LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A fast moving brush fire sent flames leaping into backyards and forced more than 1,200 southern California residents out of their hillside homes on a sweltering Sunday of gusty winds after months of drought.

BEIJING (Reuters) - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Monday that moving forward to inspect and close facilities behind North Korea's nuclear weapons program would be complex as the two sides seek to rebuild severed ties.

Reuters - A fast moving brush fire sent flames leaping into backyards and forced more than 1,200 southern California residents out of their hillside homes on a sweltering Sunday of gusty winds after months of drought.

Reuters - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Monday that moving forward to inspect and close facilities behind North Korea's nuclear weapons program would be complex as the two sides seek to rebuild severed ties.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Dubai airport, a major international hub, was closed for at least eight hours on Monday after a Biman Bangladesh Airlines aircraft was involved in an accident while trying to take off, officials said.

AP - Frame-by-frame, the images of President Bush in Guatemala on Monday will depict sharp contrasts.

AP - The world's most powerful nations failed to agree on new sanctions against Iran amid reports that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to put Tehran's case for a nuclear program before the U.N. Security Council.

AP - A newborn abducted from a hospital was back in her mother's arms, and the woman who police said disguised herself in scrubs to spirit the baby to New Mexico was in custody.

AP - The U.N.'s chief nuclear inspector played down expectations Monday that his trip to North Korea heralded the communist country's rapid disarmament, saying a buildup of trust and confidence were needed first.

AP - U.S. and South Korean negotiators worked Monday to narrow differences on the final day of the latest round of free trade talks, expected to be the end of formal negotiations aimed at concluding a landmark deal by the end of March.

Reuters - Dubai airport, a major international hub, was closed for at least eight hours on Monday after a Biman Bangladesh Airlines aircraft was involved in an accident while trying to take off, officials said.

AFP - French newspapers mustered polite praise for Jacques Chirac on Monday, one day after France's veteran leader announced he would not seek another term as president, while at home and abroad there was also candid criticism of his record in office.

AFP - UN atomic energy chief Mohamed ElBaradei arrived here Monday bound for North Korea, where he hopes to restore confidence with Pyongyang to implement a new deal disbanding its nuclear arms.

GENEVA (Reuters) - A U.N. human rights mission on Monday accused Sudan's government of orchestrating and taking part in international crimes in Darfur, where observers say more than 200,000 people have been killed in four years of conflict.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. military planners have begun work on a fallback strategy in case the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq fails, including a gradual pullout of U.S. forces and more emphasis on training and advising Iraqi forces, the Los Angeles Times reported in Monday's editions.

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - President Bush on Monday will promote free trade in Central America and the need for greater security against an upsurge in political and drug violence in a visit to Guatemala.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO's secretary-general has warned that a proposed U.S. missile defense system risks splitting the alliance between those the program would protect and those it would not, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

BEIJING (Reuters) - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Monday that moving to inspect and close facilities behind North Korea's nuclear weapons program would be complex as the two sides seek to rebuild severed ties.

AP - Encouraged by cooler temperatures and calmer winds, firefighters were battling a wind-whipped blaze early Monday that earlier chewed through thousands of acres of parched hillside in what is shaping up to be one of the driest years ever recorded in Southern California.

AP - Frame-by-frame, the images of President Bush in Guatemala on Monday will depict sharp contrasts.

Reuters - A U.N. human rights mission on Monday accused Sudan's government of orchestrating and taking part in international crimes in Darfur, where observers say more than 200,000 people have been killed in four years of conflict.

Reuters - U.S. military planners have begun work on a fallback strategy in case the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq fails, including a gradual pullout of U.S. forces and more emphasis on training and advising Iraqi forces, the Los Angeles Times reported in Monday's editions.

Reuters - President Bush on Monday will promote free trade in Central America and the need for greater security against an upsurge in political and drug violence in a visit to Guatemala.

Reuters - NATO's secretary-general has warned that a proposed U.S. missile defense system risks splitting the alliance between those the program would protect and those it would not, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Reuters - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Monday that moving to inspect and close facilities behind North Korea's nuclear weapons program would be complex as the two sides seek to rebuild severed ties.

AFP - The UN Human Rights Council on Monday blamed Sudan for gross human rights abuses in Darfur in a report that charged Khartoum with direct involvement in war crimes in the region.

AFP - French President Jacques Chirac's announcement that he will leave frontline politics brought no end to the controversy over his record and legacy on Monday.

GENEVA (Reuters) - A U.N. human rights mission on Monday accused Sudan's government of orchestrating and taking part in war crimes in Darfur and called for urgent international action to protect civilians there.

CASABLANCA, Morocco (Reuters) - Moroccan officials on Monday questioned a man caught carrying explosives who tried to flee a Casablanca Internet cafe after a suspected suicide bomber was blown up in the cafe during a tussle with its owner.

GAZA (Reuters) - The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas rejected on Monday criticism by al Qaeda's second-in-command and said it was still committed to Israel's destruction despite a power-sharing deal with the Fatah faction.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denied on Monday that a groundbreaking security agreement he is to sign with Australian Prime Minister John Howard in Tokyo this week was aimed at reining in China.

AP - Hundreds of Shiite mourners turned out Monday for funerals a day after a suicide car bomber rammed a flatbed truck packed with pilgrims returning from weekend rites in Karbala, killing 32 people.

AP - A U.N. human rights team on Monday said the world has an urgent obligation to protect civilians in Darfur from war crimes and crimes against humanity in which the Sudanese government is playing a major role.

Reuters - A U.N. human rights mission on Monday accused Sudan's government of orchestrating and taking part in war crimes in Darfur and called for urgent international action to protect civilians there.

Reuters - Moroccan officials on Monday questioned a man caught carrying explosives who tried to flee a Casablanca Internet cafe after a suspected suicide bomber was blown up in the cafe during a tussle with its owner.

AFP - President Jacques Chirac announced his decision to bow out of French politics on Sunday, sparking debate over his legacy, while stopping short of anointing a successor in next month's presidential election.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A freight train carrying propane gas derailed and caught fire outside Oneida in New York state on Monday, forcing the evacuation of people within a one-mile radius, fire officials said.

AP - President and Mrs. Bush are going today with Guatemalan President Oscar Berger and his wife on a visit to Santa Cruz Balanya, a town of about 10,000 mostly indigenous Guatemalans, to stress the need for social justice and equality.

AP - Cool morning temperatures helped firefighters trying to corral a wind-swept wildfire that was burning behind hillside houses southeast of Los Angeles and had already damaged two.

AP - The Sudanese government has orchestrated war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur and resisted international attempts to intervene, according to a report Monday from a high-level U.N. human rights team that was itself barred from the restive region by Sudanese officials.

AP - A train carrying propane derailed in upstate New York Monday morning, causing an explosion that sent a huge fireball into the dawn sky. Black smoke poured out for hours as the city's downtown was evacuated.

AP - Cash-strapped Ford Motor Co. has sold a controlling stake in the Aston Martin brand, made famous by its exotic sports cars appearing in James Bond movies, raising $848 million to help fund its turnaround plan.

Reuters - A freight train carrying propane gas derailed and caught fire outside Oneida in New York state on Monday, forcing the evacuation of people within a one-mile radius, fire officials said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. military officials have held initial hearings for three terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, including the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks on the United States, the Pentagon said on Monday.

GENEVA (Reuters) - A U.N. human rights mission on Monday accused Sudan's government of orchestrating and taking part in gross violations in Darfur and called for urgent international action to protect civilians there.

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The United States will help Libya generate nuclear electricity, the North African country said on Monday, in an announcement appearing to herald a further improvement in ties with the West.

AP - Smiling Guatemalan children warmly greeted President Bush with cries of 'Hola!' and gave first lady Laura Bush lilies Monday as the president worked to burnish the U.S. image in Latin America.

AP - Anti-war lawmakers in Congress are 'undermining' U.S. troops in Iraq by trying to limit President Bush's spending requests for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday.

AP - A high-level U.N. human rights team said Monday the Sudanese government has orchestrated crimes against humanity in Darfur, and it urged stronger Security Council action because steps taken so far by the international community have proven ineffective.

AP - A train carrying liquefied propane derailed Monday morning, setting off an explosion and fire that forced evacuations from this small central New York city and shut down a section of highway.

AP - A woman accused of disguising herself in scrubs and snatching a newborn from a Texas hospital was in custody in New Mexico Monday, while the tiny girl was back in her mother's arms, police said.

AP - The state-run Russian company building Iran's first nuclear power plant said Monday that the reactor's launch will be postponed because of Iranian payment delays.

AP - Regis Philbin, co-host of 'Live With Regis and Kelly,' announced on Monday's show that he will have heart bypass surgery this week.

AP - Lance Mackey's team surged ahead of a tight pack of front-runners Monday during the final leg of the world's longest sled dog race.

Reuters - U.S. military officials have held initial hearings for three terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, including the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks on the United States, the Pentagon said on Monday.

Reuters - A U.N. human rights mission on Monday accused Sudan's government of orchestrating and taking part in gross violations in Darfur and called for urgent international action to protect civilians there.

SANTA CRUZ BALANYA, Guatemala (Reuters) - President George W. Bush visited Guatemalan hill towns on Monday to promote U.S. efforts to fight poverty in Latin America, where Washington's power is increasingly being questioned by leftist leaders.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army's top medical officer has quit, officials said on Monday, making him the third senior figure to lose his job over substandard care of troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

CASABLANCA, Morocco (Reuters) - Morocco pledged to wage war against terrorism 'without respite' on Monday after a suspected suicide bomber was blown up in a Casablanca Internet cafe during a tussle with the owner of the premises.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A fast-moving wildfire that blackened 2,000 acres and forced the evacuation of more than 1,200 southern California residents was arson, authorities said on Monday.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Iran's isolation over its nuclear ambitions deepened on Monday as Russia, its closest big power ally, announced indefinite delays to a joint nuclear power project and accused Tehran of abusing its goodwill.

AP - Undeterred by protesters who have dogged him at every stop on his five-nation Latin American trip, President Bush strove Monday in Guatemala to convince the region's residents that the United States is a compassionate nation. It's the same message he delivered earlier at stops in Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia.

AP - The Army forced its surgeon general, Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, to retire, officials said Monday, the third high-level official to lose his job over poor outpatient treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

AP - Secret hearings for two suspected masterminds of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and a third terror suspect were held over the weekend at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as the military launched proceedings to determine whether 14 high-profile detainees should be prosecuted.

AP - Cool morning weather helped firefighters get ahead of a wind-driven wildfire Monday that was threatening hillside houses southeast of Los Angeles.

AP - Ohio State, Kansas, Florida and North Carolina — the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament — held the top four spots in the final Associated Press college basketball poll Monday.

Reuters - President George W. Bush visited Guatemalan hill towns on Monday to promote U.S. efforts to fight poverty in Latin America, where Washington's power is increasingly being questioned by leftist leaders.

Reuters - The U.S. Army's top medical officer has quit, officials said on Monday, making him the third senior figure to lose his job over substandard care of troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Reuters - The United States will help Libya generate nuclear electricity, the North African country said on Monday, in an announcement appearing to herald a further improvement in ties with the West.

Reuters - Morocco pledged to wage war against terrorism 'without respite' on Monday after a suspected suicide bomber was blown up in a Casablanca Internet cafe during a tussle with the owner of the premises.

Reuters - A fast-moving wildfire that blackened 2,000 acres and forced the evacuation of more than 1,200 southern California residents was arson, authorities said on Monday.

AFP - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Monday he will hold talks in Syria this week on its troubled ties with Beirut during a regional tour aimed at resolving Lebanon's political stalemate.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. war effort in Iraq is being undercut by members of Congress calling for time limits, deadlines and funding restrictions that simply encourage the enemy to 'wait us out,' Vice President Dick Cheney said on Monday.

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Workers who come to the United States on short term, seasonal contracts are routinely exploited and have few legal safeguards, according to a report issued on Monday by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. sanctions against Iranian banks do not contravene foreign-exchange rules, an International Monetary Fund spokesman said on Monday, after Tehran asked the IMF to determine whether the actions were legal.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is close to reaching an agreement with Libya for cooperation on a nuclear medicine center but for now has no plans for the kind of broad nuclear energy development Tripoli has suggested, a U.S. official said on Monday.

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish police have arrested a Canadian man suspected of helping finance Islamist military operations, the interior ministry said on Monday.

AP - Undeterred by protesters who have dogged him at every stop on his five-nation Latin American trip, President Bush strove Monday in Guatemala to convince the region's residents that the United States is a compassionate nation. It's the same message he delivered earlier at stops in Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia.

AP - With violence down in Baghdad, U.S. troops will fan out into communities on the rim of the capital to shut down car bomb factories, which remain a threat despite a recent drop in execution-style killings in the city, the U.S. military said Monday.

AP - The VA is ordering its 1,400 hospitals and clinics to report on the quality of their facilities to determine if squalid conditions found at Walter Reed exist elsewhere.

AP - Carrots, rich in beta carotene, long have been thought to sharpen eyesight, but a new study suggests that beta carotene pills are powerless against a common type of vision loss among older people.

AP - In Ireland, they bury people quickly — and now they're harnessing the speed of the Internet to help families grieve across the globe.

AP - Isiah Thomas delivered 'evident progress' sooner than needed. Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan planned to wait all season before deciding on Thomas' future with the Knicks. But when New York fought through a few recent injuries to move into playoff position, Dolan concluded he no longer needed to wait.

Reuters - The U.S. war effort in Iraq is being undercut by members of Congress calling for time limits, deadlines and funding restrictions that simply encourage the enemy to 'wait us out,' Vice President Dick Cheney said on Monday.

Reuters - Workers who come to the United States on short term, seasonal contracts are routinely exploited and have few legal safeguards, according to a report issued on Monday by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Reuters - U.S. sanctions against Iranian banks do not contravene foreign-exchange rules, an International Monetary Fund spokesman said on Monday, after Tehran asked the IMF to determine whether the actions were legal.

Reuters - The United States is close to reaching an agreement with Libya for cooperation on a nuclear medicine center but for now has no plans for the kind of broad nuclear energy development Tripoli has suggested, a U.S. official said on Monday.

AFP - Zimbabwe's main opposition party Monday accused government forces of a brutal attack on its arrested leader Morgan Tsvangirai and vowed to push on with a drive to topple President Robert Mugabe.

CHIRIJUYU, Guatemala (Reuters) - President George W. Bush helped Guatemalan small farmers load crates of lettuce onto a truck on Monday to demonstrate the benefits of free trade in Latin America, where Washington's power is being questioned by leftist leaders.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hundreds of people jammed the streets around a modest Islamic center for the funeral of 10 immigrants from Mali, nine of them children, who died last week in the city's deadliest fire in 17 years.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. war effort in Iraq is being undercut by members of Congress calling for deadlines and funding restrictions that simply encourage the enemy to 'wait us out,' Vice President Dick Cheney said on Monday.

SCRANTON, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - A Pennsylvania town's anti-illegal-immigration law created a climate of fear in which businesses failed and people moved out, a lawyer argued on Monday as a trial seen as a test of U.S. immigration policy began.

AP - Army Surgeon General Kevin C. Kiley abruptly stepped down under pressure from military superiors, the third top Army official forced out in the fallout from revelations of shabby treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

AP - Anti-war lawmakers in Congress are undermining U.S. troops in Iraq by trying to limit President Bush's spending requests for military operations, Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday.

AP - President Bush promoted free trade as a salve to Latin America's woes, speaking out against poverty from dusty mountain villages Monday to counter critics' portrayal of America as the devil to the north.

AP - Carrots, rich in beta carotene, long have been thought to sharpen eyesight, but a new study suggests that beta carotene pills are powerless against a common type of vision loss among older people.

AP - Scientists believe heat from radioactive decay inside a tiny, icy Saturn moon shortly after it formed billions of years ago may explain why geysers are erupting from the surface today.

AP - Grandmaster Flash brings the turntables as hip-hop's first entrant into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday. Patti Smith and the dysfunctional Van Halen — some of the band, anyway — as well as R.E.M. and the Ronettes were slated for induction in the annual ceremony, too. It was being streamed on the Web and televised live on VH1 Classic for the first time.

AP - Wall Street's recovery from last month's plunge gained momentum Monday, with stocks rising as investors looked past widening cracks in the subprime lending sector and bought in response to another parade of acquisition deals.

Reuters - President George W. Bush helped Guatemalan small farmers load crates of lettuce onto a truck on Monday to demonstrate the benefits of free trade in Latin America, where Washington's power is being questioned by leftist leaders.

Reuters - Hundreds of people jammed the streets around a modest Islamic center for the funeral of 10 immigrants from Mali, nine of them children, who died last week in the city's deadliest fire in 17 years.

Reuters - The U.S. war effort in Iraq is being undercut by members of Congress calling for deadlines and funding restrictions that simply encourage the enemy to "wait us out," Vice President Dick Cheney said on Monday.

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Monday he wants a breakthrough on U.S. immigration reform by August but defended raids against illegal immigrants, a policy that drew criticism during his tour of Latin America.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House plans to shift $3.2 billion in defense spending -- partly from new weapons like the Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter -- to support troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, a trade publication reported on Monday.

AP - Top House Democrats retreated Monday from an attempt to limit President Bush's authority for taking military action against Iran as the leadership concentrated on a looming confrontation with the White House over the Iraq war.

AP - President Bush's message of goodwill in Latin America ran into a wall in Guatemala on Monday as he defended his efforts to establish a temporary worker program but gave no ground on the deportation of illegal workers.

AP - Duke, Tennessee, Connecticut and North Carolina were selected Monday as the No. 1 seeds for the women's NCAA tournament.

Reuters - President George W. Bush said on Monday he wants a breakthrough on U.S. immigration reform by August but defended raids against illegal immigrants, a policy that drew criticism during his tour of Latin America.

Reuters - The White House plans to shift $3.2 billion in defense spending -- partly from new weapons like the Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter -- to support troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, a trade publication reported on Monday.

Reuters - A Pennsylvania town's anti-illegal-immigration law created a climate of fear in which businesses failed and people moved out, a lawyer argued on Monday as a trial seen as a test of U.S. immigration policy began.

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Monday he wants a breakthrough on U.S. immigration reform by August but defended raids against illegal immigrants, a policy that drew criticism during his tour of Latin America.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Six major powers negotiating U.N. sanctions against Iran for its nuclear ambitions said on Monday they were closer to a deal but needed more time to produce a Security Council resolution.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has seen signs in recent days that North Korea is preparing to shut down its Yongbyon nuclear complex as called for under a six-country agreement, a U.S. official said on Monday, but other officials were more cautious.

AP - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday he considers homosexuality to be immoral and the military should not condone it by allowing gay soldiers to serve openly, the Chicago Tribune reported.

AP - Sylvester Stallone faces stiff fines after trying to bring vials of a muscle-building hormone into Australia, where it is restricted. Lawyers for Stallone, the 60-year-old star of the 'Rocky' and 'Rambo' movie franchises, represented him in a Sydney court on Tuesday where he faces one charge of importing a banned substance.

Reuters - President George W. Bush said on Monday he wants a breakthrough on U.S. immigration reform by August but defended raids against illegal immigrants, a policy that drew criticism during his tour of Latin America.

Reuters - Six major powers negotiating U.N. sanctions against Iran for its nuclear ambitions said on Monday they were closer to a deal but needed more time to produce a Security Council resolution.

Reuters - The United States has seen signs in recent days that North Korea is preparing to shut down its Yongbyon nuclear complex as called for under a six-country agreement, a U.S. official said on Monday, but other officials were more cautious.

AFP - Six major powers moved closer Monday toward a draft resolution tightening sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear program, Britain's UN ambassador said.

AFP - US President George W. Bush Monday visited Guatemala where he discussed immigration and went sight-seing at a Mayan site, as violent protests continued to dog his goodwill tour of Latin America.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday warned the United States against a quick departure from Iraq, saying it would lead to instability in the region and undermine Washington's ability to deal with emerging threats.

AP - The Fresno regional is loaded with juicy story lines. The Dayton regional is just loaded. Tennessee — a No. 1 seed along with Duke, North Carolina and Connecticut — headlines a NCAA women's tournament regional stuffed with defending champion Maryland and two conference winners.

Reuters - Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday warned the United States against a quick departure from Iraq, saying it would lead to instability in the region and undermine Washington's ability to deal with emerging threats.