WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States said that a senior envoy would visit violence-hit Maldives on Saturday as it called for calm following the resignation of the elected president Mohamed Nasheed.

PARIS (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy Wednesday urged his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev to give full support to an Arab League peace plan to persuade Bashar al-Assad to quit as Syria's leader.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States said Wednesday it has been notified by the Egyptian authorities of the formal charges against US citizens working for pro-democracy groups in Egypt.

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev urged French President Nicolas Sarkozy Wednesday against "unilateral" steps in the Syria crisis, the Kremlin said.

LUXEMBOURG (AFP) - Eurozone finance ministers will meet in Brussels on Thursday for talks on Greece, the head of the Eurogroup said Thursday as Athens neared a deal on programme to avert default.