Lebanese leaders will put off a presidential election set for Friday for a sixth time to allow for talks expected to focus on the army chief’s nomination for a post now vacant for a week, political sources said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Washington on Thursday of threatening the future of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) by rejecting reform of its election monitoring arm.

Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov said on Thursday Russia risked becoming a dictatorship, as he left jail after serving a five-day sentence for organizing an illegal opposition protest.

One old investor used binoculars to watch stock prices. Others yelled out instructions to brokers who scribbled down prices on a white board.

When does a legitimate Russian political protest become an illegal gathering? Answer: When a second person joins in to spoil it.

Chances of a breakthrough appear slim when Iran’s main nuclear negotiator meets Europe’s top diplomat on Friday in a last effort to avert tougher sanctions over Tehran’s disputed atomic program.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said after peace talks in Washington that failure to negotiate a two-state solution with the Palestinians could threaten Israel’s long-term survival.

A senior Russian envoy has been trying to broker a deal between Israel and Syria on the future of the Golan Heights, an Israeli newspaper said on Thursday.

U.S. President George W. Bush, whose legacy seems destined to be defined by the Iraq war, now wants to make history by brokering the Middle East peace deal that eluded so many of his predecessors.

President Vladimir Putin, ignoring criticism he is using his post for campaign purposes, told Russians in a nationwide TV broadcast on Thursday to go and vote for his United Russia party in Sunday’s parliamentary elections.“I ask you to turn out for the elections on December 2 and vote for United …