WORLD

President Barack Obama, weighing in on the Senate's efforts to pass a climate change bill, gathered Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday to try to jumpstart an overhaul of U.S. energy policy.

The United Nations Ethics Committee has upheld complaints by a former employee of the U.N. Development Programme who said he suffered retaliation from the UNDP for alleging that its Somalia programme was corrupt.

President Barack Obama, making a final push for healthcare reform, will back bipartisan plans to stamp out waste in government-run medical programs for the old and needy, the White House said on Tuesday.

Iceland's opposition turned up the heat on the center-left government on Wednesday to hold out for a tough new Icesave debt accord with Britain and the Netherlands, after a referendum rejection of its previous deal.

Palestinians told U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday that Israel's new plan to build 1,600 homes for Jewish settlers challenged Washington's efforts to get indirect peace talks underway.

The leader of the House of Representatives -- a persuasive arm-twister and deal maker -- faces her toughest challenge yet in the coming weeks: getting 216 votes to pass final legislation revamping the U.S. healthcare system.

The $120 billion that New York state owes in debt, health and pension benefits for public workers puts it in the danger zone, and getting down to the safety zone requires a $20 billion cut, a study said Tuesday.

New York Governor David Paterson on Tuesday said the multi-year deficit-closing plan his lieutenant governor is devising might seek to give governors extra authority to cut over-spending.

The United States on Tuesday criticized Israeli plans to build new housing beyond a disputed line in Jerusalem as it prepares to broker indirect talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders meant to lead to a two-state solution in the region.

Two NATO soldiers were killed Tuesday when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a military base in Afghanistan, the alliance and local government sources said.

The United States would not have any standing to bring a case against Chinese Internet restrictions to the World Trade Organisation, a Chinese adviser on WTO strategy said in an opinion piece on Tuesday.

Preliminary results from Iraq's parliamentary election will be released on Wednesday, an electoral commission official said on Tuesday.

Turnout in Iraq's parliamentary election was 62 percent, higher than in last year's provincial ballot, despite attempts by Sunni Islamist insurgents to disrupt the vote with attacks that killed 39, officials said on Monday.

Japan's government on Tuesday vowed to stick to its ban on nuclear arms after a probe showed its predecessors may have turned a blind eye to breaches, but said ties with security ally Washington would not be affected.

U.S.-based Human Rights Watch on Tuesday urged Nigeria to prosecute those behind what it called a massacre of at least 200 Christian villagers and end a cycle of impunity which has allowed instability to persist.

Iran said on Tuesday it hoped China would not give in to pressure to agree to new sanctions that the United States and its allies hope to win U.N. approval for over its nuclear program.

No political party has enough support to win outright control of parliament in the forthcoming election, raising the prospect of a period of unstable minority government, opinion polls showed on Tuesday.

European Union finance ministers will agree next week to phase out aid measures for banks, industries and the labour market that were introduced to fight the economic crisis, a draft statement showed on Tuesday.

Vice President Joe Biden assured Israel on Tuesday of Washington's commitment to its security and preventing Iran from producing nuclear weapons.

Iran's parliament approved President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 2010/11 budget on Monday, state radio reported, but some lawmakers attacked the plan, saying planned cuts in subsidies could spark runaway inflation.

An Italian court refused on Monday to reinstate a candidate list for the Rome province presented by the ruling coalition for regional polls, in an unexpected blow to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's election hopes.

Turnout in Iraq's parliamentary election was 62 percent, higher than in last year's provincial ballot, despite attempts by Sunni Islamist insurgents to disrupt the vote with attacks that killed 39, officials said on Monday.

President Barack Obama on Monday criticized U.S. health insurance companies for raising premiums and denying coverage to the sick, as he sought to rally Democratic support for his healthcare bill.

The Obama administration has boosted U.S. defense ties to Israel and will close ranks with its ally against any threat from a nuclear-armed Iran, Vice President Joe Biden said on Monday ahead of a trip to Israel.

International development banks must finance civilian nuclear projects to help emerging nations build energy plants, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday, laying out ambitious plans to develop the industry.

The European Union's top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, has had a tough time since taking on the job four months ago, but will try to turn things around this week as she sets out her foreign policy goals.

A suicide car bomb attack on a police intelligence unit in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore killed at least 12 people and wounded about 65 during Monday's morning rush hour, officials said.

A strong earthquake killed 57 villagers in a remote part of eastern Turkey before dawn on Monday, officials said, and aftershocks continued for hours after while rescuers searched for trapped survivors.

More than 55 percent of Iraqis voted in parliamentary election despite attempts by Sunni Islamist insurgents to disrupt the landmark vote with attacks that killed 38 people, officials said on Monday.