Britain
BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- The Irish Republican Army said it intends to open negotiations with Northern Ireland's disarmament commission, a significant gesture in support of the Good Friday peace accord.
Finland
HELSINKI -- The European Union condemned recent presidential elections in Tajikistan as undemocratic and urged the former Soviet republic to ensure that a forthcoming parliamentary vote was fair.
Gabon
LIBREVILLE -- African scientists are holding a four-day meeting in Gabon to discuss how to spread the benefits of scientific and technological progress, conference officials said.
Kazakhstan
ALMA ATA -- Kazakhstan's intelligence service said it had completed an investigation into the illegal sale of MiG-21 fighters to North Korea, adding that senior officials were suspected of involvement in the deal.
Ukraine
KIEV -- Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, who won five more years in office with his defeat of a Communist Party candidate in a run-off on Sunday, will be sworn in on Nov. 30, his press service said.
Czech Republic
PRAGUE -- Prague's 650-year-old Charles University presented an honorary doctorate of philosophy to former U.S. President George Bush, citing his part in promoting democracy and ending the Cold War.
Sri Lanka
COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels seemed to change their mind about attacking a northern town, asking tens of thousands of people who had fled to return.
China
HONG KONG -- China authorities have charged 11 followers of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement with an array of offenses including revealing state secrets, a Hong Kong-based rights group said.
United Nations
The United Nations has taken its first step to implement a peace accord in Congo, but the rebels and the mediator of the pact say it may be too little and too late to stave off a return to war.
North Korea
BERLIN, Germany -- Talks between North Korea and the United States aimed at improving relations went into their third day as the U.S. delegation arrived at the North Korean mission in Berlin.
Philippines
MANILA -- Philippine President Joseph Estrada said that people apparently linked to the previous administration of Fidel Ramos were seeking to bring down his government.
New Zealand
WELLINGTON -- Hundreds of people were evacuated and a state of emergency declared in tourist areas in parts of New Zealand's South Island after three days of torrential rain.
Botswana
GABORONE -- Botswana President Festus Mogae said the AIDS epidemic in his impoverished southern African nation had grown into an unprecedented crisis and was eating away at the country's economic gains.
Ecuador
QUITO -- Two volcanoes that have been menacing Ecuador for months could erupt violently if they continue accumulating energy that is not released through steam and ash, the nation's Geophysical Institute warned.
Mexico
MEXICO CITY -- Several independent pollsters have challenged official results of the governing party's Nov. 7 presidential primary that showed a huge turnout of voters.
Colombia
BOGOTA -- The Colombian army announced Tuesday that it had dismissed and arrested two soldiers accused of assassinating a leftist senator.