AFP - US President George W. Bush demanded action to override Khartoum's opposition to a UN force in Darfur, as his Sudanese counterpart lambasted a "Zionist" plot to dismember his country and plunder its resources.

AP - President Vicente Fox said Tuesday that Mexico is willing to extradite any drug lord in its custody wanted by the United States.

AP - Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed for nations to unite against human rights abuses, religious divisions, brutal conflicts and an unjust world economy in an emotional farewell on Tuesday. But his remarks were overshadowed by a military coup in Thailand and the Iranian president's fiery defense of his country's nuclear program.

AP - Japanese stocks fell shortly after Wednesday's open on concerns about the health of the U.S. economy. The dollar was slightly lower against the yen.

AP - Sudan will not allow the United Nations to take control of peacekeepers in Darfur under any circumstance, the president said Tuesday, claiming that rights groups have exaggerated the crisis there in a bid for more cash.