Gdansk, Poland - Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama called for a "century of dialogue" and disarmament, while praising Poland's spirit in face of hardship during celebrations in Gdansk that marked the 25th anniversary of Lech Walesa receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

The spiritual leader called for dialogue and stressed interdependence and cooperation. He said while Poland's interest depended on Europe, it was also a case that "Europe's interest depends on the rest of the world."

Gdansk - The former leader of Poland's Solidarity trade union Lech Walesa on Saturday presented the first Lech Walesa Prize to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah for his contribution towards inter- faith dialogue and charity work.

King Abdullah's prize - accepted by his son in his name - was awarded during a celebration in Gdansk that marked the 25th anniversary of Walesa receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

It recognized King Abdullah for "promotion of values which were the foundation of the Solidarity movement," a conference presenter said.

Warsaw - A hotel in Cyprus is demanding more than 10,000 euros (12,595 dollars) for damages caused by two conservative Polish MPs who allegedly rode drunk on golf carts during their stay at the property last month, local media reported on Thursday.

Karol Karski and Lukasz Zbonikowski - of the centre-right Law and Justice party - caused 10,140 euros in damages when they "got drunk" and "drove two cars in an unlawful way," the hotel's lawyers wrote in a letter to the Polish parliament and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Karski denied the charges and said someone wants to "trick" him out of money.

Poznan, Poland - The European Union reacted coolly Wednesday to calls by poor and island nations to take bolder action against global warming, saying such an effort may be "very costly."

The conflict is one of many playing out at this year's main UN climate conference, where some 190 countries are trying to pave the way for a global deal next year to curb emissions of so-called greenhouse gases.

Poznan, Poland - UN climate change talks focussed Tuesday on how rich countries can help poorer nations curb emissions of global-warming gases, with governments struggling to craft a "shared vision" for a wider deal due within a year.

Providing so-called clean technology to emerging nations like China and India - and how to pay for it - is a key sticking point at this year's UN conference that began Monday.

At issue are emissions of gases, mainly carbon dioxide created when fossil fuels burn, that scientists say are changing Earth's climate. China, but also many countries in eastern Europe, rely heavily on cheap coal for their energy needs.