Tirana, Albania  - The United States "will remain the leader" in resolving the world's crises and promoting democracy when president-elect Barack Obama takes power in January, Albanian President Bamir Topi said Wednesday.

Topi congratulated Obama on his victory in Tuesday's election, calling it a "lesson in democracy" and "a historic day for America."

Vienna - The price for crude oil produced by the Organization of

Jerusalem, Ramallah  - Israeli and Palestinian leaders welcomed Wednesday the victory of Barack Obama in the US presidential election, with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni calling it a "badge of honour" and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urging him to get involved in the peace process "immediately."

"President Abbas looks forward to working with the new US administration to speed up the work and push the peace process forward," his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh told the official Palestinian Wafa news agency from Budapest, where Abbas is visiting.

Sydney - The world's first climate change refugees will be relocated from their Pacific island home on the Solomon Islands to neighbouring Papua New Guinea next year, news reports said Wednesday.

Wasila (Alaska), Nov. 5 : Alaska Governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin cast her vote at the Wasilla City Hall here on Tuesday, but if the comments of political observers are anything to go by, her history-making candidacy, ended up hindering John McCain''s White House dreams.

"She was a drag on the ticket, particularly with undecideds," the New York Daily News quoted Steven Cohen, professor of public administration at Columbia University, as saying.

Washington, Nov 5 : People who are prone to hip fracture can reduce its rate by 37.2 percent by adopting healthy bone programs, says a study conducted by Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

In fact, the hip fracture reduction rate can further go till 50 percent among those at risk.

The five-year study is the first of its kind to assess more than 625,000 male and female patients over the age of 50 in Southern California who had specific risk factors for osteoporosis and/or hip fractures.