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BUTTE, Montana (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama mixed presidential politics with parades and barbecue on U.S. Independence Day on Friday, celebrating his daughter's birthday with a picnic and fireworks in Montana.

MINSK (Reuters) - About 50 people were wounded early on Friday by a home-made bomb that sprayed nuts and bolts into a crowd at an open-air concert in Belarus's capital attended by long-time ruler President Alexander Lukashenko, officials said.

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Ingrid Betancourt began each day in captivity at 4 a.m. -- cold and depressed but awake in the dark waiting to hear her mother's words of encouragement over the radio.

LONG BEACH, New York (Reuters) - With his wetsuit around his waist, Peter Flintoft walks wearily along the Long Beach boardwalk. While worn out by the surf, he is not yet tired of the lengthy U.S. presidential campaign.

TAIPEI/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Historic regular flights between Taiwan and China began on Friday, in a show of conciliation between the long-time rivals that could bring large numbers of mainland Chinese visitors to the island.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China moved to sack two law-and-order officials blamed for mishandling a riot in the country's southwest, saying that broader abuses of power lay behind the mass outrage, state media reported on Friday.

ASTANA (Reuters) - If there is one thing Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev cherishes as part of his legacy, it is the gold-plated extravagance of his new capital, Astana.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush will attend the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in China next month, the White House said on Thursday.

FARGO, North Dakota (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama waded into controversy on Thursday over his plans to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq, first saying he might "refine" his views but later declaring his stance had remained unchanged for more than a year.

LIMA (Reuters) - Union support sank for Peru's nationwide mining strike on Thursday, while workers from other mines said the walkout would go on until Congress passed a bill to give them a bigger slice of corporate profits.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain took a veiled swipe at Democratic rival Barack Obama over trade on Thursday in the final leg of a Latin American trip aimed at showcasing the Arizona senator's foreign policy credentials.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush will attend the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in China next month, the White House said on Thursday.

FARGO, North Dakota (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pushed deep into Republican territory in North Dakota on Thursday, saying he saw the potential for a significant political realignment in November's election.

ANKARA (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called on Thursday for quickly starting face-to-face negotiations with Syria after a third round of indirect peace talks mediated by Turkey ended with an agreement to meet again.

WARSAW (Reuters) - The U.S. offer to Poland in exchange for the European country having parts of an anti-missile shield based on its territory is insufficient, a Polish ruling party source said on Thursday.

HARARE (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday it expects the U.N. Security Council to vote next week on sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and top aides in response to last week's widely condemned election.

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's top religious official warned on Thursday Saudis and foreigners living in the kingdom to not hide information about militants in the world's largest oil exporter.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's cabinet wants to ban parties from using pictures of figures who are not running for office at campaign rallies in local elections, the government's spokesman said on Thursday.

HARARE (Reuters) - More than 200 victims of Zimbabwe's election violence are seeking refuge in the U.S. embassy in Harare, an embassy spokesman said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday a report showing a sixth straight month of job losses in June was another sign of slower U.S. economic growth.