LONDON (Reuters) - The Afghan government would quickly be overthrown if NATO troops pulled out of the country now, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Friday.

Incoming EU president Herman Van Rompuy kept a low profile as the 27-nation bloc's leaders faced flak for picking him and a little-known British peer to lead a revamped Europe on the world stage.

Incoming EU president Herman Van Rompuy kept a low profile as the 27-nation bloc's leaders faced flak for picking him and a little-known British peer to lead a revamped Europe on the world stage.

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday criticized regional officials in Russia's ruling party for failing to ensure fully democratic local elections last month.

The Conservatives, tipped to win power in an election next year, said on Saturday they would pull the country's 25,000 troops out of Germany as part of a reorganisation of NATO forces.

Opposition Conservatives, tipped to win power in an election next year, said Saturday they would pull the country's 25,000 troops out of Germany as part of a reorganisation of NATO forces.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Saturday strongly backed President Dmitry Medvedev's call for radical economic modernization, in an apparent bid to smother talk of differences between the leaders.

Russian president scolds ruling party over regional elections, says acted undemocratically. Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday sharply criticized officials in the ruling Kremlin-backed party for using its clout and undermining democracy in recent regional votes, saying it must learn to win fairly.

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - President Dmitry Medvedev scolded leaders of Russia's ruling party on Saturday for "bad political habits" and ordered them to win future elections fairly.

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin pledged on Saturday to widen Russia's anti-crisis aid package with a car scrappage scheme and mortgage support to jolt the economy out of the worst recession in 15 years.

Today is Monday, November 23, the 327th day of 2009. There are 38 days left in the year.

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo held its first elections on Sunday since declaring independence from Serbia last year, with unemployment, corruption, poor infrastructure and low investment the biggest issues for voters.

Kosovo holds peaceful 1st vote since independence, Serbs take part despite call to boycott. Kosovo's first independent elections have ended peacefully, with the prime minister claiming his party won convincingly and some minority Serbs ignoring a call to boycott and casting ballots alongside ethnic Albanians.

A UN summit on the plight of the planet's one billion hungry opens here Monday, with activists warning it risks being a waste of time as leaders of the world's wealthiest nations are to be conspicuous by their absence.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued an historic apology Monday to thousands of impoverished British children shipped to Australia with the promise of a better life, only to suffer abuse and neglect thousands of miles from home.

Kosovo's two coalition parties claimed victory in the country's first election since declaring independence as the election commission postponed Monday releasing complete results.

A UN summit on the plight of the planet's one billion hungry opens here Monday, with activists warning it risks being a waste of time as leaders of the world's wealthiest nations are to be conspicuous by their absence.

TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region, recognized as an independent state by Russia, has cut another of its ties with Georgia by adopting Russia's international dialing code.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned on Monday that climate change posed a "catastrophic" threat in some of the sharpest comments yet on a subject the Kremlin has often seemed reluctant to confront.

French forces say rockets hit Afghan market, apparently targeting French general. Insurgents fired two rockets Monday into a crowded market northeast of Kabul where the head of French forces in Afghanistan held a meeting with tribal elders. The attack killed three children and wounded 20 other people, the French military said.