Nato takes over Kosovo border posts after clashes
Nato has deployed peacekeepers in the north of Kosovo after a border post with Serbia was burnt down and a Kosovo policeman killed.
Serbian nationalists in Kosovo attacked the post on Wednesday after Kosovo's government sent police to enforce a ban on imports from Serbia.
Border posts in the area, which rejects Kosovan independence from Serbia, had been staffed by ethnic Serb police.
Kosovo's government suspected them of turning a blind eye to banned imports.
Nato officials said only small vehicles were being allowed through two border posts at the centre of the dispute, and that they were being checked for weapons.
Serbia has also reinforced police on its side of the border, to prevent "extremists from Serbia going to Kosovo", Serbian police chief Milorad Veljovic told Reuters news agency.
Wednesday's violence was the worst in several months, according to the BBC's Mark Lowen in Belgrade, Serbia.
It began when a group of about 200 Serbian nationalists approached the Jarinje crossing, throwing firebombs.
They forced the Kosovan police and customs officers, and the EU police assisting them, to flee across the border into Serbia.
The post was burnt down and bulldozed.
One of the Kosovan police officers was killed and several others wounded when they were shot at.
The move by Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci to reassert Pristina's control over the region has been criticised by the EU and the US as provocative.
The region has not accepted the mandate of the Pristina government since Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
Serbia itself has also refused to recognise its former territory's independence.
Libyan rebel commander Abdel Fattah Younes killed
The military commander of the Libyan rebels fighting to topple Col Muammar Gaddafi has been killed, the rebel National Transitional Council says.
NTC head Mustafa Abdul-Jalil said Gen Abdel Fattah Younes was killed by assailants, and the head of the group responsible had been arrested.
He said Gen Younes was summoned for questioning about military operations, but never made it to the meeting.
Reports said Gen Younes was suspected of ties to pro-Gaddafi forces.
Two aides to Gen Younes, Col Muhammad Khamis and Nasir al-Madhkur, were also killed in the attack, Mr Jalil said, adding that there would be three days of mourning in their honour.
The exact circumstances of the killings were unclear, and Mr Jalil did not say directly that the assailants were allied with Col Gaddafi.
Gen Younes is a former Libyan interior minister who defected to the rebel side in February. He was also part of the group that helped bring Col Gaddafi to power in 1969.
Some unconfirmed reports said Gen Younes and two aides had been arrested earlier on Thursday near Libya's eastern front.
Shortly after the announcement of Gen Younes' death, gunmen entered the grounds of the hotel in the eastern city of Benghazi where Mr Jalil was speaking, reportedly firing into the air before being convinced to leave.
UN divisions
Earlier on Thursday, rebels said they had seized the strategically important town of Ghazaya near the Tunisian border, after heavy fighting with Col Gaddafi's forces.
They reportedly took control of several other towns or villages in the area.
The rebels are struggling to break a military deadlock five months into the uprising against Col Gaddafi's rule.
Rebels control most of eastern Libya from their base in Benghazi and the western port city of Misrata, while Col Gaddafi retains much of the west, including the capital, Tripoli.
Late on Thursday AFP news agency reported explosions shaking the centre of Tripoli, as state TV reported that planes were flying over the Libyan capital.
Nato, acting under a UN mandate authorising military action for the protection of civilians, has carried out regular airstrikes in the Tripoli area.
Meanwhile, the South African ambassador to the UN, Baso Sangqu, warned that supporters of the rebels were in danger of violating UN sanctions.
His comments came a day after Britain granted the rebels diplomatic recognition and said it would unblock £91 million ($149m) in frozen Libyan oil assets for the rebels.
"We have noted the calls for Gaddafi must go," Mr Sangqu said. "We maintain that such statements do not bring us any closer to a political solution."
The BBC's Barbara Plett reports from the UN that the growing trend to grant diplomatic recognition to the Libyan rebels is facing opposition on the Security Council, and that moves to back the rebels will further polarise Council members.
Portugal has become the latest of about 30 countries to have recognised the NTC.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn: Maid 'may file civil suit'
The hotel maid who accuses ex-IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempted rape may file a civil suit if prosecutors do not press criminal charges, her lawyer says.
The Manhattan district attorney's office has publicly announced they had doubts about the credibility of Nafissatou Diallo's allegations.
Making her first public appearance, Ms Diallo spoke of the pain the case had caused her and her family.
Mr Strauss-Kahn has denied the charges.
"What she wants is justice and if the prosecutors are not going to bring this case to trial then we have to look for justice and what I look forward to is putting this case before a jury," Ms Diallo's lawyer, Kenneth Thompson told a news conference.
When pressed by journalists when he might launch this case, he said: "Soon. Soon is soon."
On Wednesday, Ms Diallo and Mr Thompson met prosecutors for eight hours.
It was their first meeting since the Manhattan district attorney's office said it had doubts about her credibility because of false statements on her asylum application and a taped recording of a telephone conversation between Ms Diallo and a friend in an Arizona jail.
Mr Thompson said a translated transcript revealed that the conversation, the day after the alleged attempted rape, focused on what had happened to Ms Diallo, and not on Mr Strauss-Kahn's wealth.
Ms Diallo was reported to have discussed with the man how to obtain money from the French politician.
'Stop crying'
Mr Thompson was speaking after Ms Diallo made a emotional public appeal for people to believe her allegations.
"A lot of things people say about me are not true," she continued.
Her daughter, she said, had told her: "You have to remember this guy is a powerful man - everybody knows that. But for you, only the people who work with you, your neighbours, the people back home, know you.
"But those people say good things about you because they know you. Please mum, stop crying, be strong for me."
She said she had promised her daughter she would be strong "for you and every other woman in the world".
"What happened to me I don't want to happen to any other woman," she said.
Ollanta Humala is sworn in as new Peru president
Former army officer Ollanta Humala has been sworn in as Peru's new president, vowing to eradicate poverty and social exclusion.
His inauguration was being attended by regional leaders, although not by outgoing President Alan Garcia.
Mr Humala defeated right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori in June's second round.
Once a fiery nationalist, Mr Humala says his approach is now of the moderate left, modelled on Brazil's ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Mr Garcia left the presidential palace, handing over the sash for his successor.
Breaking with tradition, he did not travel to Congress to attend the inauguration.
Mr Garcia had previously indicated he would not be present in order to avoid a repeat of 1990 when he was loudly booed when handing over to President Alberto Fujimori.
Then Peru was mired in hyperinflation and beset by a bloody leftist insurgency.
Mr Humala, 49, inherits a more prosperous Peru but faces a range of challenges.
In his first address as president, he vowed to keep existing free-market economic and trade policies intact, to provide a minimum pension for all Peruvians over 65 and to raise the minimum wage.
"We want the term 'social exclusion' to disappear from our language and lives forever," Mr Humala said.
"Economic growth and social inclusion will march together."
Mr Humala campaigned on a pledge to increase the state's role in the economy and redistribute wealth to Peru's poor majority.
Strong performance
Economists Luis Miguel Castilla and Julio Velarde will be the new finance minister and central bank head respectively.
Sociologist Rafael Roncagliolo is to be foreign minister, while Afro-Peruvian music star and Grammy award-winner Susana Baca will be minister of culture.
Mr Humala indicated that he would seek to impose a windfall tax on the key mining sector to help raise revenue for social spending.
But with his party lacking a majority in Congress, he will need the support of other blocs to pass bills, including the mining tax.
Peru has been one of the top economic performers in Latin America in recent years, averaging annual growth of 7% during Mr Garcia's second term and with inflation held at under 3% a year.
Volkswagen sells record 4m vehicles over six months
Volkswagen has sold more than 4 million vehicles during the first half of the year, a record for Europe's largest carmaker.
Deliveries increased by 14% on the same period last year, led by strong growth in Asian markets.
Volkswagen, headquartered in Germany, includes the Skoda, Seat and Audi brands, as well as VW. Its shares rose 1.3% in early trading in Frankfurt.
Sales in Asia grew 19% to 1.26m, mostly in China, the region's largest market.
European sales grew 9.3% overall, thanks to continued high growth in central and eastern Europe.
Sales in North America rose 21% to 319,000 vehicles, and by 11% to 455,000 in South America.
Volkswagen's sales boss Christian Klinger predicted that VW would continue to do better than other carmakers, but cautioned: "Success in the second six months won't be automatic. Plenty of hard work lies ahead to keep our deliveries during the second half of the year at a high level."
Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson quits
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has resigned following the phone hacking scandal.
Britain's most senior police officer has faced criticism for hiring former News of the World executive Neil Wallis - who was questioned by police investigating hacking - as an adviser.
Sir Paul said his links to the journalist could hamper investigations.
He said there were lessons to be learned from the affair, but he was leaving with his integrity intact.
He also said he had no knowledge of the extent of the phone hacking.
Home Secretary Theresa May said she was "sorry" he had resigned and thanked him for all the work he had done during his time in office.
She said: "Sir Paul has led the force through difficult times and although current circumstances show that there are still serious issues to be addressed, I believe that the force is operationally stronger today now than it was when he took over."
Earlier, she said she would address MPs on Monday about her "concerns" over the closeness of the relationship between News International and police.
Sir Paul said in a statement: "I have taken this decision as a consequence of the ongoing speculation and accusations relating to the Met's links with News International at a senior level and in particular in relation to Mr Neil Wallis."
He added: "Let me state clearly, I and the people who know me, know that my integrity is completely intact.
"I may wish we had done some things differently, but I will not lose sleep over my personal integrity."
It is expected that Sir Paul's deputy Tim Godwin will take charge of the Met with almost immediate effect, before a more formal appointment process takes place.
Prime Minister David Cameron said Sir Paul had enjoyed "a long and distinguished career in the police".
He added: "While I know that today must be a very sad occasion for him, I respect and understand his decision to leave the Met, and I wish him well for the future.
"What matters most of all now is that the Metropolitan Police and the Metropolitan Police Authority do everything possible to ensure the investigations into phone hacking and alleged police corruption proceed with all speed, with full public confidence and with all the necessary leadership and resources to bring them to an effective conclusion."
Obama Picks Chief for Consumer Agency
U.S. President Barack Obama has chosen the former attorney general of the Ohio to lead the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The White House says Mr. Obama will introduce Richard Cordray as his appointee on Monday.
In choosing Cordray, Mr. Obama bypassed Harvard University professor Elizabeth Warren, who has been working to set up the agency as a special adviser to the White House and to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
Warren is credited with developing the idea for the agency, which is tasked with protecting U.S. consumers from abusive mortgage lending practices and hidden credit card fees. She faced opposition from Republicans in the Senate, and observers say she would have had a difficult time winning confirmation.
Cordray still needs to be confirmed by the Senate. The agency will begin its work on Thursday.
Vietnamese Hold Anti-China Protest Despite Crackdown
Police in Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, on Sunday arrested more than a dozen protesters denouncing Beijing's actions in the South China Sea.
The demonstrators were hauled away on buses after a brief demonstration near the Chinese embassy. Another group of protesters later gathered there, but police in riot gear dispersed them.
Demonstrators accuse China of violating Vietnam's territorial waters and harassing Vietnamese fishermen.
This was the latest in a series of Sunday protests against China in Vietnam's capital. The communist authorities do not normally permit street demonstrations.
The first few anti-China protests ended peacefully. But on Sunday July 10, authorities briefly detained several people, including journalists.
Rights groups have criticized Vietnam for arresting the protesters.
Last month, officials from Vietnam and China met in Beijing to discuss the maritime dispute and said they had agreed resolve their differences peacefully.
Vietnam says Chinese boats have hindered oil exploration within its economic exclusive zone, 300 kilometers off the coast.
Beijing accuses Vietnam of endangering Chinese fishermen in a contested area near the Spratly islands, which are claimed all or in part by both countries. The Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan also have territorial claims in the area, which is believed to be rich in natural resources, including gas and oil.
Top Karzai Aide, Lawmaker Killed in Kabul
Afghan officials say a senior adviser to President Hamid Karzai and a member of parliament have been killed during an attack in the capital, Kabul.
The officials said Jan Mohammad Khan, a former governor of southern Uruzgan province and a close adviser to Mr. Karzai, was killed along with Uruzgan lawmaker Mohammad Ashim Watanwal late Sunday when two men wearing suicide vests attacked Khan's home in western Kabul's Karte Char district.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, accusing Khan of helping American forces.
The attack came less than a week after the assassination of Mr. Karzai's brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai, in southern Kandahar province.
In other violence Sunday, Afghan and foreign troops killed at least 10 Taliban fighters in a school in eastern Nangarhar province. Officials said the coalition forces targeted the militants using ground troops and airstrikes. No children were in the school during the attack.
And NATO said two of its service members were killed in a bomb blast in southern Afghanistan Sunday.
Iranian Raid Kills Two Kurdish Rebels in Northwest
Iran's Revolutionary Guard has killed at least two Iranian Kurdish rebels in a raid that destroyed one of the group's headquarters in northwestern Iran.
The hours-long gunbattle between Iranian forces and militants from the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan began late Saturday and ended early Sunday. It occurred along the Iraqi border near the Kurdish town of Sardasht.
A rebel spokesman said many soldiers were killed in the battle. But Iran's officials news agency, IRNA, confirmed just one soldier's death.
The Kurdish militant group, known as PJAK, has been involved in sporadic clashes with Iranian forces in recent years and says it is fighting for greater rights.
The deadly clashes came nearly a week after the Iranian military threatened to attack the group's bases in neighboring Iraq. PJAK rebels said the fighting had spilled over into Iraq's Sulaimaniyah Province, but this could not be independently confirmed.
Iran routinely shells border districts of northern Iraq's Kurdish region, targeting PJAK bases.