India's main opposition party has criticised Foreign Minister SM Krishna for reading out the speech of the Portuguese foreign minister at the UN.

Mr Krishna had no "moral right" to continue after he brought "shame" to India, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Venkaiah Naidu said.

Mr Krishna read out the wrong speech on Saturday for about three minutes before being corrected by an official.

Later, he said it was "a mistake" and that there was "nothing wrong in it".

Explaining the blunder, Mr Krishna said these things happen because many of these speeches make the same initial points.

The Afghan-Pakistan border region is widely believed to be the front line in the war against Islamic militants. see how militants operate on either side of the border.

Helmand, Chaghai

Kabul's writ has never run strong in the remote southern plains of Helmand province. For this reason, it has emerged as the most significant Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan. Further south, across the border in Pakistan, lies the equally remote Noshki-Chaghai region of Balochistan province.

Since 9/11 this region has been in turmoil. In the Baramcha area on the Afghan side of the border, the Taliban have a major base. From there they control militant activities as far afield as Nimroz and Farah provinces in the west, Oruzgan in the north and parts of Kandahar province in the east. They also link up with groups based in the Waziristan region of Pakistan.

Brazilian legend Ronaldo has confirmed his retirement from football.

The 34-year-old had a glittering career, helping Brazil win two World Cups and being named Fifa World Player of the Year in 1996, 1997 and 2002.

He had been expected to quit at the end of the season but the early elimination of his club, Corinthians, from the Copa Libertadores brought forward the date.

"I wanted to continue, but I can't. I think of an action, but I can't do it the way I want to. It's time," he said.

Ronaldo's career took him to some of Europe's top clubs, including Spanish rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as Italian neighbours AC Milan and Inter Milan.

But it was on the world stage where he made the biggest impact, scoring a record total of 15 goals at three World Cups.