Prague - The Czech parliament's lower house Wednesday approved a treaty establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC), a body set up to punish war crimes and genocide.

Washington - Less than one week before the US general election, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin took centre stage in the campaign Wednesday with a major policy speech on energy, while Democratic rival Barack Obama launched his first television ad directed against Palin.

Palin, running alongside John McCain, promised an "all-of-the- above approach" to end US dependence on foreign energy and encourage the production of domestic sources, focussing on renewables as well as more oil drilling. She slammed Obama for a "long, laboured agenda of inaction" on energy.

McCain has touted Palin, governor of oil and natural-gas rich Alaska since 2006, as a key advisor for energy policy should he make it into the White House.

Lusaka - Police in the southern African country of Zambia were on high alert Wednesday as campaigning in a tense presidential election drew to a close amid signs of a possible dispute over the outcome.

The capital Lusaka was brought to a standstill as acting president Rupiah Banda, candidate of the ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) and Michael Sata, leader of the main opposition Patriotic Front (PF) held their final rallies.

Sata, 71, drew a much bigger crowd at his than Banda, also 71, who is more popular in rural areas.

Warsaw - General Henry Obering said the United States wants an anti-missile base in Poland by 2012, and would ratify the deal even this year, Polish local media reported on Wednesday.

Obering, who is director of the US Missile Defence Agency, was visiting northern Poland on Wednesday to tour the future site of the missile base and meet with local officials. He said the 400-million dollar investment would boost the region's economy.

Polish vice-minister of Defence Stanislaw Jerzy Komorowski said that Poland also wants a quick ratification of the deal, reported the Polish Press Agency, but had doubts it could be done by the end of 2008.

Berlin - A German official resigned his vice-ministerial post at the Transport Ministry on Wednesday after weeks of criticism of executive bonuses that are planned at one of Germany's biggest state-owned companies.

Matthias von Randow, state secretary at the ministry, was a member of the supervisory board of Deutsche Bahn, the national railways company, which is set to privatize a one-quarter stake in its passenger and freight operations.

Amid worldwide anger at large bonuses for executives, many Germans were critical of a generous bonus package promised by Bahn to executives when the company goes private.

The date of the flotation has been delayed by the world stock markets slide. It had been scheduled for Tuesday this week.