Top Stories - AFP

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) - A suicide bomber struck outside a Pakistan court, killing 16 people on Thursday in the sixth attack on the northwestern city in 11 days as troops press a major anti-Taliban offensive.

SEOUL (AFP) - President Barack Obama announced Thursday a US envoy would visit North Korea early next month, as he joined South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak in urging the communist state back to nuclear talks.

BRUSSELS (AFP) - European leaders gather Thursday in an effort to overcome political differences and unite behind a single candidate for the European Union's first-ever president.

MELBOURNE (AFP) - A pair of Bangladeshi twins will both be "fine", doctors said on Thursday, as one woke up and started talking less than two days after marathon surgery to separate their conjoined heads.

SINGAPORE (AFP) - Singapore on Thursday declared a severe recession over as data showed its economy grew for the second straight quarter in the three months to September.

LONDON (AFP) - US investment bank JP Morgan Chase will later Thursday unveil a one-billion-pound (1.67-billion-dollar, 1.12-billion-euro) deal to buy 190-year-old London stockbroker Cazenove, a newspaper said.

MONTEVIDEO (AFP) - Uruguay finished the job, qualifying for the 2010 World Cup with a 1-1 draw against Costa Rica.

PARIS (AFP) - Superstar Thierry Henry was at the centre of a sensational World Cup cheating storm on Wednesday as France reached the 2010 finals in South Africa along with Portugal, Greece and Slovenia.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Obesity begone! Americans are lacing up athletic shoes and signing up to run in 5Ks, 10-milers and even marathons in record numbers.

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran on Wednesday rejected plans for it to send most of its stocks of low-enriched uranium abroad, delivering a severe blow to UN-brokered efforts to allay Western concerns over its nuclear ambitions.

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraq's general election was thrown into doubt on Wednesday after a law governing the planned January vote was vetoed, creating what the prime minister termed a "dangerous threat" to stability.

SEOUL (AFP) - US President Barack Obama arrived in South Korea Wednesday on the last leg of his debut Asian tour, with North Korea's nuclear programme due to top the agenda after three days of negotiations in China.

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - EU criticism of Russia's rights record and fears Moscow will delay its WTO entry clouded EU-Russia talks Wednesday, but the two sides aligned on climate issues ahead of a key summit in December.

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Resistance to antibiotics is increasing in Europe and throughout the world because of their excessive use, a deadly and costly curse according to health experts meeting in Stockholm Wednesday.

LONDON (AFP) - US chocolate maker Hershey and Italian peer Ferrero said Wednesday they are considering a bid for British confectioner Cadbury, in a move which would whip up a takeover war with Kraft Foods.

GENEVA (AFP) - Governments must swiftly tackle the problem of banks that are too interconnected to major economies or too big to fail, a Swiss central banker warned Wednesday.

PARIS (AFP) - A "saddened" Giovanni Trapattoni hit out at match officials but refused to blame Thierry Henry for the handball which helped France controversially dump the Republic of Ireland out of World Cup qualifying here on Wednesday.

MARIBOR, Slovenia (AFP) - Slovenia qualified for only their second World Cup on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over nine-man Russia in their European zone, second-leg play-off tie.

PARIS (AFP) - Fearful of seeing Paris fading on the night sky, Paris town hall on Wednesday launched a major campaign to promote the city's night life, including a first-ever website and a free guide.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US news agency the Associated Press (AP) laid off dozens of employees on Tuesday as part of a plan to reduce its global payroll by 10 percent this year, a union statement said.

BEIJING (AFP) - US President Barack Obama and China's Hu Jintao Tuesday pledged to apply their joint political might to the world's toughest problems, but friction was evident on Tibet, economics and Iran.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States delivered an unusually strong rebuke of Israel, voicing dismay at the approval of new Jewish housing in annexed east Jerusalem as peace efforts hit a new low.

BERLIN (AFP) - Lawless Somalia and war-torn Afghanistan topped a blacklist on Tuesday of the world's most corrupt countries drawn up by the anti-graft watchdog Transparency International.

EDINBURGH (AFP) - The head of NATO said Tuesday he expected "substantially more forces" for Afghanistan to be pledged within weeks, but only to help speed up handing over security responsibility to Afghan forces.

COPENHAGEN (AFP) - Environment ministers from 44 key countries on Tuesday wrapped up closed-door talks aimed at laying the groundwork for a political agreement at next month's UN conference on global warming.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Foreign investment in US bonds and other long term investments, including from China, rose beyond expectations despite concerns over the weakness of the dollar, official data showed Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - More than 14,700 Americans with previously undisclosed offshore bank accounts have come forward to settle their back taxes after an amnesty offer, US officials said Tuesday.

LONDON (AFP) - Simon Shaw and Mathew Tait have both been included in England's match squad for Saturday's Twickenham international against New Zealand.