Obama: Koran-burning could lead to suicide bombings

GAINESVILLE, Florida (Reuters) - President Barack Obama warned on Thursday that an obscure U.S. Christian pastor's plan to burn the Koran could provoke al Qaeda suicide bombings, as international pressure mounted on Washington to step in.

Car bomb kills 16 at market in Russia's Caucasus

VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed himself and 16 other people in a huge blast near a busy market in Russia's North Caucasus on Thursday in a new blow to Kremlin efforts to rein in a growing Islamic insurgency.

Iran says to free one American detainee

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will release on Saturday one of three detained American citizens accused of espionage, an official told Reuters on Thursday.

U.S. Marines seize ship from pirates in the Gulf of Aden

DUBAI (Reuters) - U.S. Marines boarded and seized a commercial German vessel in the Gulf of Aden that had been attacked and boarded by pirates a day earlier, the U.S. Fifth Fleet said in a statement on Thursday.

Israel faces Arab nuclear pressure at IAEA meetings

VIENNA (Reuters) - Arab states backed by Iran are poised to target Israel over its assumed atomic arsenal at U.N. nuclear watchdog meetings this month, despite U.S. warnings this may hamper broader steps to ban such weapons in the Middle East.

Gunmen behead, set alight Sunni cleric in Iraq

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gunmen stormed the house of a Sunni cleric on Thursday and cut his head off before setting him alight in an attack that bore the hallmark of insurgents, a police spokesman said.

Myanmar says China top ally, vote won't affect ties

BEIJING (Reuters) - Myanmar's reclusive leader on Thursday reassured Beijing that China is a vital ally and said an upcoming election and planned power transfer to a civilian government would not affect relations.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan expected to chair IAEA board

VIENNA (Reuters) - Pakistan is expected to become the next head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog's governing body despite being outside a global anti-nuclear arms pact and home to a nuclear smuggler who supplied Iran and North Korea, diplomats say.

Young Turks crave jobs and end to ideological spat

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - From the bustling streets of Istanbul to the villages of central Anatolia, one question dominates campaigning for Sunday's constitutional referendum. What kind of Turkey awaits the country's burgeoning young generation?

Suicide blasts hit Mogadishu, 2 peacekeepers killed

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Suicide bombers killed two African Union peacekeepers and a number of civilians at Mogadishu's airport on Thursday in the latest attack on the Somali capital by al Qaeda-linked rebels.

Q&A: U.S. "tolerance for intolerance" protects Koran-burner

MIAMI (Reuters) - As international outrage, anger and protests grow over the planned burning of copies of the Koran by an obscure Florida pastor, an uncomprehending world may be asking why U.S. authorities do not halt the damaging event.

White House: pastor should heed widespread condemnation

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday said a Florida pastor should take into account the widespread condemnation as he decides whether to go ahead with a plan to burn copies of the Koran.

Iraqi PM says U.S. should halt Koran burning

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki urged the United States on Thursday to prevent the American pastor of an obscure Christian church from burning copies of the Koran in commemoration of the September 11 attacks.

State Department warns Americans of Koran protests

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Thursday warned Americans traveling overseas to be alert for anti-U.S. demonstrations in response to plans by a small Florida church to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

White House: Koran-burning pastor a "desperate man"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday described a Florida pastor who has threatened to burn copies of the Koran as a "desperate man" who craved attention.

U.S. says no information on Iran releasing American

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it had no information about Iran's reported plan to free one of three detained U.S. citizens, but said any release would be "terrific news".

White House: Government discussed call to Koran-burning pastor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday said government officials had discussed the possibility of calling a Florida pastor to urge him to drop a plan to burn copies of the Koran.

Koran-burning protests could delay Afghan poll: U.N.

KABUL (Reuters) - Violent protests in reaction to a plan by a small U.S. church to burn copies of the Koran have the potential to delay this month's Afghan parliamentary election, the head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan said on Thursday.

U.S. leaders discuss calling pastor who plans Koran-burning

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is discussing whether to call a Florida pastor to ask him to call off plans for a Koran-burning day that U.S. leaders have warned could endanger American troops abroad, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

Interpol warns Koran-burning may trigger attacks

PARIS (Reuters) - The international police agency Interpol warned governments worldwide on Thursday of an increased risk of attacks on innocent people if the planned burning of the Koran by an obscure U.S. clergyman went ahead.