World datelines

Afghanistan

KABUL — Militants claiming to hold three U.N. hostages in Afghanistan postponed a Friday deadline for carrying out their threat to kill the trio, giving U.N. and Afghan officials another day to open negotiations.

Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil pledged Friday to add 500 peacekeepers to the U.N. mission it heads in Haiti and promised to reach out to deposed Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide, whose exit was aided by the United States.

Canada

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan — A Saskatchewan court ruling Friday made the Canadian prairie province the country's seventh jurisdiction to allow homosexuals to wed. The Saskatchewan ruling came after five gay couples went to court seeking the right to wed.

Egypt

VIENNA, Austria — The U.N. atomic watchdog has discovered plutonium particles near an Egyptian nuclear facility and is trying to determine if they are evidence of a secret weapons program or simply the byproduct of peaceful research, diplomats said Friday.

Georgia

TBILISI — President Mikhail Saakashvili said Friday that Georgia will increase its troop contribution to the U.S.-led mission in Iraq, linking the move to President Bush's re-election. Saakashvili made the announcement in a televised address but did not say how many extra troops would be deployed.

Greece

ATHENS — Greece's government, angered by a U.S. decision to recognize the name of neighboring Macedonia, said Friday it would block its Balkan neighbor from joining NATO or the European Union unless the name dispute is resolved.

Iran

PARIS — In an effort to stop Iran from producing a nuclear bomb, the 25 leaders of the European Union on Friday offered the country possible economic and political incentives if it suspends its production of enriched uranium.

Iraq

CAIRO, Egypt — The militant group al-Qaida in Iraq purportedly called Friday for the release of the kidnapped executive of the CARE charity, Margaret Hassan, and promised to free her if she fell into their hands.

Israel