U.S. unit of ABN AMRO draws higher bid
Royal Bank of Scotland, Banco Santander Central Hispano and Fortis continued negotiations on a formal bid for all of ABN AMRO.

India's airline industry runs into turbulence
The industry has grown at breakneck speed, but it is still hemorrhaging money, and some operators are struggling to meet day-to-day expenses even as they order more p***s.

Turkey's only presidential candidate withdraws from election
Abdullah Gul pulled out of the race after waves of pro-secular protests spread across the nation.

Gathering of Serbian nationalists on Kosovo raises dark specter
Dozens of veterans of the Balkan wars of that decade pledged allegiance to a new paramilitary force willing to fight and die to prevent Kosovo from breaking away into a new entity dominated by its ethnic Albanian majority.

Lebanon has become the graveyard of Israeli political careers
It will claim its latest victim if Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is forced to resign.

Wreckage of Kenya Airways jet found in Cameroon
Signs have been found of a Kenya-bound flight that crashed in Cameroon with 114 people aboard, an aviation official said Sunday.

Tony Blair prepares for a subdued exit
The impending resignation of the British prime minister will close an era in which Britain has fought a string of wars, enjoyed relative prosperity, and aligned its destiny with that of the U.S. far more than at any time since the Second World War.

Ex-Indonesia armed forces chief defends East Timor record
Retired General Wiranto rejects charges of grave violations of human rights by military and police.

The threat is secular fundamentalism
The Turkish model of secularism guarantees the state's right to dominate religion and religious practice.

The 'Big Dry' Down Under
Climate change is the first issue in a long time that could really scramble Western politics.

Wireless: For the rural poor, cellphones come calling
Mundawar, a district in rural India, just played host to a jarring new visitor: Nokia's traveling mobile phone van.

In Italy, it's harder than it looks to trash reality TV
Are reality shows tailor-made for the Italian psyche?

Media companies have appeal if linked to Wall Street
The fact that many of the customers of The Wall Street Journal and Reuters are other businesses, rather than consumers, appeals to investors, analysts say.
- Reuters and Dow Jones attract buyers in hot week for "old" media

In bid for icon, Murdoch may have eye on posterity
Instead of competing against The Wall Street Journal, Murdoch is offering a lofty price to take it over, suggesting to some that he may be mellowing into the establishment.