Asuncion, Paraguay - Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo publicly admitted Monday that he fathered an illegitimate who is now 2 years old, in the wake of a legal complaint filed by the boy's mother. "It is true that there was a relationship with Viviana Carrillo, I take every responsibility that might derive from that event, admitting to being the boy's father," Lugo said in a press conference at the government palace in Asuncion.

The boy was conceived while Lugo was a Roman Catholic bishop and therefore under a vow of celibacy.

Prague - A European Union court Tuesday annulled an EU-wide trademark for Anheuser-Busch's Bud beer, which has been contested by Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar NP.

The Luxembourg-based European Court of First Instance said in its ruling that the bloc's trademark registry, the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM), made mistakes when rejecting Budvar's complaint against Anheuser-Busch's registration.

Anheuser-Busch, which was taken over by Belgium's InBev earlier this year, can appeal the verdict to the European Court of Justice.

Amman  - Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Bashir conferred Saturday with his visiting Paraguayan counterpart Alejandro Hamed Franco on latest developments in the Middle East and means of boosting bilateral ties.

"Bashir expressed Jordan's keenness on building ties of cooperation with Paraguay either on bilateral basis or within the regional framework of the Mercosur states in various spheres, particularly in the economic field," a foreign ministry statement said.

Taipei Taiwan is concerned about Paraguay's intention to recognize China after Paraguayan Foreign Minister Alejandro Hamed said that Asuncion will make a decision on diplomatic relations within months, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

According to the Liberty Times, Hamed said Tuesday in Brazil that Paraguay's new government has begun a new era for the South American nation's diplomacy, and one of its goals is to launch full relations with China.

"The new government will make a decision on this issue within a few months," the Liberty Times quoted Hamed as saying in Brazil's capital Brasilia, where he is preparing for President Fernando Lugo's visit to Brazil starting September 17.

Taipei - Taiwan on Tuesday denied that its diplomatic ties with Paraguay are shaky, following press reports that Paraguay will stop backing United Nations membership for Taiwan.

"In our allies' change of government, there might be changes in their support for our joining international organizations, but it will not affect bilateral ties," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Chen Ming-cheng told reporters.

"President Lugo has said several times that Paraguay-Taiwan ties are solid, so Taiwan-Paraguay ties will not change because of change in Paraguay's support for Taiwan's UN bid," he noted.

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.