An update from London on some of the international stories we expect to develop on Thursday:

Boy executed - Suspected Taliban militants have executed a seven-year-old boy, accusing him of spying for the government, officials in southern Afghanistan say. Read the full story

Wedding party bombed - A bombing at a wedding ceremony in Afghanistan's Kandahar province Wednesday was carried out by a suicide bomber wearing an explosives-laden vest. The blast killed 40 people and wounded 74 others. Read the full story

Dutch PM resigns - Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has resigned as leader of the Christian Democratic Alliance after exit polls from the country's national elections projected that his party would lose 20 of its 41 parliamentary seats. Read the full story

Afghanistan bombs - Britain will spend an extra £67 million ($97.7 million) to counter the threat in Afghanistan from improvised explosive devices, British Prime Minister David Cameron says.

Border shooting – A video obtained by CNN casts doubts on a U.S. Border Patrol agent's claim that he fatally shot a 14-year-old boy in Ciudad Juarez while he was surrounded by rock-throwing suspected illegal immigrants. Read the full story

Priests gathered - For a second day Thursday, thousands of priests from around the world are gathered in Rome for a conference to mark the end of the “Year of the Priest.” Read the full story

Blogger lauded - A blogger who left Britain 20 years ago for rural bliss in Spain has become an unlikely economic sage whose advice has been sought by the International Monetary Fund. Read the full story