LOS ANGELES, July 2, 2009 (AFP) - Michael Jackson's family on Thursday announced a free memorial service for the late pop icon Tuesday at the Staples Center arena in Los Angeles.

TEGUCIGALPA, June 1, 2009 (AFP) - Roberto Micheletti, who took over after the ousting of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, on Thursday said he had no objection to advancing elections set for November to help resolve the country's political crisis.

PARIS, July 2, 2009 (AFP) - Yemenia Airways announced Thursday that it had indefinitely suspended its flights to and from Marseille, France, after the loss of its Airbus A310 near the Indian Ocean island of Comoros.

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2009 (AFP) - US President Barack Obama said Thursday the latest surge in job losses was "sobering," after new government figures pushed the unemployment rate to a new 26-year high of 9.5 percent.

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2009 (AFP) - The United States said Thursday that North Korea's latest missile launches were the latest in a string of "provocative" acts, but said the world was united in opposition to the Stalinist state.