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Kadhafi cousin on trial in Egypt

The cousin and former aide of slain Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi appeared in court on Monday charged with the attempted murder of Egyptian police officers, an AFP reporter said. Ahmed Qaddaf al-Dam denied the charges which also included possessing unlicensed weapons and resisting arrest. The brief hearing was adjourned to Wednesday. Qaddaf al-Dam was detained in Cairo in March after a gunfight with police in his apartment and has been held in Egypt despite Libyan demands for his extradition.

G7 smooths divisions over growth, deficit reduction

The Group of Seven advanced economies on Saturday appeared to smooth over US-European differences on how to balance deep austerity measures with ways to support fragile growth. G7 finance ministers and central bankers also pledged their commitment to tackling tax evasion during two days of talks in the English countryside, British finance minister George Osborne said.

Burkina Faso foreign minister collapses in Turkey

Visiting Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Djibrill Bassole collapsed and fell off a platform on Thursday during a live press conference in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu. Bassole wobbled and fell to the floor, knocking down a stand in front of him, while Davutoglu was responding to a journalist's question. The Turkish minister tried to grab Bassole by the arm was unable to prevent him falling.

The Philippines promises investigation in Taiwan fisherman death

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines agreed on Friday to investigate the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman after criticism from Taipei and Beijing, but pledged increased efforts to prevent further incursions in its territorial seas. A Philippines fisheries official said one of its vessels, acting under the threat of being rammed, opened fire on Thursday on a Taiwanese fishing boat about 170 nautical miles southeast of Taiwan, killing one person on board.

Gunmen kidnap wife, daughter of court judge in Nigeria

Gunmen have kidnapped the wife, daughter and driver of a supreme court judge on a road in southern Nigeria apparently hoping for a ransom payment, police said Sunday. "Three people were seized from their car at a point on the Sagamu-Benin expressway on Friday," a senior police officer in southern Edo State who did not want to be named told AFP. "We understand the victims are the wife, daughter and driver of Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour of the Supreme Court," he said.

Obama to visit Berlin June 18-19: Germany

US President Barack Obama will visit Berlin next month for wide-ranging talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel, a German government spokesman said Friday. Deputy spokesman Georg Streiter told a regular news briefing that Obama would stop in Berlin on June 18-19, after a G8 summit in Northern Ireland. "The US President Barack Obama will come to Berlin for an official visit on the invitation of the chancellor. Details on this working visit will be provided as soon as they are available," he said.

G7 tackles growth, debt balance

The Group of Seven top world economies wraps up talks Saturday aimed at striking a balance between supporting fragile economic recovery and slashing government debts, as the United States pressures Europe to scale back deep austerity measures. The two-day meeting in Britain comes amid renewed market focus on currency wars after the yen on Friday hit its lowest point against the dollar for more than four years.

Brazil's Azevedo becomes first Latin American to head WTO

By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - Brazil's Roberto Azevedo has won the race to become the next head of the World Trade Organization, the first candidate from the BRICS club of emerging economies to take the job. The career trade diplomat now faces a huge challenge to reinvigorate the global body, which has failed to wrap up the Doha trade liberalization talks after years of stalemate and risks becoming irrelevant without a breakthrough.

Column: Is Europe losing faith in the EU?

By Frederick Kempe (Reuters) - Happy Europe Day! If you don't know May 9 is Europe Day, then you find yourself in good company with a majority of Europeans. Even in the most buoyant time, this holiday - marking the Schumann Declaration, presented by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in 1950, that launched the European Coal and Steel Community - doesn't come with the transcontinental fireworks of America's July 4.

G7 committed to 'nurturing' economic recovery: Britain

The Group of Seven top economies is committed to "nurturing" world economic recovery, British finance minister George Osborne said Saturday after a meeting of the international body. "Overall, our discussions over the past two days have reaffirmed that there are still many challenges to securing sustainable global recovery, and we can't take it for granted," he told reporters. "But we are committed as the advanced economies in playing our part in nurturing that recovery and ensuring a lasting recovery so that we have prosperity in all our countries."
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