Manila (Associated Press): Police have captured a leader of an al-Qaeda-linked militant group who was preparing to use truck bombs to attack the stock exchange, shopping malls and foreign embassies in Manila, the Philippines government said on Thursday.

Canberra (Reuters): Australia added four more Islamic groups to its list of banped "terrorist" organizations on Thursday and said that anyone linked to the groups and living in Australia would be targeted by police and security forces.

Beijing (Reuters): Chinese Communist Party Chief Jiang Zemin ushered in a new generation of leaders under Hu Jintao on Thursday in the first orderly succession since the party took power in 1949.

Islamabad (Reuters): A journalist who has met Osama bin Laden several times said on Thursday an audio tape message praising recent attacks and warning U.S. allies of death was definitely made by the religious militant.

Kabul (Reuters): The United Nations and a leading human rights group condemned the Afghan police on Thursday for clashes with Kabul University students in which at least two demonstrators died.

Baghdad/Washington (Agencies): Weapons inspectors prepared on Thursday to return to Iraq after Baghdad reluctantly accepted United Nations demands, and neighboring states let out a sigh of relief in the hope the region might escape war.

London (Reuters): Oil prices firmed on Thursday, shell-shocked after a drop to eight month lows on Iraq's acceptance of new United Nations weapons inspections.

Singapore (Dow Jones): Most Asian currencies retreated Thursday as the U.S. dollar extended its overnight gains against the yen, with the Philippine peso closing at a 15-month trough, weighed down by the government's fiscal woes.

Cebu, Philippines (Reuters): Security and threats to tourism will top the agenda on Thursday as executives from 17 Asian airlines start a two-day annual meeting in the Philippines.

Bangkok (Agence France-Presse): Thailand plans to make ethanol its primary energy source for transportation needs as a means of slashing its dependency on foreign oil, the country's energy minister said in a report Thursday.

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt clinched the year-end world number one ranking without lifting a racket on Thursday right as his only rival for top spot Andre Agassi lost 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 to Juan Carlos Ferrero at the Tennis Masters Cup.

Japan (Agence France-Presse): Brendan Jones shot a seven-under-par 65 to take a two-stroke lead in the first round of the ¥150 million (US$1.25 million) Taiheiyo Masters golf tournament on Thursday.