Prague  - Czech counter-intelligence said Thursday that Russian spies have worked to boost opposition to a planned US missile defence radar base in the former Communist country.

The Czech Republic's Security Information Service (BIS) said in its 2007 annual report that Russian spies "tried to contact, infiltrate and influence" civic groups, media and politicians in order to spur "the public's opposition to the radar."

Brussels - European Union officials on Thursday congratulated the new government in Japan, saying that they looked forward to working with Tokyo on major issues such as global warming.

"I am looking forward to working with you in order to deepen and strengthen EU-Japan relations and to continue our excellent cooperation in the G8 and multilateral fora," the head of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, wrote to Prime Minister Taro Aso.

"I consider Japan to be an important strategic partner for the EU with whom we share many basic values and interests," he wrote.

The EU's foreign-affairs commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, sent a congratulatory note to Japan's new foreign minister, Hirofumi Nakasone.

New York, Sept 25: The meeting between Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin in New York today added a glamour quotient to US trip.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly session in New York.

The no show of Republican presidential nominee John McCain didn’t seem to matter as the glamorous new poster girl of the Grand Old Party met Manmohan Singh for half an hour.

No details of the meeting were released.

New York - South American leaders gathering at the United Nations this week have been touting their own new political union, which was hailed as a coming of age for the continent.

The regional leaders gathered for a closed-door meeting Wednesday of the Union of South American Nations, a collection of 12 countries.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who hosted the body's first emergency meeting last week, hailed the union as a signal that South America could finally manage its own problems.

Last week's Santiago summit, which dealt with a political crisis in Bolivia, "tells us that the values of democracy, dialogue, human rights and peace are becoming stronger than ever in Latin America," Bachelet said.

New York - As world leaders gathered for an annual series of speeches, meetings and action this week at the United Nations, there was a new conflict that pierced the organization's usually stuffy diplomatic air.

There were no official UN meetings this week dealing with last month's war between Russia and Georgia. But the conflict was a regular topic of leaders from around the world who took turns this week addressing the UN General Assembly in New York.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili called on the UN to condemn Russia's "brutal invasion" and help implement a ceasefire. His tough words were backed up by the heads of other states from the region.