Television adventurer Bear Grylls is being investigated by his local council after he erected a slide off an island which he owns.

SYRIA said it wanted a “serious and constructive dialogue” with Washington and welcomed remarks by US President George W Bush in which he noted Damascus was heeding US calls for cooperation.

SYRIA said yesterday it had chosen to support the Iraqi people against the “illegal” US-British invasion of Iraq, following a new warning against Damascus from US Secretary of State Colin Powell.