Aaron's Daily WWW Newspaper

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Pakistani paramilitary troops rushed to protect government buildings and bridges from encroaching Taliban militants just 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the capital quickly came under fire Thursday by gunmen who killed a police officer, authorities said.

HARTFORD, Conn. - A decade-long battle for marriage equality in Connecticut ended when the General Assembly voted to update the state's marriage laws to conform with a landmark court ruling allowing gay and lesbian couples to tie the knot.

LONDON - Britain's privacy watchdog says Google Street View should not be removed or shut down.

LOS ANGELES - "American Idol" finalists Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai aren't closer to becoming household names. Both singers were dismissed Wednesday after it was revealed they received the fewest number of viewer votes on the popular Fox singing competition.

MONTREAL - The Boston Bruins swept aside their longtime rivals and a decade's worth of playoff frustration. Former Montreal forward Michael Ryder scored twice and assisted on David Krejci's goal to help Boston complete a four-game sweep of the Canadiens with a 4-1 victory Wednesday night.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will weigh in on Thursday on the lending practices of U.S. credit card companies, an issue that has triggered an outcry from consumers hit with high fees and interest rates.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp CEO Kenneth Lewis testified under oath that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson pressured him to keep quiet about losses at Merrill Lynch & Co, which the bank was buying, the Wall Street Journal reported.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers wearing vests stuffed with explosives blew themselves up in separate attacks in Iraq on Thursday, killing 28 people in Baghdad and 32, most of them thought to be Iranian pilgrims, north of the capital, police said.

PRETORIA (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling ANC headed for election victory on Thursday despite a reinvigorated opposition challenge and party leader Jacob Zuma was easily on course to become president weeks after beating graft charges.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Treasury has raised its offer to Chrysler lenders with just over a week remaining for the embattled automaker to reach deals to cut its debt, labor costs and reach an alliance with Italy's Fiat SpA, sources said on Wednesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Existing home sales in the United States likely fell in March amid tight lending standards and concerns by purchasers on job security but a continued decline in prices may mute the drop and even point to sales stabilizing, economists said.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan on Thursday sent paramilitary troops to a district virtually taken over by the Taliban, a day after Washington said Islamabad had abdicated to the militants by agreeing to impose Islamic law in the region.

FARAH CITY, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Ahmad Shakib says he knows he is risking his life to work for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but with a casual shrug and an idiomatic American twang, he laughs off the danger.

BAGHDAD (AFP) - At least 70 people were killed in two bloody suicide bomb attacks in Iraq on Thursday as the military announced the capture of the Al-Qaeda chief in Iraq.

PRETORIA (AFP) - South Africa's ruling African National Congress on Thursday claimed a "strong mandate" in general elections set to hand its popular but controversial leader Jacob Zuma the presidency.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Taliban advances in Pakistan pose "an existential threat" to the country, US officials have warned as President Barack Obama prepared to hold talks in May with Afghan and Pakistani leaders.

AMETHI, India (AFP) - Tens of millions of Indians voted on Thursday in the second and largest stage of month-long general elections, with security forces on high alert for fresh attacks by Maoist rebels.

SYDNEY (AFP) - A section of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, which scientists have warned could be killed by global warming within decades, has regenerated itself in record time, a scientist said Thursday.

ZURICH (AFP) - Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse on Thursday ended a losing streak with a net profit of 2.0 billion francs for the first quarter, saying cost cutting and capital raising measures have worked.

LONDON (AFP) - Barclays said Thursday that it would post better results in the first quarter this year than the same period of 2008 despite the global financial crisis and a deep recession.