Afghanistan’s opium production declined by almost half this year due largely to the spread of a disease which damaged poppy plants, the UN’s drug agency said today.

RUSSIAN exile Boris Berezovsky yesterday denied he supported a coup against president, Vladimir Putin.

HOLDERS Barcelona travel to Levski Sofia with an outside chance of crashing out of the competition, but realistically their fate will be decided against Werder Bremen at the Nou Camp next week.

Russia’s new nuclear missile system is purely defensive and part of the country’s programme to upgrade its military, deputy foreign minister Yuri Fedotov has said.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin today met with visiting US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice to confer over bilateral ties, Iraq and the Middle East, the Kremlin said.

A HUGE explosion destroyed the offices of a major Shi’ite party yesterday as it was revealed that US administrator Paul Bremer escaped a rebel ambush on his convoy two weeks ago.

Russia has attacked the United States for negotiating a “secretive” post-war Iraq plan.

A CAR bomb exploded near the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad yesterday, killing the driver and wounding more than a dozen others.

A former top official of Saddam Hussein’s Republican Guard, and cousin of the deposed leader, surrendered to coalition forces in Baghdad today, the US military said.

Russia and China want major changes to the Anglo-American UN resolution on rebuilding Iraq before it can win their support.

A senior Russian diplomat says the US and Britain must address the humanitarian consequences of the war in Iraq.

A senior Russian diplomat today criticised Britain’s six-point proposal for disarming Iraq, saying it was “not constructive”.

A top Russian diplomat today reportedly said the UN resolution on Iraq proposed by Britain and the United States is “out of touch” and that there is no justification to bring it to a vote.

International missile experts found that an Iraqi missile exceeded the maximum 93-mile range allowed under United Nations resolutions, US and Russian officials have said.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister today called on Baghdad to accept the UN resolution allowing arms inspectors to return, suggesting the Iraqi parliament’s rejection was the result of “emotions.”

After eight weeks of diplomatic wrangling, the United States is confident of winning UN approval today to finally force Saddam Hussein to disarm or face “serious consequences” that would almost certainly mean war.

THE US took a final draft of its Iraq resolution to the UN Security Council yesterday hoping to win approval from wary allies concerned it could trigger a new war against Saddam Hussein.

US President George Bush today signed Congress’ war-making resolution and told wary world leaders to 'face up to our global responsibility' to confront Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.