LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will start the formal divorce procedure to leave the European Union early next year and may not need two years to negotiate a deal, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Nine more bodies have been recovered from the Mediterranean a day after a boat carrying hundreds of migrants capsized off the coast of Egypt, officials said on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 52.

NEW YORK, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The prime minister of Libya's U.N.-backed government said on Thursday he was open to talks with an eastern Libyan commander despite his self-styled army's offensive on oil facilities that threatens to plunge the country backwards.

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan forces said they foiled three attempted car bombings in renewed heavy fighting against Islamic State holdouts in the group's former stronghold of Sirte on Thursday.

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland has shaved 0.5 percent off its growth forecast for 2016 as well as 2017 ahead of a budget due next month that will aim to "Brexit-proof" the economy from further damage, the minister for public expenditure said on Thursday.

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam is trying to raise the retirement age of both men and women to mitigate the economic impact of a rapidly aging population and take pressure off of its depleted social welfare funds.

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Attila Behovits launched his street food business during hard times for Hungary but four years on, the economy - like demand for his traditional spicy sausages - is growing well.

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada and China said on Thursday they will launch exploratory talks on a free trade agreement and explore a possible extradition treaty for Chinese fugitives from Canada, even as they announced agreements on beef and canola exports to China.

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) representative John Delaney said on Thursday that Brazilian police had not contacted him despite an order being issued last month for the seizure of his passport.