Iraq Fourteen marines were killed in one of the deadliest attacks on US forces since the invasion of Iraq, as an American freelance reporter was gunned down in the relatively calm south. Mauritania Mauritanian troops led by presidential guard members seized the armed forces headquarters, state <a href="http://www.rmf.fm" target="_blank">radio</a> and television buildings in the capital Nouakchott in what appeared to be a coup. Canada An Air France transatlantic jetliner with 309 people aboard overshot the runway at Toronto international airport and exploded after plunging into a muddy ravine, but with flames licking around the fuselage and smoke filling the cabin all passengers and crew escaped. US US shuttle astronaut Stephen Robinson, tethered to the robotic arm of the International Space Station, successfully removed both pieces of protruding tile gap filler that he was assigned to retrieve on an unprecedented in-orbit repair mission. Sudan The new chief of southern Sudan's ex-rebel group appealed for an end to the deadly violence that has wracked Khartoum and its suburbs since the death of his predecessor John Garang. In Kampala, the Ugandan government called for an emergency summit of east African leaders in the wake of Garang's death. Iran Iran's new President Mahmood Ahmadinejad took office as his country was at loggerheads with the international community over its threat to resume controversial nuclear activities. Britain-Zambia Zambia officially announced it would deport to Britain the alleged mastermind behind the July 7 London bombings after arresting Briton Haroon Aswat in Lusaka two weeks ago. North Korea Parties to the six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons programme returned to the main venue, fueling speculation that discussions would continue overnight, state television and journalists reported. Afghanistan Afghan insurgents killed four government troops and four police officers in an attack on a checkpoint in the country's east, an interior ministry spokesman said. Saudi Saudi clerics, tribal chiefs and officials pledged allegiance to King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz in a ceremony seen as a public endorsement of the new monarch of the oil powerhouse. Mideast The radical Palestinian movement Islamic Jihad said it had ordered its activists to stop firing rockets at Israeli targets in the lead-up to the pullout from the Gaza Strip. India The death toll from a week-long deluge in Mumbai and other parts of western India stood at 1,023 after another 30 bodies were recovered, police said. Germany-US Adidas-Salomon, the German maker of sportswear and equipment, launched a 3.1 billion euro (3.8 billion dollar) bid to buy US rival Reebok in an attempt to close the distance on its arch-enemy and world leader, Nike.