Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said he held fruitful and frank discussions with his European Union counterpart on February 28 that he hoped would lead to further talks on Iran's disputed nuclear program.

A strong quake of 6.0 magnitude struck on February 27 about 23 miles south of Concepcion, Chile, at a depth of 10.4 miles, according to the US Geological Survey.

European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on February 27 expressed support for the UN Security Council resolution which was adopted on February 26 to impose sanctions on Libya.

Tunisian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi has announced on state TV that he is resigning - a key demand of demonstrators.

Embattled French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has announced her resignation after weeks of criticism over her contacts with the former Tunisian regime.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) military on February 27 said the DPRK would directly destroy the base of the Republic of Korea (RoK)'s psychological war according to the principle of self-defense if the south side continued its psychological war ignoring the warning of the north, the official news agency KCNA reported.

US President Barack Obama has urged Congress to find "common ground" over the budget to prevent a government shutdown.

Eight civilians were killed and five people including four policemen and one civilian injured in a bomb attack in southern Afghan province of Kandahar on Sunday, an official said.

The UN Security Council has voted unanimously to impose sanctions on Muammar Gaddafi's Libyan regime for its attempts to put down an uprising.

Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on February 26 that the fuel placed inside the reactor of the country's first nuclear power plant will be temporarily removed to run a number of tests, local media reported.