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A congressional committee controlled by the Democratic Party has approved subpoenas, ordering some of Mr. Bush's most senior advisors to give evidence under oath. Congress wants to question them about the sackings. Justin Webb reports.

The White House's view of this row is that it's politically motivated and without real substance. They say efforts to get senior aides, to testify under oath jeopardize the important privacy of the relationship the President has with those who advise him. "Nonsense", said the Democrats. They claim first that there is evidence that the firing of the prosecutors was improper and perhaps illegal, secondly, that it was covered up, and thirdly that the truth will only come out in sworn testimony.

The Iraqi government says it has been holding talks with insurgent groups and it may be close to persuading some to lay down their arms. In an interview with the BBC, a senior official of the Iraqi Ministry of National Dialogue and Reconciliation said the insurgents may have legitimate concerns. S.M said the Iraqi government was trying to understand what they wanted.

"We have already established links and contacts with major insurgent groups. One of the aims is to join with them into the fight against al-Qaeda. We are almost getting there into a joint forces to attack al-Qaeda, to get them out of Iraq."

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has warned that his country could pursue its nuclear program outside international laws if illegal action is taken against it. The supreme leader who has the final word on foreign policy in Iran was not specific about what he meant, but his tone echoed that of Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who plans to address the UN Security Council when it meets to vote on fresh sanctions against Iran. Our Tehran correspondent Frances Harrison reports.

Iran's supreme leader said to date all his country's nuclear activities had been in accordance with international regulations. But he warned that if some world powers wanted to exploit the UN Security Council and take illegal action, then Iran could also take illegal action and would do so. He didn't elaborate on what this meant, but Iran has already rejected as illegitimate the first UN resolution, imposing sanctions against its nuclear program.

The Bush administration says it is substantially reducing the amount of money planned to give to bolster the Palestinian security forces, because of fears that it could go to Hamas, the main faction in the new Palestinian unity government. Officials say the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will now be requesting about 50 million dollars from Congress,36 million less than originally intended. The United States refuses to recognize the Palestinian government.

World News from the BBC.

The head of the Islamist Movement that controlled most of southern Somalia until the end of last year has defended the fighting in the capital Mogadishu. The leader of the Union of Islamic Courts Hassan Dahir Aweys said Somalia was under occupation and people had the right to resist. He spoke to the BBC as hundreds of civilians fled Mogadishu during a day of fighting between forces of the transitional government backed by their Ethiopian allies and insurgents. The US ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneburger said his country was continuing to do its best to help get the situation under control.

"We are trying to assist the transitional federal government to establish security on the ground and that reflects to both, um, day-to-day security as well as obviously ensuring that terrorist cannot exploit, cannot use Somalia as a safe haven. We are helping the transitional federal government at the same time. Part of that is obviously to establish its authority on the ground as the legitimate government of Somalia."

The head of the European Union's election observer mission in Nigeria says no observers will be sent to the Niger Delta region for next month's election, because it's too dangerous. Around 60 foreigners, mostly oil workers have been kidnapped in the Delta since the beginning of the year.

Spanish prosecutors have dropped charges of praising terrorism against the leader of the outlawed political wing of the Basque separatist movement ETA, Arnaldo Otegi. The charges related to remarks that Mr. Otegi is said to have made about a suspected ETA member, who blew herself up while preparing explosives in 2001. Mr. Otegi denied the charges.

And nearly 700 couples in Belgium has taken part in symbolic weddings in the small Flemish town to show their support for a local marriage registrar after six people refused to have their marriage ceremonies performed by him because he was of African origin. The couples gathered in the small town of Sint-Niklaas to renew their marriage vows.

BBC World News.