AP - China warned the death toll from this week's earthquake could soar to some 50,000, while the government issued a rare public appeal Thursday for rescue equipment as it struggled to cope with the disaster. Rescue workers broke through key roads to the epicenter in the race to find survivors.

AP - President Bush on Thursday criticized the deadly tactics of extremist groups like al-Qaida, Hezbollah and Hamas and said he looks toward the day when Muslims "recognize the emptiness of the terrorists' vision and the injustice of their cause."

AP - Myanmar's junta announced Thursday that voters overwhelmingly backed a pro-military constitution — a move critics claim was an attempt to divert attention from its failure to deliver aid to victims of a devastating cyclone.

AP - It would have meant more in February or March, but John Edwards' endorsement of Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination was welcomed nonetheless by a politician eager to turn the page.