General, diplomat want time
BAGHDAD -- Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, and Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. general in Iraq, warned Thursday against cutting short the American troop buildup and suggested they would urge Congress in September to give President Bush's strategy more time. Neither offered a timeframe. Story on Page 10.
Marijuana a psychosis risk?
LONDON -- Using marijuana seems to increase the chance of becoming psychotic, researchers report in an analysis of past research that reignites the issue of whether pot is dangerous. The review suggests even infrequent use could raise the small but real risk of this serious mental illness by 40 percent.
Negotiations over hostages:
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan clerics and tribal elders are negotiating for the release of 22 South Korean hostages, who a Taliban spokesman said Thursday have been split into small groups and are being fed bread, yogurt and rice a week after their capture. A local police chief said the talks have been difficult because the Taliban's demands were unclear.
Bomb kills 28 in Baghdad:
BAGHDAD -- A sophisticated simultaneous truck bombing and rocket attack devastated a Shiite market district in Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 28 people and wounding 95. It is rare for militants to stage a double attack like this. Separately, the American military said seven U.S. troops were killed in Iraq.
Bulgaria rejects protests:
SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Bulgaria on Thursday rejected Libyan protests over the presidential pardons it gave six medical workers freed earlier this week from life imprisonment in the Arab country. Libya had accused the six of deliberately infecting more than 400 Libyan children with HIV; 50 of the children died.
N. Korea storms from talks:
PANMUNJOM, Korea -- North Korea walked out of talks with South Korea, ending three days of negotiations Thursday with no agreement amid a lingering dispute over their shared sea border. "We've come to the conclusion that we don't need these fruitless talks any more," North Korea's chief delegate said.
Quake rocks Indonesia:
MANADO, Indonesia -- An earthquake rocked eastern Indonesia on Thursday, sending residents fleeing from swaying homes and hospitals, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of damage. The quake, which had a magnitude of 6.9, triggered a tsunami warning but the alert was quickly lifted.