AP - Some 200 opposition supporters crowded outside the U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe on Thursday, appealing for protection amid new reports of violence aimed at dissenters against the heavy-handed rule of President Robert Mugabe.

AP - Oil prices briefly soared to a new high near $146 a barrel Thursday, extending the previous day's record-shattering rally before easing somewhat as the dollar gained ground against the euro.

AP - Federal prosecutors have filed kidnapping charges that carry the death penalty against a Vermont man whose 12-year-old niece was found dead near his home.

AP - Employers cut payrolls by 62,000 in June, the sixth straight month of nationwide job losses, underscoring the economy's fragile state. The unemployment rate held steady at 5.5 percent.

AP - Former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt embraced her children for the first time in six years Thursday, saying the thought of them helped her stay alive until a daring rescue plucked her and 14 other hostages from the jungle.

AP - The Pentagon has extended the tour of 2,200 Marines in Afghanistan, after insisting for months the unit would come home on time.

AFP - Soldiers have been taken off the streets of Mongolia's capital following riots that left five people dead, the country's justice minister said on Thursday, as the electoral committee announced victory for the former communists.

AFP - French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, three US nationals and 11 other hostages were rescued from Marxist FARC rebels Wednesday, freed after years in captivity by a daring Colombian military operation.

Reuters - A series of powerful explosions at an arms dump complex on the outskirts of Sofia rocked the Bulgarian capital on Thursday, panicking thousands and breaking windows, authorities and eyewitnesses said.

Reuters - An Iranian leader said on Wednesday he detected a better mood in talks over his country's nuclear program as the top U.S. military officer called for more dialogue to avoid a confrontation with Tehran.

Reuters - A global sell-off knocked world shares to a five-month low on Thursday as surging oil fanned concerns about inflation and slowing growth, just hours ahead of an expected euro zone interest rate hike and a key U.S. jobs report.

Reuters - U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Thursday that inflation was becoming the top economic focus of many countries around the world as oil and food prices take their toll.

Reuters - Microsoft Corp and Yahoo Inc have been holding separate talks with other potential media partners after their negotiations with each other broke down, sources familiar with the companies' thinking said on Wednesday.