AP - The search for a death row inmate who walked unnoticed out of a Texas county jail become a nationwide manhunt Saturday as authorities investigated whether he had help making the brazen escape.

AP - Miami swaggered into Virginia Tech as underdogs and took a huge bite out of the Hokies' national title hopes. The fifth-ranked Hurricanes put the clamps on Marcus Vick, forcing him into six turnovers, and blew the Hokies right out of the national title picture with a stunning 27-7 victory on Saturday night.

Reuters - A top al Qaeda operative in U.S. custody was identified as a probable liar months before the Bush administration began using his claims as the basis of its contention that Iraq trained al Qaeda members to use biological and chemical weapons, The New York Times reported in Sunday editions.

AP - Ten nights of urban unrest that brought thousands of arson attacks on cars, nursery schools and other targets from the Mediterranean to the German border reached Paris where at least 28 cars were burned overnight in the French capital, government officials said Sunday.

AP - About 3,500 U.S. and Iraqi troops backed by jets launched a major attack Saturday against an insurgent-held town near the Syrian border, seeking to dislodge al-Qaida and its allies and seal off a main route for foreign fighters entering the country.

Reuters - Pakistan said on Sunday preparations were complete for opening border crossing points with India, but New Delhi said it was ready to open only one of five points to help survivors of last month's quake.

Reuters - Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, received a warm welcome on Saturday from a coastal hamlet north of San Francisco with a reputation for being standoffish to visitors.

PARIS (Reuters) - Gangs of youths torched more than 1,000 vehicles overnight in the tenth straight night of violence in Paris's poor suburbs, despite the deployment of thousands of extra police.

BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan was voting on Sunday in a parliamentary election expected to give the ruling party a big majority, with Western governments hungry for the country's oil hoping vote fraud and violence would not wreck the ballot.

BEIJING (Reuters) - All poultry in a northeastern part of China hit by the country's latest bird flu outbreak are expected to be culled by Sunday, state media said, as the government steps up measures to stop the disease's spread.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The leader of Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents has called on people to unite and join the Taliban in their holy war against U.S.-led forces in the country.

SEOUL (Reuters) - A Korean-American who spent about eight years in jail for illegally passing U.S. military secrets to Seoul returned to South Korea on Sunday where he was given a heroes' welcome.

Los Angeles Times - It seems like a license to print money: Stitch together tiny pieces of fabric, pitch it to women as apparel that makes them sexy, mark it up to as much as $80, then watch the cash roll in.

Los Angeles Times - MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina — President Bush left the country before the conclusion of a two-day summit here as key South American leaders rejected the White House's vision for a free-trade zone that would stretch from the Arctic to the southern tip of South America.

Los Angeles Times - WASHINGTON — As the Bush administration struggles to combat the threat of international terrorism, a far quieter force is challenging America's global influence: the growing economic clout of Asia.

Los Angeles Times - As it attempts to halt the year's box office slide, Hollywood is bringing out the howitzer for the holidays — the turbocharged children's film.

Los Angeles Times - WASHINGTON — An intelligence analyst temporarily lost his top-secret security clearance because he faxed his resume using a commercial machine.

Reuters - Hundreds of health experts gather on Monday to try to hammer out a global plan to battle bird flu and stop the virus triggering a human pandemic that could kill millions.

AP - Soldiers dressed in crisp, green military uniforms have notified the families of more than 2,000 men and women of a death at war in Iraq. Now, as entire divisions begin redeploying, Army posts are training teams of volunteers to help widows and other grieving family members in ways historically left to neighbors and friends.

AP - A thief has pinched 70 hairy crabs from a Hong Kong shop, police spokeswoman Ivy Yue said Sunday. The top-quality crabs — a seasonal delicacy hugely popular among local residents — were worth about $1,280.

AP - Annika Sorenstam became the first player in LPGA Tour history to win a tournament five straight times, shooting an 8-under 64 in steady drizzle Sunday for a three-stroke victory in the Mizuno Classic.

Reuters - Gangs of youths torched 1,300 vehicles overnight in the 10th consecutive night of violence in Paris's poor suburbs and major French towns, despite the deployment of thousands of extra police.

Reuters - The chief U.N. investigator examining the killing of a former Lebanese prime minister has requested interviews with six senior Syrian intelligence officers, a paper reported on Sunday quoting Lebanese sources.

AP - Worsening urban unrest reached central Paris for the first time early Sunday and youths set ablaze shops, businesses, schools and nearly 1,300 cars from France's Mediterranean resort towns to the German border.

AP - A tornado ripped across a region on the Indiana and Kentucky border early Sunday, killing at least eight people, wrecking homes and knocking out power to thousands, authorities said.

AP - President Bush, making his first visit to Brazil, said Sunday he wants to improve the United States' image in Latin America and convince people in the region that they share democratic values.

AP - Insurgents armed with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenades battled about 3,500 U.S. and Iraqi troops Sunday in the gritty streets of Husaybah in the second day of an offensive to rout al-Qaida from its stronghold along the Syrian border.

AP - Azerbaijan's president pledged that Sunday's parliamentary elections would be followed by further democratic reform of the oil-rich former Soviet republic, but his political opponents alleged there already had been violations in the voting.

AP - China said Sunday it had asked the World Health Organization to help it determine whether the death of a 12-year-old girl last month was caused by bird flu. If it is confirmed, it would be China's first known human death from the lethal and virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu, which has killed at least 62 people across Southeast Asia.

Reuters - Urban violence scaled new heights in France as gangs of youths torched cars, shops and firms in the 10th straight night of violence in poor suburbs of Paris and provincial towns, despite heavy police reinforcements.

Reuters - The leaders of Brazil and the United States, the two most populous countries in the Western Hemisphere, aim to play down differences and seek common ground on issues from trade to democracy in Latin America during a get-together in Brasilia on Sunday.

Reuters - A powerful tornado tore through southern Indiana and parts of Kentucky early on Sunday, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than 100, according to emergency officials.

Los Angeles Times - BAGHDAD — Ziad Cattan was a Polish Iraqi used-car dealer with no weapons-dealing experience until U.S. authorities turned him into one of the most powerful men in Iraq last year — the chief of procurement for the Defense Ministry, responsible for equipping the fledgling Iraqi army.

AP - A tornado ripped across southwestern Indiana and northern Kentucky early Sunday, killing at least 17 people, wrecking homes and knocking out power to thousands, state and county authorities said.

AP - French President Jacques Chirac called a security meeting of his top ministers Sunday after urban rioting spread — with arsonists striking from the Mediterranean to the German border and into central Paris for the first time.

AP - President Bush acknowledged Sunday that he has more work to do to persuade Brazil of the value of a vast proposed free-trade zone for the Western Hemisphere.

AP - A Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday he believes Samuel Alito will get an up-or-down vote on his Supreme Court bid.

AP - Slicing through slate-gray waters along the shores of Colombia, a Coast Guard vessel slips into a mangrove-fringed inlet, on the hunt for speedboats loaded with two or three tons of cocaine and ready to tear full-tilt to coastlines hundreds of miles away.

AP - U.N. nuclear inspectors were granted access to a high-security military site in Iran and were permitted to meet senior personnel at the facility, an Iranian official said Sunday.

Reuters - Iran sought to defuse tensions over its nuclear program on Sunday, confirming it had let U.N. inspectors visit a military complex and calling for a revival of European Union talks on the issue.

Reuters - A powerful tornado tore through southern Indiana and parts of Kentucky early on Sunday killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 100, many of whom were sleeping when the twister hit, officials said.

Reuters - The leaders of Brazil and the United States, the two most populous countries in the Western Hemisphere, played down differences and sought common ground on issues from trade to democracy in Latin America on Sunday.

Reuters - U.S. and Iraqi troops hunted down Sunni Arab insurgents, who fought back with rifles and makeshift bombs, on the second day of an offensive in a border town that aims to quell rebellion in western Iraq before December polls.

Reuters - The head of Azerbaijan's ruling party declared victory in a parliamentary election on Sunday, saying his party was on course to regain its majority.

BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - The presidents of Brazil and the United States, the two largest democracies in the Western world, agreed on Sunday to work together for a global trade deal and overcome differences in their own often conflictive trade relationship.

PARIS (Reuters) - France's urban riots reached a new peak in their 10th night as petrol bombings spread from Paris's run-down suburbs to the center of the capital and began to unnerve neighboring countries.

BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan's ruling party claimed victory in Sunday's parliamentary election but was immediately accused of widespread fraud by the opposition which said it would hit the streets in protest.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key Democrat said on Sunday that he expects the full Republican-led Senate to vote on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel Alito without the threat of a Democratic filibuster.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number two U.S. State Department official heads to Kenya and Sudan on Sunday to prod fractious Sudanese rebel leaders and the Khartoum government toward a peace deal to end what the United States has called genocide in Darfur.

MEGIDDO PRISON, Israel (Reuters) - In a maximum-security jail just down the road from Armageddon, Israeli archaeologists have unearthed what they believe is the oldest church discovered in the land where Jesus was born.

AP - A tornado ripped across southwestern Indiana and northern Kentucky while most residents were asleep early Sunday, killing at least 16 people as it destroyed homes and knocked out power to thousands, state and county authorities said.

AP - Geraldo Rivera is returning to daily syndicated television, but not to the world of flying chairs, broken noses and transvestite makeovers.

AP - Kenya's Paul Tergat held off defending champion Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa in a final sprint Sunday to win the men's title in the New York City Marathon.

AP - A tornado tore across western Kentucky and Indiana early Sunday, killing at least 21 people as it cut through a mobile home park and obliterated trailers and houses as residents slept.

AP - French President Jacques Chirac on Sunday promised arrests, trials and punishment for those sowing "violence or fear" across France — as the urban unrest that has triggered attacks on vehicles, nursery schools and other targets hit central Paris for the first time.

AP - President Bush on Sunday urged Latin Americans to reject efforts to reverse democratic progress in the region while choosing representative governments and building constructive ties with other nations.

Reuters - President Jacques Chirac on Sunday vowed to restore order in France after riots in Paris spread across the country and began to unnerve his European neighbors.

AP - Slicing through slate-gray waters along the shores of Colombia, a Coast Guard vessel slips into a mangrove-fringed inlet, on the hunt for speedboats loaded with two or three tons of cocaine and ready to tear full-tilt to coastlines hundreds of miles away.

AP - The violent attack on a cruise liner off Somalia's coast shows pirates from the anarchic country on the Horn of Africa are becoming bolder and more ambitious in their efforts to hijack ships for ransom and loot, a maritime official warned Sunday.

AP - The sky is still falling in Hollywood, even though Chicken Little and the Marines have landed.

AP - Miami jumped over unbeaten Alabama, though just barely, and into the No. 3 spot in The Associated Press Top 25.

Reuters - A captured al Qaeda operative who told U.S. authorities that Iraq had trained al Qaeda members to use unconventional weapons was identified as a probable liar months before the Bush administration began using his claims to make its case for war.

Reuters - Azerbaijan's ruling party has won Sunday's parliamentary election with a reduced majority, private U.S. exit poll said, but the opposition immediately claimed fraud and vowed to hit the streets in protest.

AP - A tornado tore across western Kentucky and Indiana early Sunday, killing at least 22 people as it cut through a mobile home park and obliterated trailers and houses as residents slept.

AP - President Bush didn't name names Sunday when he called on Latin Americans to boldly defend strong democratic institutions and reject any drift back to the days of authoritarian rule.

AP - Retail gas prices plunged an average of 23 cents nationwide in the past two weeks, marking a return to pre-Hurricane Katrina levels, according to a survey.

AP - Two years and one month after a tiger attack that nearly killed him, magician Roy Horn and his partner Siegfried Fischbacher were back on stage Saturday, but as patrons rather than performers.

AP - Dick Vermeil was going to be the biggest fool or the shrewdest gambler in the NFL. Call this man shrewd. With 5 seconds left, the Chiefs trailed by three and the ball was on the Oakland 1. Kick a field goal to force overtime or go for the touchdown and risk losing? Vermeil went for the TD, and Larry Johnson dived over the pile for a memorable 27-23 victory over the Raiders.

Reuters - A powerful tornado tore through southern Indiana and parts of Kentucky early on Sunday, killing at least 23 people and injuring more than 200, many caught sleeping when the twister hit, officials said.

Reuters - U.S. and Iraqi troops hunted down Sunni Arab insurgents, who fought back with rifles and makeshift bombs, on the second day of an offensive in a border town that aims to quell rebellion in western Iraq before December polls.

Reuters - The presidents of Brazil and the United States, the two largest democracies in the Western Hemisphere, agreed on Sunday to put their differences on trade aside and jointly push for progress toward a global trade deal.

Reuters - Health experts meet on Monday to draw up a global strategy to halt the spread of deadly bird flu and prevent it from developing into a human pandemic in which millions could die.

AP - A government document raises doubts about claims al-Qaida members received training for biological and chemical weapons in Iraq, as Senate Democrats on Sunday defended their push for a report on how the Bush administration handled prewar intelligence.

AP - Terrell Owens was involved in a locker-room fight with former teammate Hugh Douglas a few days before the All-Pro wideout was suspended indefinitely by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Reuters - Rioters fired shots at police and set hundreds of cars ablaze in an 11th night of violence in France on Monday, hours after President Jacques Chirac vowed to restore order.

AP - A tornado with winds exceeding 158 mph tore a path of devastation through western Kentucky and southern Indiana as residents slept early Sunday, reducing dozens of mobile homes to splinters and turning entire blocks of buildings into piles of rubble. At least 22 people were killed and 200 others injured.

AP - President Jacques Chirac promised Sunday to restore public order across France as unrest spread from suburban Paris to cities south and north, with rioters battling police, throwing Molotov cocktails and ramming a car into a housing project during an 11th night of mayhem.

Reuters - China has agreed to U.S. import curbs on 34 textile and clothing categories through the end of 2008 under a pact that potentially could be signed this week in Geneva, a U.S. industry official said on Sunday.

Reuters - An unexploded rocket-propelled grenade remained on a U.S.-owned cruise ship after the vessel escaped an attack by pirates in the Indian Ocean over the weekend, Australia's foreign minister said on Monday.

Reuters - China has culled 6 million birds in a northeastern region of China hit by the country's fourth outbreak of avian flu in a month, state media said on Monday.

AP - A death row inmate who slipped out of a Texas jail last week wearing street clothes was captured Sunday as he talked on a pay phone in Shreveport, La., authorities said.

AP - President Jacques Chirac promised Sunday to restore public order across France as unrest spread from suburban Paris to cities south and north, with rioters injuring ten police officers, throwing Molotov cocktails and ramming a car into a housing project during an 11th night of mayhem.

AP - It was a debate both startlingly realistic and straight out of fantasyland on NBC's 'The West Wing' Sunday night.

Reuters - A death row prisoner who escaped from the Harris County Jail in Houston on Thursday has been captured in Shreveport, Louisiana, police said on Sunday.

Reuters - British Prime Minister Tony Blair was "seduced by the glamour of U.S. power" in the build-up to the Iraq war and repeatedly failed to influence U.S. policy, a former top British diplomat said in comments published on Monday.