WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The 2-year-old son of a soldier deployed to Iraq is in critical condition after developing a reaction to his father's smallpox vaccination, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday.

AP - The White House dropped its contention Friday that former Counsel Harriet Miers first raised the idea of firing U.S. attorneys, blaming 'hazy memories' as e-mails shed new light on Karl Rove's role. Support eroded further for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

AP - North Korea will not stop its nuclear activity unless $25 million of its funds held in a Macau bank are fully released, the regime's top nuclear envoy said Saturday.

AP - Thousands of Christians prayed for peace at an anti-war service Friday night at the Washington National Cathedral, kicking off a weekend of protests around the country to mark the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq.

AP - All those years of answers and questions, and it's never happened before on 'Jeopardy!' What is a three-way tie, Alex?

AP - Kobe Bryant scored 24 of his 65 points in the fourth quarter and added nine more in overtime for the Los Angeles Lakers, who snapped a seven-game losing streak Friday night with a 116-111 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Reuters - The 2-year-old son of a soldier deployed to Iraq is in critical condition after developing a reaction to his father's smallpox vaccination, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday.

AP - A former truck driver convicted of killing four women and dumping their mutilated bodies across California has been sentenced to death.

AP - A major manufacturer of dog and cat food sold under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands recalled 60 million containers of wet pet food Friday after reports of kidney failure and deaths.

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Two suicide truck bombers driving tanks filled with chlorine killed at least eight people and 85 were made ill on Friday in the western Iraqi town of Falluja, hospital sources said on Saturday.

AP - Cleanup crews were out early Saturday to clearing snow and ice from Manhattan streets in preparation for the city's St. Patrick's Day parade, a day after a heavy storm buffeted the East Coast and caused the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights.

AP - Kobe Bryant ended the Los Angeles Lakers' seven-game losing streak with one of the best games in franchise history.

AFP - White House officials on Saturday mulled their strategy in a mushrooming controversy over federal prosecutor firings, after they changed key details in their defense of the dismissals.

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian lawmakers prepared to endorse a new unity cabinet on Saturday after Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of the Islamist Hamas movement declared that it would uphold the right to 'all forms' of resistance to Israel.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - A senior Iranian army commander warned the United States and other Western powers not to make any 'stupid move' over Tehran's nuclear programme and said they would be surprised by the military response to any such action.

AP - North Korea told delegates at international nuclear talks on Saturday that it is preparing to shut down its main nuclear facility, South Korea's chief nuclear envoy said, a key step promised in a landmark pact last month.

AP - A suicide bomber driving a tanker truck detonated his explosives in a line of cars waiting to enter Fallujah, killing at least six people and wounding dozens, police said Saturday.

AP - A New Zealand Maori trooper was posthumously honored Saturday for courage in battle during WWII — 64 years after he was denied a top gallantry award despite a commendation signed by four commanding generals.

AP - A major manufacturer of pet foods sold throughout North America under dozens of store names is recalling millions of containers of its products while working to determine what caused kidney failure and some deaths of cats and dogs.

Reuters - Palestinian lawmakers prepared to endorse a new unity cabinet on Saturday after Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of the Islamist Hamas movement declared that it would uphold the right to "all forms" of resistance to Israel.

Reuters - Two suicide truck bombers driving tanks filled with chlorine killed at least eight people and 85 were made ill on Friday in the western Iraqi town of Falluja, hospital sources said on Saturday.

Reuters - A senior Iranian army commander warned the United States and other Western powers not to make any "stupid move" over Tehran's nuclear programme and said they would be surprised by the military response to any such action.

AFP - The Palestinian parliament is set to vote in a long-awaited unity government Saturday amid hopes it will end a turbulent year of deadly power struggles, international isolation and economic hardship.

AFP - North Korea has begun preparations to shutdown and seal its key Yongbyon nuclear reactor, South Korea's top nuclear envoy said Saturday.

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Two suicide bombings in involving toxic chlorine gas made 350 people ill in Falluja on Friday, the U.S. military said on Saturday, and another smaller bomb attack near Ramadi also released chlorine gas.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's army commander has warned the United States and other Western powers not to make any 'stupid move' over Tehran's nuclear work, and suggested they would be surprised by Iran's military response if they attacked.

AMES, Iowa (Reuters) - Struggling Republican presidential candidate John McCain dusted off the 'Straight Talk Express' bus and rolled through Iowa this week looking for the freewheeling magic that drove his first White House bid.

AP - Three suicide bombers driving chlorine-laden trucks struck in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Anbar province, killing two policemen and forcing about 350 Iraqi civilians and six U.S. troops to seek treatment for exposure to the gas, the military said Saturday.

AP - North Korea told delegates at nuclear talks on Saturday that it is preparing to shut down its main reactor, South Korea's chief nuclear envoy said, a key step promised in a landmark disarmament pact.

AP - Thousands of Christians prayed for peace at an anti-war service Friday night at the Washington National Cathedral, kicking off a weekend of protests around the country to mark the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq.

Reuters - Two suicide bombings in involving toxic chlorine gas made 350 people ill in Falluja on Friday, the U.S. military said on Saturday, and another smaller bomb attack near Ramadi also released chlorine gas.

Reuters - Iran's army commander has warned the United States and other Western powers not to make any "stupid move" over Tehran's nuclear work, and suggested they would be surprised by Iran's military response if they attacked.

Reuters - Struggling Republican presidential candidate John McCain dusted off the "Straight Talk Express" bus and rolled through Iowa this week looking for the freewheeling magic that drove his first White House bid.

AFP - Incoming Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniya presented a new coalition government to parliament Saturday with the aim of ending a turbulent year of bloodshed and international boycott.

AFP - Pakistani police finally removed barricades from around the home of the nation's top judge on Saturday, after a week of furious protests over his sacking by President Pervez Musharraf.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four years after he began the Iraq war, a diminished President George W. Bush has sacrificed much of his domestic agenda and eroded U.S. credibility abroad in pursuit of the sort of nation-building he once scorned, analysts say.

POTSDAM, Germany (Reuters) - A consensus on the need to protect the world's environment is emerging among rich and developing nations, but the United States remains at odds with other countries on key points, Germany said on Saturday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Insurgents in western Iraq set off three chlorine gas car bombs, U.S. forces said on Saturday, weeks after two similar attacks sparked fears of a new campaign to use unconventional weapons in Iraq.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Three New York police officers will be indicted on Monday on criminal charges for firing 50 shots at three unarmed black men, killing one on his wedding day, the head of a detectives' union said on Friday.

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian lawmakers formally endorsed a new unity cabinet on Saturday after Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of the Islamist Hamas movement declared that it would uphold the right to 'all forms' of resistance.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany sent a thinly veiled warning to the United States on Saturday not to try to split Europe into 'old' and 'new' with its plans to deploy parts of an anti-missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea warned on Saturday it would not shut a nuclear plant until the United States lifted banking curbs, while Washington's envoy maintained the bank issue would not kill a budding disarmament deal.

AP - Three suicide bombers driving chlorine-laden trucks struck in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Anbar province, killing two policemen and forcing about 350 Iraqi civilians and six U.S. troops to seek treatment for exposure to the gas, the military said Saturday.

AP - Hundreds of anti-war demonstrators and supporters of the U.S. policy in Iraq shouted at each other Saturday from opposite sides of a street bordering the National Mall as protesters formed a march to the Pentagon to denounce a war entering its fifth year.

AP - President Bush on Saturday accused Democrats who are moving anti-war legislation through Congress of using troops as leverage to win domestic political battles.

AP - Lithuanian musicians, drum-beating Punjabis and West African dancers used Dublin's St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday to celebrate their place in a booming Ireland that has become a land of immigrants.

AP - The new Hamas-Fatah coalition won overwhelming parliamentary approval Saturday, clearing a final formal hurdle before taking on the challenge of persuading a skeptical world to end a crippling yearlong boycott of the Palestinian government.

AP - Engineers at PureDepth Inc. spent years developing tools for helping the military plot 3-D maps of war zones, eventually licensing top-secret technology to the U.S. Air Force and Navy.

AP - Say goodbye to Lute Olson, who will join his good friends Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski as spectators. The three coaching legends were booted from the NCAA tournament just as the fun was starting.

Reuters - Four years after he began the Iraq war, a diminished President George W. Bush has sacrificed much of his domestic agenda and eroded U.S. credibility abroad in pursuit of the sort of nation-building he once scorned, analysts say.

Reuters - A consensus on the need to protect the world's environment is emerging among rich and developing nations, but the United States remains at odds with other countries on key points, Germany said on Saturday.

Reuters - Insurgents in western Iraq set off three chlorine gas car bombs, U.S. forces said on Saturday, weeks after two similar attacks sparked fears of a new campaign to use unconventional weapons in Iraq.

Reuters - Three New York police officers will be indicted on Monday on criminal charges for firing 50 shots at three unarmed black men, killing one on his wedding day, the head of a detectives' union said on Friday.

Reuters - Germany sent a thinly veiled warning to the United States on Saturday not to try to split Europe into "old" and "new" with its plans to deploy parts of an anti-missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Reuters - North Korea warned on Saturday it would not shut a nuclear plant until the United States lifted banking curbs, while Washington's envoy maintained the bank issue would not kill a budding disarmament deal.

AFP - Palestinian leaders presented an historic coalition government to lawmakers on Saturday aimed at ending a turbulent year of factional bloodshed and an international boycott.

GAZA (Reuters) - A Palestinian unity government rejected by Israel as a peace partner took office on Saturday, pairing Islamist Hamas and secular Fatah in a coalition they hope can end factional violence and painful foreign sanctions.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of anti-war demonstrators, some carrying yellow and black signs reading 'U.S. out of Iraq now!' marched toward the Pentagon on Saturday, one of a number of protests held or planned around the country and the world.

AP - Four years into the Iraq war, about the only thing that has not changed is President Bush's insistence the fight can be won.

AP - North Korea sent mixed signals on nuclear disarmament Saturday, saying it was preparing to shut down its main plutonium program but that no action would be taken unless frozen funds were released from a Macau bank.

AP - The new Hamas-Fatah coalition won overwhelming parliamentary approval Saturday, clearing a final formal hurdle before taking on the challenge of persuading a skeptical world to end a crippling yearlong boycott of the Palestinian government.

Reuters - A Palestinian unity government rejected by Israel as a peace partner took office on Saturday, pairing Islamist Hamas and secular Fatah in a coalition they hope can end factional violence and painful foreign sanctions.

Reuters - Thousands of anti-war demonstrators, some carrying yellow and black signs reading "U.S. out of Iraq now!" marched toward the Pentagon on Saturday, one of a number of protests held or planned around the country and the world.

AFP - North Korea has begun preparations to shutdown and seal its key Yongbyon atomic reactor, South Korea's top nuclear envoy said Saturday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of anti-war demonstrators, some carrying yellow and black signs reading 'U.S. out of Iraq now!' marched toward the Pentagon on Saturday, one of a number of protests held or planned around the country and the world.

AP - Three suicide bombers driving trucks rigged with tanks of toxic chlorine gas struck targets in heavily Sunnni Anbar province including the office of a Sunni tribal leader opposed to al-Qaida. The attacks killed at least two people and sickened 350 Iraqi civilians and six U.S. troops, the military said Saturday.

AP - Denouncing a conflict entering its fifth year, protesters raised their voices Saturday against U.S. policy in Iraq and marched by the thousands to the Pentagon in the footsteps of an epic demonstration four decades ago against another divisive war.

AP - Palestinians installed a new, more moderate coalition government on Saturday, in hopes of persuading the international community to end its isolation of the Palestinian Authority and lift a year of bruising sanctions.

AP - Beatles lovers who seek out Penny Lane imagine it as that magical place 'in my ears and in my eyes, there beneath the blue suburban skies.' But it has a sinister undertone that still reverberates.

AP - The insider-trading case opening Monday against the former head of one the nation's largest telecoms could hinge on the interpretation of secret government deals and what a CEO should be expected to know about his company.

AP - Ohio State thought Greg Oden was its best shot at a national championship. Turns out it was Ron Lewis, and in the nick of time. Lewis capped a furious rally by hitting a long-range 3-pointer with two seconds left to force overtime, and the top-seeded Buckeyes beat Xavier 78-71 Saturday in a second-round South Regional game.

Reuters - Thousands of anti-war demonstrators, some carrying yellow and black signs reading "U.S. out of Iraq now!" marched toward the Pentagon on Saturday, one of a number of protests held or planned around the country and the world.

AFP - North Korea said Saturday that it had begun preparations to shutdown and seal its key Yongbyon atomic reactor in a step toward honouring a landmark nuclear disarmament deal.

ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters) - Thousands of anti-war demonstrators, some carrying yellow and black signs reading 'U.S. out of Iraq now!' marched on the Pentagon on Saturday, one of several protests worldwide to mark four years of war.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (Reuters) - On the prairie where her ancestors once blanketed the landscape, a bison yearling lifted up her muzzle and pirouetted before bounding off in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains.

AP - An ice storm wiped away the traditional green stripe painted on Fifth Avenue, but it could not keep away thousands of St. Patrick's Day celebrants from the city's parade on Saturday.

AP - Hundreds of passengers were stranded for hours overnight on airliners that couldn't take off from John F. Kennedy International Airport because of the ice and snow storm that pummeled the Northeast.

AP - Butler can shed the mid-major label. A.J. Graves and company proved the Bulldogs can play with anyone — including Maryland. Graves scored 19 points, including a clutch 3-point basket with 2:09 remaining to lift the Bulldogs to a 62-59 win over Maryland in the second round of the NCAA tournament Saturday.

Reuters - Thousands of anti-war demonstrators, some carrying yellow and black signs reading "U.S. out of Iraq now!" marched on the Pentagon on Saturday, one of several protests worldwide to mark four years of war.

Reuters - On the prairie where her ancestors once blanketed the landscape, a bison yearling lifted up her muzzle and pirouetted before bounding off in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A man and a woman posing as police officers were arrested at Los Angeles International Airport as they tried to board a plane with a gun, a spokeswoman for the airport police said on Saturday.

AP - Three suicide bombers driving trucks rigged with tanks of toxic chlorine gas struck targets in heavily Sunni Anbar province including the office of a Sunni tribal leader opposed to al-Qaida. The attacks killed at least two people and sickened 350 Iraqi civilians and six U.S. troops, the U.S. military said Saturday.

AP - The simple wooden coffins lay facing Mecca on the airport tarmac in Mali's capital.

AP - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, facing another tough week amid calls for his ouster, has offered a mea culpa to the nation's 93 U.S. attorneys for the way the Justice Department fired eight of their colleagues.

AP - Sixth-seeded Vanderbilt upset third-seeded Washington State 78-74 in two overtimes in the second round of the East Regional on Saturday. The Cougars' Taylor Rochestie drove downcourt in the closing seconds of the first OT, but his shot was blocked by Derrick Byars with 3.0 seconds left. That left the game tied at 69.

AP - Three suicide bombers driving trucks rigged with tanks of toxic chlorine gas struck targets in heavily Sunni Anbar province including the office of a Sunni tribal leader opposed to al-Qaida. The attacks killed at least two people and sickened 350 Iraqi civilians and six U.S. troops, the U.S. military said Saturday.

AP - Denouncing a conflict entering its fifth year, protesters across the country raised their voices Saturday against U.S. policy in Iraq and marched by the thousands to the Pentagon in the footsteps of an epic demonstration four decades ago against another divisive war.

AP - Hundreds of passengers were stranded for hours overnight on airliners that couldn't take off from John F. Kennedy International Airport because of the ice and snow storm that pummeled the Northeast.

AP - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, facing another tough week amid calls for his ouster, has offered a mea culpa to the nation's 93 U.S. attorneys for the way the Justice Department fired eight of their colleagues.

AP - An ice storm wiped away the traditional green stripe painted on Fifth Avenue, but it could not keep away thousands of St. Patrick's Day celebrants from the city's parade on Saturday.

AP - Pet owners were worried Saturday that the pet food in their cupboards could be deadly after millions of containers of dog and cat food sold at major retailers across North America were recalled.

AP - When a 60-year-old man spat on the sidewalk, his DNA became as public as if he had been advertising it across his chest.

AP - A waltz. A tango. A piece of jazz. But they weren't composed in Vienna, Buenos Aires or New Orleans.

AP - Derrick Byars released five years of frustration on Washington State in the second half. He hit five 3-pointers, blocked a critical shot and repeatedly kept Vanderbilt alive in a double-overtime thriller.

Reuters - A man and a woman posing as police officers were arrested at Los Angeles International Airport as they tried to board a plane with a gun, a spokeswoman for the airport police said on Saturday.

BEIJING (Reuters) - The U.S envoy to talks on North Korea's nuclear program said on Sunday he wants to move past a spat over Pyongyang's frozen bank accounts and concentrate on pushing the de-nuclearization issue forward.

AP - Three Muslim schoolchildren were killed and seven injured in an attack by suspected insurgents at an Islamic school in restive southern Thailand, police said Sunday.

AP - Pet owners were worried Saturday that the pet food in their cupboards could be deadly after millions of containers of dog and cat food sold at major retailers across North America were recalled.

AP - An ice storm wiped away the traditional green stripe painted on Fifth Avenue, but it could not keep away thousands of St. Patrick's Day celebrants from the city's parade on Saturday.

AP - Tyler Hansbrough tossed away the mask protecting his broken nose and busted up Michigan State. Top-seeded North Carolina sure did need its big man to fend off the Spartans. The sophomore finished with 33 points and nine rebounds and Reyshawn Terry knocked down several key baskets down the stretch to help the Tar Heels hold off Michigan State 81-67 Saturday night in the East Regional.