Washington  - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel to Israel and the West Bank on Sunday for discussions aimed at nudging along the peace process, the State Department said.

Rice is still seeking a peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians by the end of the year that includes the creation of a Palestinian state, spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to a US-hosted Middle East conference in November to complete negotiations on an accord by the end of 2008.

New York  - UN Secreta

Taipei  - Taiwan on Monday thanked Singapore for offering to help Taipei probe suspected money laundering by former president Chen Shui-bian.

"We are happy to see that Singapore is willing to provide legal assistance and to jointly fight cross-country crime," the Central News Agency (CNA) quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Andrew Hsia as saying.

Hsia made the remark after Singapore's trade office announced that Singapore would assist Taiwan in probing the suspected money laundering by former president Chen and his family.

Jakarta - Indonesia on Sunday marked its independence day with the reduction of jail sentences to tens of thousands of prisoners including convicted Australian drug traffickers.

More than 55,000 prisoners who have completed at least one-third of their sentences were granted reductions ranging from several weeks or months.

At least 5,700 inmates will walk free, said Untung Sugiyono, director-general of correctional institutions at the Justice and Human Rights Affairs Ministry.

Santo Domingo  - Leonel Fernandez was inaugurated Saturday for his third term as president of the Dominican Republic in a ceremony attended by nine heads of state, who were delayed by Tropical Storm Fay, which soaked the country Saturday.

Spanish Crown Prince Felipe and presidents Alvaro Uribe of Colombia and Michelle Bachelet of Chile made it to the ceremony despite the heavy rain.

Fernandez, 54, has had a good relationship with all Latin American leaders, and the absence of the presidents of Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil stood out.

Asuncion, Paraguay  - Former Roman Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo was sworn in Friday as Paraguay's president, in a historic transfer of power after 61 years of uninterrupted rule by the conservative Colorado Party.

The centre-left Lugo, 57, was inaugurated for a five-year term, at a ceremony in front of the Congress building in Asuncion attended by a slew of international dignitaries and thousands of citizens.