 Historic backdrop for Obama speech
 Associated Press
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., right, and Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit jokingly pump their fists after Obama was presented with a porcelain bear, the symbol of Berlin. Obama will deliver his keenly-awaited Berlin speech in front of the Victory Column – one of the capital's best-known monuments.
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Panel urges anti-terrorism agency
UNITED NATIONS, 6:52 p.m. July 24 (AP)
A Swiss-led, five-nation panel proposed Thursday that the United Nations assert itself as leader of a global fight against terrorism and establish a new agency or program to coordinate that effort.
U.N. ambassadors from Costa Rica, Japan, Slovakia, Switzerland and Turkey suggested that the U.N. General Assembly create an agency for counterterrorism along the lines of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
More National News
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, 8:04 p.m. July 24 (AP)
NZ students offer reward for Rice arrest: New Zealand students protesting the Iraq war offered a reward to anyone who carries out a citizen's arrest of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her visit to the country Friday.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, 7:58 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Former Argentine army chief sentenced to life in 'dirty war' trial: A court sentenced one of Argentina's most feared former military leaders to life in prison on Thursday for the 1977 kidnapping, torture and killing of four leftist activists.
7:36 p.m. July 24 (AP)
U.S. Virgin Islands power utility proposes Puerto Rico gas pipeline to cut oil dependence: CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands – The U.S. Virgin Islands may build a pipeline to replace diesel-generated power with natural gas brought in from a bigger grid in the nearby U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, the head of the islands' utility company said Thursday.
PERTH, Australia, 7:26 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Condoleezza Rice can't wait to shop: Forget long-winded foreign policy sessions, White House meetings, traveling the globe and talks with world leaders. What Condoleezza Rice really wants to do is shop.
BEIJING, 7:07 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Earthquake rescuers to carry Olympic torch through central China: Chinese state media say 22 rescuers who helped victims of May's devastating earthquake have been chosen as torchbearers for the Olympic torch.
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba, 6:30 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Reputed boss of detainee facing war crimes trial was released from Guantanamo: A Moroccan prisoner released from Guantanamo in 2004 was Osama bin Laden's top bodyguard, according to testimony Thursday in the war crimes trial of another alleged bodyguard.
TORONTO, 5:08 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Thursday's Canadian Briefs: Experts said they are encouraged by a new Statistics Canada report showing a rise in the percentage of people with disabilities finding jobs, but cautioned that they continue to face challenges in their path toward full integration into the work force.
UNITED NATIONS, 4:44 p.m. July 24 (AP)
SAfrican lawyer nominated as U.N. human rights chief: One of South Africa's leading female jurists who won acclaim defending apartheid opponents was nominated Thursday to serve as the next United Nations high commissioner for human rights.
ZAGREB, Croatia, 3:52 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Hijacker returned to Croatia after U.S. jail term: A man who served 32 years in a U.S. prison for hijacking a plane and planting a bomb that killed a policeman returned home to Croatia on Thursday after being paroled.
SRINAGAR, India, 3:43 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Attacks kill 9 in Kashmir, including mom, 4 kids: A suspected Islamic militant threw a hand grenade at a group of migrant laborers in Indian Kashmir, killing a woman and her four children Thursday in one of two attacks that claimed a total of nine lives in the disputed Himalayan region.
PARAMARIBO, Suriname, 3:27 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Suriname boy stabs 9-year-old girl in front of classmates: Police say a boy stabbed and killed a 9-year-old girl in front of her classmates and teacher at an elementary school in Suriname.
BELGRADE, Serbia, 3:14 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Serbia IDs man behind Karadzic's false identity: The real Dragan Dabic has emerged – and the 66-year-old construction worker was shocked Thursday to discover his identity had apparently been stolen by one of the world's most notorious war crimes suspects.
MONTECRISTI, Ecuador, 2:44 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Ecuador's draft charter favors leftist president: A proposed new constitution grants Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa broad powers including the ability to dissolve Congress and set monetary policy, and would let him stay in office through 2017.
GENEVA, 2:27 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Bush discusses trade talks with India: With global trade talks on shaky ground, President Bush placed a private call to India's prime minister on Thursday as their two negotiators tried to break a seven-year deadlock on opening up trade in farm and manufactured goods.
VIENNA, Austria, 2:16 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Iran ends cooperation with U.N. nuclear arms probe: Iran signaled Thursday that it will no longer cooperate with U.N. experts probing for signs of clandestine nuclear weapons work, confirming the investigation is at a dead end a year after it began.
BAGHDAD, 2:04 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Iraq banned from Beijing Olympics amid feud: Just two weeks before the start of the Olympics, Iraq was told Thursday it's not welcome in Beijing because of a political feud in Baghdad that angered the games' guardians and exiled a country that arrived to a roaring ovation at the opening ceremony four years ago.
PARIS, 1:52 p.m. July 24 (AP)
France to slash military manpower by 15 percent: France's military will slash its ranks by 54,000 personnel and close dozens of air, army and other bases in an overhaul meant to slim forces at home while making it easier and faster to deploy troops abroad, the prime minister announced Thursday.
TRIPOLI, 12:53 p.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
Libya, Italy to sign compensation deal-Gaddafi son: Liyba and Italy will soon seal a deal worth 'billions' to compensate for the European country's three-decade colonial rule, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's influential son said on Thursday.
CAIRO, Egypt, 12:53 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Publisher: Book critical of President Mubarak's regime banned in Egypt: The publisher of a book critical of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's regime says the book has been banned in Egypt.
LIMA, Peru, 12:50 p.m. July 24 (AP)
Dancer faces criminal complaint for sitting atop Peru's flag in nude photo: A Peruvian model and showgirl is facing a criminal investigation for posing naked sitting atop the country's red-and-white flag.
BRUSSELS, Belgium, 12:32 p.m. July 24 (AP)
EU pushes for anti-terror measure: European Union ministers agreed in principle on Thursday to set up a U.S.-style passenger data recording system for commercial flights in the bloc, said French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie.
MILAN, Italy, 10:17 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Italian officials say Dutch man and his 3 children killed in fall near Mont Blanc: A Dutch man, his son and two daughters fell to their deaths Thursday while climbing near Mont Blanc, Europe's highest peak, Italian rescuers said.
TRIPOLI, Libya, 10:14 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Libya halts oil shipments to Switzerland to protest arrest of Gadhafi's son: Libya has halted all of its oil deliveries to Switzerland and barred Swiss ships from its ports to protest the arrest of Moammar Gadhafi's son in Geneva, a state-run shipping company said Thursday.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, 10:06 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Police: Insurgents attack Afghan military convoy: Insurgents attacked an Afghan military convoy Thursday in southern Afghanistan and dozens of militants were killed after the army called for assistance from the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan police, a police official said.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, 10:04 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Sri Lankan forces say they capture rebel territory as battles kill 50 rebels, 4 soldiers: Sri Lankan forces battled rebel gunmen deep inside the nation's northern jungles Thursday, killing 25 guerrilla fighters and seizing new territory, the military said. Other battles killed 25 rebels and four soldiers, the military said.
LONDON, 9:01 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Scientists urge Britain to preserve famed wartime code-breaking center as museum: Cramped into makeshift wooden huts on the grounds of a swank Victorian mansion, Britain's sharpest mathematical minds waged a secret war against Nazi Germany – cracking Adolf Hitler's supposedly unbreakable codes.
PERTH, Australia, 8:40 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Rice says U.S.-India nuclear deal good for the world: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that a proposed U.S.-India nuclear energy deal is good for both countries and for global efforts to reduce the spread of atomic technology and greenhouse gas emissions.
KABUL, Afghanistan, 7:50 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Report: Taliban using sophisticated media network: The Taliban have created a sophisticated media network to undermine support for the Afghan government, sending threats by text message and spreading the militia's views through songs available as ring tones, according to a report released Thursday.
HAVANA,, 7:50 a.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
PREVIEW-Castro to speak at birthplace of Cuba revolution: President Raul Castro returns to the birthplace of the Cuban revolution this week for a speech that will be watched for news on what some consider another, quieter revolution now taking place on the socialist island.
BAGHDAD, 7:45 a.m. July 24 (AP)
U.S. envoy doubts Iraqis will revert to violence: Iraqis, having lived through years of sectarian warfare, are unlikely to revert to mass violence as they sort out their future, the top U.S. diplomat to Baghdad told The Associated Press on Thursday.
MOSCOW, 7:37 a.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
Russia plans no military bases abroad – reports: Russia said on Thursday it had no plans to open any military bases abroad and denied a newspaper report that it might deploy nuclear-capable bombers in Cuba in retaliation to a planned U.S. missile shield in Europe.
KABUL, 7:28 a.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
Afghan army says kills 'dozens' of insurgents: Afghan soldiers killed 'dozens' of militants, including foreigners, in a clash on a highway in southern Zabul province on Thursday, the defence ministry said.
PARIS, 7:26 a.m. July 24 (AP)
France eases up on the 35-hour work week, allows companies to negotiate longer hours: French lawmakers took a step toward ending the country's decade-long experiment with a 35-hour work week, passing a bill that gives companies greater latitude to extend working hours.
BAGHDAD, 7:21 a.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
U.S. to give thousands of Iraqis visas -embassy: Thousands of Iraqis who fear being killed because they worked for the American government or military in Iraq will be awarded visas allowing them to settle permanently in the United States, the U.S. embassy said.
KIEV, Ukraine, 6:58 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Ukrainian president believes former ally involved in his near lethal poisoning: Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said Thursday he believes a former ally and friend was involved in his near fatal poisoning four years ago.
BEIRUT, 6:37 a.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
Obama's pro-Israel stance no surprise to Arabs: Barack Obama has convinced Arabs and Iranians he will put Israel's interests first if he becomes U.S. president, after a Middle East tour that ended on Thursday.
BEIJING, 6:15 a.m. July 24 (REUTERS)
China says breaks up international terrorist cell: Shanghai police have broken up an international terrorist group that had planned to attack an Olympic football preliminary match in the city, state news agency Xinhua said on Thursday.
BARCELONA, Spain, 5:40 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Bale asks for privacy in assault allegations: “Dark Knight” star Christian Bale has asked for privacy following allegations he assaulted his mother and sister in a London hotel.
TOKYO, 5:13 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Japanese, Mongolian scientists recover complete skeleton of young dinosaur: Japanese and Mongolian scientists have successfully recovered the complete skeleton of a 70-million-year-old young dinosaur, a nature museum announced Thursday.
SINGAPORE, 3:49 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Asia-Pacific nations to urge that IAEA verify North Korean nuclear programs: The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency should play a leading role in verifying North Korea's declaration of its nuclear programs, according to a draft of a statement to be issued Thursday by Asia-Pacific nations.
JERUSALEM, 1:58 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Israel to build new settlement in West Bank: A key committee has approved construction of the first new Jewish settlement in the West Bank in a decade, an Israeli official said Thursday. The news infuriated Palestinians, who said the decision could cripple peace efforts.
ANKARA, Turkey, 12:27 a.m. July 24 (AP)
Turkish warplanes bomb Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq: Turkish warplanes bombed 13 Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq, the military said Thursday.
MANILA, Philippines, 12:06 a.m. July 24 (AP)
27 hurt in explosion aboard Philippine bus: A homemade bomb ripped through a commuter bus in the southern Philippines on Thursday, wounding 27 people, police said.
