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GIENGEN AN DER BRENZ, Germany (Reuters) - Wafts of golden fluff whirl in the air as Irene Basan wedges a bundle of material onto a spike and gently turns it inside-out, right ear, left ear, then a snout, to reveal a Steiff teddy bear head.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Pakistan has reached a "broad understanding" with the United Nations on aspects of a proposed U.N. investigation into the killing of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto but details remain to be worked out, its foreign minister said on Thursday.

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean billionaire and former center-right presidential candidate Sebastian Pinera would win an election if it were held now, leading pollster CEP said on Thursday, showing a potential shift toward the right.

VALLETTA (Reuters) - Three women, one pregnant, died and 183 migrants were rescued from small boats by Malta's armed forces on Thursday, the largest influx of migrants so far this year.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. business group outlined a plan on Thursday to restore White House trade negotiating authority that was badly damaged in a fight between President George W. Bush and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over a free trade pact with Colombia.

NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - Prime Minister Salam Fayyad called on Palestinians on Thursday to defy an Israeli army attempt to shut down a major commercial centre in Nablus.

ROME (Reuters) - Rastafarians caught in possession of marijuana in Italy may now have legal recourse, thanks to a high court ruling made public on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the United States grapples with surging fuel costs, U.S. lawmakers on Thursday renewed calls to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and will attempt to pass new energy legislation aimed at increasing domestic production as early as next week.

BELLEVILLE, Michigan (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Thursday sharply rejected a top economic adviser's description of the United States as "a nation of whiners" who are in a mental recession.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush signed a law on Thursday overhauling the rules for eavesdropping on terrorism suspects but immediately met a civil liberties challenge calling it a threat to Americans' privacy.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly confirmed Army Gen. David Petraeus as commander of the military headquarters responsible for U.S. operations across the Middle East, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia foiled a plot by leftist rebels to break hundreds of their captured fighters out of jail, days after Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other high-profile hostages were rescued from the guerrillas by state security forces, the government said on Thursday.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations and the European Union sent experts on Thursday to the Philippines to assess the capsize of a ferry last month with large quantities of a highly toxic chemical on board, a U.N. spokeswoman said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican John McCain raised $22 million for his White House bid in June, his best month of fundraising, and his campaign voiced confidence on Thursday he could compete financially with record-setting Democratic rival Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. policy-makers said on Thursday they were doing everything possible to restore calm to financial markets but told lawmakers a longer-term regulatory overhaul was vital to prevent crises in the future.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Berlin's mayor said on Thursday he would be pleased if U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke at the Brandenburg Gate and sharply criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel for opposing such an appearance.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bill to save hundreds of thousands of homeowners from foreclosure cleared a procedural hurdle in the U.S. Senate on Thursday and moved a step closer to being sent to the House of Representatives for needed agreement.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission told Congress on Thursday there is no evidence that market traders are working together to push up crude oil prices or that oil supplies are being hoarded.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's top economic aide said on Thursday that the difficulties facing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reflected the softness in the U.S. economy.

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's government and Darfur's rebel groups are all using child soldiers in violation of international law, the U.N. rights rapporteur in Sudan Sima Samar said on Thursday.