Baghdad - The Iraqi government on Monday said that it is talking to US officials over the American raid on the remote Syrian border village of Al-Sukariya and that it hoped the incident would not spoil Iraq's ties with Damascus.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh at the same time reiterated an unsourced US statement that the raid targeted a haven for a militant group which used to carry out execute deadly attacks inside Iraq.

Paris - Roger Federer confirmed on Monday that he will play in this week's Paris Masters, a day after winning his hometown title in Basle for the third straight year.

Brussels  - The European Commission wants to ban smoking in bars and restaurants across the European Union, officials in Brussels said Monday.

However, discussions on a smoking ban in all of the member states' workplaces are still at the preliminary stage, meaning any new rules are unlikely to be implemented before 2010.

Leverkusen, Germany - Bayer Leverkusen have renewed the contract of veteran midfielder Bernd Schneider by one year until 2010, the Bundesliga club said on Monday.

London  - Michael Schumacher believes Lewis Hamilton could one day beat his record of seven Formula One world titles.

"I would say, absolutely, yes," the former Ferrari driver told the BBC in an interview to be broadcast later Monday.

"Nobody thought, even me, that I could beat (Juan Manuel) Fangio. Then I did. Records are there to be beaten."

Vienna - Austrian skier Matthias Lanzinger will sue the ruling body FIS for compensation over a crash at a World Cup race in Norway in which he lost his lower leg.

The Austrian Press Agency APA reported on Monday that Lanzinger's lawyer, Manfred Ainedter, has sent an according letter to FIS president Gian-Franco Kasper.

The compensation claim comes in the wake of a report from a Munich doctor who said that Lanzinger's left leg had to be amputated below the knee due to a delay in medical treatment.

Lanzinger, 27, crashed during a super-G in Lillehammer in March. He was first taken to hospital in nearby Lillehammer and then on to a special clinic in Oslo.