Bodh Gaya, Nov. 3 : A group of Buddhist monks in Bodh Gaya conducted prayers for the world peace in a special annual ceremony, which was attended by about
100 visiting Buddhist devotees from Thailand on Sunday.

Monks chanted Mantras to seek peace across the world at the ceremony called ‘Kathin Cheeva Daan’.

The occasion also drew attraction of the devotees when monks created a tall Lord Buddha statue in just 12 hours time from dawn to dusk.

Jerusalem - The hardline opposition Likud party submitted a bill to parliament Monday, which if passed would make it illegal for any Israeli transitional government to conduct peace talks and give up territory.

The bill is another effort by the party to block attempts by Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to negotiate a peace treaty with the Palestinians and Syria during his final months in office at the head of a transitional government.

Likud legislator Limor Livnat also petitioned to Israel's Supreme Court of Justice, demanding that the court order Olmert to end his negotiations with Syria and the Palestinians immediately, Israel Radio reported.

Minsk - Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko called for a "multipolar world" not dominated by any superpower, upon Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi's arrival in the former Soviet republic.

Gaddafi was in the Belarusian capital Minsk on the first of a two-day official visit.

Lukashenko, isolated internationally because of his authoritarian regime, in a welcome statement to Gaddafi argued smaller countries must band together, to block hegemony by a major country.

Madrid - Fans of Spanish football giants Barcelona are confident that their team can stay top of La Liga for the rest of the season, according to an online poll organized by Catalan daily Sport.

Sport asked its readers, most of whom are Barca fans, the question "Will Barca maintain the lead until the end of the season.'"

By Monday afternoon, 71 per cent of readers had voted "yes", with only 29 per cent voting "no".

New Delhi, Nov 3 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed FIRs in connection with Rs 35,000 crore food grain scam in Uttar Pradesh which took place between March 2004 and October 2005.

UP Chief Minister Mayawati had recommended for the CBI probe into the food grain scam on December 1, 2007.

The CBI has filed nine FIRs related to the scam - eight in Ballia and one in Lakhimpur Kheri where the scam amount was more than Rs one crore. Over 35 government officials were found to be involved in it as per the preliminary CBI probe.

Doha - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrived in Abu Dhabi Monday as he completes a four-day Gulf tour which already took him to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Brown has already received assurances from Saudi Arabia and Qatar that they will contribute to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) account to stabilize national economies rocked by the global financial crisis.