INGLEWOOD, California (Reuters) - Inside an aging sports arena, where rows of dental chairs and a hospital smell have replaced the former Los Angeles Lakers basketball court, thousands of Americans are seeking free healthcare.

CISHAN, Taiwan (Reuters) - Pressure mounted on Taiwan's government on Thursday to speed up operations to rescue hundreds of residents of remote mountainous villages buried or stranded in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot.

AP - Two separate roadside blasts in southern Afghanistan killed 14 civilians, including three children, underscoring the high price paid by ordinary people in the conflict with the Taliban, officials said Thursday.

AP - Pedro Martinez's return to the big leagues was a winner.

Reuters - Inside an aging sports arena, where rows of dental chairs and a hospital smell have replaced the former Los Angeles Lakers basketball court, thousands of Americans are seeking free healthcare.

Reuters - Pressure mounted on Taiwan's government on Thursday to speed up operations to rescue hundreds of residents of remote mountainous villages buried or stranded in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot.

AFP - Taiwan Thursday deployed thousands of extra troops as it faced growing public anger and pressure to rescue people trapped by deadly landslides triggered by Typhoon Morakot.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China, defending its controls on imported films and books, said on Thursday it may appeal a World Trade Organization ruling against its restrictions, continuing its sparring with Washington over trade access.

MANILA (Reuters) - A battle pitting Philippine troops against Muslim guerrillas on a remote southern island killed at least 53 people, the military said on Thursday, but analysts said the clash is unlikely to have sidelined the rebels.

AP - Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the nation's top car salesman in recent weeks, has cited the Obama administration's best-seller list of mostly smaller, fuel-saving cars like the Ford Focus to describe the success of the Cash for Clunkers rebate program.

AP - Years after President George W. Bush fired nine U.S. attorneys, lawmakers are still searching for answers. But they seem to be asking the wrong questions.

AP - Rep. Patrick Kennedy says there's been an unexpected bright side to his father's grim battle with terminal brain cancer because the family has been able to spend more time with the stricken senator in recent months.

AP - Hundreds of villagers scurried from their homes minutes before floodwaters burst an embankment Thursday, as the military airlifted survivors from remote villages devastated in mudslides during last weekend's typhoon.

AP - Pakistani helicopter gunships pummeled several bases of a key Taliban commander in the country's northwest Thursday, killing at least 12 insurgents, intelligence officials said.

Reuters - China, defending its controls on imported films and books, said on Thursday it may appeal a World Trade Organization ruling against its restrictions, continuing its sparring with Washington over trade access.

Reuters - A battle pitting Philippine troops against Muslim guerrillas on a remote southern island killed at least 53 people, the military said on Thursday, but analysts said the clash is unlikely to have sidelined the rebels.

AFP - A US senator plans this week to become the first top American official to meet Myanmar's junta chief, his office said Thursday, days after the regime extended the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi.

AFP - At least 23 soldiers and 20 Abu Sayyaf militants were killed when the army raided a training camp run by the Al-Qaeda-linked rebels in the southern Philippines, the military said Thursday.

CISHAN, Taiwan (Reuters) - Pressure mounted on Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou on Thursday to speed up operations to rescue hundreds of residents of remote mountainous villages buried or stranded in the aftermath of typhoon Morakot.

ALMATY (Reuters) - Hundreds of Uighurs rallied in Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty on Thursday to mourn those who died in violent clashes in the neighboring Xinjiang region of China last month and to call for its independence.

PARIS (Reuters) - The father of a French teaching assistant charged with spying in Iran said on Thursday he hoped his daughter would leave prison later in the day, after France agreed to provide bail for her conditional release.

BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - Germany and France achieved a shock return to economic growth in the second quarter of the year, ending their recessions earlier than many policymakers and economists expected, but failed to drag the euro zone with them.

LONDON (Reuters) - Families of victims of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing stood sharply divided on Thursday over reports that the former Libyan agent jailed for life for the attack is to be freed on compassionate grounds.

AP - The British jet called in by the U.S. Marines had the Taliban position in sight, but the pilot refused to fire, a decision that frustrated Marines on the ground but one in line with new orders by the top U.S. commander to protect civilians.

AP - Hundreds of villagers fled their homes minutes before a flood-created lake burst Thursday, while Taiwan's military airlifted more survivors from remote villages devastated in mudslides during last weekend's typhoon.

AP - At age 37, Pedro Martinez says he feels better than he has in years. He's healthier, eager and back in the major leagues with the defending World Series champions.

Reuters - Pressure mounted on Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou on Thursday to speed up operations to rescue hundreds of residents of remote mountainous villages buried or stranded in the aftermath of typhoon Morakot.

Reuters - Hundreds of Uighurs rallied in Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty on Thursday to mourn those who died in violent clashes in the neighboring Xinjiang region of China last month and to call for its independence.

Reuters - The father of a French teaching assistant charged with spying in Iran said on Thursday he hoped his daughter would leave prison later in the day, after France agreed to provide bail for her conditional release.

Reuters - Germany and France achieved a shock return to economic growth in the second quarter of the year, ending their recessions earlier than many policymakers and economists expected, but failed to drag the euro zone with them.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai prosecutors started appeal proceedings on Thursday against a court's rejection of a U.S. request for the extradition of suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Pirates have probably hijacked a merchant ship which disappeared after sailing through the English Channel last month, its operator said on Wednesday.

AP - The Federal Reserve said the economy may be 'leveling out' as it held interest rates at record lows, while the weekly jobless claims to be released Thursday may give another sign of whether the recession is nearing an end.

AP - Russian navy vessels were trolling the Atlantic on Thursday in search for a Maltese-flagged ship that has been missing for more than two weeks since sailing through the English Channel.

AP - Hundreds of villagers fled their homes minutes before a flood-created lake burst Thursday, as the Taiwanese military deployed thousands more troops to rescue and deliver supplies to survivors from remote villages devastated during last weekend's typhoon.

AP - The glittery glove that Michael Jackson wore when he unveiled his moonwalk on TV in 1983 is hitting the auction block.

AP - A 34-year-old man is in custody after authorities say he gave a teller his account number and showed her his picture ID before robbing an Anchorage bank.

Reuters - Thai prosecutors started appeal proceedings on Thursday against a court's rejection of a U.S. request for the extradition of suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Reuters - Pirates probably hijacked a merchant ship which disappeared after sailing through the English Channel last month, its operator said on Wednesday.

AFP - Taiwan Thursday deployed thousands of extra troops as it faced growing public anger and pressure to rescue people trapped by deadly landslides triggered by Typhoon Morakot.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sales at U.S. retailers unexpectedly fell in July and the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose last week, indicating the recession-hit economy faced a bumpy recovery.

AP - Retail sales disappointed in July and the number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly last week. The latest government reports reinforced concerns about how quickly consumers will be able to contribute to a broad economic recovery.

AP - Ford Motor Co. says it will build another 10,000 vehicles this quarter to meet the growing demand from the federal government's Cash for Clunkers program.

AP - Terrified survivors of Typhoon Morakot were pulled to safety along cables slung across a raging river, five days after dozens of their fellow villagers died in flash floods, as criticism mounted Thursday over Taiwan's response to the disaster.

Reuters - Sales at U.S. retailers unexpectedly fell in July and the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose last week, indicating the recession-hit economy faced a bumpy recovery.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The mystery surrounding a missing merchant ship deepened Thursday with the vessel's operator suggesting piracy and maritime experts suspecting foul play or even a secret cargo.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - 'Close to Zero' is the tale of a Russian publisher operating in a murky political system featuring paid-off media, corrupt officials, dubious politicians and law enforcement agencies on the take.

AP - Government programs to support the auto industry helped Germany and France return to economic growth in the second quarter, rebounds that stoked hopes the recession in the wider 16-country euro area may also end sooner than thought.

AP - South Carolina's attorney general wants state ethics commissioners to review Gov. Mark Sanford's travels.

AP - Microsoft Corp. said Thursday it will include Outlook, a popular e-mail and calendar program that's ubiquitous on its Windows computers, in the next version of its Office suite for Apple Inc.'s Mac computers.

AP - Les Paul, the guitarist and inventor who changed the course of music with the electric guitar and multitrack recording and had a string of hits, many with wife Mary Ford, died on Thursday. He was 94.

AP - Cleveland Browns receiver Donte' Stallworth was suspended without pay for this season Thursday after pleading guilty to killing a pedestrian while driving drunk. He cannot participate in any team activities until his reinstatement after the Super Bowl.

Reuters - The mystery surrounding a missing merchant ship deepened Thursday with the vessel's operator suggesting piracy and maritime experts suspecting foul play or even a secret cargo.

Reuters - 'Close to Zero' is the tale of a Russian publisher operating in a murky political system featuring paid-off media, corrupt officials, dubious politicians and law enforcement agencies on the take.

AFP - Democratic US Senator Jim Webb, who hopes to meet Myanmar supremo Than Shwe later this week, is a gruff-talking former Marine and decorated Vietnam War veteran with a lifelong interest in Asia.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans shopped less in July and more signed up for jobless benefits last week in a double dose of bad news for the U.S. economy just a day after the Federal Reserve said it saw a leveling out of the slump.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai's main rival drew a huge crowd to a rally on Thursday but violence still loomed as a threat, with a former leader escaping an assassination attempt a week before the vote.

AP - Government programs to support the auto industry helped Germany and France return to economic growth in the second quarter, rebounds that stoked hopes the recession in the wider 16-country euro area may also end sooner than thought.

AP - South Carolina's attorney general said Thursday he wants state ethics commissioners to review Gov. Mark Sanford's use of state aircraft and any other potential violations of state law.

AP - Les Paul, who invented the solid-body electric guitar later wielded by a legion of rock 'n' roll greats, died Thursday of complications from pneumonia. He was 94.

Reuters - Americans shopped less in July and more signed up for jobless benefits last week in a double dose of bad news for the U.S. economy just a day after the Federal Reserve said it saw a leveling out of the slump.

Reuters - Afghan President Hamid Karzai's main rival drew a huge crowd to a rally on Thursday but violence still loomed as a threat, with a former leader escaping an assassination attempt a week before the vote.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Legendary guitarist and inventor Les Paul, who pioneered the design of solid body Gibson electric guitars that bore his name, died Thursday at a New York hospital of complications from pneumonia. He was 94.

MONROVIA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave firm support in Liberia on Thursday to Africa's only woman president, a corruption fighter who has come under fire at home.

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers detonated vests packed with explosives in a cafe in a town near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Thursday, killing 18 people, a health official said, the latest attack in the restive region.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. efforts to enforce U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea after its nuclear test in May are gaining growing support from countries and banks, a senior American official said on Thursday.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karoubi said on his website Thursday that some of those arrested after the June presidential election were tortured to death, but other inmates defended their treatment.

AP - Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin refused to retreat from her debunked claim that a proposed health care overhaul would create 'death panels,' as the growing furor over end-of-life consultations forced a key group of senators to abandon the idea in their bill.

AP - Voting observers expect fraud during next week's Afghan presidential election and warn that cheating will most likely take place at polling stations in remote or dangerous areas where independent monitors won't be able to be present.

AP - A close aide to Hillary Rodham Clinton dismissed as 'psychobabble' the fuss over the secretary of state's barbed response to a questioner asking for her famous husband's opinion instead of her own. Clinton ignored questions about the episode as she wound down a marathon African trip Thursday.

AP - Six men and a 16-year-old boy charged as an adult pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges on Thursday in the slaying of a Panhandle couple who adopted 13 children, many with special needs.

AP - A 55-year-old Massachusetts man brought coffee to a police station to apologize for creating a ruckus 12 years ago, and was violently arrested the next day by the same department.

AP - Cleveland Browns receiver Donte' Stallworth was suspended without pay for this season Thursday after pleading guilty to killing a pedestrian while driving drunk. He cannot participate in any team activities until his reinstatement after the Super Bowl.

Reuters - Legendary guitarist and inventor Les Paul, who pioneered the design of solid body Gibson electric guitars that bore his name, died Thursday at a New York hospital of complications from pneumonia. He was 94.

Reuters - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave firm support in Liberia on Thursday to Africa's only woman president, a corruption fighter who has come under fire at home.

Reuters - Two suicide bombers detonated vests packed with explosives in a cafe in a town near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Thursday, killing 18 people, a health official said, the latest attack in the restive region.

Reuters - U.S. efforts to enforce U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea after its nuclear test in May are gaining growing support from countries and banks, a senior American official said on Thursday.

Reuters - Iran's defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karoubi said on his website Thursday that some of those arrested after the June presidential election were tortured to death, but other inmates defended their treatment.

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers detonated vests packed with explosives in a cafe in a town near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Thursday, killing 21 people, a health official said, the latest attack in a restive region.

MIAMI (Reuters) - The tiny Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda, still reeling from the fraud scandal surrounding Texas billionaire Allen Stanford, on Thursday found a new foreign benefactor in Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

AP - President Barack Obama's push to revamp health care got a boost Thursday as a new coalition of drug makers, unions, hospitals and others launched a $12 million pro-overhaul ad campaign. Meanwhile, the administration sought to regain control of the health care debate by asking supporters to forward a chain e-mail to counter criticism that's circulating on the Internet.

AP - The Pentagon presented a grim portrait of the Afghanistan war Thursday, offering no assurances about how long Americans will be fighting there or how many U.S. combat troops it will take to win.

AP - Thousands of firefighters battled wildfires across California on Thursday, including a growing blaze that forced about 2,400 people to evacuate their homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

AP - Scientists have discovered a gene that helps a mother and daughter stay alert on about six hours sleep a night, two hours less than the rest of their family needs.

AP - A circuit court judge has acknowledged he deflated a tire on a car parked in a restricted area near his courthouse earlier this week. But he isn't apologizing.

AP - Cliff Lee won his third straight start since joining the Philadelphia Phillies, and the NL East leaders beat the slumping Chicago Cubs 6-1 Thursday for their first sweep at Wrigley Field in 25 years. Ryan Howard and Pedro Feliz homered in the fourth inning as the Cubs lost for the seventh time in eight games, including five in a row.

Reuters - Two suicide bombers detonated vests packed with explosives in a cafe in a town near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Thursday, killing 21 people, a health official said, the latest attack in a restive region.

Reuters - The tiny Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda, still reeling from the fraud scandal surrounding Texas billionaire Allen Stanford, on Thursday found a new foreign benefactor in Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

AP - Thou shalt not steal — especially within sight of a convent. Police in Independence, Mo., are crediting a pair of nuns with helping nab a gun-toting man suspected of burglarizing two homes Thursday morning.

AP - Authorities have removed from duty an air traffic controller who they say was talking on the phone during last week's deadly midair collision over New York's Hudson River, along with a supervisor who was out of the building at the time.

AP - Suddenly, no one seemed to care much about the preseason game against the New England Patriots on Thursday night. All that mattered to most fans was that the disgraced quarterback had joined their team.

AP - Divine intervention? Or just plain luck? No matter what the circumstances, a Michigan church is $70,000 richer courtesy of the Michigan Lottery. The Covenant Life Worship Center and its 25 members in Haslett, Mich. had one of the second-prize tickets in the Lucky 7s raffle held May 4.

AFP - The UN Security Council agreed on a watered-down statement expressing 'serious concern' at the extended detention of Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar after a tougher draft met opposition from China, Libya, Russia and Vietnam.

AP - Retail sales dropped in July, government data showed, reinforcing concerns among economists that consumers won't spend enough to help a recovery take hold. But Friday is expected to bring better news: July inflation is expected to have remained flat, and industrial production is likely to have grown for the first time in nine months.

AP - Authorities have suspended an air traffic controller who was talking on the phone during last week's deadly mid-air collision over New York's Hudson River, along with a supervisor who was out of the building at the time.

AFP - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates left open the possibility of sending more forces to Afghanistan but warned of stretched military resources.