ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- An ambush on a security convoy Thursday killed two police officers in Pakistan's Taliban-infiltrated Buner district, police officials said. The police officers, members of Frontier Constabulary, were killed in the Totalai area, just 60 miles from Islamabad, Dawn reported, noting the killings could threaten the viability of a government-backed peace deal with the Taliban in northwest Pakistan. Eight Frontier Constabulary platoons arrived Wednesday in Buner, each platoon containing 30 to 50 officers, said Syed ... [full story]

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- A coastal South Carolina wildfire burned 40 homes, forcing 2,500 people to flee in the North Myrtle Beach area, officials said Thursday. No injuries were reported. City spokeswoman Nicole Aiello told the Myrtle Beach Sun-News that most of the homes were located at a beachfront resort west of the Intracoastal Waterway. The fire sprang to life Wednesday afternoon and continued into Thursday. It had covered at least 8,500 acres, officials said, predicting the ... [full story]

TEHRAN -- Hard-line conservative Mohsen Rezai says he's entering Iran's presidential race because of mismanagement by the current president. Rezai, head of the Revolutionary Guards from 1981 to 1997, is to run as an independent in the June 12 election against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, The New York Times reported Thursday. Rezai, who has condemned Ahmadinejad's handling of the economy, likely would draw conservative voters who otherwise might vote for Ahmadinejad, the Times reported. Ahmadinejad is expected to have ... [full story]

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Connecticut legislators approved a bill allowing for same-sex marriages after moving to exempt religious organizations, observers said. The compromise enabled the legislation to pass both Connecticut's House of Representatives and Senate Wednesday night after a lengthy and often heated debate that explored themes of religious freedom, discrimination and the state's history of tolerance, The Hartford Courant reported. A spokesman for Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell told reporters she would sign the measure, which ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Cybergangs are hiring employees to decipher the distorted letters, or "captchas," used by social networking Web sites to guard against spam, experts say. Researchers say there are probably dozens of captcha-breaking gangs employing hundreds of people worldwide. The workers are recruited via Web-based ads and toil piecemeal in Internet cafes or in sweatshops filled with PCs in China, India, Russia, Brazil, Argentina and Nigeria, USA Today reported Thursday. Popular social sites such as Facebook and ... [full story]

NEW YORK -- Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is under federal indictment, said Thursday he "never intended" to violate any laws. Blagojevich made the departure from earlier outright denials during an appearance on the NBC "Today" show. In his first interview since U.S. District Judge James Zagel denied a request that Blagojevich be allowed to travel to Costa Rica to appear on the reality television show "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here," Blagojevich ... [full story]

QINGDAO, China -- China is showing off some of its latest warships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, to celebrate its navy's 60th anniversary in the port city of Qingdao. A naval parade also included 25 Chinese ships and 31 aircraft, as well as 21 vessels showcased from 14 other countries, among them the United States, France and Russia, the BBC said. Chinese sailors laid out a red carpet in front of the Chinese destroyer Shijiazhuang that took the ... [full story]

PRETORIA, South Africa -- South Africa's ruling African National Congress may not gain enough votes for a two-thirds parliamentary majority, analysts said Thursday. While on track to gaining a strong majority in national elections and likely making ANC leader Jacob Zuma the country's next president, early returns indicate the party may fall short of the two-thirds mark, which is necessary in any moves to change South Africa's constitution, The Times of London reported. With 35 percent of ... [full story]

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Bulgarian police temporarily in Sofia for an international conference complained about what they described as intolerable housing conditions, officials said. Officers dispatched from towns across Bulgaria to boost security measures during a two-day energy summit that opens Friday were placed in a dilapidated barracks of a former army tank brigade in a Sofia suburb, the Bulgarian news agency BGNES said Thursday. The police union filed an official complaint at the Bulgarian Interior Ministry, saying ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Civilian aid and development workers needed for the U.S. push in Afghanistan may include military reservists who are asked to volunteer, sources say. U.S. President Barack Obama's commitment to increase the American presence in Afghanistan envisions a big new role for aid workers, who are to come via transfers of employees from civilian U.S. agencies such as the State, Agriculture and Justice departments. But the administration now fears those plans may not be adequate ... [full story]