Warsaw - European leaders met Wednesday in Poland for a European People's Party congress amid a push from Warsaw for the top seat in the European Parliament.

Poland's former Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek is eyeing the presidency of the European Parliament and competes against Italian candidate Mario Mauro.

Buzek's candidacy comes as Poland celebrates five years of membership in the European Union.

While most Poles say EU membership has paid off, critics point to the lack of Poles in the EU's top seats.

Madrid - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was Wednesday awarded a Spanish prize for his fight against terrorism amid protests by his critics.

Uribe described his security policy against guerrilla movements as "the road to peace and freedom" on receiving the award, granted by the city of Cadiz, in presence of Crown Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia at the Colombian embassy in Madrid.

Brussels - NATO and Russian diplomats were keen to find a way to revive an arms-control treaty which Russia suspended in 2007 at their first formal meeting since August's Russian-Georgian war, the alliance's spokesman said Wednesday.

Beijing - One of China's main border crossings to North Korea reopened on Wednesday, more than three years after the government suspended tours because of heavy gambling by Chinese visitors.

State media said the government allowed Chinese day-trippers to cross the Yalu River again into North Korea from the north-eastern city of Dandong, which was one of the main departure points for gamblers until the ban.

Beijing  - Japanese Prime Minister  arrived in China Wednesday for two days of talks that were expected to focus on issues including the global financial crisis and North Korea.

Aso was scheduled to meet Chinese leaders including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said before the visit.

Prague - The Czech Republic's presidency of the European Union said Thursday it has cancelled Friday's EU accession meeting with Croatia over the Balkan country's unresolved border row with neighbouring EU member Slovenia.

The Brussels-based conference, postponed for the second time this year, would take place "subject to positive development" in the bilateral dispute, which has stalled Croatia's EU entry talks with the 27-member bloc.