AP - A Web site affiliated with Iran's key opposition figure, Mir Hossein Mousavi, says 70 university professors were detained after meeting with him.

AP - The Cleveland Cavaliers are close to acquiring center Shaquille O'Neal in a trade that would pair him with MVP LeBron James, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday.

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - A roadside bomb killed five Iraqi policemen Thursday in the once turbulent but recently secure western city of Falluja, police said, a day after at least 72 people died in a market bombing in Baghdad.

AP - South Carolina's governor once cited 'moral legitimacy' when he was a congressman voting for President Bill Clinton's impeachment. He became a darling of fiscal conservatives over his ideological opposition to federal stimulus cash.

AP - With lawmakers trying to crunch the numbers on a $1 trillion health care overhaul, President Barack Obama is leaving the door open to a new tax on employer-provided health care benefits.

AP - President Barack Obama sits down this week with German Chancellor Angela Merkel under a cloud of disagreement over the way out of the global financial crisis and Germany's role in the U.S.-led Afghan war.

AP - The Cleveland Cavaliers are close to acquiring center Shaquille O'Neal in a trade that would pair him with MVP LeBron James, multiple people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press early Thursday.

Reuters - A roadside bomb killed five Iraqi policemen Thursday in the once turbulent but recently secure western city of Falluja, police said, a day after at least 72 people died in a market bombing in Baghdad.

AFP - A top Iranian dissident cleric warned the nation's rulers that their continued suppression of opposition protests over the disputed presidential election could destabilise the regime.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused President Barack Obama of behaving like his predecessor on Iran and called on him to apologize for what he called U.S. interference following the Iranian elections.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Bombs killed five Iraqi policemen and at least two civilians Thursday, police said, and the vice president blamed insurgents trying to delay this month's withdrawal of U.S. troops from towns and cities.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Thursday stepped up accusations that Google is spreading obscene content over the Internet, a day after U.S. officials urged Beijing to abandon plans for controversial filtering software on new computers.

BISHKEK (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan's parliament on Thursday unanimously approved a deal with the United States to keep open the only U.S. air base in Central Asia.

LONDON (Reuters) - The embers of the global economy glowed a little brighter in Asia and Europe on Thursday, but comments overnight from the U.S. Federal Reserve that the recession there was easing were too cautious to raise a flame.

AP - South Carolina's governor once cited 'moral legitimacy' when he was a congressman voting for President Bill Clinton's impeachment. He became a darling of fiscal conservatives over his ideological opposition to federal stimulus cash.

AP - Iran's opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi says on his official Web site that his access to people is being restricted and that he is being pressured to withdraw his election challenge.

AP - Commuter rail tracks in the nation's capital are studded with devices that detect passing trains and tell them when to stop or slow down. But those devices on the stretch of track near where nine people were killed in a train crash didn't pass tests by investigators.

AP - Kyrgyzstan's parliament unanimously approved a deal Thursday allowing the U.S. to continue using an air base crucial to military operations in Afghanistan, sharply shifting course months after ordering American forces out by August.

Reuters - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused President Barack Obama of behaving like his predecessor on Iran and called on him to apologize for what he called U.S. interference following the Iranian elections.

Reuters - Bombs killed five Iraqi policemen and at least two civilians Thursday, police said, and the vice president blamed insurgents trying to delay this month's withdrawal of U.S. troops from towns and cities.

Reuters - China on Thursday stepped up accusations that Google is spreading obscene content over the Internet, a day after U.S. officials urged Beijing to abandon plans for controversial filtering software on new computers.

Reuters - Kyrgyzstan's parliament on Thursday unanimously approved a deal with the United States to keep open the only U.S. air base in Central Asia.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Barack Obama on Thursday of behaving like his predecessor toward Iran and said there was not much point in talking to Washington unless the U.S. president apologized.

PARIS (Reuters) - The body of the pilot of an Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic on June 1 has been identified among dozens that have been recovered from the ocean, the airline said Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The heads of the top U.S. companies might be engaged in the boardroom, but they're switched off when it comes to social media, according to a new study that said CEOs should be more connected to their customers.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three-quarters of Americans believe the U.S. government should regulate the release of greenhouse gases from cars and factories to reduce global warming, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

LONDON (Reuters) - The global economy served up a mixture of green shoots and bitter herbs on Thursday, matching comments overnight from the U.S. Federal Reserve that the recession there appeared to be easing, but at no great pace.

AP - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke likely will face hostile questions from a House committee investigating whether he and other government officials pressured Bank of America Corp. into a 'shotgun wedding' with Merrill Lynch that cost taxpayers $20 billion.

AP - North Korea vowed Thursday to enlarge its atomic arsenal and warned of a 'fire shower of nuclear retaliation' in the event of a U.S. attack, as the regime marked the 1950 outbreak of the Korean War.

AP - Investors are hoping new data will support the Federal Reserve's vote of confidence in the economy.

AP - Defending champ Venus Williams and Andy Roddick will be in action today as the second round at Wimbledon continues. Williams will take on Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine, while Roddick faces Russia's Igor Kunitsyn.

Reuters - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Barack Obama on Thursday of behaving like his predecessor toward Iran and said there was not much point in talking to Washington unless the U.S. president apologized.

Reuters - The body of the pilot of an Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic on June 1 has been identified among dozens that have been recovered from the ocean, the airline said Thursday.

Reuters - The heads of the top U.S. companies might be engaged in the boardroom, but they're switched off when it comes to social media, according to a new study that said CEOs should be more connected to their customers.

AFP - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday warned his US counterpart Barack Obama to stop meddling in Iran's affairs as the regime clamped down further on the opposition despite growing global concern.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy shrank slightly less in early 2009 than previously thought, the government reported on Thursday, though there was widespread weakness in activity and demand was soft.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - After spending a week in jail, Texas financier Allen Stanford on Thursday will face a U.S. judge who will decide whether the he must remain behind bars while he awaits trial for an alleged $7 billion swindle.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Hundreds of angry Iraqis gathered on Thursday around the wreckage of a market bombing in Baghdad where 78 people died, demanding better protection from the government after U.S. troops pull back to bases.

AP - EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

AP - The economy tumbled at a 5.5 percent pace in the first quarter, but appears to be doing better now, even though heavy layoffs persist.

AP - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Thursday he didn't pressure Bank of America into acquiring Merrill Lynch in a deal that ultimately cost taxpayers $20 billion.

AP - Tens of thousands of North Koreans shouted slogans to denounce international sanctions at a rally in central Pyongyang on Thursday, as the communist country vowed to enlarge its atomic arsenal and warned of a 'fire shower of nuclear retaliation' in the event of a U.S. attack.

AP - Microsoft Corp. said Thursday that prices for the Windows 7 computer operating system are largely in line with those for Vista, and that people who buy PCs before the new system goes on sale in October will get free upgrades.

Reuters - The U.S. economy shrank slightly less in early 2009 than previously thought, the government reported on Thursday, though there was widespread weakness in activity and demand was soft.

Reuters - After spending a week in jail, Texas financier Allen Stanford on Thursday will face a U.S. judge who will decide whether the he must remain behind bars while he awaits trial for an alleged $7 billion swindle.

Reuters - Hundreds of angry Iraqis gathered on Thursday around the wreckage of a market bombing in Baghdad where 78 people died, demanding better protection from the government after U.S. troops pull back to bases.

AFP - Defeated Iranian presidential challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi said on Thursday he was being pressured to withdraw his complaint over the disputed election as the regime extended its clampdown on the opposition.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - After spending a week in jail, Texas financier Allen Stanford sat in a Houston courtroom on Thursday waiting to face a U.S. judge who will decide whether he must remain behind bars while he awaits trial for an alleged $7 billion swindle.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday pushed back hard against accusations the Fed threatened Bank of America executives if they halted a merger with Merrill Lynch or pressured them to withhold bad news about the troubled investment bank.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A public school violated the privacy rights of a teenage girl who had to disrobe on suspicion she had ibuprofen pills, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday in its first decision on student strip searches.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fresh signs of weakness in U.S. job markets on Thursday underlined the strains faced by a recession-struck U.S. economy that contracted slightly less in the first quarter than previously thought.

AP - A bipartisan group of senators at work on health care reported progress Thursday in holding the cost of legislation to their $1 trillion target, but Republicans quickly added there was no agreement on even the outlines of a bill.

AP - The Supreme Court said Thursday school officials acted illegally when they strip-searched of an Arizona teenage girl looking for prescription-strength ibuprofen.

AP - A bankruptcy judge ruled Thursday that General Motors Corp. can have access to its full $33.3 billion in bankruptcy financing.

AP - Despite persistent layoffs, the economy seems to be faring better than it was at the start of the year.

AP - Days before a deadline abruptly imposed by China, computer makers are scrambling to comply with an order to supply Web-filtering software with PCs and worrying what it might do to their reputations.

Reuters - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, facing one of his toughest grillings yet by U.S. lawmakers on Thursday, denied he had ever threatened to fire Bank of America management if they pulled the plug on a planned merger with Merrill Lynch.

Reuters - After spending a week in jail, Texas financier Allen Stanford sat in a Houston courtroom on Thursday waiting to face a U.S. judge who will decide whether he must remain behind bars while he awaits trial for an alleged $7 billion swindle.

Reuters - A public school violated the privacy rights of a teenage girl who had to disrobe on suspicion she had ibuprofen pills, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday in its first decision on student strip searches.

Reuters - Fresh signs of weakness in U.S. job markets on Thursday underlined the strains faced by a recession-struck U.S. economy that contracted slightly less in the first quarter than previously thought.

AFP - Defeated challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi vowed on Thursday to resist what he said he was huge pressure to end his campaign to overturn Iran's presidential election.

AFP - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki moved to reassure Iraqis on Thursday that his security forces were able to protect the population after a bomb killed dozens days before a major pullout of US forces.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, facing one of his toughest grillings yet by U.S. lawmakers on Thursday, denied he had ever threatened to fire Bank of America management if they pulled the plug on a planned merger with Merrill Lynch.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - After spending a week in jail, Texas financier Allen Stanford pleaded not guilty on Thursday to 21 criminal charges that he ran a $7 billion Ponzi scheme.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Farrah Fawcett, the 'Charlie's Angels' television star whose big smile and feathered blond mane made her one of the reigning sex symbols of the 1970s, died on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. She was 62.

AP - Farrah Fawcett, the 'Charlie's Angels' star whose feathered blond hair and dazzling smile made her one of the biggest sex symbols of the 1970s, died Thursday after battling cancer. She was 62.

AP - South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford was with his family Thursday as legal and ethical questions swirled over his secret trip to see a woman in Argentina with whom he admitted an affair.

AP - Search crews in the mid-Atlantic have retrieved the bodies of the chief pilot of Flight 447 and a flight attendant, Air France said Thursday.

AP - LeBron and Shaq: Two of the NBA's biggest stars are now teammates. The Cleveland Cavaliers completed a blockbuster trade Thursday, bringing superstar center Shaquille O'Neal from the Phoenix Suns to join current MVP LeBron James.

Reuters - After spending a week in jail, Texas financier Allen Stanford pleaded not guilty on Thursday to 21 criminal charges that he ran a $7 billion Ponzi scheme.

Reuters - Actress Farrah Fawcett, the 'Charlie's Angels' television star whose big smile and feathered blond mane made her one of the reigning sex symbols of the 1970s, died on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. She was 62.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, facing his toughest grilling yet by U.S. lawmakers, said on Thursday he had never threatened to fire Bank of America's management if they pulled the plug on a planned merger with Merrill Lynch.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp was accused in a Manhattan federal lawsuit of discriminating against female brokers at the former Merrill Lynch & Co by offering them lower retention bonuses than male counterparts.

AP - The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that school officials violated an Arizona teenager's rights by strip-searching her for prescription-strength ibuprofen, declaring that U.S. educators cannot force children to remove their clothing unless student safety is at risk.

AP - Health officials estimate that as many as 1 million Americans now have the new swine flu. Lyn Finelli, a flu surveillance official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, voiced the estimate at a vaccine advisory meeting Thursday in Atlanta.

Reuters - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, facing his toughest grilling yet by U.S. lawmakers, said on Thursday he had never threatened to fire Bank of America's management if they pulled the plug on a planned merger with Merrill Lynch.

Reuters - Bank of America Corp was accused in a Manhattan federal lawsuit of discriminating against female brokers at the former Merrill Lynch & Co by offering them lower retention bonuses than male counterparts.

AFP - Defeated challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi vowed on Thursday to resist what he said he was huge pressure to end his campaign to overturn Iran's presidential election.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop giant Michael Jackson, who took to the stage as a child star and went on to set the world dancing to the thumping rhythms of his music for decades, died Thursday, TMZ website reported. He was 50.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan panel armed with subpoena power to investigate causes of the Wall Street meltdown is on the brink of being launched, as Congress embarks on an ambitious effort to reform policing of the financial sector.

AP - Michael Jackson has been rushed to the hospital, a fire department official told the Los Angeles Times. Capt. Steve Ruda said Thursday that Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told the newspaper.

AP - Senators working to give President Barack Obama a comprehensive health care overhaul said Thursday they had figured out how to pare back the complex legislation to keep costs from crashing through a $1 trillion, 10-year ceiling.

AP - A top South Carolina Republican leader says philandering Gov. Mark Sanford should resign and practice the philosophy he's preached of holding GOP leaders accountable. Glenn McCall is one of the state's two national representatives to the Republican National Committee. He's also a county party chairman and said Thursday that party members want Sanford out.

AP - SEOUL, South Korea — Punching their fists into the air and shouting 'Let's crush them!' some 100,000 North Koreans packed Pyongyang's main square Thursday for an anti-U.S. rally as the communist regime promised a 'fire shower of nuclear retaliation' for any American-led attack.

AP - President Barack Obama pushed urgently Thursday for passage of legislation to confront global warming, billing it as a job-creating machine rather than the costly 'job killer' Republicans denounced and telephoning wavering Democrats on the eve of what could be a historic House vote.

AP - Police are keeping an eye on a downtown York parking lot where merchants are complaining about soda cans filled with urine. The merchants say that for the past couple months, they've been finding a discarded can three or four times a week. A catheter is placed in each can opening. The urine inside spills out when the can is placed or tossed on its side.

Reuters - Pop giant Michael Jackson, who took to the stage as a child star and set the world dancing to exuberant rhythms for decades, died on Thursday, TMZ website reported. He was 50.

Reuters - A bipartisan panel armed with subpoena power to investigate causes of the Wall Street meltdown is on the brink of being launched, as Congress embarks on an ambitious effort to reform policing of the financial sector.

AFP - Pop icon Michael Jackson died Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest, the entertainment website TMZ.com reported.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson, the child star turned King of Pop who set the world dancing but whose musical genius was overshadowed by a bizarre lifestyle and sex scandals, died on Thursday. He was 50.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's leadership has quelled mass protests over a disputed presidential poll two weeks ago, but the battle has moved off the street into a behind-the-scenes struggle splitting the clerical establishment into two camps.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Accused swindler Allen Stanford will remain in a Texas jail overnight after a U.S. judge on Thursday delayed allowing him to post bond because the U.S. government opposed it.

ATLANTA (Reuters) - South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, facing pressure to resign over an extramarital affair, said on Thursday he would repay state funds he used for an official trip to Argentina during which he met his mistress.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States still hopes it can persuade China to abandon, or at least delay, its plan to require controversial filtering software on new computers, despite growing trade friction over the issue, a U.S. trade official said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama tapped a top Cabinet official on Thursday to work with Congress to speed immigration reform as senators warned another failed effort could doom chances for a generation.

AP - Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the 'King of Pop' and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday. He was 50. Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Ed Winter, the assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, confirmed his office had been notified of the death and would handle the investigation.

AP - A day after his stunning confession that he cheated on his wife with a woman in Argentina, a chastened Gov. Mark Sanford sought to do damage control Thursday at home with his family while many politicians urged the South Carolina leader to resign.

AP - Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he swindled investors out of $7 billion as part of a massive investment scam.

Reuters - Michael Jackson, the child star turned King of Pop who set the world dancing but whose musical genius was overshadowed by a bizarre lifestyle and sex scandals, died on Thursday. He was 50.

Reuters - Iran's leadership has quelled mass protests over a disputed presidential poll two weeks ago, but the battle has moved off the street into a behind-the-scenes struggle splitting the clerical establishment into two camps.

Reuters - Accused swindler Allen Stanford will spend at least one more night in a Texas jail after a U.S. judge stayed her decision to grant a $500,000 bond because the U.S. government plans to appeal.

Reuters - South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, facing pressure to resign over an extramarital affair, said on Thursday he would repay state funds he used for an official trip to Argentina during which he met his mistress.

Reuters - The United States still hopes it can persuade China to abandon, or at least delay, its plan to require controversial filtering software on new computers, despite growing trade friction over the issue, a U.S. trade official said on Thursday.

Reuters - President Barack Obama tapped a top Cabinet official on Thursday to work with Congress to speed immigration reform as senators warned another failed effort could doom chances for a generation.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson, the child star turned King of Pop who set the world dancing but whose musical genius was overshadowed by a bizarre lifestyle and sex scandals, died on Thursday. He was 50.

AP - Across the country, people reacted in stunned disbelief Thursday as word spread that Michael Jackson had collapsed and died. Within minutes of Jackson's arrival by ambulance at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center people began arriving by the hundreds, the crowd quickly filling a grassy entrance outside the hospital. Overhead, news helicopters whirred noisily and TV trucks clogged streets.

AP - A federal magistrate judge set bond at $500,000 Thursday for Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford but delayed her order until Friday to give prosecutors time to appeal her decision. Stanford pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he swindled investors out of $7 billion as part of a massive investment scam.

AP - A high school secretary illegally changed grades in a school computer system to improve her daughter's class standing, according to criminal charges filed Thursday.

AP - Blake Griffin was the consensus No. 1 pick. Shaq to the Cavs was the consensus blockbuster.

Reuters - Michael Jackson, the child star turned King of Pop who set the world dancing but whose musical genius was overshadowed by a bizarre lifestyle and sex scandals, died on Thursday. He was 50.

AFP - Michael Jackson died after suffering a cardiac arrest, officials confirmed, sending shockwaves around the entertainment world as stunned stars and fans mourned the loss of the tortured music icon known as the 'King of Pop.'

AP - Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford's release on bond while he awaits trial on charges he swindled investors out of $7 billion in a massive investment scam could be thwarted if prosecutors get their way.