Serbia woos ex-IMF head Strauss-Kahn for advisory role
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Serbia has approached former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn about the possibility of him joining the government in an advisory role as it seeks foreign advisors to assist a revamped cabinet, a government source said.
EU lawmakers urged to back data list to track fighters to Syria
PARIS (Reuters) – Nine European Union nations urged the European Parliament on Thursday to set aside privacy concerns and back plans for an EU-wide passenger data list aimed at thwarting suspected militants travelling from Europe to fight in Syria.
Merkel coalition takes lead in poll for first time in four years
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right coalition has enough support to win a parliamentary majority in a September 22 election, the first time it has taken the lead in nearly four years, according to a new poll.
Bangladesh court rules top Islamic party illegal
DHAKA (Reuters) – A Bangladesh court on Thursday declared as illegal the country’s main Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, effectively banning it from a general election due early next year.
U.S., Pakistan agree to start new chapter in long-strained relations
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – The United States and Pakistan agreed on Thursday to re-establish a “full partnership”, hoping to end years of acrimony over U.S. drone strikes on Pakistani soil, the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and other grievances.
Assad says sure he will defeat Syrian rebels
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday he was confident of victory against rebels in a 28-month-old civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people and sent nearly two million fleeing abroad.
Three suspected militants killed in drone strike south Yemen: official
ADEN (Reuters) – At least three suspected al Qaeda militants were killed on Thursday in east Yemen by missiles fired from an unmanned aircraft, the third such strike in under a week, a government official said.
Dissident Kazakh Ablyazov faces extradition to Ukraine
AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (Reuters) – Dissident Kazakh oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov, accused at home of embezzling more than $5 billion, was told by a French judge on Thursday that he faced extradition, but his family vowed to fight an expulsion it said was…
Egypt solution hinges on dignified exit for Mursi
PARIS (Reuters) – European attempts to broker a resolution to Egypt’s bloody political stand-off hinge on finding a way for ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi to step down with dignity in return for a role for his Muslim Brotherhood in the country…
Italy’s top court to issue verdict on Berlusconi fraud appeal
ROME (Reuters) – Five supreme court judges on Thursday considered their verdict in Silvio Berlusconi’s appeal against a tax fraud conviction that could end his 20-year domination of Italian politics and throw the government into turmoil if confirmed.
