Municipal authorities say the project of assistance to the disabled children has been implemented during the past five years and about 1400 children have already enjoyed their holidays at various resorts. The second trend of children this summer will go to the Kobuleti resort in two weeks.

"Donor response has so far been very positive -- for which we are extremely grateful," said Carl Paulsson, who heads up World Food Programme (WFP) in Kyrgyzstan, in a news release Tuesday. "But we are going to have to ask the donors to dig even deeper into their pockets to prevent people going hungry through the winter."

The WFP found that more than one quarter of Kyrgyz households -- 1.4 million people -- are at risk of hunger and malnutrition. And that was in July, when food availability was at its highest.

The agency warned that another 340,000 people could be at risk in the coming months. Adding to the problem is the recently announced ban on grain exports by Russia, which has spiked flour prices, the WFP said.

"The food security status of all residents in the affected areas is also expected to worsen, as access to jobs, fields and markets remains problematic," the WFP news release said.

Deadly clashes between ethnic Krgyz and minority Uzbeks erupted in the southern part of the country in June, claiming 356 lives and leaving thousands of people displaced from their homes.

The U.N. refugee agency estimated in July that 75,000 people remained displaced. When the violence first broke out, about 400,000 people fled their homes mostly in the cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad. Some streamed into neighboring Uzbekistan.

Human rights groups have accused Kyrgyz law enforcement authorities of failing to respond adequately to the violence. A report issued by Human Rights Watch found that authorities allowed clashes to continue and failed to ensure security for the Uzbeks.

Starting next month, WFP plans to hand out monthly rations to almost 300,000 people. Those will last until the end of the year. WFP is also planning direct cash transfers in September to help with the purchase of food.

The key issues the guest will discuss at the meetings will be the support to the Georgia`s economic policy.
International Finance Corporation is the organization, which after 2008 August war with Russia provided crucial support to Georgian banks and contributed to the sustainability of fiscal sector in the country.

"Nineteen years ago, we accepted the challenge of fate with great hope and faith, and we chose the path of creating and developing our own independent state. Now that we are entering the 20th year of independence, the government is doing all it can to make Ukraine an economically independent state, because real independence is based precisely on this foundation," Yanukovych said.

"The program of reforms I am proposing is a program to build an economically independent state. This is a program to create such a framework of independence under which the words 'the independent Ukrainian state' would be not just fine words, but the lifestyle of the Ukrainian people," he said.

"I am working on the implementation of judicial reform to make sure that people can count on honest and fair courts and that the law and human rights are the cornerstone of Ukrainian justice, rather than politics and money," the president said.

In his address to the nation on the occasion of Independence Day, the Ukrainian president said: "I am supporting and will always support the development of strong and free media, because they are the foundation of democracy. I will not allow the country to depart from the democratic path of reform in order to please the egoistic interests of some irresponsible politicians. I know that enormous efforts will have to be made and huge resources used to attain real economic independence."

Viktor Yanukovych said that the path chosen by Ukraine is very difficult: "But there is no other path to real freedom and real independence. There is no other path to an independent Ukraine in which I would like our children to live."

The head of state said that he would make every effort "to build a truly independent and prospering Ukraine, where people can live with dignity."

Delivering a speech in the ceremony, Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim said that Balkan Express which toured nine countries completed its journey successfully.

"It is a very important project. Balkans and the region's history were promoted to our country, nation and youth," he said.

Yildirim said that Turkish State Railways' high speed train was the 8th high speed rail service in world and the 6th in Europe.

Prominent names of national newspaper and television channels were on board the train that visited 22 Balkan cities in 50 days.

The top US commander in Afghanistan has warned that troops' lives will be in danger if an American church sticks to its plan to burn copies of the Koran.

Gen David Petraeus said the action could cause problems "not just in Kabul, but everywhere in the world".

Pastor Terry Jones, of the Dove World Outreach Center, plans to put copies of the holy book in a bonfire to mark this week's anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

There have already been protests in Afghanistan and Indonesia.
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The US embassy in Kabul issued a statement condemning the plans by the non-denominational church in Gainesville, Florida.

"It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort," Gen Petraeus said in a statement to US media. "It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems.

"Not just here, but everywhere in the world, we are engaged with the Islamic community," added Gen Petraeus, who heads a 150,000-strong Nato force against a Taliban-led insurgency.

Lt Gen William Caldwell, the commander of the Nato training mission in Afghanistan, told CNN: "It's their holy book, so when somebody says that they're going to destroy that and cause a desecration to something that's very sacred to them, it's already stirred up a lot of discussion and concern amongst the people."

In Kabul on Monday, about 500 protesters chanted "long live Islam" and "death to America" as they set fire to an effigy of Mr Jones.

The controversy comes at a time of already heated debate in the US over a proposal to build a mosque and Islamic cultural centre two streets from Ground Zero, site of the 9/11 attacks, in New York.

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, Mr Jones acknowledged Gen Petraeus's concerns, but added: "We must send a clear message to the radical element of Islam. We will no longer be controlled and dominated by their fears and threats."

The planned protest by Mr Jones's previously little-known 50-member Florida church, whose website labels Islam "violent and oppressive", has prompted protests elsewhere, too.

Thousands of mostly Muslim demonstrators rallied around Indonesia last weekend.

Claims that US soldiers have desecrated the Koran in both Afghanistan and Iraq have caused bloodshed in the past.

There were deadly protests in Afghanistan in 2008, when it emerged that a US soldier deployed to Iraq riddled a copy of the holy book with bullets.

And further lives were lost in Afghan riots in 2005 when Newsweek magazine printed a story alleging that US interrogators at Guantanamo Bay had flushed a copy of the Koran down a toilet.

He will lead the U.S. Delegation that includes representatives from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation. The summit will target promoting new trade and investment relationships between the U.S. and Georgian businesses. It is organized by the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Embassy and the American Chamber of Commerce.

DAS Verde will discuss cooperation in energy, infrastructure, tourism and financial sectors during his meetings with top level Georgian government officials, Prime Minister Nika Gilauri; Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Vera Kobalia; Minister of Agriculture, Bakur Kvezereli; and Georgian and U.S. business leaders.

The resolution expresses concern regarding the violent change of demographic picture in the result of the conflicts on Georgian territory and says that the UN General Assembly supports unacceptability of change of demographic situation in Georgia`s breakaway regions.

The document also emphasizes the necessity of protection of the property rights of these people in their native regions. The assembly resolution calls upon people who want to by real estate in Abkhazia, to abstain from violating the property rights of the IDPs and refugees.

The UN General Assembly discussed the issue - delayed conflicts in GUAM space and their influence on international peace, security and development.

The resolution, which was adopted in regards with Georgia, was titled `The state of IDPs and Refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia and Tskhinvali Region, Georgia`.

Turkey is the sixth largest economic partner of the EU and is practically very much involved with the Union, more than many other full-fledged members of the Community, Gucuk said, noting EU countries account for 60 per cent of Turkey's foreign trade.

EU membership is a strategic goal for Turkey and the country is striving to fulfill the respective economic and political reforms, which are also necessary to the Turkish public. Turkey's membership will also benefit all European states.

Turkish investments in Bulgaria amount to approximately 1,300 million dollars, but majority of them come through third countries and are not included in this figure, the Turkish Ambassador noted. He cited as an example the largest Turkish investment here - the Sisecam glass plant, which is to the tune of 480 million dollars and which statistics report as a Dutch, not a Turkish investment.

Energy is one of the main spheres of cooperation between Turkey and Bulgaria, Gucuk said, noting the current work on the rehabilitation of the gas pipeline between the two countries.

The Nabucco gas pipeline was cited as an important project in Turkey's plans related to the diversification of energy supplies, not only in terms of routes.

So far his country has not had a nuclear power plant, but now it plans to develop two such plants. A preliminary agreement with Russia has already been reached for the first one and talks are currently under way for the second one, which will probably be built parallel to the first one.

Noting that two-way trade with Bulgaria has dropped by some 30 per cent in the last two years because of the economic crisis, Gucuk said there are intentions to establish a high-level strategic council for cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkey.

Such a structure could be agreed upon during a future visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Sofia, Gucuk said and expressed hope that this could happen before the end of the year.

The lecture of the Turkish Ambassador opened the new political season of the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria whose Chairman Solomon Passy stated Bulgaria should be ready to border on one of the political and economic giants of the 21st century.

As the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported, the sides discussed the format for interdepartmental cooperation on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, and the schedule of visits at different levels.

Hryshchenko said that in the past six months, the relations between Ukraine and Turkey have acquired the character of a real strategic partnership, best evidenced by the steady growth of trade and mutual investments, support by Ankara and Kyiv for international initiatives of one another.

The ministers thoroughly discussed the prospects of joint large-scale transportation projects. In particular, Ukraine is interested in Turkey's accession to the Ukrainian-Belarusian-Lithuanian transit railway container transportation route Viking.

"Last year Ukraine managed to normalize relations and to strengthen partnerships with all countries that are of interest in terms of creation of transport corridors in the East - West and North - South directions, which allows today to seriously consider implementing the most ambitious routes," Hryshchenko said.

For his part, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey set forth the initiative to consider the possibility of creating a Ukraine - Turkey - Egypt transport corridor, as well as from the Baltic to the Red Sea via Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Syria and Jordan.

Davutoglu also pledged his country's support of Ukraine's application for OSCE chairmanship in 2013.

Separately, the foreign ministers discussed opportunities for economic cooperation in the Ukraine - Turkey - Russia triangle as the states spanning Europe and Asia.

Also, it is planned to make arrangements with Moldova on setting discounts for cargo transit.

"In order that the volume of transit cargo to the Reni port increased, we will conduct negotiations with Moldova as regards possibility of introduction of general discounts for railway transit of goods," the Minister underscored.

According to Ukrzaliznytsia Director General Mykhailo Kostiuk, the amount of those discounts may reach 50%. In addition, possibility has been studied for improvement of the terms of supply of products made by national enterprises to the port, in particular, from Poltava ore mining and processing plant.

Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the Palestinians to continue peace talks despite an end to Israel's ban on West Bank settlement-building.

In a statement moments after the end of the 10-month partial freeze, he asked Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to continue seeking a "historic" deal.

Hours later, bulldozers were reported to have begun work in two settlements.

Mr Abbas had warned that peace talks would be a "waste of time" unless the freeze was extended.

Construction work

Israeli media said bulldozers had started levelling ground for 50 homes in the settlement of Ariel in the northern West Bank.

However, construction work was expected to be slow because of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Similar activity was also reported in the settlement of Adam, near Jerusalem.
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Israel and the Palestinians

Meanwhile, the US renewed calls for Israel to maintain the construction freeze, saying its position on the issue remained unchanged and the US state department was staying "in close touch" with all parties.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke to Mr Netanyahu and also to Tony Blair, the representative of the Middle East Quartet (the EU, Russia, the UN and US), as the end of the construction freeze neared, a spokesman said.

Israel says the settlements are no bar to continuing direct talks on key issues, and US negotiators have been working intensively to secure a deal.

On Saturday, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak told the BBC he would attempt to convince government colleagues of a compromise deal, said the chances of a deal on the issue was "50/50".

Members of the Venezuelan opposition group the Table for Democratic Unity (MUD) celebrate results of parliamentary elections in Caracas on Monday There were broad smiles among members of the opposition MUD as the results were announced

The Venezuelan opposition has performed well in elections, overturning President Hugo Chavez's two-thirds majority in parliament.

Mr Chavez's United Socialist Party (PSUV) still won a majority of seats in Sunday's poll, but will now be unable to pass major legislation unaided.

The poll was seen as a test of Mr Chavez's popularity ahead of presidential elections in 2012.

An opposition spokesman said he was "very happy" with the results.

The opposition umbrella group he represents, the Table for Democratic Unity (MUD), will now become an important bloc in the parliament, says the BBC's Will Grant in Caracas.

It will be capable of thwarting some of Mr Chavez's key socialist reforms, be they appointments to the Supreme Court or backing for sweeping new laws.

It seems Mr Chavez will now have to find some way to work with the opposition representatives in parliament, our correspondent adds.