HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) – A protest over the shooting of the Koran by a U.S. soldier in Iraq turned violent in Afghanistan on Thursday, killing a Lithuanian soldier and two Afghan civilians.

KHAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – Gunmen shot dead a Pakistani journalist on Thursday in the Bajaur region on the Afghan border where al Qaeda linked militants have been known to operate, his company and residents said.

KABUL (Reuters) – The Taliban have shown a desire for a political dialogue and serious efforts should be made to establish talks and end the insurgency, a former Afghan president said on Thursday.

KABUL (Reuters) – Italy’s government has pledged $300,000 to help combat a disease outbreak in western Afghanistan that has killed 17 people since February, the Afghan Health Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – An Iraqi television station accused U.S. troops on Thursday of shooting dead one of its cameramen as he walked to his Baghdad home.

SOFIA (Reuters) – The Bulgarian government decided on Thursday to relocate 155 Bulgarian troops serving in Iraq to Baghdad to guard a U.S. detention facility.

DOHA (Reuters) – Rival Lebanese leaders signed a deal on Wednesday to end 18 months of political conflict that had threatened to push the country to a new civil war. The agreement, reached after six days of Arab-mediated talks, also paved the way for the election of a new president.

(Reuters) – Courted by rival pro-Western and nationalist blocs for a coalition government, Serbia’s Socialists are torn between a new respectability in Europe and the legacy of their founder, autocrat Slobodan Milosevic.

BELGRADE (Reuters) – Courted by pro-Western and nationalist rivals for a coalition government, Serbia’s Socialists are torn between seeking new respectability in Europe and the legacy of their founder, autocrat Slobodan Milosevic.

BAIJI, Iraq (Reuters) – A U.S. military helicopter air strike on Wednesday night killed eight civilians, including two children and an elderly man, north of Baghdad, police officials said on Thursday.