Consumer confidence slumped to the lowest level in 11 months in July, raising fears the economy could fall back into recession, a monthly survey released by polling firm GfK NOP showed.

The Mexican army said Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, a key ally of Mexico's powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, was killed Thursday during a raid in the Mexican state of Jalisco.

Carlyle raised the equivalent of $350 million for its landmark Chinese-currency-denominated fund from a group of government and private-sector investors.

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron wrapped up a visit to India with initiatives designed to propel the new "special relationship" that Britain seeks with its former colony.

German unemployment fell in July for the 13th straight month, putting Europe's largest economy on the brink of a milestone: regaining all of the employment lost during the recession far earlier than many expected.

The French brought the baguette, but banh mi fillings are an international affair.

A showdown between a Chinese business reporter and local police who put him on a wanted list for articles criticizing a local company ended with city officials ordering the police to apologize, in an episode viewed as a victory for the country's increasingly feisty media.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was expected to make his first visit to Lebanon since he pulled back his country's forces from a decadeslong occupation of the country five years ago.

The chief official at the port where a Japanese tanker was docked a day after it was damaged at the mouth of the Persian Gulf said investigators now believe the ship was involved in a collision.

The Arab League gave tentative approval for the Palestinians to begin direct peace negotiations with Israel, a decision that appeared to surprise some Palestinian leaders and boost Washington's bid to renew face-to-face talks.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said some of his closest allies have been disciplined by his party because of irreconcilable political rifts.

The second of two U.S. Navy sailors abducted in Afghanistan last week has been found dead, just as his comrade whose body was discovered earlier, U.S. and Afghan officials said. 

European Union regulators proposed radical changes to the way the region's securities markets operate so that investors have a complete snapshot of prices currently fragmented by fierce competition.

Investigators have found concrete evidence linking Pfc. Bradley Manning with the leak of classified Afghanistan war reports, a defense official said.

China's trade surplus is set to balloon again unless the government takes more steps to support domestic consumption, including letting its currency strengthen, the IMF warned.

French police on Thursday questioned Labor Minister Eric Woerth as part of a probe into allegations of illicit campaign financing and conflict of interest that have dogged President Nicolas Sarkozy and his administration for two months.

South Korea's prime minister resigned over a government-office development plan, as mounting troubles in the housing and construction industries threaten the country's recovery from the global economic crisis.

A sprawling crackdown on gangland corruption in one of China's biggest cities intensified with the arrest of a former deputy of Chongqing's legislative body.

Militants killed 23 members of Iraq's security forces across the country in a combination of shootings and roadside bombs.

Italian officials are hoping to raise €25 million ($32 million) in private funding to pay for restoration work at Rome's 1,900-year-old Colosseum.