Strasbourg  - Ahead of a Council of Europe debate over the Russian-Georgia conflict, a dispute emerted Monday between factions over whether to restrict the Russian deputies' participation.

A number of leftist and liberal deputies argued for punitive action against Russian deputies, but pro-Russian sentiment also appeared to be materializing in the assembly.

A key issue in the dispute concerns the commitment expressed by both Russia and Georgia, when they gained membership in the 47-member body, to settle their conflicts by peaceful means.

Speaking against the Russians, Britain's Labour deputy Denis MacShane said that Russia had destroyed Georgia's territorial integrity.

Minsk/Moscow - No opposition member won a seat in Belarus parliamentary elections, the country's election commission said Monday.

The opposition had expressed fears earlier that the polls would be fixed by the Belarusian leadership.

According to the Russian Itar-Tass news agency, 100 of 110 districts were counted. Turnout was at 75.3 per cent to vote for the 263 candidates competing for the 110 seats in the Belarus parliament.

It has been quite sometime, since two giants, Samsung and Armani have been working together to create unique gadgets. Earlier they worked together to create an LCD TV and a mobile phone. And recently, the two informed about their joint venture, under which they have created the M75500 mobile phone, also called the Night Effect. 

This handset holds a very slim candy bar like appearance and is engraved with Emporio Armani’s name with blue, red and green enlightening light to attract everybody’s attention at night. 

Munich - The maiden flight of the much-delayed European military transport plane A400M is being postponed because the engines are still not ready, manufacturer EADS said Thursday from its German offices in Munich.

The propellor plane is intended as Europe's answer to the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, but the project at planemaker Airbus has dragged. A prototype has ceremonially rolled out of the hangar but has never flown.

Bratislava - European officials Monday warned that Slovakia could face a spike in prices after adopting euro in January and urged the ex-communist country to keep reforming its public finances.

"For the euro to remain a success story in Slovakia, the national authorities will need to be very alert and pursue ambitious economic policies on all fronts," said European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet in Bratislava.

He said that Slovakia as "a catching-up economy, is likely to face inflationary pressures that could derail the economy from a sustainable convergence path after euro adoption."

London, Sep 22: Russian officials have sent a team of builders to Monaco to erect a three-bedroom “dacha” in Prince Albert’s garden, as a sign of the growing friendship between Moscow and the tiny principality on the Riviera.

The simple wooden building has the function of a pool house at Albert’s estate in the hills behind Monte Carlo and reflected the growing bonds with Moscow that have helped to turn Monaco, a glamorous tax haven, into the favourite playground of Russians.

Albert’s spokesman declined to comment but a former adviser saw the dacha as evidence of the warm friendship that has developed between the 50-year-old bachelor prince and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.