ATTN NEWS EDITORS, Following are the PTI Foreign News

Highlights at 1800 hrs:

Washington: US President Barack Obama vows to build a"true global, strategic partnership" with India and stresseson advancing bilateral economic ties and making progress onnuclear security efforts, as he drops in during key talksbetween National Security Adviser ShivshankarMenon and his counterpart Tom Donilon. (FGN 9)

Cairo: Thousands of prisoners escape from jails acrossEgypt as anti-regime riots enters the sixth day today, withlooters rampaging through malls and luxury shopsand a number of armymen doffing uniforms to join theunprecedented protests that have claimed at least 102 lives.

(FGN 11)

Davos: Home Minister P Chidambaram says "some evidence"has emerged in the 2007 Samjhauta blast case and India willshare information with Pakistan once the probe is over. (FGN5)

Washington: Hundreds of Indian students, duped by aCalifornia-based "sham" university, are frantically knockingat the doors of colleges begging for admission in theirdesperate attempt to save their academic careers and avoiddeportation back home. (FGN 6)

Washington: Amid anti-regime riots in Egypt that haveclaimed over 100 lives, US President Barack Obama seeksrestraint and favours "concrete steps" aimed at advancingpolitical reforms in the Arab nation, as he holds keytalks with his national security team to assess the situationthere. (FGN 13)

Islamabad: Pakistani authorities reject the demand of theUS to release an American diplomat who shot dead two youths inLahore, saying the matter would be handled in court accordingto the country''s laws. (FGN 14)

Karachi: Pakistani police in the port city of Karachihave arrest a Muslim student under the country''s controversialblasphemy law for allegedly writing derogatory remarks againstProphet Mohammed in his examination answer sheets. (FGN 16)

Davos: The 41st annual World Economic Forum meeting endshere on a cautious optimism with global leaders raising doubtsabout the world''s ability to combat effectively a possiblefinancial crisis, even as they asked corporates not tosacrifice long-term growth for short-term profits. (FGN 20)

Davos: In a clear message to global retail giants likeWalmart, Tesco and Carrfoure, the Indian government says itwill not rush into allowing FDI into politically sensitivemulti-brand retail sector. (FGN 22)

Cairo: Mohamed ElBaradei, Nobel peace laureate and formerchief of the UN nuclear watchdog, asks embattled PresidentHosni Mubarak to step down, saying his response to the massprotest against his 30-year rule in Egypt is "disappointing".

(FGN 23)

Chicago: India will be instrumental in bringing growth tothe world, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and PublicEnterprises Praful Patel says during a speech at the 17thIndia Business Conference at the Kellogg School of Management.

(FGN 8) PTI BDS