Dusseldorf - A Lebanese man convicted of trying to blow up two German trains in 2006 reacted with an obscene hand gesture after receiving a life sentence from the High Court in Dusseldorf on Tuesday.

Youssef al-Hajj Dib displayed two middle finger to photographers after the verdict was announced. He was led from the tightly guarded courtroom to begin serving his sentence for multiple attempted murders.

The 24-year-old self-declared "holy warrior" "planned a terrible bloodbath" and was the Islamist mastermind and perpetrator of "an utterly terrorist act," the court said.

Oslo - Martti Ahtisaari, Finland's former president and winner of the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize, said Tuesday he was receiving numerous calls to mediate in various conflicts but had "no concrete project."

Before stepping in as a mediator, one must make a "feasibility study," he told reporters in Oslo the day before he was to accept the prestigious award.

Athtisaari, 71, hinted that he had been approached about Sri Lanka.

New Delhi, Dec.

New Delhi, Dec. 9 : Union Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar, called upon farmers to exploit the vast potential for export of potatoes by adopting available technology and maintaining high quality.

He was addressing the farmers after inaugurating the Global Potato Conference here today.

Over 400 scientists, trade and industry representatives and policy makers from all continents are attending the Conference, said a press releasse.

A large number of farmers are also attending the Conference.

Vilnius - Lithuania's President Valdas Adamkus played host to his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yushchenko in Vilnius Tuesday, where the two leaders discussed bilateral economic and political relations, regional issues and Euro-Atlantic cooperation.

Yushchenko said Ukrainian companies wanted to participate in the planned construction of a new nuclear power plant at Ignalina in Lithuania.

At present the governments of Estonia, Latvia and Poland are involved in the project, which has yet to commence construction, but Yushchenko said two Ukrainian companies had already applied to Lithuania to take part.

Vatican City - The Vatican announced Tuesday the retirement of Nigerian-born Cardinal Francis Arinze, who was touted by many as a strong candidate for the papacy ahead of the 2005 conclave that eventually elected Benedict XVI.

Benedict has accepted the "for age limits" resignation of Arinze as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Holy See said in a statement.