AP - A nor'easter battered the East with strong wind and pouring rain Sunday, grounding hundreds of airline flights, downing power lines and threatening severe coastal flooding overnight.

AP - Cars, minibuses and roadside bombs exploded in Shiite Muslim enclaves across the city Sunday, killing at least 45 people in sectarian violence that defied the Baghdad security crackdown, while a radical anti-U.S. cleric raised a new threat to Iraq's government.

AP - The Dodgers solemnly lined up along the third-base line, each and every one wearing No. 42.

AP - Google Inc. and Clear Channel Communications Inc. announced a long-term agreement Sunday that will allow the Internet search leader to place advertising for its online customers on more than 675 Clear Channel radio stations.

AFP - North Korea was under pressure from negotating partners Monday to start shutting down its nuclear programme, after an initial deadline for disarmament passed without action.

GENEVA (Reuters) - A new humanitarian crisis looms in the Middle East unless Western powers take urgent measures to assist four million Iraqis uprooted by conflict, Amnesty International warned on Monday.

AP - A suicide attacker ran onto a police training field and blew himself up, killing up to 10 policemen and wounding dozens of others Monday in northern Afghanistan, officials said.

AP - Just 1.3 percent of imported fish, vegetables, fruit and other foods are inspected — yet those government inspections regularly reveal food unfit for human consumption.

AP - No. 42 was everywhere for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Scampering around the bases, knocking hits to all fields, and coming away with an easy victory.

AFP - NATO-led troops said Monday they had killed several key Taliban militants in a series of airstrikes and raids in southern Afghanistan during the past week.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his ministers to quit Iraq's government on Monday in protest at Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal.

PORLAMAR, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will seek to use oil wealth to consolidate regional support for his anti-U.S. politics as he hosts an energy summit of South American leaders on Monday.

KABUL (Reuters) - As the bloodshed in Afghanistan worsens, the Taliban are increasingly targeting civilians, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a new report on Monday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces killed three Iraqi policemen in a case of friendly fire during a raid against suspected al Qaeda militants in the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi on Monday, the U.S. military said.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday Iran would not retreat from its right to nuclear technology, state television reported.

SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean court sentenced a Korean-American on Monday to nine years in prison for spying for communist North Korea in the largest espionage case since the two Koreas began political reconciliation in 2000.

AP - Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers to withdraw from Iraq's coalition government on Monday, the head of his parliamentary bloc said.

AP - Deadlocked with Congress over Iraq, President Bush begins the week with a message that some good might come from sitting down with his Democratic adversaries. His vice president's view is more antagonistic: Democrats will ultimately cave.

AP - Madonna arrived in Malawi with the son she is in the process of adopting on Monday, apparently planning to visit orphanages and care centers she is involved in.

Reuters - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his ministers to quit Iraq's government on Monday in protest at Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal.

Reuters - As the bloodshed in Afghanistan worsens, the Taliban are increasingly targeting civilians, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a new report on Monday.

Reuters - U.S. forces killed three Iraqi policemen in a case of friendly fire during a raid against suspected al Qaeda militants in the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi on Monday, the U.S. military said.

Reuters - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday Iran would not retreat from its right to nuclear technology, state television reported.

Reuters - A South Korean court sentenced a Korean-American on Monday to nine years in prison for spying for communist North Korea in the largest espionage case since the two Koreas began political reconciliation in 2000.

AFP - A suicide bomber blew himself up at a police training ground in usually peaceful northern Afghanistan Monday, killing nine policemen and wounding 25 others, an interior ministry spokesman said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his ministers to quit Iraq's government on Monday in protest at Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal.

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German Defence Ministry on Monday condemned a German army instructor who was filmed ordering a recruit to imagine he was firing a machine gun at 'African Americans' who were insulting his mother.

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - The United States urged Sudan on Monday to accept U.N. troops as part of a hybrid peacekeeping force for Darfur as the world body awaited word from the African Union on reports Khartoum had agreed to a joint deployment.

AP - At least 13 Iraqi soldiers were killed Monday when gunmen ambushed their military checkpoint near the northern city of Mosul, police said.

AP - A hard-blowing nor'easter brought relentless rain to the East Coast early Monday, flooding rivers, stranding airline passengers and prompting evacuations from New Jersey to West Virginia.

Reuters - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his ministers to quit Iraq's government on Monday in protest at Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal.

Reuters - The German Defence Ministry on Monday condemned a German army instructor who was filmed ordering a recruit to imagine he was firing a machine gun at "African Americans" who were insulting his mother.

Reuters - The United States urged Sudan on Monday to accept U.N. troops as part of a hybrid peacekeeping force for Darfur as the world body awaited word from the African Union on reports Khartoum had agreed to a joint deployment.

AFP - Palestinian officials said on Monday there was still no confirmation of a claim by an Islamic group that it had killed kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston in Gaza, as his parents said they were "desperately" worried.

AFP - Former Macedonian minister Ljube Boskovski and his bodyguard, Johan Tarculovski, accused over attacks against ethnic Albanians in 2001, went on trial before the UN war crimes court Monday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his ministers to quit Iraq's government on Monday in protest at Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for U.S. troops to withdraw.

PARIS (Reuters) - French secret services produced nine reports between September 2000 and August 2001 looking at the al Qaeda threat to the United States, and knew it planned to hijack an aircraft, the French daily Le Monde said on Monday.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will announce unspecified new 'nuclear achievements' if the United Nations takes fresh steps against it over its disputed atomic program, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission raised concerns on Monday over the controversy surrounding World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and expressed hopes it would not hit plans to boost cooperation between the two key aid bodies.

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Sallie Mae, the largest U.S. student loan company, said on Monday it would be acquired by two private-investment funds along with JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. for $25 billion.

OSLO (Reuters) - Droughts, floods and rising seas linked to global warming could spur conflicts in coming decades, experts said on Monday, the eve of a first U.N. Security Council debate on climate change.

AP - A fierce spring nor'easter that stretched from Florida to Maine drenched the New York City area, causing heavy flooding that canceled school Monday, forced people to evacuate and slowed the soggy morning commute.

AP - The radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers in the Cabinet to abandon their posts on Monday, the head of the cleric's parliamentary bloc said, blaming the Iraqi leadership's refusal to respond to demands for a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal.

AP - Retail sales rose in March at the fastest clip in three months as warmer weather and an early Easter put consumers in a buying mood.

AP - The Berlin Zoo's popular polar bear cub, Knut, is not feeling well and had his daily public appearance in front of thousands of visitors cut short Monday after only 30 minutes.

AP - Five thousand bunnies blocked a highway Monday, tying up traffic after the truck that was carrying them collided with another vehicle and overturned.

AP - Boston Marathon organizers worked through the night to secure tents at the starting line and line up shelters through the course to protect runners in Monday's race from high winds and heavy rains soaking the route from Hopkinton to the Back Bay.

Reuters - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his ministers to quit Iraq's government on Monday in protest at Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for U.S. troops to withdraw.

Reuters - French secret services produced nine reports between September 2000 and August 2001 looking at the al Qaeda threat to the United States, and knew it planned to hijack an aircraft, the French daily Le Monde said on Monday.

Reuters - Iran will announce unspecified new "nuclear achievements" if the United Nations takes fresh steps against it over its disputed atomic program, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday.

Reuters - The European Commission raised concerns on Monday over the controversy surrounding World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and expressed hopes it would not hit plans to boost cooperation between the two key aid bodies.

Reuters - Sallie Mae, the largest U.S. student loan company, said on Monday it would be acquired by two private-investment funds along with JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. for $25 billion.

Reuters - Droughts, floods and rising seas linked to global warming could spur conflicts in coming decades, experts said on Monday, the eve of a first U.N. Security Council debate on climate change.

AFP - Former Macedonian minister Ljube Boskovski and his bodyguard, Johan Tarculovski, accused over attacks against ethnic Albanians in 2001, went on trial before the UN war crimes court Monday.

AP - Cabinet ministers loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr resigned on Monday to protest the prime minister's refusal to set a timetable for an American withdrawal, raising the prospect that the Mahdi Army militia could return to the streets of Baghdad.

AP - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday warned that Iran would respond to additional U.N. sanctions with new nuclear advances, in yet another show of defiance to international demands that the country roll back its atomic program.

AP - One person was killed and seven or eight more were shot in a dorm and in a classroom on the Virginia Tech campus Monday before police arrested a suspected gunman, officials told The Associated Press.

AP - Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has reclaimed its position as the largest corporation in the U.S. among the Fortune 500, pushing Exxon Mobil down to number two.

AP - Knut, the Berlin Zoo's lovable polar bear cub, was taken off display Monday because of teething pains.

AP - Regis Philbin says he'll return to his syndicated daytime talk show April 26, about six weeks after having triple heart bypass surgery.

AP - Yahoo Inc. is greatly expanding its relationship with the newspaper industry, announcing the addition Monday of four new publishing companies to a consortium that works with the Internet company to sell advertising online.

AP - Fleeced up and huddled for warmth, the Boston Marathon field headed into a nor'easter, girding for foul weather as they left Hopkinton on Monday for a 26.2-mile slosh to Copley Square.

AP - Astronaut Sunita 'Suni' Williams started her version of the Boston Marathon on Monday, running on a treadmill 210 miles above Earth undeterred by the wind and rain facing her Massachusetts counterparts.

Reuters - Icy rain and gale-force winds pelted the U.S. Northeast on Sunday, caking upper New York state and northern Vermont in rare April snow, delaying flights and putting emergency crews on alert across the region.

AFP - Nigeria's ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday held an early lead in 20 out of the 26 states where results for the governorship elections have been announced.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At least 22 people, including the suspected gunman, were killed and many others were wounded on Monday in a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech university, police and university officials said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and Democrats in charge of the U.S. Congress set themselves on a collision course on Monday over Bush's $100 billion funding request for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Gale-force winds and record rainfall battered the U.S. Northeast for a second day on Monday as a rare spring northeaster storm blanketed areas in snow, downed power lines, flooded coastal areas and delayed travel.

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Chicago gang member once accused by the Bush administration of plotting to detonate a 'dirty bomb' in the United States went on trial on Monday, charged with the lesser crime of supporting terrorism.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has again asked Iran about the whereabouts of a missing former U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent believed to be in Iran, the State Department said on Monday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A British minister aspiring to higher office later this year took aim at key elements of the Bush administration's policy on Monday, rejecting its phrase 'war on terror' as only likely to encourage terrorists.

AP - A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech on Monday, killing 21 people in the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history. The gunman was killed, but it was unclear if he was shot by police or took his own life.

AP - Cabinet ministers loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr resigned on Monday to protest the prime minister's refusal to set a timetable for an American withdrawal, raising the prospect that the Mahdi Army militia could return to the streets of Baghdad.

AP - Robert Cheruiyot won the Boston Marathon for the third time Monday, defending his title in the remnants of a soaking nor'easter in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 14 minutes, 13 seconds. Russia's Lidiya Grigoryeva captured the women's crown in 2:29:18.

AP - Sudan on Monday approved the deployment of attack helicopters and more than 3,000 U.N. troops, police, and other personnel in Darfur to beef up the 7,000-strong African Union force in the troubled region.

Reuters - At least 22 people, including the suspected gunman, were killed and many others were wounded on Monday in a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech university, police and university officials said.

Reuters - President George W. Bush and Democrats in charge of the U.S. Congress set themselves on a collision course on Monday over Bush's $100 billion funding request for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Reuters - Gale-force winds and record rainfall battered the U.S. Northeast for a second day on Monday as a rare spring northeaster storm blanketed areas in snow, downed power lines, flooded coastal areas and delayed travel.

Reuters - A Chicago gang member once accused by the Bush administration of plotting to detonate a "dirty bomb" in the United States went on trial on Monday, charged with the lesser crime of supporting terrorism.

Reuters - The United States has again asked Iran about the whereabouts of a missing former U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent believed to be in Iran, the State Department said on Monday.

AFP - At least 20 people were shot dead at a Virginia University Monday in one of the deadliest school massacres in US history.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At least 22 people and as many as 32 were killed and more than two dozen wounded at Virginia Tech university on Monday in the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his ministers to quit Iraq's coalition government on Monday in protest at Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for U.S. troops to withdraw.

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Macau bank accused by the United States of playing a central role in North Korean money laundering said on Monday it had challenged the ruling against it as politically motivated and lacking evidence.

NEW YORK/PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Sallie Mae, a student loan company under fire from regulators and lawmakers, said on Monday it had accepted a $25 billion takeover bid from two private equity funds, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp.

AP - A gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm and then, two hours later, in a classroom across campus Monday, killing at least 30 people in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history, government officials told The Associated Press. The gunman was killed, bringing the death toll to 31.

AP - Hundreds of people were evacuated from flooded homes Monday and refrigerators and trucks floated downstream as a fierce nor'easter drenched the Northeast with record rainfall, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses.

AP - Cabinet ministers loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr quit the government Monday, severing the powerful Shiite religious leader from the U.S.-backed prime minister and raising fears al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia might again confront American troops.

Reuters - At least 22 people and as many as 32 were killed and more than two dozen wounded at Virginia Tech university on Monday in the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history.

Reuters - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his ministers to quit Iraq's coalition government on Monday in protest at Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for U.S. troops to withdraw.

Reuters - A Macau bank accused by the United States of playing a central role in North Korean money laundering said on Monday it had challenged the ruling against it as politically motivated and lacking evidence.

AFP - A shooting spree believed to be by a lone gunman left at least 22 people dead at a Virginia university Monday in the bloodiest school shooting in US history, authorities said.

BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Reuters) - Thirty-three people were killed and 15 others were wounded at Virginia Tech university on Monday in the deadliest campus shooting rampage in U.S. history.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The United States will donate radiation detectors to Mexico and help install them in busy sea ports to prevent a terrorist attack with a 'dirty bomb' or other radioactive material.

AP - A gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm and then, two hours later, shot up a classroom across campus Monday, killing 32 people in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. The gunman committed suicide, bringing the death toll to 33.

AP - A menacing spring storm punished the Northeast for a second straight day Monday, dumping more than 8 inches of rain on Central Park and sending refrigerators and pickup trucks floating down rivers in one of the region's worst storms in recent memory.

AP - Sudan on Monday accepted the deployment of U.N. attack helicopters and 3,000 peacekeepers in Darfur, the first time it has allowed a significant injection of U.N. forces to help African troops struggling to bring peace to the region.

AP - Call it a reward, or just 'bribery.' Whichever it is, many parents today readily admit to buying off their children, who get goodies for anything from behaving in a restaurant to sleeping all night in their own beds. Often, the rewards are for behaviors their own parents would have simply expected, just because they said so.

AP - A major change in the national diet is under way: Heart-damaging trans fat is rapidly disappearing from grocery aisles and restaurant food, too. But are its replacements really healthier?

AP - 'Spider-Man 3' made its global debut in Tokyo on Monday, with stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst taking a walk down the red carpet for the premiere, held in drizzling rain at a ritzy Tokyo arena.

AP - Josh Beckett woke up at early Monday only to learn that his start for Boston would be delayed at least two hours by rain. The Los Angeles Angels still haven't gotten their bats going.

Reuters - Thirty-three people were killed and 15 others were wounded at Virginia Tech university on Monday in the deadliest campus shooting rampage in U.S. history.

Reuters - The United States will donate radiation detectors to Mexico and help install them in busy sea ports to prevent a terrorist attack with a "dirty bomb" or other radioactive material.

AFP - Student Tiffany Otay will long remember the chilling sense of dread she felt as she huddled with classmates in a room at Virginia Tech University while death stalked the hallways below.

AFP - The United States on Monday rejected claims by Russia that it was to blame for North Korea's failure to meet a key deadline to begin shutting down its nuclear weapons programme.

MIAMI (Reuters) - A U.S. citizen accused of plotting to detonate a 'dirty bomb' went on trial on Monday on a lesser charge of supporting terrorism, and the judge told prosecutors to avoid linking the case to the September 11 attacks.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Brooklyn bookstore owner who pleaded guilty to conspiring to transfer funds to militant groups in Afghanistan and Chechnya was sentenced on Monday to 13 years in prison.

AP - A gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm and then, two hours later, shot up a classroom building across campus Monday, killing 32 people in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. The gunman committed suicide, bringing the death toll to 33.

AP - Sudan agreed Monday to let 3,000 U.N. peacekeepers deploy in Darfur with attack helicopters, opening the door to the first significant U.N. force to help beleaguered African Union soldiers who have been unable to halt the region's four-year war.

AP - The first dozen Parkinson's patients to have holes drilled in their skulls for a novel gene therapy attempt weren't harmed — and hints at some improvement have researchers embarking on a larger study to see if the treatment really may work. Doctors reported initial results of the closely watched experiment at a neurology meeting Monday, but cautioned that it's far too soon to raise hopes.

Reuters - A U.S. citizen accused of plotting to detonate a "dirty bomb" went on trial on Monday on a lesser charge of supporting terrorism, and the judge told prosecutors to avoid linking the case to the September 11 attacks.

Reuters - A Brooklyn bookstore owner who pleaded guilty to conspiring to transfer funds to militant groups in Afghanistan and Chechnya was sentenced on Monday to 13 years in prison.

AFP - A gunman opened fire on classrooms at a US university Monday, killing at least 30 people before turning his gun on himself in the bloodiest school shooting in US history.

BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Reuters) - A gunman killed 32 people at a Virginia university on Monday, calmly gunning down students attending class and then killing himself in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Record rainfall soaked New York while gale-force winds slowed Boston Marathon runners, 17 inches of snow blanketed Vermont and thousands lost power as a fierce storm whipped the U.S. Northeast on Monday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea may have started to shut down its nuclear reactor and source of its weapons-grade plutonium, South Korean media reported on Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Breastfeeding may offer broad protection against breast cancer that extends to women who delay having children, according to a study released on Monday.

AP - A New York couple who wanted to spare their cats a trip in an airliner cargo hold during a cross-country move completed a 2,500 -mile cab ride to northern Arizona on Monday. Neither Bob nor Betty Matas had any regrets about making the move to the Sedona area, a region known for its beautiful red rock landscapes, in such an unconventional fashion. But Bob Matas said he has no desire to take another road trip any time soon.

Reuters - A gunman killed 32 people at a Virginia university on Monday, calmly gunning down students attending class and then killing himself in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history.

Reuters - Record rainfall soaked New York while gale-force winds slowed Boston Marathon runners, 17 inches of snow blanketed Vermont and thousands lost power as a fierce storm whipped the U.S. Northeast on Monday.

Reuters - North Korea may have started to shut down its nuclear reactor and source of its weapons-grade plutonium, South Korean media reported on Tuesday.

AP - Carrie Underwood's dark hit 'Before He Cheats' won video of the year, female video and best video director Monday at the fan-voted CMT Music Awards, while teen newcomer Taylor Swift captured breakthrough video of the year honors.

AP - The rain stayed away, and the San Francisco Giants finally squeezed in another game. Barry Zito gave up three hits in six innings for his first victory with San Francisco, and Ray Durham and Bengie Molina hit back-to-back homers in the third as the Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 8-0 Monday night.

AFP - The deadliest school shooting in US history spread shock waves though the United States Monday, reviving calls for tighter gun control and renewing the debate about campus security.