MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has decided to run for election to the local council of a desolate Arctic region just weeks after resigning as governor.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev plans to replace dozens of regional governors over the next few years in an attempt to increase his influence within officialdom, the Vedomosti newspaper reported on Thursday.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli President Shimon Peres hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for talks in his official residence on Tuesday, saying the unprecedented visit should help dispel doubts about Israel’s desire for peace.

HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) – U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces backed by airpower have killed or wounded more than 30 Taliban insurgents in fighting in the west of Afghanistan, a senior police official said on Tuesday.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Serbia’s arrest of wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is a milestone on its road to joining the European Union but Belgrade must go further to reap the full benefits, EU ministers said on Tuesday.

(Reuters) – Radovan Karadzic, one of the world’s most wanted men, has been arrested and is facing extradition to the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague on two counts of genocide.

(Reuters) – Bosnian Serb wartime president Radovan Karadzic, charged with genocide for the murder of thousands of Muslims at Srebrenica and other crimes during the Bosnian war and arrested after 11 years on the run, was indicted along with his army commander, General Ratko Mladic, 66.

BELGRADE (Reuters) – The arrest of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic will propel Serbia closer to the rest of Europe and signals a definitive break with the nationalism of the past.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama traveled to Anbar province on Tuesday to meet Sunni Arab tribal leaders whose decision to fight al Qaeda helped change the course of the conflict in Iraq.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and Iraq were unlikely to meet a July 31 deadline for completing a long-term security pact, but intensive negotiations were under way on an agreement that will help dictate the role of U.S. forces after year-end, the White House said on Monday.