AP - Pervez Musharraf embarked on a new five-year term as a civilian president Thursday, promising to lift a state of emergency by Dec. 16 and restore the constitution before January elections, a key demand of his domestic opponents and foreign backers.

AP - A British teacher went on trial Thursday on charges of inciting religious hatred by letting her students name a teddy bear Muhammad, a crime punishable by up to 40 lashes and six months in jail.

AP - The economy barreled ahead in the summer, growing at a 4.9 percent pace. The performance was the strongest in four years but isn't expected to last through the current quarter amid the housing slump and credit crunch. New-home sales edged up in October but sales activity still hovered near an 11-year low.