Moscow/Tbilisi  - Georgia's government will soon lift martial law, a senior official said Tuesday.

The temporary regulations giving President Mikheil Saakashvili near-total authority for wartime command in the former Soviet republic will be cancelled on Wednesday, said David Bakradze, speaker of the Georgian parliament.

The repeal is necessary to allow Georgia's suffering economy to return to a more normal footing and "for a more normal rhythm of life," Bakradze told the Interfax news agency.

Georgia's parliament on August 9 approved martial law at Saakashvili's request.

Havana  - Cuban leader Fidel Castro sent a message of support to Cubans affected by Hurricane Gustav, in an article published Monday in the Communist Party daily Granma and other state media.

"Only just ideas defended with courage, dignity and firmness survive," Castro said.

The man who led the country for close to half a century and formally gave up power in February due to health problems, extended support to citizens in western Cuba, which was devastated by Hurricane Gustav over the weekend.

Riga  - More Latvians see Russia as a threat to their Baltic nation's independence compared to a year ago, a national survey released on Monday found.

Thirty-five per cent of Latvians see Russia as a threat to Latvia's independence, up from 25 per cent a year ago, the research by the Marketing and Public Opinion Research Centre found.

Some 52 per cent do not see Russia as a threat.

Baghdad - A refugee camp in Iraq home to an Iranian opposition party has been transferred from US control to Iraqi authorities, Iraqi Radio reported on Monday.

Camp Ashraf was originally set up during the Iran-Iraq war to give shelter to opponents of the regime of Ayatollah Khomeini.

Following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the US military has been responsible for protecting the group in the face of Sunni-Shia sectarian violence throughout Iraq.

The Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi took a sigh of relief, as the long conflict regarding the name of his party ‘Praja Rajyam’, launched on August 26, was resolved. Reportedly, the application was withdrawn as the advocate who had filed a complain, got into an agreement.

The advocate named Chenna Krishnaiah, from Kadpa district, agreed to withdraw his application for registration of ‘Praja Rajyam’, which he had filed a month ago after he had a meeting with the Election Commission of India officials in New Delhi.

The sources have informed that the man was convinced by the assistants of Chiranjeevi, for they promised him a key post in the party.

Warsaw  - Prime Minister Donald Tusk Friday met with residents near the future site of the US anti-missile shield, reassuring them the military base posed no danger or damage to local tourism.

"Places like Redzikowo or Slupsk perhaps will arouse more interest in the event of a conflict," Tusk told residents during a town-hall style meeting in northern Poland. "But for certain they'll be better protected than any other place in Poland."