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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush has chosen John Simon, executive vice president of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, as the new U.S. representative to the African Union, the White House said on Thursday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqis want the U.S. military presence to end. But when that occurs -- and whether a timetable should be set for troops to leave -- is something ordinary Iraqis, security officials and politicians cannot agree on.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Despite Russian objections, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report made public on Thursday he was pushing ahead with a plan to hand over policing functions in Kosovo to the European Union.

GRAND HAVEN, Michigan (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Thursday he believes Democrat Barack Obama's upcoming trip to Europe is tantamount to holding political rallies abroad.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will deliver remarks on financial markets and the economy on Tuesday in New York, the Treasury said on Thursday.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Record growth in the world's poorest countries has failed to prevent an increase in their total numbers of poor people, the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said on Thursday.

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) has for the first time since 2003 redeployed expatriate staff to Iraq, the United Nations agency said on Thursday.

PETROZAVODSK, Russia (Reuters) - Modern communications technology should become a gateway to democracy in Russia, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday, ordering his ministers to improve online public access to the government.

GENEVA (Reuters) - The top U.S. and EU trade officials expressed cautious optimism on Thursday about next week's make-or-break talks to secure an outline trade deal.

LONDON (Reuters) - The United States will announce in the next month that it plans to establish a diplomatic presence in Tehran for the first time in 30 years, a British newspaper said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top trade negotiator of the United States said on Thursday she was "cautiously optimistic" about the chances of a breakthrough next week in key talks on the World Trade Organisation's Doha round.

LONDON (Reuters) - A British suspect in the disappearance of 3-year-old Madeleine McCann in Portugal last year won 600,000 pounds ($1.2 million) in libel damages on Thursday for "the utter destruction" of his life.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Eighty-three percent of Pakistanis want President Pervez Musharraf to be removed and judges he sacked restored, according to a survey released by the U.S.-based International Republican Institute on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama raised $52 million in June, his campaign said on Thursday, a jump from last month and more than double the $22 million raised by his Republican rival John McCain.

HARARE (Reuters) - Talks to resolve Zimbabwe's political crisis have stalled after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai refused to sign a framework for negotiations, his party said on Thursday.

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister said on Thursday U.S. participation in nuclear talks was "positive", but France said big powers still wanted Tehran to make specific proposals to resolve a dispute over Iran's nuclear work.

MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish court on Thursday overturned the convictions of four people found guilty in connection with the 2004 Madrid train bombings, drawing protests from victims of Europe's deadliest Islamist attack.

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's Supreme Court has rejected a third appeal for a case review by three men on death row for their role in the 2002 Bali bombings, a court official said on Thursday, removing another obstacle to their execution. The Bali court official, who declined to be identified, said the Denpasar District court had received a rejection letter and would hold a news conference on Friday.

NAHARIYA, Israel (Reuters) - Thousands attended Israeli funerals on Thursday for two slain soldiers returned in a prisoner swap with Hezbollah and their grief contrasted with Lebanon's joy over guerrillas freed in the deal.

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese court charged a man on Thursday with premeditated murder for stabbing to death six police officers in Shanghai, where he had been held by police for questioning the year before, state media reported.