Geneva - World Health Organization officials reiterated Tuesday that travel restrictions would not help stem the spread of the swine influenza virus, which was possibly spreading in the form of human-to-human transmission. "Border controls don't work, screenings don't work," said spokesman Gregory Hartl, speaking to reporters in Geneva. "Travel restrictions do not help."

The incubation period of the virus, which could be for up to six days, as well as the widespread nature, would make spot checks at airports, for example, ineffective.

Geneva/Brussels - Health experts appealed for calm Tuesday as the number of confirmed human infections from swine flu in Europe rose to four and governments sent out contradictory signals on how to deal with the spread of the virus. "Nobody should underestimate the situation, but there is no reason to panic either," Androulla Vassiliou, the European Union's health commissioner, said in Brussels.

As of Tuesday afternoon, four cases of swine flu had been confirmed in Europe - two in Britain and two in Spain.

Luxembourg - European Union member states must enforce rulings by courts in the Greek half of Cyprus even if they cover property in the Turkish-controlled north of the island, the EU's highest court ruled on Tuesday. "A judgment of a court in the Republic of Cyprus must be recognized and enforced by the other (EU) member states even if it concerns land situated in the north of the island," the European Court of Justice said in a statement.

Pristina - Policemen with the EU Kosovo mission EULEX in the city of Mitrovica deployed tear gas to prevent a potential violent confrontation between ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians on Saturday. According to local media, police were acting to prevent rioting in the majority Serb city against ethnic Albanians who had returned to repair their homes destroyed in the 1998-99 civil war.

The ethnic Serbs had demanded a ban on ethnic Albanians rebuilding their homes.

EULEX police were supported by units from the NATO-led peacekeeping force KFOR.

Chisinau/Moscow - Moldova's opposition used its parliamentary strength Saturday to boycott an attempt by the ruling communists to elect their candidate president, Interfax news agency reported. The blocking tactic came after two weeks of bloody rioting in the capital of the former Soviet republic, after the communists won an April 5 parliamentary election in disputed circumstances.

"The opposition has a golden voice which is worth more than the 60 votes of the communists," an opposition spokesman said.

Washington  - Europe must do better in cleaning up its banking sector, should the continent have any hopes of recovering from a devastating recession, the International Monetary Fund said Friday.

The World Bank meanwhile said some 35 million people in Eastern Europe and Central Asia could be thrown back into poverty by the crisis, and called on on Western Europe to keep trade links alive with its struggling eastern economies.