WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American literary idol Kurt Vonnegut, best known for such classic novels as 'Slaughterhouse-Five' and 'Cat's Cradle,' died on Tuesday night in Manhattan at age 84, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A truck bomb killed eight people on a bridge in Baghdad on Thursday and sent several cars plunging into the Tigris River below, Iraqi police said.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Reuters) - China's use of a missile to destroy a satellite in January put vital U.S. national-security satellites at risk, the top U.S. Air Force general said on Wednesday.

AP - A suicide truck bomb exploded on a major bridge in Baghdad early Thursday, collapsing the steel structure and sending cars toppling into the Tigris River below, police and witnesses said.

AP - Kurt Vonnegut, the satirical novelist who captured the absurdity of war and questioned the advances of science in darkly humorous works such as 'Slaughterhouse-Five' and 'Cat's Cradle,' died Wednesday. He was 84.

AP - YouTube, the popular video Web site, wants you to have a little face time with the presidential candidates. Virtually speaking, that is.

AP - The Rutgers' women's basketball team and coach C. Vivian Stringer were scheduled to appear Thursday on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' Thursday as furor continues over remarks made about the team by radio host Don Imus.

Reuters - American literary idol Kurt Vonnegut, best known for such classic novels as "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Cat's Cradle," died on Tuesday night in Manhattan at age 84, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

Reuters - A truck bomb killed eight people on a bridge in Baghdad on Thursday and sent several cars plunging into the Tigris River below, Iraqi police said.

AFP - The US military on Wednesday charged publicly for the first time that Shiite Iranian intelligence agents were supporting Sunni extremists who fight against American-led forces in Iraq.

AP - A suicide truck bomb exploded on a major bridge in Baghdad early Thursday, collapsing the steel structure and sending cars toppling into the Tigris River below, police and witnesses said. At least 10 people were killed.

AP - President Bush remains opposed to easing restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, vowing to veto a measure the Senate hopes will lead to new medical treatments.

AP - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged Japan's parliament on Thursday not to forget Tokyo's wartime aggression even as the two Asian powers mend their strained ties and bolster thriving business relations.

AP - Hundreds of airline flights were grounded Wednesday, a major league baseball game was called and six people were killed in accidents on icy roads as yet another spring snowstorm hit the upper Midwest.

Reuters - American literary idol Kurt Vonnegut, best known for such classic novels as "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Cat's Cradle," died on Tuesday night in Manhattan at age 84, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

AFP - World leaders reacted with horror to the double suicide bombing in Algiers claimed by Al-Qaeda that killed at least 23 people and wounded 160 Wednesday.

AFP - The chief US envoy on North Korea on Thursday pressed Pyongyang to quickly begin to shut down its nuclear reactor -- a key condition of a multilateral deal on ending its atomic weapons programme.

BERLIN (Reuters) - The latest developments with Iran's nuclear program reinforce the case for deploying a missile shield to protect Europe from attacks, German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung told Reuters in an interview.

SEOUL (Reuters) - Money that had been locked up in a Macau bank, which North Korea has been demanding before it starts shutting down a nuclear reactor, is waiting to be picked up, a U.S. envoy said on Thursday.

PRISTINA, Serbia (Reuters) - The popularity of Kosovo's United Nations authorities has hit a two-year low, a U.N. survey said on Thursday, as the mission looks to pull out of the volatile Serbian province by mid-2007.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Climate change could diminish North American water supplies and trigger disputes between the United States and Canada over water reserves already stressed by industry and agriculture, U.N. experts said on Wednesday.

AP - MSNBC said Wednesday it will drop its simulcast of the 'Imus in the Morning' radio program, responding to growing outrage about the radio host's racial slur against the Rutgers women's basketball team.

AP - Afghan security forces clashed with suspected Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan, and a subsequent airstrike in the area left 35 militants dead, an Afghan official said Thursday.

AP - The U.S. and South Korea urged North Korea to move toward dismantling its nuclear weapons programs now that its frozen bank accounts have been freed, pressing the North to meet a Saturday deadline to shut down its nuclear reactor.

AP - Nearly a year after calling the rape accusations he and two Duke lacrosse teammates faced nothing but 'fantastic lies,' David Evans again stood before the cameras and proclaimed his innocence.

AP - Nestle SA announced Thursday that it will buy baby-food maker Gerber Products Co. from pharmaceutical giant Novartis for $5.5 billion, pushing it to No. 1 in the world's baby food market.

AP - The San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators each carried 51 wins into the postseason. If their first playoff game is any indication, they could be in store for a long and riveting series.

Reuters - The latest developments with Iran's nuclear program reinforce the case for deploying a missile shield to protect Europe from attacks, German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung told Reuters in an interview.

Reuters - Money that had been locked up in a Macau bank, which North Korea has been demanding before it starts shutting down a nuclear reactor, is waiting to be picked up, a U.S. envoy said on Thursday.

Reuters - The popularity of Kosovo's United Nations authorities has hit a two-year low, a U.N. survey said on Thursday, as the mission looks to pull out of the volatile Serbian province by mid-2007.

Reuters - Climate change could diminish North American water supplies and trigger disputes between the United States and Canada over water reserves already stressed by industry and agriculture, U.N. experts said on Wednesday.

AFP - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao offered Japan the hand of friendship Thursday in a call to put aside bitter memories of the past that have hobbled relations between the two Asian giants.

AFP - Algeria's prime minister vowed that national elections will go ahead next month despite suicide bombing attacks claimed by Al-Qaeda which killed 24 people and wounded 222 others in the capital.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An explosion rocked a restaurant inside the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad on Thursday and dozens of people were wounded, a Reuters witness said.

SEOUL (Reuters) - China suggested on Thursday the release of North Korean funds blocked in a Macau bank, the trigger for Pyongyang to start shutting a nuclear reactor, was still not quite resolved, but the United States said it was.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Several dozen Taliban guerrillas were killed in an air strike by U.S.-led troops in southern Afghanistan, a provincial official said on Thursday.

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerians angered by the worst bombings in years in the big oil-exporting country voiced fears on Thursday of a possible return to bloody political conflict of the 1990s.

OSLO (Reuters) - Surging use of cars and planes will push up greenhouse gas emissions in coming decades, making the transport sector a black spot in a fight against global warming, according to a draft U.N. report.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he has evidence a BBC reporter abducted in Gaza a month ago is alive and well, the British Broadcasting Corporation's director-general said on Thursday.

AP - A bomb rocked a cafeteria inside Iraq's parliament building in the heavily fortified Green Zone Thursday, and many people were wounded, a parliament official said.

AP - Light snow dusted parts of the upper Midwest on Thursday, a day after a spring storm grounded hundreds of flights, postponed a baseball game and coated roads with ice, leaving six people dead.

Reuters - An explosion rocked the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad on Thursday and dozens of people were wounded, a Reuters witness said.

Reuters - China suggested on Thursday the release of North Korean funds blocked in a Macau bank, the trigger for Pyongyang to start shutting a nuclear reactor, was still not quite resolved, but the United States said it was.

Reuters - Several dozen Taliban guerrillas were killed in an air strike by U.S.-led troops in southern Afghanistan, a provincial official said on Thursday.

Reuters - Algerians angered by the worst bombings in years in the big oil-exporting country voiced fears on Thursday of a possible return to bloody political conflict of the 1990s.

AFP - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao offered Japan the hand of friendship Thursday in a call to put aside bitter memories of the past that have hobbled relations between the two Asian giants.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed three Iraqi lawmakers and wounded dozens of other people while they were having lunch at a restaurant in the parliament building on Thursday, local media and officials said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some White House staff wrote e-mail messages about official business on Republican Party accounts, and some may have been wrongly deleted, the administration said on Wednesday in an embarrassing disclosure tied to the probe into the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.

AP - A bomb exploded in the Iraqi parliament's cafeteria in a stunning assault in the heart of the heavily fortified, U.S.-protected Green Zone Thursday, killing at least two lawmakers and wounding 10 other people.

AP - A federal grand jury indicted a U.S. citizen on charges of joining al-Qaida and conspiring to bomb European tourist resorts and U.S. government facilities and military bases overseas.

AP - The magic finally ran out for Haley Scarnato on 'American Idol.' And the Sanjaya phenomenon continues.

AP - Roberto Luongo made 72 saves before Henrik Sedin scored 18:06 into the fourth overtime to lift the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars in the opening game of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night.

Reuters - A suicide bomber killed two Iraqi lawmakers and wounded dozens of other people at a restaurant in parliament on Thursday while lawmakers were having lunch, officials and local media said.

Reuters - Surging use of cars and planes will push up greenhouse gas emissions in coming decades, making the transport sector a black spot in a fight against global warming, according to a draft U.N. report.

AFP - Algeria reeled Thursday from the aftershock of two suicide bombings that killed at least 33 people and fuelled fears of an increasingly powerful Al-Qaeda front in the North Africa region.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Radio host Don Imus hinted on Thursday his days on the airwaves may be numbered after a 30-year career that erupted in controversy over racist and sexist comments about a women's college basketball team.

CINCINNATI (Reuters) - An Ohio man suspected of joining al Qaeda and conspiring to bomb targets in Europe and the United States has been indicted and will appear in court on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said on Thursday he made 'a mistake for which I am sorry' over his handling of the promotion and pay increase of a staff member, Shaha Riza, whom he is dating.

AP - A suspected suicide bomber blew himself up in the Iraqi parliament cafeteria in a stunning assault in the heart of the heavily fortified, U.S.-protected Green Zone Thursday, killing at least eight people, the American military spokesman said.

AP - Kurt Vonnegut mixed the bitter and funny with a touch of the profound in books such as 'Slaughterhouse-Five,' 'Cat's Cradle,' and 'Hocus Pocus.'

AP - A federal grand jury indicted a U.S. citizen on charges of joining al-Qaida and conspiring to bomb European tourist resorts and U.S. government facilities and military bases overseas.

AP - Don Imus raised nearly $1 million in the first five hours of his annual radio charity fundraiser Thursday, but it was only by voice — MSNBC pulled the plug on his talk show's television simulcast amid the uproar over his racial slur.

AP - U.S.-led coalition and Afghan security forces clashed with suspected Taliban insurgents Thursday in southern Afghanistan and called in an airstrike that killed at least 35 militants, officials said.

Reuters - A suicide bomber killed three Iraqi lawmakers at a cafe in the parliament building on Thursday in the most serious breach of security in the heavily fortified Green Zone since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Reuters - Radio host Don Imus hinted on Thursday his days on the airwaves may be numbered after a 30-year career that erupted in controversy over racist and sexist comments about a women's college basketball team.

Reuters - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said on Thursday he made "a mistake for which I am sorry" over his handling of the promotion and pay increase of a staff member, Shaha Riza, whom he is dating.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed eight people in the Iraqi parliament on Thursday, slipping through multiple checkpoints in a brazen strike that challenged a major U.S.-backed security crackdown in Baghdad.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Contaminated pet food is still being sold at some stores, U.S. health officials warned on Thursday after checking hundreds of retail outlets.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kurt Vonnegut, whose dark, satirical vision in works including 'Slaughterhouse-Five' and 'Cat's Cradle' was shaped by the horrors he witnessed during World War II, has died at age 84.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional panel investigating the firing of federal prosecutors authorized subpoenas on Thursday for e-mails the White House has declared may be missing.

AP - Roadside bombs struck two NATO convoys in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday and killed two soldiers hours after an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition killed at least 35 militants in the south, officials said.

Reuters - A suicide bomber killed eight people in the Iraqi parliament on Thursday, slipping through multiple checkpoints in a brazen strike that challenged a major U.S.-backed security crackdown in Baghdad.

Reuters - Contaminated pet food is still being sold at some stores, U.S. health officials warned on Thursday after checking hundreds of retail outlets.

Reuters - An Ohio man suspected of joining al Qaeda and conspiring to bomb targets in Europe and the United States has been indicted and will appear in court on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Reuters - Kurt Vonnegut, whose dark, satirical vision in works including "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Cat's Cradle" was shaped by the horrors he witnessed during World War II, has died at age 84.

MIAMI (Reuters) - The nephew of confessed September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed acknowledged sending more than $100,000 to one of the hijackers who crashed a plane into the World Trade Center, according to a Pentagon transcript released on Thursday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Jurors at the fraud trial of toppled newspaper tycoon Conrad Black heard on Thursday that Hollinger executives relied on the advice of outside lawyers and accountants for how to account for the payments they made to themselves.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said on Thursday he made 'a mistake for which I am sorry' over his handling of the promotion and pay increase of his girlfriend and staffer Shaha Riza.

AP - Researchers have decoded genetic material from a 68 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex, an unprecedented step once thought impossible.

Reuters - The nephew of confessed September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed acknowledged sending more than $100,000 to one of the hijackers who crashed a plane into the World Trade Center, according to a Pentagon transcript released on Thursday.

Reuters - Jurors at the fraud trial of toppled newspaper tycoon Conrad Black heard on Thursday that Hollinger executives relied on the advice of outside lawyers and accountants for how to account for the payments they made to themselves.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Radio host Don Imus was dumped by CBS Radio on Thursday in an inglorious end to a 30-year career that erupted in controversy over racist and sexist comments about a women's college basketball team.

AP - CBS fired Don Imus from his radio show Thursday, the finale to a stunning fall for one of the nation's most prominent broadcasters.

AP - The local prosecutor who charged three Duke lacrosse players with raping a stripper apologized to the athletes Thursday and said the North Carolina attorney general's decision to drop the case was right.

AP - A painkiller proposed as a successor to Vioxx should not be approved, a panel of federal health advisers recommended Thursday.

AP - Researchers have decoded proteins from a 68 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex, the oldest such material ever found. The unprecedented step, once thought impossible, adds new weight to the idea that today's birds are descendants of the mighty dinosaurs.

AP - Heather Locklear and Richie Sambora are officially divorced. The pair's split was finalized Wednesday in documents filed in Superior Court.

AP - Travis Hafner hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning as the Cleveland Indians beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 on Thursday, sending Cleveland back to Jacobs Field with a victory in their homestand away from home.

Reuters - Radio host Don Imus was dumped by CBS Radio on Thursday in an inglorious end to a 30-year career that erupted in controversy over racist and sexist comments about a women's college basketball team.

AFP - Algerian authorities on Thursday ordered tougher security in cities after two suicide bomb attacks that killed at least 33 people.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was in a serious hit-and-run automobile accident near the gambling center of Atlantic City, according to Breaking News Network.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Contaminated dog and cat food is still being sold at some U.S. stores and more products could be added to the widening recall, a top health official told lawmakers on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz admitted on Thursday he made a mistake and apologized for his handling of the promotion and pay increase of his girlfriend and staffer Shaha Riza.

AP - Oklahoma City finally got its moment on the big stage of pro sports. In not too long, however, all that will be left will be some NBA memories.

Reuters - Radio host Don Imus was dumped by CBS Radio on Thursday in an inglorious end to a 30-year career that erupted in controversy over racist and sexist comments about a women's college basketball team.

Reuters - New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was in a serious hit-and-run automobile accident near the gambling center of Atlantic City, according to local news reports, which said he broke his leg.

Reuters - Contaminated dog and cat food is still being sold at some U.S. stores and more products could be added to the widening recall, a top health official told lawmakers on Thursday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky said he is planning a revolution in Russia to topple President Vladimir Putin, in comments published on Friday.

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine broke his leg in a hit-and-run automobile accident en route to a meeting with embattled radio host Don Imus and the Rutgers University women's basketball team, a spokesman said on Thursday.

AP - Nibbles the elephant seal is defying his tame nickname by killing smaller seals, menacing a kayaker and chomping on a surfer and a dog on the northern California coast.

AP - Masters champion Zach Johnson says he came to the Verizon Heritage to win. Johnson's tired play Thursday showed otherwise.

Reuters - Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky said he is planning a revolution in Russia to topple President Vladimir Putin, in comments published on Friday.

Reuters - New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine broke his leg in a hit-and-run automobile accident en route to a meeting with embattled radio host Don Imus and the Rutgers University women's basketball team, a spokesman said on Thursday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has offered no explanation why it has not claimed the unfrozen offshore funds it insisted be released before shutting down its nuclear reactor, South Korea's foreign minister said on Friday.

AP - Don Imus' racist remarks got him fired by CBS on Thursday, the finale to a stunning fall for one of the nation's most prominent broadcasters.

AP - Chris Drury and Brian Campbell each scored two goals, helping the top-seeded Buffalo Sabres open the playoffs with an efficient 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders in their Eastern Conference series Thursday night.

Reuters - North Korea has offered no explanation why it has not claimed the unfrozen offshore funds it insisted be released before shutting down its nuclear reactor, South Korea's foreign minister said on Friday.