WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the sharpest White House attack yet on critics of the Iraq war, Vice President Dick Cheney said on Wednesday that accusations the Bush administration manipulated intelligence to justify the war were a 'dishonest and reprehensible' political ploy.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon backs holding early parliamentary elections in February because of the planned departure of the left-wing Labour party from his shaky coalition, Israeli media reported on Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - American Philip Bloom, who controlled three companies that worked on reconstruction in Iraq, was charged on Wednesday with paying bribes and kickbacks to U.S. occupation authorities and their spouses, The New York Times reported.

AP - Five newspapers owned by Tribune Co., including the company's two flagship papers in Chicago and Los Angeles, said Wednesday they will cut jobs amid declining circulation and revenue.

AP - Phil Jackson still has it over Larry Brown. Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 42 points and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New York Knicks 97-92 Wednesday night, snapping a three-game losing skid.

AFP - US President George W. Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun have set aside their differences on North Korea and agreed that a nuclear-armed Pyongyang is unacceptable.

AFP - China is bracing for an escalation of the bird flu crisis after reporting at least one person died from the H5N1 virus, with other human cases suspected and warnings of more outbreaks.

AP - Nearly three dozen members of Congress, including leaders from both parties, pressed the government to block a Louisiana Indian tribe from opening a casino while the lawmakers collected large donations from rival tribes and their lobbyist, Jack Abramoff.

Reuters - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan beseeched the world on Thursday to wake up to the scale of the earthquake disaster in Pakistan and give generously to help the country rebuild after last month's devastating tremor.

Reuters - U.S. President George W. Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun agreed on Thursday talks should be held to replace the 1950-53 Korea War truce with a peace treaty and said a nuclear North Korea will not be tolerated.

Reuters - Israel's right-wing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the new leader of the leftist Labour party agreed at a meeting on Thursday to hold early elections in late February or March.

Reuters - A masked man believed to be one of Asia's most wanted militants has warned Western countries, especially Australia, of more attacks in a video found last week by Indonesian anti-terrorist police.

Reuters - China is likely to suffer more outbreaks of bird flu among poultry and possibly among people in coming winter months, a WHO official said on Thursday after China confirmed its first cases of human infection.

AFP - US President George W. Bush assailed what he called "irresponsible" charges that he deliberately misled the US Congress and public to wage war in Iraq.

AFP - The situation throughout France has returned to normal after nearly three weeks of urban violence that left 9,000 vehicles torched and during which almost 3,000 people were arrested, police said.

AFP - The World Health Organization said Thursday it does not expect a large number of people to be infected with bird flu in China, one day after the government reported the country's first two human cases.

AFP - Sri Lankans are at the polls to elect a new president, still recovering from last year's tsunami and concerned over the unfulfilled peace process with Tamil Tiger rebels.

KYONGJU, South Korea (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun agreed on Thursday talks should be held to replace the 1950-53 Korea War truce with a peace treaty and said a nuclear North Korea will not be tolerated.

JAKARTA (Reuters) - A masked man believed to be one of Asia's most wanted militants has warned Western countries, especially Australia, of more attacks in a video found last week by Indonesian anti-terrorist police.

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban fighters appear to have taken a deadly page from the handbook of Iraq's insurgency, embarking for the first time on a concerted campaign of suicide attacks to drive U.S.-led forces out of their country.

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israel's right-wing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the new leader of the leftist Labour party agreed at a meeting on Thursday to hold early elections in late February or March.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan beseeched the world on Thursday to wake up to the scale of the earthquake disaster in Pakistan and give generously to help the country rebuild after last month's devastating tremor.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is likely to suffer more outbreaks of bird flu among poultry and possibly people in coming winter months, a WHO official said on Thursday after China confirmed its first cases of human infection.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi heads for a meeting of Pacific Rim leaders on Friday increasingly isolated in the region by issues ranging from territorial feuds to Asian anger over his visits to a war shrine.

AP - President Bush took a hardline stance against North Korea on Thursday, saying the U.S. won't help the communist nation build a civilian nuclear reactor to produce electricity until it dismantles its nuclear weapons programs.

AP - Interior Minister Bayan Jabr was defiant Thursday when answering questions about allegations his officers have tortured suspected insurgents, saying the reports have been exaggerated and insisting only five people appeared to have been maltreated.

AP - Sony Corp. and NEC Corp. agreed to set up a joint venture combining their optical disc drive operations to boost competitiveness, the two Japanese electronics companies said Thursday.

AP - A U.N. technology summit was focused Thursday on bringing more communications, including Internet access, to developing countries where the cost has been too high and the technology too low-tech.

AP - Danny DeVito — who hasn't starred in a TV series since "Taxi" ended its run in 1983 — will return to the small screen next year in the FX comedy "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

AP - Former "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss says she's bound for a brothel in the southern Nevada desert that she wants to help remake into a resort featuring male prostitutes serving female customers.

Reuters - China deflected a call from U.S. President George W. Bush to embrace democracy and religious freedom, choosing on Thursday to set a positive tone for his impending visit to Beijing.

Reuters - A month before Iraq holds elections, Washington and the government it backs in Baghdad find themselves battling for credibility, rather than being able to tout progress toward democracy and human rights.

Reuters - A U.S. air strike killed three militants, described as al Qaeda fighters, during an air and ground operation in eastern Afghanistan, an Afghan provincial governor said on Thursday.

AFP - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appealed for more aid for quake-hit Pakistan as he arrived for a meeting to help raise the billions of dollars the country needs to recover from last month's disaster.

AFP - China reported two new outbreaks of deadly bird flu, bringing the total number of confirmed outbreaks over the past month to 13.

AP - Nearly three dozen members of Congress, including leaders from both parties, pressed the government to block a Louisiana Indian tribe from opening a casino while the lawmakers collected large donations from rival tribes and their lobbyist, Jack Abramoff.

Reuters - A month before Iraq holds elections, Washington and the government it backs in Baghdad find themselves battling for credibility, rather than being able to tout progress toward democracy and human rights.

Reuters - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed to hold early Israeli elections by March at a meeting on Thursday with the leader of leftist Labor to end a political crisis that has dampened hopes for peacemaking.

Reuters - China is likely to suffer more outbreaks of bird flu among poultry and possibly people in coming winter months, a WHO official said on Thursday after China confirmed its first cases of human infection.

AFP - French police have declared the all-clear after three weeks of civil violence that set off a fierce debate over the country's poor and immigrant neighbourhoods.

AP - Iraq's Shiite interior minister accused critics Thursday of exaggerating reports of torture at a lockup seized by U.S. troops last weekend, saying inmates included both Shiites and Sunnis and only a handful showed signs of abuse.

AP - Bob Woodward's version of when and where he learned the identity of a CIA operative contradicts a special prosecutor's contention that Vice President Dick Cheney's top aide was the first to make the disclosure to reporters.

AP - Output at the nation's factories, mines and utilities rose at the fastest pace in 17 months in October, posting a solid rebound from the devastating Gulf Coast hurricanes.

AP - A cheap laptop boasting wireless network access and a hand-crank to provide electricity are expected to start shipping in February or March to help extend technology to school-aged children worldwide.

AP - The referee who took bribes to fix soccer games in Germany was convicted of fraud Thursday and sentenced to 29 months in prison.

Reuters - A leading pro-defense Democrat in the House of Representatives on Thursday urged the Bush administration to start the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

Reuters - U.S. regulators have asked Roche AG for more information about the deaths of 12 children who took the flu-fighting drug Tamiflu, saying in a report released on Thursday that the cause of the deaths was "extremely difficult to interpret."

Reuters - Iraq's interior minister dismissed reports of prisoner abuse at a secret Baghdad bunker on Thursday, prompting a stern response from the U.S. embassy in an affair that threatens to aggravate sectarian tensions.

Reuters - Emergency money that President George W. Bush requested to combat a looming influenza pandemic has been deleted from a U.S. health-funding bill after conservative Republicans insisted it would have to be paid for by cutting other government programs.

AFP - US President George W. Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun have set aside their differences over North Korea and declared that a nuclear-armed Pyongyang was unacceptable.

AFP - French police declared the all-clear after three weeks of rioting which has left the government stunned, bruised and casting around for explanations.

AFP - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Labour leader Amir Peretz have agreed to hold an early general election in the spring after Sharon said he wanted to avoid stalling the peace process.

AFP - A hostile bid by French construction materials giant Saint-Gobain for British plasterboard group BPB ended when BPB accepted sharply improved terms valuing it at 3.9 billion pounds (5.8 billion euros, 6.8 billion dollars).

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic congressional leader on defense called on Thursday for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, increasing pressure for a change in Bush administration policy just days after the Senate asked for a plan to end the war.

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed to hold early Israeli elections by March at a meeting on Thursday with the leader of leftist Labor to end a political crisis that has dampened hopes for peacemaking.

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan beseeched governments and private donors on Thursday to give generously to help millions of Pakistanis rebuild lives and homes destroyed by last month's devastating earthquake.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador John Bolton once said 'it wouldn't make a bit of difference' if the U.N. headquarters building lost 10 stories, and now it appears he may have his way -- at least temporarily.

GENEVA (Reuters) - A huge egg-shaped pearl, part of the French imperial jewels from the era of Napoleon, and a stunning diamond crown fetched record prices at auction, Christie's said on Thursday.

AP - An influential House Democrat who voted for the Iraq war called Thursday for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, another sign of growing unease in Congress about the conflict.

AP - Iraq's Shiite interior minister accused critics Thursday of exaggerating reports of torture at a lockup seized by U.S. troops last weekend, saying inmates included both Shiites and Sunnis and only a handful showed signs of abuse.

AP - Donovan McNabb was told Thursday to have surgery that probably would end his season.

AFP - Sri Lankans voted in presidential elections but minority Tamils who could tip the balance in the tight race were forced out of the ballot by Tiger rebels and sporadic violence, poll monitors said.

AFP - Trading in "conflict diamonds" continues to help fund wars in Africa despite a certification system intended to root it out, a British non-governmental group said at the close of a meeting of diamond-trading countries in Moscow.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four years after most Americans backed President George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq, a divided nation is increasingly demanding a clearer strategy for reducing the U.S. role and bringing the troops home.

PUSAN, South Korea (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush will press ahead on Friday with his strategy for bolstering allied unity against North Korea's nuclear weapons programme when he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Joseph Wilson, the husband of outed CIA operative Valerie Plame, called on Thursday for an inquiry by The Washington Post into the conduct of journalist Bob Woodward, who repeatedly criticized the leak investigation without disclosing his own involvement.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is holding talks with Poland about establishing a military base there to shoot down long-range missiles fired from the Middle East or Africa that could threaten Europe, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former official with the U.S. governing administration in Iraq and a contractor have been arrested on charges involving a bribery and fraud scheme, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists may have found a gene for fear -- a gene that controls production of a protein in the region of the brain linked with fearful responses.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - She's a small-breasted beauty from a good family in the American Midwest who enjoys spending time outdoors. She eats only natural foods, is drug- and disease-free and her video can be found on the Internet.

AP - The United States warned Iraqi officials Thursday against allowing Shiite militias a role in the security services following allegations of torture of Sunni Arabs by the Shiite-led Interior Ministry. The official in charge of the ministry said torture claims were exaggerated.

AP - A former mechanic was convicted Thursday of raping and strangling an 11-year-old girl whose abduction was captured by a car-wash security camera.

AP - Donovan McNabb's next important decision won't be calling an audible at the line of scrimmage. McNabb was told Thursday to have surgery for a sports hernia that probably would end his season. The Eagles' quarterback is considering his options. It's likely he'll seek other opinions before making a final decision.

Reuters - Joseph Wilson, the husband of outed CIA operative Valerie Plame, called on Thursday for an inquiry by The Washington Post into the conduct of journalist Bob Woodward, who repeatedly criticized the leak investigation without disclosing his own involvement.

AP - Though their political relationship is strained, President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin are trying to speak with one voice about the war on terror and the campaign to stop North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

AP - After suffering a defeat on a bill to slash education and health care programs this year, Republican leaders tweaked a broader budget plan for the rest of the decade facing similar opposition from party moderates because of cuts across an array of programs for the poor, students and farmers.

AP - Controversy surrounding the leak of a CIA operative's identity showed no signs of abating Thursday, dashing any hopes White House officials had that the investigation was nearing an end.

AP - Doctors performed a rare mother-to-son nerve transplant Thursday, hoping to restore the use of a 19-year-old's left hand. The six-hour surgery on Nick Anderson of Atco, N.J., went as planned, and doctors should see the first signs of success in a few months, said Eric Vohr, a spokesman for Johns Hopkins Hospital.

AP - A repentant Kurt Busch said he regrets becoming "argumentative" with an officer during a traffic stop last week in Phoenix, but insists that alcohol played no part in his behavior.

Reuters - Federal prosecutors urged a jury on Thursday to convict a U.S. man who confessed he joined an al Qaeda cell in Saudi Arabia and plotted to kill President George W. Bush, but his lawyer said the confession was obtained through torture.

AFP - Democrats and the White House traded fresh salvos over US Iraq policy, as a top Democratic lawmaker introduced a bill demanding an immediate withdrawal of US troops there.

AFP - The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution expressing serious concern about the precarious human rights and humanitarian situation in North Korea, but South Korea abstained and China voted against.

AP - Glossing over differences straining their political relationship, President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted each other warmly Friday in talks expected to emphasize cooperation in the war on terror and the campaign to stop North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

AP - The Iraqi government has promised to investigate detention facilities across the country to ensure prisoners are not tortured, the United States said Thursday, sharply warning Iraqi officials against allowing Shiite militias a role in the security services following allegations of torture of Sunni Arabs.

Reuters - A Democratic congressional leader on defense called for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, as he rejected on Thursday Bush administration attacks on war critics and raised bipartisan pressure for a new policy.

Reuters - Cuban President Fidel Castro on Thursday dismissed a CIA assessment he is suffering from Parkinson's disease as a fabrication by his U.S. enemies who wish to see him dead.

AFP - Sri Lankan Premier Mahinda Rajapakse has a marginal lead over his main rival with 50 percent of votes counted in a presidential ballot boycotted by the minority Tamils, officials said.