WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medical bills are involved in more than 60 percent of U.S. personal bankruptcies, an increase of 50 percent in just six years, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea will put on trial on Thursday two U.S. journalists it says illegally entered the country with 'hostile intent' in a contentious case that comes as Pyongyang faces international anger for last week's nuclear test.

AP - President Barack Obama has arrived in Egypt hours before giving long-promised speech in Cairo, the ancient seat of Islamic learning and culture.

AP - Two American journalists faced trial Thursday in North Korea on charges of illegal entry and 'hostile acts' in a case that could send them to a labor camp for 10 years, while their families back home pleaded for leniency.

Reuters - Medical bills are involved in more than 60 percent of U.S. personal bankruptcies, an increase of 50 percent in just six years, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.

Reuters - North Korea will put on trial on Thursday two U.S. journalists it says illegally entered the country with 'hostile intent' in a contentious case that comes as Pyongyang faces international anger for last week's nuclear test.

AFP - China imposed a security clampdown to stop any event marking the 20th anniversary of the crushing of the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests, as it faced renewed calls to account for the bloodshed.

AFP - US President Barack Obama headed for Egypt to make a momentous multimedia address to the world's 1.5 billion Muslims, seeking to heal a wide breach between America and Islam.

CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama was in Egypt on Thursday to deliver an address that will be crucial to his efforts to repair U.S. ties with the Muslim world.

AP - Chinese police aggressively deterred dissent on Thursday's 20th anniversary of the crackdown on democracy activists in Tiananmen Square, amid calls by Hillary Clinton and even Taiwan's China-friendly president for Beijing to face up to the 1989 violence.

AP - Government-led bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler are drawing opposition in Congress, where bailout-weary lawmakers want explanations for the billions in more federal aid and the planned shuttering of hundreds of car dealerships.

AP - Two American journalists faced trial Thursday in North Korea on accusations of illegal entry and 'hostile acts' in a case that could send them to a labor camp for 10 years. Back home, their families pleaded for leniency.

AP - Chrysler heads back to bankruptcy court Thursday to ask the judge overseeing its case to allow it to terminate the franchise agreements of 789 of its dealers, despite the protests of many dealers who say the move could shutter their businesses for good.

Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama was in Egypt on Thursday to deliver an address that will be crucial to his efforts to repair U.S. ties with the Muslim world.

AFP - US President Barack Obama arrived in Egypt to make a momentous multimedia address to the world's 1.5 billion Muslims, seeking to heal a wide breach between America and Islam.

CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama discussed efforts to achieve Middle East peace in Egypt on Thursday before making an address that will be crucial to his efforts to repair U.S. ties with Muslims.

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday that talks with Russia aimed at cutting stockpiles of nuclear weapons had made progress, before a July summit between the two countries' presidents.

AP - President Barack Obama called for a 'new beginning between the United States and Muslims' Thursday and said together, they could confront violent extremism across the globe and advance the timeless search for peace in the Middle East.

AP - The Organization of American States cleared the way for Cuba's possible return to the group by lifting a 47-year ban on the communist-run country, a move backed by Washington despite initial objections.

AP - Senators are looking closely at the records and writings of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, Republicans seeking any detail that might slow her march toward confirmation and Democrats trying to bolster their case that she's a moderate who puts the law above her beliefs and biases.

AP - Insurgents used a bomb and small-arms fire to attack a vehicle carrying U.S.-led coalition troops Thursday, killing three soldiers, the military said.

AP - Sporting a body-hugging tank top, Dwight Howard bounded onto the press conference podium flashing his megawatt smile and muscles on muscles. Unsure where to sit, he looked at the high chair to his right, a perch he was told was reserved for Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson. Not there.

Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama discussed efforts to achieve Middle East peace in Egypt on Thursday before making an address that will be crucial to his efforts to repair U.S. ties with Muslims.

Reuters - The United States said on Thursday that talks with Russia aimed at cutting stockpiles of nuclear weapons had made progress, before a July summit between the two countries' presidents.

CAIRO (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sought a 'new beginning' between the United States and Muslims around the world in a major speech on Thursday but offered no new initiative to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

PARIS (Reuters) - The Air France jet that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on Monday was flying too slowly ahead of the disaster, Le Monde newspaper said on Thursday, citing sources close to the inquiry.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Many of the 789 dealerships that Chrysler plans to close will begin presenting their case to bankruptcy court on Thursday, arguing that the automaker was undermining its turnaround by terminating the franchises.

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England left interest rates unchanged at a record low of 0.5 percent for the third month running on Thursday, and said it would continue its 125 billion pound asset-buying program to tackle the recession.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme leader said on Thursday the Islamic Republic's 'honor' in the world should not be questioned, in an apparent criticism of reformers challenging President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in this month's election.

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States expects to make further progress with Russia in talks aimed at cutting nuclear weapons stockpiles before a July summit between their two presidents, a top U.S. arms control official said on Thursday.

AP - Quoting from the Quran for emphasis, President Barack Obama called for a 'new beginning between the United States and Muslims' Thursday and said together, they could confront violent extremism across the globe and advance the timeless search for peace in the Middle East.

AP - Air France has told families of passengers on Flight 447 that the jetliner broke apart and they must abandon hope that anyone survived, a grief counselor said Thursday as military aircraft tried to narrow their search for the remains of the plane.

AP - Many U.S. retailers are reporting sales declines in May as shoppers continue to shop cautiously.

Reuters - President Barack Obama sought a 'new beginning' between the United States and Muslims around the world in a major speech on Thursday but offered no new initiative to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Reuters - The Air France jet that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on Monday was flying too slowly ahead of the disaster, Le Monde newspaper said on Thursday, citing sources close to the inquiry.

Reuters - Many of the 789 dealerships that Chrysler plans to close will begin presenting their case to bankruptcy court on Thursday, arguing that the automaker was undermining its turnaround by terminating the franchises.

Reuters - The Bank of England left interest rates unchanged at a record low of 0.5 percent for the third month running on Thursday, and said it would continue its 125 billion pound asset-buying program to tackle the recession.

Reuters - Iran's Supreme leader said on Thursday the Islamic Republic's 'honor' in the world should not be questioned, in an apparent criticism of reformers challenging President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in this month's election.

AFP - US President Barack Obama on Thursday vowed to forge a 'new beginning' for Islam and America in a landmark speech to the world's Muslims, evoking a vision of peace after a smouldering cycle of 'suspicion and discord.'

AFP - China blanketed Tiananmen Square with police and security forces, blocking any attempt to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the deadly crackdown on mass democracy protests.

CAIRO (Reuters) - President Barack Obama called for a 'new beginning' in relations between the United States and the Muslim world Thursday, addressing grievances over the Arab-Israeli conflict, two U.S.-led wars and tensions over Iran.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chrysler will have little need for the hundreds of dealers it wants to close if it completes its sale to Fiat as expected, the judge overseeing the automaker's bankruptcy said on Thursday.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden called for a long war against 'infidels and their agents' and warned Muslims that alliances with Christians and Jews would turn them into apostates.

AP - Actor David Carradine, star of the 1970s TV series 'Kung Fu' who also had a wide-ranging career in the movies, has been found dead in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

AP - The judge overseeing Chrysler's bankruptcy case said Thursday that the automaker has a good case for the termination of 789 of its dealer franchises as part of its ongoing restructuring.

AP - Top-ranked Dinara Safina has advanced to the French Open final for the second year in a row.

Reuters - President Barack Obama called for a 'new beginning' in relations between the United States and the Muslim world Thursday, addressing grievances over the Arab-Israeli conflict, two U.S.-led wars and tensions over Iran.

Reuters - Chrysler will have little need for the hundreds of dealers it wants to close if it completes its sale to Fiat as expected, the judge overseeing the automaker's bankruptcy said on Thursday.

Reuters - Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden called for a long war against 'infidels and their agents' and warned Muslims that alliances with Christians and Jews would turn them into apostates.

CAIRO (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sought to change Muslim perceptions of the United States on Thursday in a speech that urged Arabs and Israelis to declare in public the realities he said they accept in private.

LONDON (Reuters) - Rebels in Gordon Brown's ruling Labour Party plotted the prime minister's departure on Thursday, saying he should go if European and local elections went as badly as they feared.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - U.S. actor David Carradine was found dead, naked and hanging from a rope in the closet of his luxury Bangkok hotel room on Thursday, Thai police said.

AP - The White House says it will deliver a huge dossier of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's writings, speeches and unpublished rulings to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

AP - When scientists set out to trace the roots of human laughter, some chimps and gorillas were just tickled to help. Literally.

AP - Dinara Safina shanked shots, endured a flurry of double-faults, screamed profanities at herself and still advanced to the French Open final.

Reuters - President Barack Obama sought to change Muslim perceptions of the United States on Thursday in a speech that urged Arabs and Israelis to declare in public the realities he said they accept in private.

Reuters - Rebels in Gordon Brown's ruling Labour Party plotted the prime minister's departure on Thursday, saying he should go if European and local elections went as badly as they feared.

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazilian search crews fished the first debris from a crashed Air France flight out of choppy Atlantic waters on Thursday amid concern the plane may have flown through a storm at the wrong speed.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - U.S. actor David Carradine was found dead, naked and hanging from a rope in the closet of his luxury Bangkok hotel room on Thursday, Thai police said. He was 72.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medical bills are behind more than 60 percent of U.S. personal bankruptcies, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday in a report they said demonstrates that healthcare reform is on the wrong track.

AP - A Brazilian helicopter crew recovered the first wreckage from Air France Flight 447 on Thursday, pulling a cargo pallet from the sea. No sign of human remains have been spotted, and Air France has told families that the jetliner broke apart, killing all 228 people on board.

AP - A parade of Chrysler dealers slated to lose their franchises took the stand Thursday in the automaker's bankruptcy protection case, one choking back tears, as they touted their sales and service records and questioned how they were chosen for termination.

AP - The White House has delivered a huge portfolio of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's writings, speeches and rulings to Capitol Hill.

AP - St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is suing the social-networking site Twitter, claiming an unauthorized page using his name damaged his reputation and caused emotional distress.

AP - Dinara Safina shanked shots, squandered chances, screamed profanities at herself and still won, setting up an all-Russian final at French Open.

Reuters - Brazilian search crews fished the first debris from a crashed Air France flight out of choppy Atlantic waters on Thursday amid concern the plane may have flown through a storm at the wrong speed.

Reuters - U.S. actor David Carradine was found dead, naked and hanging from a rope in the closet of his luxury Bangkok hotel room on Thursday, Thai police said. He was 72.

AFP - China blanketed Tiananmen Square with police and security forces on Thursday, blocking any attempt to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the deadly crackdown on mass democracy protests.

BANGKOK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor David Carradine, star of the 1970s U.S. television show 'Kung Fu,' was found naked and hanging dead from a rope in the closet of his luxury Bangkok hotel room on Thursday, Thai police said.

AP - Stretching out a hand to the Islamic world, President Barack Hussein Obama on Thursday invoked the Quran, his middle name and an American evenhandedness he says too few Muslims see. Obama drew a respectful response from unlikely places — an Iranian cleric called it 'an initial step for removing misconceptions.'

AP - The White House says Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's quick response to an extensive Senate survey should lead to swift confirmation hearings.

AP - Traders are betting improving prospects for banks and rising energy prices will pay off.

AP - Jason Bay's bases-loaded double keyed a six-run third inning and the Boston Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 6-3 victory Thursday.

Reuters - Actor David Carradine, star of the 1970s U.S. television show 'Kung Fu,' was found naked and hanging dead from a rope in the closet of his luxury Bangkok hotel room on Thursday, Thai police said.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown suffered a crushing blow on Thursday when a third cabinet minister said he was resigning and called on Brown to quit to improve his party's chances at the next election.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday will hear arguments that Chrysler LLC's sale to a group including Italian carmaker Fiat SpA and the U.S. government violates long-standing bankruptcy law and should not be allowed to go forward.

AP - Invoking the Quran and his rarely used middle name, Barack Hussein Obama declared Thursday that America has a common cause with Islam and never will be at war with the faith — an overture intently watched by the Muslim world and welcomed in unlikely quarters. An Iranian cleric called the president's speech 'an initial step for removing misconceptions.'

AP - The White House contacted Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor about serving on the high court four days before Justice David Souter announced that he would retire, the judge revealed Thursday, as she sent a Senate panel a massive portfolio of personal details and writings that will shape the debate on her confirmation.

AP - Two American journalists headed to trial Thursday before North Korea's highest court on charges they crossed into the country illegally and engaged in 'hostile acts' — allegations that could draw a 10-year sentence in a labor camp.

AP - Traders are betting that an improving economy will reward banks and energy companies.

AP - Oil prices on Thursday set a new high for the year, buoyed by a weaker dollar and the first drop in unemployment since January.

AP - A Kentucky pastor is inviting his flock to bring guns to church to celebrate the Fourth of July and the Second Amendment.

Reuters - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown suffered a crushing blow on Thursday when a third cabinet minister said he was resigning and called on Brown to quit to improve his party's chances at the next election.

Reuters - A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday will hear arguments that Chrysler LLC's sale to a group including Italian carmaker Fiat SpA and the U.S. government violates long-standing bankruptcy law and should not be allowed to go forward.

AP - Investigators trying to determine why Air France Flight 447 broke apart in a violent storm over the Atlantic are looking at the possibility that speed sensors — or an external instrument key to collecting speed data — failed in unusual weather, two aviation industry officials said Thursday.

AP - The White House contacted Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor about serving on the high court four days before Justice David Souter announced that he would retire, the judge revealed Thursday, as she sent a Senate panel a massive portfolio of personal details and writings that will shape the debate on her confirmation.

AP - President Barack Obama's hopes for a bipartisan health deal seemed in jeopardy Thursday as GOP senators protested his renewed support for a new public health insurance plan, and a key Democratic chairman declared that such a plan would likely be in the Senate's bill.

AP - Randy Johnson had to wait a while for his shot at 300 wins. The crowd was small, and the weather was wet. His performance, however, was more than worthy of the occasion.

RECIFE, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazilian search teams on Thursday scoured choppy Atlantic waters for remains of a crashed Air France jet after the first debris retrieved by helicopter turned out to be trash.

SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States has told South Korea it is preparing financial measures to punish North Korea for illicit weapons trade and counterfeit activities in the wake of its nuclear test last week, a newspaper report said on Friday.

AP - Sonia Sotomayor told the Senate on Thursday that the White House never questioned her about cases or issues she might have to decide as a Supreme Court justice, a disclosure gleaned from reams of documents that reveal she has spoken repeatedly about how her gender and Latina heritage affect her judging.

AP - Federal prosecutors have charged a man with making threats against President Barack Obama after he allegedly told a bank employee in Utah he was on a mission to kill the president.

AP - North Korea stayed silent Friday about the fate of two U.S. journalists who were supposed to go on trial a day earlier on charges they entered the country illegally and engaged in 'hostile acts' — allegations that could draw a 10-year sentence in a labor camp.

AP - The push to put a widely used oil and gas drilling process under federal oversight could gain ground with a new administration in place and concerns about the development of huge gas fields in the East.

Reuters - Brazilian search teams on Thursday scoured choppy Atlantic waters for remains of a crashed Air France jet after the first debris retrieved by helicopter turned out to be trash.

Reuters - The United States has told South Korea it is preparing financial measures to punish North Korea for illicit weapons trade and counterfeit activities in the wake of its nuclear test last week, a newspaper report said on Friday.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was battling for his political life on Friday after a third senior minister quit his government and urged Brown to stand down to avert an election defeat.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dominant left-hander Randy Johnson earned his place in history with his 300th career win in the San Francisco Giants' 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday.

AP - With companies in no mood to hire, the unemployment rate is still rising. But the furious pace of layoffs is easing as the recession loosens its hold on the country.

AP - The Pittsburgh Penguins' fresh legs and fast feet changed the Stanley Cup finals in a flash, and now a series that looked to be over is only getting started.

AP - One step toward redemption, one step toward a ring.

Reuters - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was battling for his political life on Friday after a third senior minister quit his government and urged Brown to stand down to avert an election defeat.

Reuters - Dominant left-hander Randy Johnson earned his place in history with his 300th career win in the San Francisco Giants' 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday.