LONDON (AP) - A self-employed pizza seller from Turkey is entitled under European legislation to live and work in Britain, the High Court ruled yesterday. The decision could affect thousands of the compatriots of Mehmet Dari, 23, of Herne Bay in southeast England, who has fought a series of legal battles for the right to settle in Britain and run his own pizza business. Like many other Turks, he has been refused the right to live and work in Britain because he is not considered to face threats to his welfare at home. Acknowledging the significance of the ruling, Judge Nigel Davis gave the government leave to appeal.

ZAGREB (Reuters) - The nationalist Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) will emerge as the biggest party in a weekend election but may not muster enough seats to defeat the ruling coalition, opinion poll results suggested yesterday. Analysts say an HDZ victory over center-left reformers in Sunday’s general election could slow Croatia’s drive to join the European Union, temporarily discourage foreign investors and depress government bonds on financial markets. The survey published by the influential Globus weekly gave a narrow edge to the party founded by late President Franjo Tudjman in alliance with smaller parties.

Turkey’s prime minister promised the president of Iraq’s US-appointed Governing Council yesterday that Turkey would “side with the Iraqi people” and help build houses, roads and bridges to improve conditions there, the council’s leader said. Jalal Talabani, an Iraqi Kurd currently at the helm of the Governing Council, arrived in Ankara with a large council delegation to mend ties after Iraqi objections forced Turkey to abandon plans to deploy peacekeeping troops, depriving US forces of much-needed reinforcements. The three-day visit also aims to boost trade between the neighbors. (AP)

One in 10 adult Romanians, or 1.8 million people, is working abroad, and the figure is expected to rise in coming years, the International Organization for Migration said yesterday. A lack of opportunities at home sent many Romanians abroad in 2002, when most EU countries scrapped the visa requirement for Romanians. The average monthly salary in Romania is 4.6 million lei (US$140). Unemployment is officially 6.6 percent, but believed to be higher. Most Romanians working abroad prefer Italy, Spain and Germany, the organization said in a statement about a survey done in August by its Romanian office. (AP)