PARIS (AFP) - France's President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday refused to back down on a bill to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62, despite massive street protests against the measure.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) - A second US missile strike targeting a vehicle killed four militants in Pakistan's rugged tribal region, near the Afghan border on Wednesday, officials said.

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (AFP) - A US missile strike on a militant compound in Pakistan's tribal district on the Afghan border killed four rebels and wounded five others on Wednesday, local security officials said.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - US police searched a Thai airliner at Los Angeles airport Tuesday after it landed following a warning of a bomb on board, an FBI spokeswoman said.

WELLINGTON (AFP) - The repair bill from the Christchurch earthquake is likely to reach 4 billion New Zealand dollars (2.7 billion US), the New Zealand Treasury said Wednesday, doubling previous estimates.