THE HAGUE (Reuters) – War crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic will appear before the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague for the first time on Thursday, the court said, and will be asked to enter a plea to the charges against him.

MINGORA, Pakistan (Reuters) – More than 25 Taliban militants and five Pakistani soldiers have been killed in a fierce clash in the troubled Swat valley in the northwest, a military spokesman said on Wednesday.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s highest court could decide as soon as Wednesday whether to ban the ruling AK Party for Islamist activities, Radikal and Sabah newspapers said.