Sofia - The arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karazic is "a relief for Europe," the head of Bulgaria's parliamentary foreign affairs committee said Tuesday.

The move would also accelerate the integration of Serbia, Bosnia- Herzegovina and Montenegro into European structures, Solomon Passi told the Bulgarian news agency BETA.

"Serbia and Bosnia have been resurrected for a new life in Europe, said Passi, a former foreign minister, adding that the arrest would "help overcome the legacy of the past" on the Balkans.

Brussels - EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn welcomed Tuesday the arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karazic, calling it "a historic moment for international justice."

Rehn said the arrest suspecte war crimminal would go a long way to helping with reconciliation on the western Balkans.

It was also a milestone in Serbia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), he said on the fringe of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

"It also proves that the new government of Serbia has the determination to turn the page, leave the nationalist past behind and move towards a European future."

Tokyo - Japanese water-system company Wellthy was expected to start providing drinking water to Chinese earthquake victims as early as this week, becoming one of the few private Japanese companies to offer relief services in China.

Wellthy completed the set-up of the well-water filtering system on Tuesday for about 1,500 people living in a temporary shelter camp in Miyanyang, about 150 kilometres north-east of Chengdu, to provide drinking water to 60,000 people displaced in a magnitude-8 quake.

The May 12 quake killed 70,000 people, left nearly 17,000 missing and 15 million homeless in and around China's Sichuan province.

Lahore, July 22: US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen has said that Pakistan’s tribal areas bordering Afghanistan are turning into a centre of power for al Qaeda, Taliban and other foreign militan

Peshawar, July 22: As the 5-day ultimatum of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud to the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) government to either resign or face consequences expired yesterday, NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar has said that the government would not surrender before the Taliban and was fully prepared to face the militants.

Nicosia, July 22: The Iranian government announced today its decision to proceed with the privatization of ten power plants.

The process will start in two weeks time and will be completed by next March, the Minister of Energy Parviz Fattah told journalists.

Fattah said that gradually 80 power plants would be handed to the private sector and added: “At present, the privatization of ten power plants is being finalized. We have completed our part of the process and it is now up to the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Iran''s Privatization Organization to decide about the rest," Fattah told the Mehr News Agency.