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Iraqi foreign ministers says Obama victory will promote partnership

Barack ObamaLondon - Barack Obama's "astonishing victory" in the US presidential elections wil

The race is on for Obama White House invitations

Barack ObamaBerlin - The US presidential election might have been decided but the race is now on for early invitations to Barack Obama's White House.

With Germans enthusiastically joining in the global celebrations of the 47-year-old Illinois senator's sweeping victory, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier are both likely to hope they are top of the list for talks with the new US president.

Spain expected to reject bin Laden son's asylum request

Omar bin LadenMadrid - Spain is likely to reject an application for political asylum lodged by Omar bin Laden, one of the 19 children of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the daily El Pais reported Wednesday.

Omar bin Laden, 27, requested asylum at Madrid airport on Monday.

His plane made a stopover in Madrid while flying from Cairo to Casablanca in Morocco.

Bin Laden argued that he did not feel safe in Saudi Arabia, which he is a citizen of, or in Egypt, where he lives, or in any other Arab country.

Serbia could become EU candidate in 2009, Brussels says

Serbia halves budget for troubled 2009 Universiade Brussels  - Serbia could become a candidate for European Union membership in 2009 if it proves that it is doing its best to catch war-crimes suspects, the EU's executive said Wednesday.

Medvedev calls for rewriting of global financial system

RussiaMoscow  - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called for a radical reform to the global financial order Wednesday, saying the United States has become the affliction and could no longer provide for world markets.

Medvedev said he bring these demands before world leaders at a summit on the financial crisis in Washington on November 15 and seek support for a new international accord.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee congratulates Obama and Biden

Barack Obama Singapore  - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long Wednesday congratulated Barak Obama on being elected the 44th president of the United States.

Citing the challenges ahead, Lee made a case to president-elect Obama for the importance of South-East Asia to the United States.

"The US has many friends and many interests in this region, which is happily not a problem region for the US," said Lee.

"We can keep it that way. An ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) with strong ties to the US will help to keep the peace in the Asia-Pacific," he said.

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