Reuters - Zimbabwe's opposition MDC has launched an urgent court action to appeal a state-media ban on its advertisements and cover of the party ahead of next week's presidential run-off election, a spokesman said on Thursday.

Reuters - Afghan and NATO-led forces cleared out Taliban militants from the outskirts of Kandahar city on Thursday, killing or wounding hundreds of the insurgents, the provincial governor said.

Reuters - Israel and Hamas halted fighting in the Gaza Strip on Thursday but, with peace prospects dim, both sides voiced doubt over how long the Egyptian-brokered cease-fire might hold.

Reuters - Volunteers and relief workers fortified levees on the rising Mississippi River on Thursday to prevent more flooding that has caused billion-dollar losses and ignited global food inflation fears.

AP - Rapper Young Jeezy was charged with driving under the influence and speeding after he was pulled over on an Atlanta highway early Wednesday.

AP - Google Inc.'s YouTube is setting up a virtual screening room to bring the work of independent filmmakers to a global audience.

AP - Tiger Woods' career has been defined as much by spectacular shots as mind-boggling numbers.

AP - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday he would bring Osama bin Laden to justice in a way that wouldn't allow the terrorist mastermind to become a martyr, but he may be killed if the U.S. government finds him.

AP - Sen. John McCain called Wednesday for the construction of 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030 and pledged $2 billion a year in federal funds "to make clean coal a reality," measures designed to reduce dependence on foreign oil.

AP - The Democratic-led Congress finally appears ready to give President Bush his request for $162 billion in long-overdue funds for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

AP - As floodwaters take aim at the tiny towns lining the Mississippi River, the heartland ethic of neighbors helping neighbors is proving to be a potent force against the rising water.

AP - Royal Dutch Shell said it shut down production at an offshore oil installation that produces about 200,000 barrels per day after the most powerful militant group in Nigeria said it launched an attack there Thursday.

AP - Guns went quiet as a six-month truce between Israel and Gaza Strip militants took effect early Thursday, but there was widespread skepticism about its ability to hold.

AFP - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned on Wednesday that Israel's imminent truce with Hamas in and around the Gaza Strip could be short-lived and said the military stood ready to act if it failed.