UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Ambassadors from six major powers reached a tentative deal on imposing sanctions on Iran that they hope to introduce to the 15-nation U.N. Security Council on Thursday, providing their governments agree.

BEIJING (Reuters) - The end of a probe into North Korean banking activities has opened the way for progress in scrapping Pyongyang's nuclear weapons, the United States said on Thursday, as envoys converged on Beijing for new negotiations.

AP - Banana company Chiquita Brands International said Wednesday it has agreed to a $25 million fine after admitting it paid terrorists for protection in a volatile farming region of Colombia.

AP - Gunshots were fired outside a strip of restaurants and bars near New York University on Wednesday night, and two volunteer police officers and their shooter were killed, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

AP - When the second overtime began in a game that already had plenty of thrills, Amare Stoudemire was ready to settle things. So he went to the basket. Hard. Between points and fouls that got Dallas Mavericks starters disqualified, Stoudemire's strong start got the Phoenix Suns going toward a 129-127 victory Wednesday night in a tense, thrilling game between the league's two best teams.

Reuters - Ambassadors from six major powers reached a tentative deal on imposing sanctions on Iran that they hope to introduce to the 15-nation U.N. Security Council on Thursday, providing their governments agree.

Reuters - The end of a probe into North Korean banking activities has opened the way for progress in scrapping Pyongyang's nuclear weapons, the United States said on Thursday, as envoys converged on Beijing for new negotiations.

AFP - The diplomatic drive to end North Korea's nuclear weapons programme gained pace Thursday after Washington moved to clear a major stumbling block and the UN's chief atomic inspector visited Pyongyang.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Major powers reached broad agreement on Wednesday on a package of U.N. sanctions against Iran for its nuclear programs but a vote in the Security Council is not expected until next week.

SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean soldier may be a U.S. military deserter after he left his U.S. base and joined the South Korean army, apparently to avoid a tour of duty in Iraq, the defense ministry in Seoul said on Thursday.

AP - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed cemented his position as al-Qaida's most ambitious operational planner when he confessed in a U.S. military tribunal to planning and supporting 31 terrorist attacks, topped by 9/11, that killed thousands of innocent victims since the early 1990s.

AP - Suspected communist rebels armed with rifles, hand grenades and petrol bombs attacked a police post in the jungles of eastern India on Thursday, killing at least 49 officers, police said.

AP - House Democrats confidently predicted they can pass a bill to end the Iraq war before September 2008, even as their counterparts in the Senate struggle just to get their war debate off the ground.

AP - A gunman shot and killed a pizza parlor employee and two unarmed volunteer police officers who pursued him, then was shot to death by other officers in a series of shootings in a crowded Manhattan neighborhood Wednesday, the mayor said.

AP - Forget March Madness. Phoenix and Dallas played a game that belonged in late May. Steve Nash played like an MVP down the stretch and Amare Stoudemire had 41 points and 10 rebounds, carrying the Suns to a 129-127 double-overtime victory over the Mavericks on Wednesday night in a tense, thrilling game between the NBA's top teams.

Reuters - Major powers reached broad agreement on Wednesday on a package of U.N. sanctions against Iran for its nuclear programs but a vote in the Security Council is not expected until next week.

Reuters - A South Korean soldier may be a U.S. military deserter after he left his U.S. base and joined the South Korean army, apparently to avoid a tour of duty in Iraq, the defense ministry in Seoul said on Thursday.

AFP - Top Al-Qaeda operative Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has confessed to plotting the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States at a closed-door US military hearing, according to a transcript released Wednesday.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday dismissed any new U.N sanctions resolution as 'a torn piece of paper' that would not stop Tehran's nuclear work, a local news agency reported.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe on Thursday accused opposition supporters of stepping up violence against the government, amid rising world condemnation of President Robert Mugabe's latest political crackdown.

BERLIN (Reuters) - The decision to build a U.S. anti-missile shield in eastern Europe cannot be a bilateral one, especially when the decision will have consequences for other European states, a senior German official said on Thursday.

AP - A gunman rampaged through a strip of restaurants and bars in a trendy Manhattan neighborhood, killing a pizzeria employee and two unarmed volunteer police officers before other officers shot him to death, the mayor said.

Reuters - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday dismissed any new U.N sanctions resolution as "a torn piece of paper" that would not stop Tehran's nuclear work, a local news agency reported.

Reuters - Zimbabwe on Thursday accused opposition supporters of stepping up violence against the government, amid rising world condemnation of President Robert Mugabe's latest political crackdown.

Reuters - The decision to build a U.S. anti-missile shield in eastern Europe cannot be a bilateral one, especially when the decision will have consequences for other European states, a senior German official said on Thursday.

AFP - Top Al-Qaeda operative Khalid Sheikh Mohammed confessed to plotting the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the US at a closed-door military hearing, according to an edited transcript released by the Pentagon Wednesday.

AFP - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Thursday that he was confident of a rapid release from hospital as he awaited results of a brain scan for a suspected fractured skull sustained in custody.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday dismissed any new U.N. sanctions resolution as 'a torn piece of paper' that would not stop Tehran's nuclear work, the official IRNA news agency reported.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded as a bus carrying state employees passed by in a town south of Baghdad on Thursday, killing six people, as a Pentagon report said sectarian violence was the greatest security threat in Iraq.

BEIJING (Reuters) - A rift opened between the United States and China on Thursday on how to end a dispute about North Korean bank accounts, with China angry over a U.S. decision it said might harm talks to end Pyongyang's nuclear threat.

BERLIN (Reuters) - The United States is open to European demands that a missile shield system it plans to deploy in Poland and the Czech Republic be brought under NATO, the top U.S. missile defense official said on Thursday.

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh gave President Mahmoud Abbas an agreed list of ministers in a new unity government on Thursday after weeks of haggling between their rival factions.

AP - Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Thursday presented the list of ministers in his new Cabinet to President Mahmoud Abbas, concluding the formation of a new coalition that Palestinian factions hope will lead the government out of international isolation.

AP - U.S. stock futures rose moderately Thursday ahead of the release of a key government reading on inflation at the wholesale level.

Reuters - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday dismissed any new U.N. sanctions resolution as "a torn piece of paper" that would not stop Tehran's nuclear work, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Reuters - A car bomb exploded as a bus carrying state employees passed by in a town south of Baghdad on Thursday, killing six people, as a Pentagon report said sectarian violence was the greatest security threat in Iraq.

Reuters - A rift opened between the United States and China on Thursday on how to end a dispute about North Korean bank accounts, with China angry over a U.S. decision it said might harm talks to end Pyongyang's nuclear threat.

Reuters - The United States is open to European demands that a missile shield system it plans to deploy in Poland and the Czech Republic be brought under NATO, the top U.S. missile defense official said on Thursday.

Reuters - Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh gave President Mahmoud Abbas an agreed list of ministers in a new unity government on Thursday after weeks of haggling between their rival factions.

AFP - Top Al-Qaeda operative Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has admitted masterminding the September 11 attacks on the United States and a host of other plots, the Pentagon said.

AFP - Palestinians unveiled a new unity government on Thursday that they hope will stop months of deadly factional violence and end a crippling international aid boycott.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday dismissed any new U.N. sanctions resolution as 'a torn piece of paper' that would not stop Tehran's nuclear work, the official IRNA news agency reported.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush voiced lukewarm confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Wednesday, shortly before a conservative lawmaker became the first Republican in Congress to urge Bush to fire him.

LONDON (Reuters) - The widow of a British soldier mistakenly killed by a U.S. air strike in Iraq pleaded on Thursday for Washington to declassify a page of a U.S. report into his death.

BEIJING (Reuters) - A rift opened between the United States and China on Thursday on how to end a dispute about North Korean bank accounts, with China angry over a U.S. decision it said might harm talks to end Pyongyang's nuclear threat.

AP - Inflation at the wholesale level surged in February, pushed higher by a big jump in energy prices and the largest increase in food costs in more than three years.

AP - The rival Hamas and Fatah movements formed a long-elusive unity government Thursday, hoping to end bloody infighting and lead the Palestinians out of yearlong international isolation. Israel immediately said, however, that it would not deal with the new government.

AP - A gunman with a fake beard and carrying 100 rounds of ammunition fatally shot a pizzeria employee and two unarmed volunteer police officers in trendy Greenwich Village before other officers shot him to death, the mayor said Thursday.

AP - The NCAA men's basketball tournament gets under way in earnest today with 16 first-round games on the opening-day schedule. North Carolina, the top seed in the East, is in action against Eastern Kentucky tonight. Ohio State, the top seed in the South, plays Central Connecticut State also at night.

Reuters - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday dismissed any new U.N. sanctions resolution as "a torn piece of paper" that would not stop Tehran's nuclear work, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Reuters - President Bush voiced lukewarm confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Wednesday, shortly before a conservative lawmaker became the first Republican in Congress to urge Bush to fire him.

Reuters - The widow of a British soldier mistakenly killed by a U.S. air strike in Iraq pleaded on Thursday for Washington to declassify a page of a U.S. report into his death.

Reuters - A rift opened between the United States and China on Thursday on how to end a dispute about North Korean bank accounts, with China angry over a U.S. decision it said might harm talks to end Pyongyang's nuclear threat.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Ambassadors from six major powers announced an agreement on Thursday to impose new sanctions on Iran for its nuclear programs and sent the text to the 15-nation U.N. Security Council for a vote.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top al Qaeda suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said he beheaded U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, according to the transcript of a hearing at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp released on Thursday.

HARARE (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe on Thursday told Western countries to 'go hang' after international outrage over charges his government assaulted the main opposition leader in police detention.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Four car bombs, two of them in Baghdad, killed 16 people in Iraq on Thursday as a U.S. commander said a security crackdown in the capital was reducing casualties from the weapon of choice of insurgents.

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday accepted a ministerial list proposed by Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, paving the way for a unity government that could end bloody factional violence.

AP - Suspected 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed confessed to the beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl and a central role in 30 other attacks and plots in the U.S. and worldwide that killed thousands of victims, said a revised transcript released Thursday by the U.S. military.

AP - Determined to end the war in Iraq, House Democrats advanced legislation Thursday setting a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal despite opposition from Republicans as well as a veto threat from the White House.

AP - The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday cleared the way for subpoenas compelling five Justice Department officials and six of the U.S. attorneys they fired to tell the story of the purge that has prompted demands for the ouster of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

AP - Six world powers agreed Thursday on a package of new sanctions against Iran that include an embargo on arms exports and financial restrictions on more individuals and companies associated with Tehran's nuclear and missile programs, many linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

AP - A college baseball coach injured in a bus crash that killed five of his players and injured 28 was released from the hospital Thursday, and said the hardest part was not being able to be with his close-knit team to help them grieve.

AP - Heather Mills says she is the victim of a campaign of vilification by the press as she divorces Paul McCartney.

Reuters - Ambassadors from six major powers announced an agreement on Thursday to impose new sanctions on Iran for its nuclear programs and sent the text to the 15-nation U.N. Security Council for a vote.

Reuters - Top al Qaeda suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said he beheaded U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, according to the transcript of a hearing at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp released on Thursday.

Reuters - President Robert Mugabe on Thursday told Western countries to "go hang" after international outrage over charges his government assaulted the main opposition leader in police detention.

Reuters - Four car bombs, two of them in Baghdad, killed 16 people in Iraq on Thursday as a U.S. commander said a security crackdown in the capital was reducing casualties from the weapon of choice of insurgents.

Reuters - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday accepted a ministerial list proposed by Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, paving the way for a unity government that could end bloody factional violence.

AFP - Six major powers have agreed on a draft UN resolution to tighten sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment, the Russian and British UN ambassadors said Thursday.

AFP - A defiant Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe told his critics of his government to "go hang" themselves on Thursday in his first response to the arrest and assault of opposition chief Morgan Tsvangirai.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Six major powers announced an agreement on Thursday to impose new U.N. sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed the initiative would not sway his country.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic plan to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by September 1, 2008, was approved by a key committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The al Qaeda suspect who claimed responsibility for the September 11 attacks also said he beheaded U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, according to a Pentagon transcript released on Thursday.

BOCA RATON, Florida (Reuters) - Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Thursday there was a risk that rising defaults in subprime mortgage markets could spill over into other economic sectors.

HARARE (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe on Thursday told Western countries to 'go hang' after a barrage of international criticism over charges his government assaulted Zimbabwe's main opposition leader while in police detention.

BEIJING (Reuters) - A rift opened between the United States and China on Thursday on how to end a dispute about North Korean bank accounts, with China angered by a U.S. decision it said might harm talks to end Pyongyang's nuclear threat.

AP - A Democratic plan to require the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq passed its first test on Thursday as the House Appropriations Committee voted to endorse the proposal, overcoming Republican opposition.

AP - If you've worked for long, you've probably had a boss or co-worker who was a complete, flaming jerk.

Reuters - Six major powers announced an agreement on Thursday to impose new U.N. sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed the initiative would not sway his country.

Reuters - A Democratic plan to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by September 1, 2008, was approved by a key committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday.

Reuters - The al Qaeda suspect who claimed responsibility for the September 11 attacks also said he beheaded U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, according to a Pentagon transcript released on Thursday.

Reuters - President Robert Mugabe on Thursday told Western countries to "go hang" after a barrage of international criticism over charges his government assaulted Zimbabwe's main opposition leader while in police detention.

Reuters - A rift opened between the United States and China on Thursday on how to end a dispute about North Korean bank accounts, with China angered by a U.S. decision it said might harm talks to end Pyongyang's nuclear threat.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic plan calling for withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq by March 31, 2008, failed to pass the U.S. Senate on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A spacecraft orbiting Mars has scanned huge deposits of water ice at its south pole so plentiful they would blanket the planet in 36 feet of water if they were liquid, scientists said on Thursday.

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban leader Fidel Castro is recovering well and taking part in major government decisions, the head of Cuba's legislature said on Thursday.

AP - Democrats aggressively challenged President Bush's Iraq policy at both ends of the Capitol on Thursday, gaining House committee approval for a troop withdrawal deadline of Sept. 1, 2008, but suffering defeat in the Senate on a less sweeping plan to end U.S. participation in the war.

AP - Fidel Castro will be in 'perfect shape' to run for re-election to parliament next spring, the first step toward securing yet another term as Cuba's president, National Assembly head Ricardo Alarcon said Thursday.

AP - Israeli police said Thursday they were deciding whether to charge two bodyguards in a scuffle with photographers during Leonardo DiCaprio's visit to the Western Wall earlier this week.

AP - Stocks managed a moderately advance Thursday, staying afloat as signs of strength in corporate takeover activity, jobs and overseas markets allowed investors to stomach a sharp rise in wholesale inflation.

AP - Sean Marshall and Boston College were in a tight game. Fortunately for them, they didn't get tight against Bob Knight's team. The senior responded by scoring 15 of his 21 points in the second half to help the Eagles rally for an 84-75 win Thursday that knocked Knight and his Red Raiders out of the NCAA tournament.

Reuters - A Democratic plan calling for withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq by March 31, 2008, failed to pass the U.S. Senate on Thursday.

Reuters - Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Thursday there was a risk that rising defaults in subprime mortgage markets could spill over into other economic sectors.

Reuters - A spacecraft orbiting Mars has scanned huge deposits of water ice at its south pole so plentiful they would blanket the planet in 36 feet of water if they were liquid, scientists said on Thursday.

Reuters - Cuban leader Fidel Castro is recovering well and taking part in major government decisions, the head of Cuba's legislature said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic plan to withdraw American combat troops from Iraq by next year passed a key test in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, but the Senate failed to impose a similar deadline for ending the 4-year-old war.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The al Qaeda suspect who claimed responsibility for the September 11 attacks also said he beheaded U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, according to a Pentagon transcript released on Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine charged with murdering 18 unarmed civilians in Haditha, Iraq, said in an interview with CBS's '60 Minutes' he regretted the deaths but would make the same decisions today.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Unlike many borrowers who took out subprime loans, Andy Sobel had good credit, a decent job and modest savings, but he needed to stretch to buy a home in the white-hot San Diego housing market in 2004.

IXIMCHE, Guatemala (Reuters) - Mayan priests spiritually 'cleansed' a Guatemalan religious site with incense and candles on Thursday after a visit earlier this week by President Bush.

AP - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's capture four years ago didn't shut down al-Qaida or bring the Americans to Osama bin Laden. But if his mega-confession is to be believed, his arrest was a crushing blow to bin Laden's plans for even more deadly attacks in the wake of 9/11.

AP - Iran's U.N. Mission sent a letter to the Security Council president Thursday officially requesting permission for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak during its discussion on imposing new sanctions on Tehran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment, a council diplomat said.

AP - A 6-year-old boy who vanished a week ago while playing near his trailer-park home was found slain Thursday after a registered sex offender and three other neighbors stymied investigators for days with conflicting stories of the youngster's fate.

AP - The baby mummy had a European mom, and likely came from a wealthy family. But where he lived and why he died — and at such a young age — remain a mystery. The mummy, exhibited for the first time Thursday at the Saint Louis Science Center, has been the year-long focus of an international team of investigators. The museum said it may be the most extensive research project ever undertaken on a child mummy.

AP - Simon Cowell says he's bigger than The Boss. In an interview to air Sunday on CBS' '60 Minutes,' the 'American Idol' judge says he's worth five times more to Sony BMG than Bruce Springsteen.

AP - Bowie Kuhn, whose 15 tumultuous years as baseball commissioner coincided with free agency and multimillion-dollar salaries, died Thursday. He was 80. Kuhn died at St. Luke's Hospital following a short illness, his spokesman Bob Wirz said.

Reuters - A Democratic plan to withdraw American combat troops from Iraq by next year passed a key test in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, but the Senate failed to impose a similar deadline for ending the 4-year-old war.

Reuters - The al Qaeda suspect who claimed responsibility for the September 11 attacks also said he beheaded U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, according to a Pentagon transcript released on Thursday.

Reuters - A U.S. Marine charged with murdering 18 unarmed civilians in Haditha, Iraq, said in an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" he regretted the deaths but would make the same decisions today.

Reuters - Unlike many borrowers who took out subprime loans, Andy Sobel had good credit, a decent job and modest savings, but he needed to stretch to buy a home in the white-hot San Diego housing market in 2004.

Reuters - Mayan priests spiritually "cleansed" a Guatemalan religious site with incense and candles on Thursday after a visit earlier this week by President Bush.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic plan to withdraw American combat troops from Iraq by next year passed a key test in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, but the Senate failed to impose a similar deadline for ending the 4-year-old war.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Major powers announced an agreement on Thursday to impose new U.N. arms and financial sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, and a defiant Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked to address the U.N. Security Council on the issue.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Iraq advocated a mix of 'pressure and engagement' on Thursday to persuade countries like Iran and Syria to help quell the violence in Iraq as a roadside bomb killed four U.S. soldiers.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said on Thursday the panel will hold a hearing to look into the crisis in the subprime section of the U.S. mortgage market.

AP - White House political adviser Karl Rove raised questions in early 2005 about replacing some federal prosecutors but allowing others to stay, an e-mail released Thursday shows. The one-page document, which spans e-mails between the White House and the Justice Department in January 2005, also indicates Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was considering a range of options in dismissing U.S. attorneys early in President Bush's second term.

AP - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's claims that he was responsible for dozens of successful, foiled and imagined attacks in the past 15 years relies on a loose definition of the word 'responsible.' Officials say the 9/11 mastermind was key to some plots but a bit player in others.

AP - Bowie Kuhn, the bespectacled lawyer who oversaw baseball's transformation from sport to a business of free agents with multimillion-dollar contracts, died Thursday. He was 80.

Reuters - A Democratic plan to withdraw American combat troops from Iraq by next year passed a key test in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, but the Senate failed to impose a similar deadline for ending the 4-year-old war.

Reuters - Major powers announced an agreement on Thursday to impose new U.N. arms and financial sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, and a defiant Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked to address the U.N. Security Council on the issue.

Reuters - The U.S. ambassador to Iraq advocated a mix of "pressure and engagement" on Thursday to persuade countries like Iran and Syria to help quell the violence in Iraq as a roadside bomb killed four U.S. soldiers.

Reuters - U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said on Thursday the panel will hold a hearing to look into the crisis in the subprime section of the U.S. mortgage market.

AFP - The parents of murdered US journalist Daniel Pearl said Thursday it was "impossible to know" if alleged terrorist mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was the man who had beheaded their son.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic plan to withdraw American combat troops from Iraq by next year passed a key test in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, but the Senate failed to impose a similar deadline for ending the 4-year-old war.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Major powers announced an agreement on Thursday to impose new U.N. arms and financial sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, and a defiant Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked to address the U.N. Security Council on the issue.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A second congressional Republican on Thursday recommended U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales be replaced in the wake of a political firestorm for the firings of eight federal prosecutors.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Takafumi Horie, the 34-year-old Internet entrepreneur who rattled corporate Japan with his celebrity lifestyle and brash takeover bids, was found guilty and sentenced to two years and six months in jail on Friday for his role in a securities fraud at his former company Livedoor.

AP - Fidel Castro will be in 'perfect shape' to run for re-election to parliament next spring, the first step toward securing yet another term as Cuba's president, National Assembly head Ricardo Alarcon said Thursday.

AP - A 6-year-old boy who vanished a week ago while playing near his trailer-park home was found slain Thursday after a registered sex offender and three other suspects stymied investigators for days with conflicting stories of the youngster's fate.

AP - Brad Delp, the lead singer for the band Boston who killed himself last week, left behind a note in which he called himself 'a lonely soul,' according to police reports released Thursday.

AP - Duke's done. Eric Maynor hit a 15-foot jumper with 1.8 seconds left to give Virginia Commonwealth a 79-77 upset victory over the Blue Devils in the first round of the NCAA tournament Thursday night. Maynor finished with 22 points, six in the final 1:24.

Reuters - A Democratic plan to withdraw American combat troops from Iraq by next year passed a key test in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, but the Senate failed to impose a similar deadline for ending the 4-year-old war.

Reuters - Major powers announced an agreement on Thursday to impose new U.N. arms and financial sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, and a defiant Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked to address the U.N. Security Council on the issue.

Reuters - A second congressional Republican on Thursday recommended U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales be replaced in the wake of a political firestorm for the firings of eight federal prosecutors.

Reuters - Takafumi Horie, the 34-year-old Internet entrepreneur who rattled corporate Japan with his celebrity lifestyle and brash takeover bids, was found guilty and sentenced to two years and six months in jail on Friday for his role in a securities fraud at his former company Livedoor.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Nuclear negotiators gathering in Beijing will turn their attention to implementing a disarmament agreement with North Korea, the chief U.S. envoy said on Friday, seeking to bury a rift with China.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The al Qaeda suspect who claimed responsibility for the September 11 attacks also said he beheaded U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, according to a Pentagon transcript released on Thursday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Nine percent of U.S. employers in a poll by a health consulting firm said they plan to offer only one health insurance option next year -- a high-deductible policy that may encourage workers to skimp on care.

AP - A 300-foot stretch of an elevated railroad trestle caught fire and partially collapsed Thursday evening, sending a dramatic wall of thick, black smoke thousands of feet into the air.

AP - FBI agents raided the North American headquarters of Japan's All Nippon Airways on Thursday, authorities said.

AP - First George Mason, now Duke. Virginia Commonwealth sophomore guard Eric Maynor sure has a flair for dramatics in big games. Maynor hit a 15-foot jumper with 1.8 seconds left in the Rams' 79-77 upset victory over the Blue Devils on Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

AP - Actor-comedian Sinbad had the last laugh after his Wikipedia entry announced he was dead, the performer said Thursday. Rumors began circulating Saturday regarding the posting, said Sinbad, who first got a telephone call from his daughter. The gossip quieted, but a few days later the 50-year-old entertainer said the phone calls, text messages and e-mails started pouring in by the hundreds.

Reuters - Nuclear negotiators gathering in Beijing will turn their attention to implementing a disarmament agreement with North Korea, the chief U.S. envoy said on Friday, seeking to bury a rift with China.

Reuters - The al Qaeda suspect who claimed responsibility for the September 11 attacks also said he beheaded U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, according to a Pentagon transcript released on Thursday.

AFP - A Japanese court Friday sentenced disgraced Internet tycoon Takafumi Horie to two and a half years in prison over a fraud scandal that rocked his once high-flying Livedoor firm.