London, Nov 6 : Simon Cowell has confessed that he and girlfriend of six years, Terri Seymour, broke off because he didn’t want marriage or children.

The American Idol judge has revealed that the reason behind the split was his hesitance to say ‘I Do’, and there was no one else involved.

"She wants a different path in life, and I totally respect her for it,” the Mirror quoted Cowell as saying.

He added: "We will be best mates, but I think in relationships, you have to be totally honest.

"When you hook up and date, you''re both honest about what you want. I have never ever said that I want children or marriage.

Tel Aviv - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni warned US president-elect Barack Obama Thursday against holding a dialogue with Iran, saying Tehran could interpret such overtures as "weakness."

But she added she was not concerned that a US administration under Obama would greatly chance its attitude toward Israel.

Beijing - China on Thursday released a well-known dissident after he served more than nine years of a 13-year prison sentence, a Hong Kong-based rights group said.

Veteran activist Liu Xianbin was released from the Chandong prison in the south-western province of Sichuan, the Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said.

Liu, 40, had returned to his family in Sichuan's Suining city following his early release for good behaviour, the group said.

Phoenix, Nov 6: Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today said that she can’t even imagine running for President in 2012, but added that she has not closed the door on that possibility.

CNN quoted Palin as saying that “2012 sounds so far off that I can’t even imagine what I’d be doing then.”

Beijing - Shares on China's main stock market fell by 2.44 per cent Thursday after an overnight plunge on Wall Street.

The key Shanghai Composite Index, which tracks shares traded in foreign and local currencies, closed at 1,717.72, down 42.89 points, or 2.44 per cent.

The smaller Shenzhen Composite Index lost 1.67 per cent, or 7.85 points, to end the day on 463.01.

Both markets had risen by just more than 3 per cent Wednesday.

Baghdad, Nov 6: Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has said that US President-elect Barack Obama won’t stick to his stance of withdrawing US troops within 16 months of taking over the White House, as promised during the election campaign.

“There won''t be quick disengagement here. A great deal is at stake,” the Daily Times quoted Zebari as telling a foreign news agency.

He said that Baghdad would respect the will of the American voters and that it was looking for a successful partnership with Obama.