JAKARTA (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in Jakarta received a bomb threat on Thursday relayed by police, an embassy spokesman said.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Top White House candidates unveiled their own YouTube video channels on Thursday, pushing the 18-month-old Web video-sharing site even farther into the U.S. political mainstream.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New drugs may not work much better overall than older drugs to treat schizophrenia, but two studies published on Thursday show doctors may be able to find ways to give patients the best alternative treatment sooner.

AP - The U.N. human rights chief expressed concern Wednesday at recent U.S. legislative and judicial actions that she said leave hundreds of detainees without any way to challenge their indefinite imprisonment.

AP - Mike Jones scored 25 points and D.J. Strawberry had a pair of baskets during the decisive second-half spurt Wednesday night to lead No. 24 Maryland past No. 14 Duke 85-77.

Reuters - Top White House candidates unveiled their own YouTube video channels on Thursday, pushing the 18-month-old Web video-sharing site even farther into the U.S. political mainstream.

Reuters - New drugs may not work much better overall than older drugs to treat schizophrenia, but two studies published on Thursday show doctors may be able to find ways to give patients the best alternative treatment sooner.

JAKARTA (Reuters) - A bomb threat against the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta on Thursday was conveyed to authorities by a pair of cell phone text messages signed, 'al Qaeda,' local officials said.

AP - An Australian state has banned the video Web site YouTube from government schools in a crackdown on cyber-bullying, a minister said Thursday.

AP - Jeff Goldblum won a permanent restraining order Wednesday against a woman he claims has stalked him for years and appeared outside his house numerous times.

AP - Maryland is suddenly looking like a team that nobody wants to play in DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Maryland is suddenly looking like a team that nobody wants to play in March.

Reuters - A bomb threat against the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta on Thursday was conveyed to authorities by a pair of cell phone text messages signed, 'al Qaeda,' local officials said.

AFP - Influential Republican Senator John McCain announced Wednesday he will run for the White House in the 2008 race.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Arthur Schlesinger Jr. died of a heart attack in Manhattan on Wednesday night, the New York Times reported on Thursday. He was 89.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Fierce clashes between insurgents and police left at least eight people dead and 11 wounded south of Baghdad on Thursday, police sources said.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry likened U.S. doubts about Chinese defense spending on Thursday to a peeping tom poking through Beijing's underwear, describing the Asian giant as a benign neighbor and force for peace.

AP - A U.S. Army helicopter made a 'hard landing' in northern Iraq and preliminary reports indicated a mechanical problem, the military said Thursday. The two crew members were injured.

AP - Sgt. James Zboravan was fresh out of the Police Academy ten years ago when he was caught up in an extraordinary gunbattle with bank robbers that nearly killed him and underscored an intensifying arms race between criminals and lawmen.

AP - Think bird flu will become a worldwide threat this summer? Wanna put some money on that?

AP - Major Asian stock markets retreated for a third session Thursday amid persistent unease about the global economy despite an overnight rebound on Wall Street that was buttressed by upbeat comments from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Reuters - U.S. historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Arthur Schlesinger Jr. died of a heart attack in Manhattan on Wednesday night, the New York Times reported on Thursday. He was 89.

Reuters - Fierce clashes between insurgents and police left at least eight people dead and 11 wounded south of Baghdad on Thursday, police sources said.

AFP - Republican Senator John McCain announced Wednesday that he will run for the White House in the 2008 race.

AFP - A bomb targeting a provincial police chief's vehicle in western Afghanistan killed two people and wounded 53 Thursday while authorities found the bullet-riddled body of a kidnapped doctor.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Arthur Schlesinger Jr. died of a heart attack in Manhattan on Wednesday night, the New York Times reported on Thursday. He was 89.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday to hold talks on regional issues, an Iranian official said on Thursday.

BEIJING (Reuters) - A senior Iranian diplomat arrived in Beijing on Thursday to discuss Tehran's nuclear standoff as China repeated its position that the conflict should be resolved through negotiation.

AP - North Korea's No. 2 leader pledged his country's commitment Thursday to giving up its nuclear program amid intensifying diplomacy aimed at implementing Pyongyang's pledge to disarm.

AP - Renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who authored the best-selling book, 'A Brief History of Time,' soon will experience a brief history with weightlessness.

AP - Phoenix's undefeated run through the East ended one game short of perfection. Don't make the mistake of believing Shaquille O'Neal's days of dominance are over, too.

Reuters - U.S. historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Arthur Schlesinger Jr. died of a heart attack in Manhattan on Wednesday night, the New York Times reported on Thursday. He was 89.

Reuters - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday to hold talks on regional issues, an Iranian official said on Thursday.

Reuters - A senior Iranian diplomat arrived in Beijing on Thursday to discuss Tehran's nuclear standoff as China repeated its position that the conflict should be resolved through negotiation.

AFP - European shares staged a modest recovery Thursday following an overnight fightback by Wall Street, but jitters remained across Asian stock markets in the wake of the recent global rout.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Arthur Schlesinger Jr. died of a heart attack in Manhattan on Wednesday night, the New York Times reported on Thursday. He was 89.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will make his first official trip to Saudi Arabia, a major U.S. regional ally, on Saturday amid a growing international standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.

ROME (Reuters) - Romano Prodi's victory in a confidence vote has given his center-left government a lease of life but Italy appeared unconvinced on Thursday he can remain prime minister long enough to deliver promised reforms.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea is seeking humanitarian aid at talks with the South, an official said on Thursday, signaling Pyongyang was trying to cash in on a reduction of tensions on the Korean peninsula.

AP - U.S. stocks appeared headed for a sharply lower opening Thursday as skittish investors seemed unimpressed by improved personal income and consumption data and took their cues from falling markets overseas. Futures grew weaker Thursday ahead of release of the economic data. Dow Jones industrials futures were down 89 at 12,185.00; Nasdaq 100 futures fell 27.20 to 1,738.20 and Standard & Poor's 500 futures were down 13.50 at 1,395.40.

AP - The U.N. human rights chief expressed concern Wednesday at recent U.S. legislative and judicial actions that she said leave hundreds of detainees without any way to challenge their indefinite imprisonment.

Reuters - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will make his first official trip to Saudi Arabia, a major U.S. regional ally, on Saturday amid a growing international standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.

AP - Apparently believing that what's good once is even better twice, Republican Sen. John McCain announced his candidacy for president during a TV appearance, and then announced he will announce his candidacy again next month.

AP - An attorney challenging the authority of the city's police chief wants the department's police dog to appear in court as an exhibit, because he says the dog and the chief have criminal justice degrees from the same online school.

Reuters - U.S. historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Arthur Schlesinger Jr. died of a heart attack in Manhattan on Wednesday night, the New York Times reported on Thursday. He was 89.

Reuters - Romano Prodi's victory in a confidence vote has given his center-left government a lease of life but Italy appeared unconvinced on Thursday he can remain prime minister long enough to deliver promised reforms.

Reuters - North Korea is seeking humanitarian aid at talks with the South, an official said on Thursday, signaling Pyongyang was trying to cash in on a reduction of tensions on the Korean peninsula.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks dropped on Thursday as gains in the yen raised concern that investors were being forced to unwind risky trades based on borrowing yen, in a repeat of a trend that sparked Tuesday's global market rout.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's president on Saturday makes his first official trip to Saudi Arabia, a U.S. regional ally that is leading a diplomatic drive to curb Tehran's growing influence in Lebanon and Iraq.

OSLO (Reuters) - More than 60 nations started the biggest scientific investigation of the Arctic and Antarctic on Thursday amid new evidence that global warming is thawing polar ice and raising sea levels.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces killed dozens of al Qaeda militants who attacked a village in western Anbar province on Wednesday, during fierce clashes that lasted much of the day, police officials said on Thursday.

VIENNA (Reuters) - Counterfeit medicines, some of them sold over the Internet, are swamping unregulated markets in developing nations with sometimes fatal results, the U.N. drug control watchdog said on Thursday.

AP - Wall Street tried to stage a comeback Thursday, with the Dow Jones industrials erasing much of a 209-point drop after an upbeat assessment of manufacturing activity eased some fears about a flagging U.S. economy. Just before 11:30 a.m. EDT, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 37.25, or 0.30 percent, at 12,231.38.

AP - North Korea's No. 2 leader pledged his country's commitment Thursday to giving up its nuclear program amid intensifying diplomacy aimed at implementing Pyongyang's pledge to disarm.

AP - Hurricane Katrina's damage was so vast that it's hard to estimate when the recovery will be completed, the federal official overseeing the effort said Thursday.

AP - Personal incomes rose in January at the fastest clip in a year, bolstered by bonus payments to high-income executives, but construction activity fell sharply as the nation's housing industry continued to suffer through tough times.

AP - Computer maker Lenovo Inc. on Thursday recalled about 100,000 lithium-ion batteries used in ThinkPad laptops after receiving four reports of the Sanyo-built batteries overheating.

AP - Bobby Brown paid $19,000 in late child support and court fees and was freed after spending three nights in the Norfolk County jail.

AP - Blue Jackets goaltender Pascal Leclaire, limited to 24 games this season because of injuries, will miss the rest of the season with knee problems.

Reuters - Stocks dropped on Thursday as gains in the yen raised concern that investors were being forced to unwind risky trades based on borrowing yen, in a repeat of a trend that sparked Tuesday's global market rout.

Reuters - Iran's president on Saturday makes his first official trip to Saudi Arabia, a U.S. regional ally that is leading a diplomatic drive to curb Tehran's growing influence in Lebanon and Iraq.

Reuters - More than 60 nations started the biggest scientific investigation of the Arctic and Antarctic on Thursday amid new evidence that global warming is thawing polar ice and raising sea levels.

Reuters - Iraqi security forces killed dozens of al Qaeda militants who attacked a village in western Anbar province on Wednesday, during fierce clashes that lasted much of the day, police officials said on Thursday.

AFP - World stock markets plunged again on Thursday as another wave of anxiety spread from investors in Asia to Europe and led to further sharp losses in the United States.

AFP - Senator John McCain was a proven survivor long before he entered the cut-throat world of politics, having endured more than five years in the brutal confines of a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and Iraqi troops will soon launch a major sweep in the Shi'ite militia bastion of Sadr City, military officials said on Thursday, a pivotal moment for the make-or-break security crackdown in Baghdad.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Thursday in the latest leg of a global equities sell-off as investors' diminishing appetite for risk drove them toward safer assets like bonds.

LONG BEACH, Mississippi (Reuters) - President George W. Bush faced new pressure to jump-start the recovery from Hurricane Katrina on Thursday as he toured the Gulf Coast region hit by the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.

AP - A still skittish Wall Street tried to stage a comeback Thursday, with the Dow Jones industrials erasing most of a 209-point drop after an upbeat assessment of manufacturing activity eased some fears of the economy grinding to a halt.

AP - Democrats are considering cutting President Bush's budget $142 billion request for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan next year by $20 billion, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad said Thursday.

Reuters - U.S. and Iraqi troops will soon launch a major sweep in the Shi'ite militia bastion of Sadr City, military officials said on Thursday, a pivotal moment for the make-or-break security crackdown in Baghdad.

Reuters - Stocks fell on Thursday in the latest leg of a global equities sell-off as investors' diminishing appetite for risk drove them toward safer assets like bonds.

Reuters - President George W. Bush faced new pressure to jump-start the recovery from Hurricane Katrina on Thursday as he toured the Gulf Coast region hit by the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.

AFP - Ugandan military officers arrived in Somalia Thursday, the first contingent of an African Union peacekeeping force to be deployed in the war-shattered Horn of Africa nation.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Army's flagship military hospital was removed from his post on Thursday due to problems with the care of troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces killed dozens of al Qaeda militants who attacked a village in western Anbar province on Wednesday, during fierce clashes that lasted much of the day, police officials said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Thursday it charged Australia's only Guantanamo Bay detainee, David Hicks, with providing material support for terrorism and that proceedings would begin in about a month.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Columbine High School in Colorado, scene of the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, was evacuated on Thursday after a bomb threat.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran could be interested in cooperating with the United States to combat al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, a leading U.S. expert on Afghanistan said on Thursday.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah on Thursday denied a U.S. intelligence claim it was training Iraqi militants in Lebanon on how to operate armor-piercing munitions which have been used against U.S. forces in Iraq.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks cut most of the session's losses to trade little changed on Thursday as some investors scoured the market for beaten-down shares following Tuesday's sharp sell-off.

AP - A still skittish Wall Street staged a comeback Thursday, with the Dow Jones industrials erasing almost all of an early 209-point drop after an upbeat assessment of manufacturing activity calmed some fears about the economy grinding to a halt.

AP - Just hours after floating the idea of cutting $20 billion from President Bush's $142 billion request for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan next year, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad was overruled by fellow Democrats Thursday.

AP - North Korea's No. 2 leader reiterated Thursday his country's pledge to abandon its nuclear weapons, as the impoverished nation sought a resumption of aid at its first high-level talks with South Korea since conducting an atomic test.

Reuters - The head of the U.S. Army's flagship military hospital was removed from his post on Thursday due to problems with the care of troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army said.

Reuters - The second big winter storm to hit the central United States in less than a week slammed parts of Nebraska and Iowa with near-blizzard conditions on Thursday and spun off tornadoes that killed a child in Missouri.

Reuters - Iran could be interested in cooperating with the United States to combat al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, a leading U.S. expert on Afghanistan said on Thursday.

Reuters - Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, scene of the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, was evacuated on Thursday after a bomb threat was received, police said.

Reuters - Stocks cut most of the session's losses to trade little changed on Thursday as some investors scoured the market for beaten-down shares following Tuesday's sharp sell-off.

Reuters - Hezbollah on Thursday denied a U.S. intelligence claim it was training Iraqi militants in Lebanon on how to operate armor-piercing munitions which have been used against U.S. forces in Iraq.

AFP - The United States, four European powers and China held telephone talks Thursday on toughening sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt its nuclear programme, the French foreign ministry said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Dozens of loud explosions rocked southern Baghdad in quick succession on Thursday evening, Reuters witnesses said.

ISLAMABAD/KABUL (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces have captured a high-ranking Taliban leader in the southwestern city of Quetta, a senior Pakistani security official and Taliban sources said on Thursday.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - NASA's Cassini spacecraft has snapped never-before-seen images of Saturn showing the planet from perspectives above and below its ring system, the national space agency said on Thursday.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - President George W. Bush faced new pressure to jump-start the recovery from Hurricane Katrina on Thursday as he toured the Gulf Coast region hit by the worst U.S. natural disaster.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists using data from planes flying into a large hurricane have documented changes inside these swirling storms that can quickly alter their intensity, and say these insights can improve forecasting.

AP - The Army on Thursday fired the general in charge of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, saying he was the wrong person to fix embarrassing failures in the treatment of war-injured soldiers that have soiled the institution's reputation as a first-class hospital.

AP - A tornado struck southern Missouri, killing a 7-year-old girl and damaging homes and businesses Thursday, and another apparent twister injured dozens at an Alabama high school, authorities said. Enterprise High School 'appears to have been right in the path,' said Paul Duval, meteorologist with National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Fla., which monitors southeast Alabama.

Reuters - President George W. Bush faced new pressure to jump-start the recovery from Hurricane Katrina on Thursday as he toured the Gulf Coast region hit by the worst U.S. natural disaster.

AP - A Missouri man accused of kidnapping and molesting two boys was indicted Thursday on federal charges he took pornographic pictures and videos of one of the youngsters.

AP - A 2,200-year-old statue of the goddess Hera has been found built into the walls of a city under Mount Olympus, home of Greece's ancient gods, archaeologists said on Thursday. The headless marble statue was discovered last year during excavations in the ruins of ancient Dion, some 53 miles southwest of Thessaloniki.

AP - So you may have heard: Paris Hilton was ticketed the other day for driving with a suspended license. Not huge news, even by celebrity-gossip standards. Here at The Associated Press, we put out an initial item of some 300 words. But it actually meant more to us than that. It meant the end of our experimental blackout on news about Paris Hilton.

AP - A still skittish Wall Street closed modestly lower Thursday, having clawed its way back from an early-session plunge after upbeat manufacturing data allayed fears about a flagging U.S. economy.

AP - Portland Trail Blazers president and general manager Steve Patterson abruptly resigned Thursday with the team in next-to-last place and the owner unwilling to renew his contract.

Reuters - Pakistani security forces have captured a high-ranking Taliban leader in the southwestern city of Quetta, a senior Pakistani security official and Taliban sources said on Thursday.

Reuters - NASA's Cassini spacecraft has snapped never-before-seen images of Saturn showing the planet from perspectives above and below its ring system, the national space agency said on Thursday.

Reuters - The U.S military has charged Australia's only Guantanamo Bay detainee with providing material support for terrorism, and legal proceedings will begin in about a month, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

Reuters - Scientists using data from planes flying into a large hurricane have documented changes inside these swirling storms that can quickly alter their intensity, and say these insights can improve forecasting.

Reuters - Iraqi security forces killed dozens of al Qaeda militants who attacked a village in western Anbar province on Wednesday, during fierce clashes that lasted much of the day, police officials said on Thursday.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) - Tornadoes ripped across the Southern and Midwestern United States on Thursday, killing at least 14 people including eight in the southern Alabama town of Enterprise, emergency management officials said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Major powers made progress on Thursday on agreeing on new sanctions on Iran and hope to have their U.N. ambassadors begin drafting a formal U.N. Security Council resolution next week, a senior U.S. official said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Army's top hospital was removed from his post on Thursday after troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan were found to be living in shoddy conditions and struggling with a complex bureaucracy.

CANBERRA (Reuters) - An Australian detainee facing U.S. terrorism charges, David Hicks, has complained of torture and abuse at the Guantanamo Bay jail in Cuba, Australian media reported on Friday.

AP - Apparent tornadoes killed at least 13 people in Alabama on Thursday, including eight at a high school where students were trapped under a collapsed roof, state officials said. State Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Yasamie Richardson said eight fatalities 'are in relation to the high school but whether they are all students or some students and teachers we're not sure.'

AP - A roadside bomb exploded Thursday alongside the convoy of a prominent Shiite cleric whose high-level political ties have made him the target of past assassination attempts. The imam was not injured, but several bodyguards were wounded.

AP - House Democratic leaders have coalesced around legislation that would require troops to come home from Iraq within six months if that country's leaders fail to meet promises to help reduce violence there, party officials said Thursday.

AP - Chief Executive Warren Buffett said he plans to hire a young investment manager to help succeed him at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. as the insurance giant recorded a 29.2 percent jump in net income in 2006, helped by a lack of hurricanes.

AP - Baseball has some questions for Gary Matthews Jr., too. Major League Baseball officials want more information on allegations the Los Angeles Angels outfielder received human growth hormone from a pharmacy that's part of a widespread steroid investigation.

Reuters - Tornadoes ripped across the Southern and Midwestern United States on Thursday, killing at least 14 people including eight in the southern Alabama town of Enterprise, emergency management officials said.

Reuters - Major powers on Thursday made progress on agreeing on new sanctions on Iran and hope to have their U.N. ambassadors begin drafting a formal U.N. Security Council resolution next week, a senior U.S. official said.

Reuters - The head of the U.S. Army's top hospital was removed from his post on Thursday after troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan were found to be living in shoddy conditions and struggling with a complex bureaucracy.

Reuters - An Australian detainee facing U.S. terrorism charges, David Hicks, has complained of torture and abuse at the Guantanamo Bay jail in Cuba, Australian media reported on Friday.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) - Tornadoes ripped across the Southern and Midwestern United States on Thursday and killed at least 19 people, most of whom had been taking shelter in a high school that collapsed in southern Alabama.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Major powers on Thursday made progress toward agreeing on new sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program and hope to have their U.N. ambassadors begin drafting a formal Security Council resolution next week, a senior U.S. official said.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The likelihood of an above-average Atlantic hurricane season is growing as a Pacific Ocean El Nino system, which drove storms away from the Gulf Coast in 2006, ended in the past few weeks, meteorologists said on Thursday.

AP - Tornadoes ripped through Alabama and killed at least 18 people Thursday, including 15 at a high school where students became pinned under debris when a roof collapsed, state officials said. As night fell, crews dug through piles of rubble beneath portable lights at Enterprise High School, looking for other victims.

AP - House Democratic leaders have coalesced around legislation that would require troops to come home from Iraq within six months if that country's leaders fail to meet promises to help reduce violence there, party officials said Thursday.

AP - Legendary investor Warren Buffett renewed speculation about who will replace him at Berkshire Hathaway Inc., saying Thursday in his annual shareholder letter that he plans to hire at least one young investment manager to help succeed him.

Reuters - Tornadoes ripped across the Southern and Midwestern United States on Thursday and killed at least 19 people, most of whom had been taking shelter in a high school that collapsed in southern Alabama.

Reuters - Major powers on Thursday made progress toward agreeing on new sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program and hope to have their U.N. ambassadors begin drafting a formal Security Council resolution next week, a senior U.S. official said.

Reuters - The likelihood of an above-average Atlantic hurricane season is growing as a Pacific Ocean El Nino system, which drove storms away from the Gulf Coast in 2006, ended in the past few weeks, meteorologists said on Thursday.

Reuters - An unidentified male seeking media attention made several hoax bomb threats on Thursday to Columbine High School, scene of the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, forcing police to evacuate the students.

AFP - Six world powers made progress Thursday in talks on a new UN resolution aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program and could start work on a text next week, the State Department said.

AFP - Australian David Hicks was charged with "material support for terrorism" Thursday, setting the stage for a war crimes trial in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba that has caused strains in US relations with Australia.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) - Tornadoes ripped across the Southern and Midwestern United States on Thursday and killed at least eight people, most of whom had been taking shelter in a high school that collapsed in southern Alabama.

ISLAMABAD/KABUL (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces captured one of the Taliban's three most senior leaders just hours after U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's unannounced visit to Pakistan earlier this week, a senior security official and Taliban sources said.

AP - Tornadoes ripped through Alabama and killed at least seven people Thursday, including five at a high school where students became pinned under debris when a roof collapsed, state officials said.

AP - Two men forced their way into a family's home at gunpoint and stole five dogs, including four purebred Yorkshire terrier puppies advertised for sale in a newspaper, police said Thursday.

AP - Famed undersea explorer Robert Ballard is leading a team of scientists heading into the Gulf of Mexico for a weeklong examination of Texas' ancient shoreline to see if anybody may have lived there.

AP - 'American Idol' viewers squashed the dreams of four more aspiring singers Thursday night, but Antonella Barba, the focus of recent attention over some racy Internet photos, was not one of them.

AP - Dirk Nowitzki scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and LeBron James missed two free throws and two 3-pointers in the final 13.7 seconds, letting the Dallas Mavericks slip by the Cleveland Cavaliers 95-92 Thursday night for their franchise record-tying 14th straight victory.

Reuters - Tornadoes ripped across the Southern and Midwestern United States on Thursday and killed at least eight people, most of whom had been taking shelter in a high school that collapsed in southern Alabama.

Reuters - Pakistani security forces captured one of the Taliban's three most senior leaders just hours after U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's unannounced visit to Pakistan earlier this week, a senior security official and Taliban sources said.