US from safe havens in Pakistan.

President Obama reminded the citizens of America that the U. S goal is to disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan and warned that the situation in Afghanistan is increasingly perilous.