Washington  - President George W Bush in a final press conference before leaving office said he felt honoured to witness the "historic moment in racial relations" with the swearing in of the United

Brussels  - European Union experts gathered in Brussels on Friday to review what measures are needed to deal with what they have described as an "unprecedented" gas crisis sparked by a Russian- Ukranian row.

The bloc's gas coordination group confirmed that the EU country most affected by the cut-off of Russian gas arriving via Ukraine is Bulgaria, which now has gas reserves sufficient for only two to three days.

Washington  - The lower body of the Illinois state legislature voted overwhelmingly Friday to impeach Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was arrested last month for trying to sell president-elect Barack Obama's vacant US Senate seat.

The House of Representatives voted 114-1 to send the case to a trial in the state Senate, where, if convicted, Blagojevich will be stripped of his power and removed from office. A special committee in the House voted unanimously to impeach Blagojevich on Thursday.

Washington  - The United States signed an agreement with Georgia on Friday designed to strengthen cooperation and further integrate the former Soviet republic with the West.

The pact outlines ways to deepen cooperation on defence, trade, energy and solidify democratic institutions, but also reaffirms the US commitment to bring Georgia into the NATO alliance.

Russia opposes stronger ties between Georgia and the West and has objected to plans to eventually bring the Caucasus state, along with Ukraine, into NATO.

London  - Britain's opposition Conservative Party Friday expelled a young activist who had caused controversy by dressing up as missing toddler Madeleine McCann at a New Year's Eve fancy dress party.

The expulsion was confirmed after Matthew Lewis apologized to the parents of Madeleine.

"I completely regret my behaviour that night and since, and cannot express how sorry I am for the incredible hurt I have caused," Lewis said.

Beirut - The Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers on Friday discovered an old cache of rockets near the border with Israel, Lebanese security sources said.

The incident came a day after at least three Katyuhsa rockets were fired into northern Israel.

The cache consisted of 34 rockets and some boxes of ammunition placed in two old bunkers and covered by camouflage nets.

According to the sources, the cache seemed to date from 2006, when Hezbollah and Israel fought 33 days of fierce battles in southern Lebanon.