He head of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, signed a decree on Thursday dismissing the regional government, the republic’s website reported.

The remainder of debt-ridden Greece’s caretaker government was sworn in on Thursday.

US President Barack Obama, surprisingly, visited Afghanistan on the day of the anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death. His plane arrived Bagram military base at the night. US troops, who has been working in Afghanistan, were very welcome with this visiting of Obama.

Under the Annan peace plan, sponsored by the UN and the Arab League, Syrian troops were to have completed their withdrawal from population centers and stopped the use of heavy weaponry by Tuesday morning, ahead of a full ceasefire coming into place on Thursday morning. However, it did not come true.

Presidential poll with vice-president as lone candidate marks the end of Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year rule.

Azerbaijan has eliminated one of the main competitors bidding for the gas of the Shah Deniz II offshore field, apparently over concerns that one of project's partners, Greek gas company DEPA, would not be able to carry on with the project.