International

AP - The legitimacy of Afghanistan's parliamentary elections is severely threatened by insurgent attacks on candidates and the lack of security provided by the government, an international rights group said Thursday.

Time.com - Whether or not the Koran burning happens in Gainesville on Saturday, a religious conservative in Kabul is already using the event to propel his political ambitions

AP - A suspected American missile strike killed five alleged militants in northwestern Pakistan early Thursday, an intelligence official said, the fourth such attack in 24 hours.

AP - The third Mexican mayor in a month was slain by suspected drug gang hitmen on the same day the U.S. secretary of state raised hackles in Mexico by saying the country is looking more and more like Colombia looked 20 years ago.

AP - Wearing white to symbolize purity, worshippers throughout this African capital gathered to pray on one of the final nights of Ramadan. To purify the soul and purge sin, they hadn't eaten all day and refrained from drinking, smoking and having sex mdash; which during the holy month is only allowed among spouses at night.

AP - President Hugo Chavez accused his political adversaries Wednesday of sabotaging Venezuela's electricity grid as part of a campaign to chip away at his popularity before legislative elections in two weeks.

McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON mdash; With concerns growing about hostile or even violent international reaction to a Florida pastor's plans to burn the Koran on Saturday, the Obama administration is stepping up its efforts to mitigate the damage.

The Christian Science Monitor - The young man playing with kids at the Main Krokodile preschool here isn't your typical caregiver. He's among the tens of thousands of Germans who fulfill their military service by working with children, the elderly, or the disabled. The head of the school, Berndt Niedergesäss, is all for it: The children love dealing with men, he says.

Reuters - The Conservative government has seen its lead over the main opposition Liberals evaporate in public opinion polls following recent controversies and the two parties are now running neck and neck, though an election is not seen in the near term.

The Christian Science Monitor - Family members and the government are trying to keep optimistic about the rescue of 33 Chilean miners trapped in the San Jose mine a month ago.

AP - German exports dipped by 1.5 percent in July compared with the previous month but were still up a strong 18.7 percent over the same month last year, official data showed Wednesday.

AFP - Nine Portuguese tourists were killed and 14 injured when their tour bus plunged into a ravine in northern Morocco on Wednesday, the interior ministry said.

Reuters - The Bank of Canada raised its benchmark interest rate for a third consecutive time on Wednesday, nudging the rate up 25 basis points to 1 percent, but said a weak U.S. economy would hamper Canada's recovery.

AP - Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Wednesday it could receive more than $300 million through an agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. to develop and sell two potential cancer treatments in Japan.

Reuters - One of East Timor's two deputy prime ministers resigned on Wednesday after he said Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao called him a liar, posing a risk to stability of the ruling coalition of the world's youngest countries.

AP - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with Rwanda's president Wednesday after he threatened to withdraw thousands of Rwandan peacekeepers if the United Nations publishes a report accusing Rwanda's army of possible genocide in the 1990s.

AP - When Irini Ibrahim, a young Coptic Christian woman, floated the idea of divorce from a husband she said was abusing her, her parents immediately opposed it, reminding her of the Biblical vow, What God has joined together let no man put asunder.

AP - The Vatican on Wednesday denounced as outrageous and grave plans by a Christian minister in Florida to burn copies of the Quran to mark the Sept. 11 anniversary.

AP - Trying to smooth over recently rocky relations before a visit to Washington, Chinese President Hu Jintao told American officials on Wednesday that he wants to see healthy and stable ties between the two countries.

AP - Gunmen on Wednesday killed an Iraqi TV journalist, the second to be slain in Iraq in as many days, highlighting the dangers media workers continue to face in the country seven years after the U.S.-led invasion.