Moscow - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sought to ease fears Tuesday over the possibility of Russia joining an Opec-style cartel of gas exporting countries, he said in talks with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Nazif.

"We support this idea. But we know about apprehensions and even fears voiced by certain energy consumers," Putin was quoted by news agency Interfax as saying. "I wish to state once and for all: there are no grounds for such fears."

Helsinki - In the wake of two school shootings, a petition calling for a Finnish ban against handguns was handed over Tuesday to Interior Minister Anne Holmlund.

Some 57,000 people signed the online petition, Finnish news agency STT reported.

Finnish authorities have introduced stricter rules for gun permits including the rule that two police officers were to interview prospective applicants jointly.

A first-time applicant was also not to be allowed to get a license for a handgun without having been a member of a shooting club for at least a year.

London/Paris - Commemorations to mark the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I were held in Britain and France Tuesday, made particularly poignant by the participation of the last survivors in Britain from the conflict branded "the war to end all wars."

In London, Prime Minister Gordon Brown attended a solemn ceremony and two-minute silence at the Cenotaph memorial which were led by the three remaining World War I veterans in Britain whose lives have spanned the entire 20th century.

Lagos - German President Horst Koehler, nearing the end of a six-day visit to Nigeria, on Tuesday praised the African country for its strong forward-looking orientation.

In the southern city of Lagos, Koehler said that his visit had helped him to the realization that the country had a great deal of strength in moving forwards.

The German president said that, after the end of its military dictatorship, Nigeria was now in the third phase of democratisation. More than some other countries, Nigeria had understood that the future in a globalised world must be shaped in "genuine partnership."

Shanghai - Juan Del Potro didn't allow his mind to stray to the upcoming Davis Cup final as he handed Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5) Gold group defeat at the Masters Cup on Tuesday.

The clash between the pair of 2008 breakthrough rookies at the season-ending championships gave the Argentine a 1-1 record and saddled Australian Open finalist Tsonga from France with two defeats from as many matches.

"I'm in the Masters Cup, I want to be alive until the finals, if I can," Del Potro said.

Baghdad  - In a continuation of the string of bombings that have rocked Iraq since the beginning of the week, three people were killed and more than 40 civilians were wounded on Tuesday.

The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, was the scene of three bomb attacks, that left three dead and 23 injured.

A bomb went off near a vehicle that belonged to the Iraqi Electricity Ministry near the al-Khayyam building in al-Khillani square injuring six people, the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency reported.