AP - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama seized on a record oil company profit to argue that rival John McCain offers only tax breaks for Big Oil and "short-term gimmicks" to consumers struggling with soaring gasoline prices.

AP - An army spokesman says a roadside bomb attack has killed two Iraqi soldiers and wounded two others in northern city of Kirkuk.

AP - John McCain accused Barack Obama of playing politics with race on Thursday, raising the explosive issue after the first black candidate with a serious chance of winning the White House claimed Republicans will try to scare voters by saying he "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."

AFP - Israel was bracing Thursday for weeks of political turmoil after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's shock announcement that he would step down in September, casting a shadow over Middle East peacemaking.

AFP - Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic made a combative first appearance at the UN war crimes court Thursday, claiming "irregularities" in his capture and waiving legal counsel.

Reuters - The White House on Thursday unveiled an overhaul of intelligence powers that concentrates power in the national intelligence director and drew immediate criticism from Congress for failing to consult on the changes.

Reuters - A federal judge ruled on Thursday that Congress in its fight with the Bush administration can subpoena current and former top White House aides in its investigation over the firing of U.S. attorneys.

Reuters - At least seven people were killed on Thursday when a small business jet crashed near an airport in southern Minnesota, the FAA said.

Reuters - An emergency dose of government stimulus helped the economy grow at a 1.9 percent annual rate in the second quarter, a soft pace but enough to take it off a path perilously close to recession.

Reuters - Israel's right-wing Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu called on Thursday for an early election to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, whose pledge to resign has deepened uncertainty over Middle East peacemaking.

Reuters - Republican White House hopeful John McCain's campaign accused Democrat Barack Obama on Thursday of playing racial politics in some of the most biting back-and-forth of the presidential campaign.

Reuters - Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges of concealing more than $250,000 in gifts from an oil services company, and his lawyer asked for a quick trial in an effort to clear his name before the November election.

Reuters - Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic appeared before a U.N. war crimes judge for the first time on Thursday to answer genocide charges and said he had been kidnapped and feared for his life.

AP - Ken Griffey Jr. agreed Thursday to accept a trade to the Chicago White Sox, leaving it up to the commissioner's office to approve the deal because money is involved, a person with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press.

AP - Barack Obama's presidential campaign says a new rhyme by supporter and rapper Ludacris is "outrageously offensive" to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Republican Sen. John McCain and President Bush.