Georgia`s parliament approved Saturday a decree imposing a `state of war` for 15 days, the secretary of Georgia`s national security council said, as hostilities with Russia raged on

RIGA, August 3, 2008 (AFP) - Latvia's President Valdis Zatlers Sunday announced he would submit legislation granting the people the power to force snap elections, after a referendum failed because of insufficient voter turnout.

RIGA, August 2, 2008 (AFP) - Latvians failed Saturday to win the constitutional right to oust the Baltic state's parliament, despite an overwhelming 'yes' vote in a referendum, after too few people turned out, initial results showed.

RIGA, August 2, 2008 (AFP) - Latvians were voting Saturday in a referendum that could give the Baltic state's electorate the constitutional right to dissolve parliament, a power supporters say is needed to clip the wings of arrogant politicians.

DAKAR, July 29, 2008 (AFP) - Senegal's national assembly has voted through a law that would change the constitution to extend the presidential mandate from five to seven years, the APS news agency reported Tuesday.

The change still has to be approved by the senate and congress and ratified by the president before it will enter into force.

ANKARA, July 23, 2008 (AFP) - A Turkish parliamentary commission Wednesday accused security forces of 'negligence' for failing to act on intelligence and prevent the murder last year of ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

The charge came in a non-binding report by a sub-committee of the parliament Human Rights Commission after a nine-month investigation into the 2007 murder.

NEW DELHI, July 21, 2008 (AFP) - India's parliament on Monday opened a special session to debate a coalition government confidence motion triggered by a pull-out of left-wing parties opposed to a nuclear deal with Washington.

Ahead of the debate, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed confidence his government will win what analysts have said will be a tight contest.

BAGHDAD, July 19, 2008 (AFP) - Iraq's main Sunni Arab bloc on Saturday ended an almost year-long boycott of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government, in a major boost for the country's reconciliation programme.

TEHRAN, July 19, 2008 (AFP) - The rights group headed by Iranian Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi on Saturday condemned a draft bill on Internet crime, warning that it could boost the number of executions in the Islamic republic.

BAGHDAD, July 19, 2008 (AFP) - The Iraqi parliament on Saturday voted for the return of six Sunni ministers to the cabinet of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, giving a fresh boost to the country's reconciliation programme.