Berlin  - Iranian Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi was awarded one of Germany's top prizes Tuesday for her human rights advocacy work, and vowed that she would continue her efforts despite threats posed by Tehran authorities.

Together with Paris-based organization Reporters without Borders, Ebadi was awarded the Roland Berger Human Dignity Award by German President Horst Koehler. The prize was established in Germany last year to promote peaceful cooperation in the world.

Washington  - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinjed's remarks against Israel at a UN racism conference were "appalling and objectionable," and damaging to the prospects of better relations with the United States, President Barack Obama said Tuesday.

During a meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah, Obama responded to Ahmadinejad's comments a day after the Iranian president called Israel a "racist regime" created "under the pretext of Jewish suffering."

Cairo  - The Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned Iran's chief diplomat in Cairo to deliver a formal protest at an Iranian officials' mockery of Egyptian claims to have uncovered a Hezbollah cell in the country.

Zarqani Mohammed, Egypt's assistant foreign minister for Asian affairs, summoned the head of the Iranian interests section in Cairo to deliver a letter conveying Egypt's "strong and total rejection" of Iranian "intervention in Egypt's internal affairs," the Foreign Ministry said in statement released Tuesday.

Tehran - Iran's newly-appointed coach Mohammad Mayelikohan resigned Tuesday after only two weeks in a fresh blow to the national team as it struggles to qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals.

ISNA news agency reported that Mayelikohan sent a resignation letter to the Iranian Football Federation (FFI) after quarrelling with a Tehran club coach.

The FFI appointed Mayelikohan two weeks ago as successor to Ali Daei who was dismissed following a 2-1 home defeat against Saudi Arabia in a World Cup qualifier on March 28.

Tehran  - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday deplored what he called "intolerance by the West" at the United Nations Durban Review Conference on racism in Geneva.

The conference opened on Monday and quickly descended into controversy as Ahmadinejad launched an impassioned attack on Israel, prompting a European walk-out in retaliation.