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.

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 - Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, charged with perjury and other felonies for his testimony in a civil trial, was ordered to jail Thursday because he violated his bond by taking a quick trip to Canada without notifying authorities.

AP - President Bush's Olympic odyssey started with a game of political one-upmanship Thursday, as his blunt critique of the host country prompted China to warn the U.S. president to stop meddling in its business.

AP - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Thursday dismissed suggestions that the nominating convention could be marred by tensions between his supporters and the die-hard backers of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

AP - Pakistan's ruling coalition said Thursday it would seek the impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf, alleging the U.S.-backed former general had "eroded the trust of the nation" and increasing pressure on him to resign.

AP - The nation's jobs market sent a fresh cry of distress as the number of newly laid off people unexpectedly hit the highest level in more than six years, a Labor Department report showed Thursday.

AP - Archaeologists have unearthed a 1,900-year-old well-preserved chariot at an ancient Thracian tomb in southeastern Bulgaria, the head of the excavation said Thursday.

AP - Usher's mother is back as his manager following a much publicized split. The 29-year-old superstar announced Thursday that he has ended his partnership with celebrity manager Benny Medina, whose clients include Mariah Carey, and has rehired Jonnetta Patton.

AP - Brett Favre's journey from retirement and back has ended in New York.

Reuters - Osama bin Laden's driver apologized on Thursday in a sentencing hearing in a U.S. war crimes court at Guantanamo for any pain his services to al Qaeda caused its U.S. victims.

Reuters - U.S. President George W. Bush flew in for China's Olympics party on Thursday fresh from criticizing its rights record -- but attention finally swung to sport with soccer powerhouses Brazil and Argentina off to winning starts.

Reuters - Detroit's mayor was ordered jailed on Thursday for violating travel restrictions imposed on him while he awaits trial on perjury and official misconduct charges.

Reuters - Retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Target Corp, posted disappointing July sales results on Thursday as shoppers ran out of extra tax rebate cash, damping hopes for the current back-to-school shopping season.

Reuters - Pakistan's ruling coalition will move to impeach President Pervez Musharraf on charges of plunging the country into a political and economic crisis, party leaders said on Thursday.

Reuters - A top U.N. nuclear watchdog official began talks in Iran on Thursday aimed at improving cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency over Tehran's nuclear program.

Reuters - Nine people were killed and nine injured when a sports utility vehicle packed with suspected illegal immigrants rolled on a desert highway south of Phoenix, police said on Thursday.

Reuters - A 24-year-old woman, missing since attending a Sunday night birthday celebration for rapper Lil' Kim, was found beaten to death at the New York City club where the party was held, a police source said on Thursday.

AFP - Police banned demonstrations outside the Chinese embassy in Paris on Thursday but critics of China's human rights record stepped up protests elsewhere in the world to mark the start of the Beijing Olympics.

AFP - Pakistan's ruling coalition said Thursday that it would seek the impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf, posing the biggest threat to the key US ally since he seized power in a 1999 coup.