AP - Salim Hamdan pleaded with a military jury to spare him from a life in prison, apologizing Thursday for the "innocent people" who died in the Sept. 11 attacks and saying he worked as Osama bin Laden's driver only because he needed a job.

AP - Two Iraqi officials say the U.S. and Iraq are close to a deal under which all American combat troops would leave by October 2010 with remaining U.S. forces gone about three years later.

AFP - Australian police are reviewing 7,000 cases solved through the use of DNA evidence after a mistake was discovered in one murder case, a senior officer said Thursday.

AFP - Senior members of Zimbabwe's security forces have travelled to South Africa to meet mediators trying to resolve the country's political crisis, a newspaper reported on Thursday.

AP - Riot police used tear gas Wednesday as they blocked hundreds of Venezuelans protesting what they call new moves by President Hugo Chavez to concentrate his power. The demonstrators said a blacklist barring key opposition candidates from elections and a series of socialist decrees are destroying what's left of their democracy.

AFP - Barclays said on Thursday that net profit slumped 35 percent in the first half, hit by write-downs of 2.1 billion dollars (1.4 billion euros) for the US subprime housing and credit crises.

AP - When illustrating America's close ties to Asia, never forget the elephants.

AP - Osama bin Laden's former driver is expected to ask the Pentagon jury that convicted him of a war crime to spare him from life in prison Thursday, his defense lawyers said.

AP - Israel is building up its strike capabilities amid growing anxiety over Iran's nuclear ambitions and appears confident that a military attack would cripple Tehran's atomic program, even if it can't destroy it.

AP - At least two women who have protested being evicted from their homes ahead of the Olympics were rounded up and taken to a police station, amid ramped up efforts Thursday by activists to use the games to spotlight their causes.

AP - President Bush praised the spread of freedom in Asia while training a harsh spotlight Thursday on the region's democratic laggards, sharply criticizing oppression and human rights abuses in China, Myanmar and North Korea.

AFP - Beijing remained shrouded in smog on Wednesday as the hours ticked down to the showpiece opening Olympic ceremony, but despite complaints from some athletes organisers insisted air quality was safe.

AFP - Zimbabwe's rival parties issued a joint statement Wednesday calling on their supporters to halt all political violence in a sign that power-sharing talks may have moved closer to an agreement.