Dhaka - Bangladesh's two arch political rivals - Sheikh Hasina Wajed of Awami League and Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh Nationalist Party - have agreed to resolve broader national issues through dialogue, political aides of the two leaders said Wednesday.

Hasina wants discussion on specific issues while Zia opts for dialogue without any "agenda and pre-condition."

Moscow - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who has not ruled out another run in the Kremlin, backed a proposal on Wednesday to extend by two years the presidential term.

Putin, however, added it was too soon to say who would be the next candidate for the constitutionally-stretched office.

Legal experts say the changes would not benefit Putin's successor President Dmitry Medvedev, though Russian lawmakers moved Wednesday to fast-track approval of his bill.

Moscow  - Approval of a Kremlin bill to extend the presidential term from four to six years will be fast-tracked by the legislature and enacted by Friday, Russia's parliamentary committee on constitutional legislation said Wednesday.

Medvedev announced he was seeking the constitutional amendment in his first state-of-the-nation address last week.

Paris - Segolene Royal, the defeated Socialist Party candidate in last year's French presidential election, is expected to announce later Wednesday that she is a candidate to replace her former partner as party chief, French media reported.

The party will elect a successor to its current head, Francois Hollande, during its next congress, which is due to begin Friday in the city of Reims.

Royal's heavy defeat at the hands of President Nicolas Sarkozy in May 2007 threw the Socialists into disarray, with many of the party's old guard, such as former prime minister Lionel Jospin, harshly criticizing the campaign she ran and her attempt to forge an alliance with centrist Francois Bayrou.

Washington, Nov 12: Making his first public comment a week after he lost the election to Barack Obama, John McCain joked with “The Tonight Show” host Jay Leno that his defeat was “all the press’ fault” and that he’s ready to go again in 2012.

McCain’s appearance, which was tied to Veteran’s Day and follows two days of televised interviews with his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, was aired on Tuesday night on NBC stations.

Jerusalem - High-tech entrepreneur Nir Barkat, who billed himself as the "secular candidate" was elected mayor of Jerusalem, results from Tuesday's municipal elections, announced early Wednesday, showed.

Barkat won 52 per cent of the vote, compared to 43 per cent for ultra-Orthodox politician Meir Porush. Controversial Russian-born billionaire Arkady Gaydamak garnered only 3.6 per cent of the votes.