Washington - Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff were arrested Tuesday on charges of trying to sell US president-elect Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat.

Court-appointed wiretaps last month intercepted Blagojevich conspiring to sell the Senate seat that Obama resigned on November 16, according to US Attorney Patrick J Fitzgerald. In return, as recorded in various conversations, he sought a cabinet post, an ambassadorship or a seat on a corporate board for his wife.

Tbilisi/Moscow  - Four months after the war in Georgia, Georgia's Prime Minister Grigol Mgaloblishvili continued to award key portfolios in his cabinet Tuesday.

Georgia's former ambassador to the US, David Sicharulidse, was going to head the country's Defence Ministry, while Lasha Shvania, another diplomat, would be economics minister, the prime minister was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

The appointments followed the dismissals of Eka Tkeshelashvili as foreign minister and David Keserashvili as defence minister.

Prague  - The Czech parliament's lower house Tuesday adjourned a session on the European Union's reform treaty until February 3 in a bid to postpone the vote on the pact.

The 200-seat house adjourned the session in a 159-8 vote, requested by the party of Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek.

Topolanek's centre-right Civic Democrats want to barter their support for the Lisbon Treaty in exchange for opposition votes for a US plan to place a missile defence installation on Czech soil.

Washington - US President George W Bush called for an end to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's regime on Tuesday and pledged US support to help rebuild the country once he's gone.

"We urge others from the region to step up and join the growing chorus of voices calling for an end to Mugabe's tyranny," Bush said, adding it's "time for Robert Mugabe to go."

Beirut  - Thirty cheerful clowns from Germany, Italy, Morocco and Lebanon cheered the Lebanese public Tuesday by dancing in the rain in the capital Beirut.

Wearing rainbow-colored wigs and red plastic noses, the clowns put on a show in the main shopping district of Hamra street, bringing cheer to Lebanese children on the second day of the Muslim al-Adha holiday.

Some clowns walked on stilts as others danced, juggled, blew up balloons and took pictures with the crowd that gathered to watch the show in the pouring rain.

"It is meant to introduce street performances and comic relief as a way to deal with tense situations and conflict," said Tonnie Selwood Choeiri, one of the organizers.

Berlin  - A banking unit of Volkswagen AG that helps buyers to finance cars said Tuesday it was seeking assistance from the German government's bail-out scheme for banks.

Financial Services AG and Volkswagen Bank have requested an undisclosed amount in credit guarantees from Sofin, a federal government agency with a 480-billion-euro
(618-billion-dollar) war chest.

The credit crunch has made it more difficult for banks to obtain funding on capital markets.

The government fund was set up in October to stabilize the banking industry by providing credit guarantees and capital injections.