Washington  - US President Barack Obama on Thursday reached out to believers of all faiths as he expanded the White House office of faith-based partnerships.

Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Obama acknowledged differences among religions, but stressed the common beliefs of all faiths to care for others.

Washington  - Democratic leaders made last-ditch attempts Thursday to convince the US Senate to support an unprecedented stimulus package that President Barack Obama has said is critical to reviving the US economy.

Legislators said they expected a final vote on the package late Thursday, but the prospects of the bill's passage remained uncertain.

Baghdad  - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's list garnered 38 per cent of the votes in Baghdad in preliminary election results, Iraq's Independent Higher Electoral Commission said Thursday.

Results of Iraq's provincial elections revealed that al-Maliki's list had succeeded in overtaking the Shiite religious parties who previously dominated Iraq.

Washington  - Former British prime minister Tony Blair on Thursday warned US President Barack Obama of the dangers of the public eye, telling him to rely on his faith and friendships when times get tough.

"Should it ever be tested, I hope your faith can sustain you and your family. The public eye is not always the most congenial," Blair told Obama during his keynote speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.

Riga  - A cable linking the energy grids of the Baltic states with Sweden could be a reality within ten years, said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt in Riga on Friday.

Bildt, speaking after a meeting with his Latvian counterpart Maris Riekstins, said the Swedish presidency of the EU in the second half of 2009 would be characterised by ambitious plans for political and economic cooperation within the Baltic Sea area.

Currently both Lithuania and Latvia have competing claims for an underwater cable across the Baltic Sea to Sweden.

Brussels  - European Union leaders will hold an unprecedented "double-summit" day on May 7, with heads of state and government due to discuss both the bloc's relations with its eastern neighbours and new gas supply routes from the Caspian Sea, Czech presidency sources said Thursday.

The summit on the so-called "Eastern Partnership" - originally proposed by Poland and Sweden last year - is one of the key events of the EU's Czech presidency, which runs until the end of June.