A STORY of a six-year-old Afghan boy who says he thwarted an effort by Taliban militants to trick him into being a suicide bomber provoked tears and anger at a meeting of tribal leaders.

Nato and US-led forces killed 60 insurgents near the border with Pakistan, in what the military described today as the largest group of insurgents crossing the region in six months.

The Dow Jones industrial average reached another record close today as investors largely looked past economic and earnings reports that had stirred concerns about the health of the US economy.

Wall Street rallied again today, with the Dow Jones industrials scoring another record close as investors grew more confident that the Federal Reserve has inflation in hand.

Renault SA chairman Louis Schweitzer confirmed the company's full year forecasts despite the difficult foreign exchange market and an increasingly competitive pricing environment.