Athens/Nicosia - Efforts to reunify the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus are expected to continue by leaders from both communities well into 2009, a UN envoy said Thursday.
Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders launched a new round of peace talks in September and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat had said he hoped a breakthrough could be found by the end of the year.
Peace talks were deadlocked after former president Tassos Papadopoulos led the Greek-Cypriot rejection of a UN reunification plan in a 2004 referendum. Turkish Cypriots had overwhelmingly voted in favour.
Berlin - Germany's parliament Thursday extended the mandate of German troops serving in global anti-terror operations, but reduced the number from 1,400 to 800.
Legislators voted 428-130 in favour of allowing troops to continue serving in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which was set up in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
Madrid - The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the militant Basque separatist group ETA held meetings in Colombia, exchanging information about combat tactics, the Spanish radio station Cadena Ser reported Thursday.
The two organizations met at least three times, Cadena Ser said, quoting documents seized from ETA by Spanish police.
Nairobi /Goma - Troops from Angola and Zimbabwe are supporting the Congolese army in its battle against rebel forces in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, reports said Wednesday. The news raised fears of the conflict widening.
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that they had seen what they believed to be Angolan and Zimbabwean soldiers dressed in the uniform of the Congolese army.
Warsaw - Polish President Lech Kaczynski is unable to meet French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy next month for talks on unblocking the European Union's reform treaty, an aide said Thursday.
Sarkozy, whose country holds the EU's six-month until December 31, has previously said he would meet Kaczynski on December 6 to discuss the Lisbon Treaty. But the Polish president's office said he will be visiting Asia.
Jammu, Nov 13 : Reviewing the ongoing election process in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami on Thursday said that the model code of conduct will be implemented in letter and spirit.
While replying to a query about the poll boycott call given by the separatists, Swami said, “We are not bothered about the poll boycott call and it is not new, it happens everywhere.”
Athens/Nicosia - Efforts to reunify the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus are expected to continue by leaders from both communities well into 2009, a UN envoy said Thursday.
Berlin - Germany's parliament Thursday extended the mandate of German troops serving in global anti-terror operations, but reduced the number from 1,400 to 800.
Madrid - The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the militant Basque separatist group ETA held meetings in Colombia, exchanging information about combat tactics, the Spanish radio station Cadena Ser reported Thursday.
Nairobi /Goma - Troops from Angola and Zimbabwe are supporting the Congolese army in its battle against rebel forces in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, reports said Wednesday. The news raised fears of the conflict widening.
Warsaw - Polish President Lech Kaczynski is unable to meet French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy next month for talks on unblocking the European Union's reform treaty, an aide said Thursday.
