WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New French President Francois Hollande told President Barack Obama on Friday that he will stick by his pledge to withdraw France's troops from Afghanistan at year's end, a note of discord in an otherwise convivial first meeting between the two leaders. "I reminded President Obama that I made a promise to the French people to the effect that our combat troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2012," Hollande said after Oval Office talks with Obama. "That being said, we will continue to support Afghanistan in a different way," he said. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama pressed Europe on Friday to shift toward a more pro-growth policy and away from austerity to tackle a crisis that threatens to push Greece out of the euro zone and send economic shockwaves worldwide. Setting the tone for a weekend G8 summit, Obama made clear he was aligning himself with the new French president's drive for more economic stimulus in the recession-plagued euro zone instead of emphasizing belt-tightening programs spearheaded by Germany. ...

Turkish gold sales to Iran in March soared over 30 times and gold companies said Iranians were turning to gold for savings and possibly trade as Western sanctions tighten. Sanctions to force Iran to curb ...

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Three Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes with Kurdish rebels near the Syrian border in southern Turkey on Thursday, the provincial governor's office said. Separately, a provincial leader of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party was shot dead late on Wednesday outside his home in Sirnak, near the frontier with Iraq, an official in the governor's office told ...

Iraq summoned Ankara's envoy to Baghdad to complain about the conduct of two Turkish diplomats, the foreign ministry said Thursday, the latest bout of a weeks-long spat between the two neighbours.

New York City Economic Development Corporation , the Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, and Baruch College announced at an award ceremony last night the winner of the Competition To Help Reach Immigrant Ventures and Entrepreneurs , the City-sponsored competition which generates financially sustainable business plans that will address the challenges faced by immigrant entrepreneurs in New York ...

Fitch Ratings has assigned a rating of 'AA' to New York City's general obligation bonds as follows: