PARIS – With his back against the wall, President Nicolas Sarkozy brushed off opinion polls that show he will lose France’s presidential election and delivered a defiant speech three days from the first round of the vote.
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WASHINGTON – China has provided some assistance to North Korea’s missile program, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Thursday, a week after the hermit state’s failed missile launch triggered broad international condemnation.
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BRUSSELS – European Union governments are to suspend most sanctions against Myanmar next week, EU diplomats said on Thursday, in recognition of rapid political and economic reforms after decades of military dictatorship.
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KHARTOUM/JUBA – Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir all but declared war against his newly independent neighbor on Thursday, vowing to teach South Sudan a “final lesson by force” after it occupied a disputed oil field.
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KABUL – Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned photographs of U.S. soldiers posing with the mangled bodies of Afghan insurgent bombers as “inhuman” on Thursday, calling for a rapid transition from NATO to Afghan security to prevent more such incidents.
