Tropical Storm Dolly was gusting through southern Texas on a northwesterly track early Thursday, drenching the area with heavy rains.

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is expected to discuss trade and international peacekeeping efforts during his meeting Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The Canadian government hedged on allowing a Sudanese-Canadian terror suspect to return to appease the U.S. government, the Globe and Mail reported Thursday.

The Indian government's determination to proceed with the Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear deal didn't escape the notice of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Iraq's provincial elections likely will be delayed until next year after Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said Wednesday he would veto an elections bill.

U.S. President George Bush discussed a range of issues with his military advisers in the Pentagon's high-security tank Wednesday, his press secretary said.

All six airmen aboard a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber died when it crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Guam this week, Air Force officials said late Wednesday.

U.S. President George Bush Thursday urged the Senate to approve changes to NATO allowing Croatia and Albania to join the treaty alliance.

Japan's trade surplus in the first half of 2008, hit by rising imports and soaring oil prices, fell 42 percent from a year ago, the government said Thursday.

Crude oil prices gained slightly Thursday to $124.71 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after a drop of more than $4 per barrel Wednesday.

Shifting currency values make the United States a better bargain for foreigners living in U.S. cities this year, a private research group said.

Company fraud in Singapore is rising, purports a survey noting 23 percent of the city-state's firms were victimized last year for an average $4.4 million each.

Major U.S. stock indexes edged lower Thursday morning on losses at Ford Motor Co. and a jump in first-time unemployment claims.

Canada's Toronto Dominion Bank has abandoned its legal fight over its U.S. name with a 12-outlet Massachusetts bank.

A raid on eight Mexican restaurants in Ohio by U.S. immigration officials targeted workers trying to make ends meet, an immigration lawyer said.

Existing home sales fell by a seasonally adjusted 2.6 percent in June, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.

First-time claims for U.S. unemployment insurance increased during the week ending July 19, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday.