Around the World

Space shuttle glides to a safe landing\nCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Space shuttle Atlantis and its six astronauts glided to a safe landing in darkness early Thursday, ending a 12-day mission whose smooth success was briefly upstaged by the high drama caused by mysterious floating debris.\nAhmadinejad: Iran doesn't need the bombUNITED NATIONS -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted Thursday that Tehran doesn't need atomic weapons, and he is "at a loss" about what more he can do to prove that. Ahmadinejad said his country has not hidden anything and was working within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. \n"The bottom line is we do not need a bomb," he said at a news conference on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.\nMogul pledges $3 billion to combat global warming\nNEW YORK -- British business mogul Richard Branson said Thursday he would invest about $3 billion to combat global warming over the next decade. Branson, the billionaire behind the multi-platform Virgin brand, said the money would come from 100 percent of the profits generated by his transportation and airline sectors. It will then be invested in efforts to find renewable, sustainable energy sources in an effort to wean the world off of oil and coal. \n4 Aides of Ousted Thai Leader Detained\nBANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's new military rulers said Thursday that four top members of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's administration had been detained. The regime also assumed the duties of parliament, which was dissolved when the government was ousted in a coup earlier this week and banned meetings by all political parties. The junta's actions, which it said were to maintain peace and order, have come even though no open opposition has emerged to its Tuesday night ouster of Thaksin.