INTERNATIONAL COURT-ISRAEL
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -Israeli forces may have committed war crimes when they stormed an aid flotilla boat heading to Gaza in 2010, but the possible crimes are not grave enough to merit a prosecution at the International Criminal Court, the court's prosecutor said Thursday. By Michael C. Corder.
DRESDEN, Germany - In the German city of Dresden, trumpet player Ludwig Guettler takes pride in the soaring spires of the Baroque Frauenkirche church, rebuilt from the ruins of World War II, and sees them as a symbol of his city's vibrant economic and cultural life. Some 275 miles (440 kilometers) away in Dortmund, Ilse-Margarete Bonke tries to save her decaying city from a drug scourge by picking up heroin needles from the streets, but finds her work impeded by kids who sneak up on her, pulling off her curly wig and spitting in her face.
GERMANY-CARRIAGE-ACCIDENT
BAD TOELZ, Germany - Several people were injured during an annual Catholic pilgrimage in Bavaria after the horses pulling their carriage bolted, toppling the wagon over and spilling passengers onto the snowy ground. The carriage carrying 15 women in traditional costume was part of the St. Leonhard pilgrimage Thursday in which hundreds of locals ride on horse-drawn carriages from the town of Bad Toelz to nearby Kalvarienberg mountain where they and their horses receive a priest's blessing.
POLAND-EU-RUSSIA
WARSAW, Poland - The European Union's new foreign policy chief condemned the recent rebel-held elections in eastern Ukraine as "illegal and illegitimate" and said that the bloc could pursue further sanctions against Russia as it seeks to preserve Ukraine's territorial sovereignty. During her first trip abroad in her new role, Federica Mogherini said in Warsaw that "the issue of sanctions is always on the table." She stressed that any decisions would reflect the will of all 28 EU members.
BRITAIN-BONFIRE NIGHT
LONDON - In an English town with a tradition of consigning politicians to the flames, Scotland's independence leader proved a dummy too far. Some Scots reacted with outrage after effigies of Alex Salmond were paraded during Bonfire Night celebrations in Lewes, southern England.
LUXEMBOURG-TAX AVOIDANCE
BRUSSELS - Documents leaked to a group of investigative reporters allegedly show that scores of major multinational companies have sweet deals with the government of Luxembourg that help them avoid taxes in others nations. Luxembourg's prime minister, Xavier Bettel, hastily arranged a press conference Thursday to address the allegations of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which said it pored through some 28,000 pages of confidential documents and said some 340 businesses could be linked to the Grand Duchy for special tax deals.
GERMANY-ECONOMY
BERLIN - German factory orders rose only slightly in September, failing to make up for a sharp drop the month before as had been hoped. The Federal Statistical Office said Thursday that orders rose 0.8 percent over August, following a revised 4.2 percent drop that month over July, according to figures adjusted for seasonal and calendar factors.