LONDON, April 2, 2008 (AFP) - Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, who has come under growing pressure over alleged financial irregularities, announced Wednesday that he will stand down on May 6.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2, 2008 (AFP) - A top Malaysia-based Dutch food company on Wednesday condemned an anti-Islamic film as locals began to boycott products from the Netherlands.

The 17-minute film 'Fitna' by far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders was released on the Internet last Thursday, triggering widespread condemnation.

ISLAMABAD, April 2, 2008 (AFP) - Disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan said he hoped to be freed by the new government and blasted his 'illogical' detention, according to a newspaper interview published Wednesday.

VALLETTA, April 1, 2008 (AFP) - Maltese bird hunters and conservationists are headed for a showdown in the Mediterranean island state over the plight of migrating birds such as quail and turtle doves that pass through every spring.

YANGON, April 2, 2008 (AFP) - Myanmar's military government plans to bring a new constitution to a referendum next month, ahead of multiparty elections slated for 2010.

The document has not been released to the public, but leaked copies show that the charter would give the military a dominant role in politics while barring democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from elections.

BANGKOK, April 2, 2008 (AFP) - Leaked copies of Myanmar's new constitution, in hefty green paperbacks secretly circulating in Yangon, show the military will receive sweeping powers that ensure its dominance even after elections.

SEOUL, April 2, 2008 (AFP) - South Korea's conservative party is poised to win a big majority in next week's parliamentary election, helping new President Lee Myung-Bak enact sweeping economic changes, opinion polls showed Wednesday.

ABYEI, Sudan, April 2, 2008 (AFP) - Troop numbers are building and the threat of war looms over Abyei, a dusty, oil-rich crossroads where Sudan's north and south are being sucked into a political battle that could unhinge a 2005 peace.

MOSCOW, April 2, 2008 (AFP) - In Russia, nationalism now comes pret-a-porter.

After three years working on pro-Kremlin rallies, Antonia Shapovalova, 20, is now putting patriotic slogans on a catwalk collection.

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2008 (AFP) - There was a sprinkling of Hollywood glitter in official Washington on Tuesday, as Robert Redford went to Capitol Hill seeking more US government funding for the arts.