AP - Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview published Thursday that the al-Qaida terror network has infiltrated the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

AFP - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called on influential world figures to fight extremism and bridge the divide between East and West at the opening of a conference of Muslim and European leaders.

AP - Kuwait's new emir named a crown prince and prime minister Tuesday, closing out an unprecedented leadership crisis in the tiny oil-rich U.S. ally.

Kuwait's emir names his brother as successor, breaking with a tradition of alternating power between families.