MANAGUA (Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister said on Saturday the U.N. Security Council, which has passed two sanctions resolutions on Iran since December, had no right to stop it enriching uranium.

AP - He's a veteran of long-distance sailing voyages in all kinds of weather. She's never sailed outside the Hudson River. But together, 55-year-old Reid Stowe and his 23-year-old girlfriend, Soanya Ahmad, embarked Saturday on a voyage that they intend to take them three times around the globe and last 1,000 days and nights — nonstop, with no port calls for supplies or a walk on solid ground.

AP - Crown Princess Mary had a daughter on Saturday, the first princess born into the Danish royal family since 1946, the palace said.

Reuters - Iran's foreign minister said on Saturday the U.N. Security Council, which has passed two sanctions resolutions on Iran since December, had no right to stop it enriching uranium.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson, battling allegations of fraud and embezzlement at a previous job, is stepping down for three months, his lawyer said on Sunday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. troop build-up in Iraq has yielded modest progress but a rise in suicide bombings helps make the ultimate success of the security crackdown uncertain, the top U.S. commander in the country said in remarks published on Sunday.

PARIS (Reuters) - Voting began in France's presidential election on Sunday, with right-wing front-runner Nicolas Sarkozy widely expected to face a run-off vote next month against Socialist Segolene Royal.

KHOST, Afghanistan (Reuters) - At least five people were killed and 10 wounded in a suicide blast and a bomb explosion in Afghanistan's southeastern town of Khost on Sunday, officials said.

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Explosions and gunfire shook Mogadishu overnight and into Sunday during a fifth day of battles between insurgents and allied Somali-Ethiopian troops that have killed more than 200 people, residents said.

AP - France began choosing a new president Sunday after a frenzied campaign among a dozen contenders in a race with unpredictable results.

AP - Two car bombs exploded in the parking lot of a police station in Baghdad on Sunday, killing seven people and wounding about 30, police said.

AP - Israeli troops killed eight Palestinians, including a 17-year-old girl, in a two-day surge of fighting across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said Sunday.

Reuters - Israeli Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson, battling allegations of fraud and embezzlement at a previous job, is stepping down for three months, his lawyer said on Sunday.

Reuters - The U.S. troop build-up in Iraq has yielded modest progress but a rise in suicide bombings helps make the ultimate success of the security crackdown uncertain, the top U.S. commander in the country said in remarks published on Sunday.

Reuters - Voting began in France's presidential election on Sunday, with right-wing front-runner Nicolas Sarkozy widely expected to face a run-off vote next month against Socialist Segolene Royal.

Reuters - A second explosion rocked the southeastern Afghan town of Khost on Sunday where earlier two people were killed in a bomb planted in a mobile phone shop, residents said.

Reuters - Explosions and gunfire shook Mogadishu overnight and into Sunday during a fifth day of battles between insurgents and allied Somali-Ethiopian troops that have killed more than 200 people, residents said.

AFP - The Nigerian opposition quickly protested over the country's historic presidential election which was marked by ballot box chaos, killings and a truck-bomb aimed at the electoral commission headquarters.

AFP - France began voting Sunday in its most hotly-contested presidential election in decades, with rightwinger Nicolas Sarkozy and socialist Segolene Royal favourites to make next month's run-off ballot.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two suicide car bombers rammed their vehicles into a Baghdad police station on Sunday, killing 12 people in one of the worst attacks against Iraq's security forces since a security crackdown was launched in the city.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran expressed hope on Sunday that talks with a senior EU official next week could lead to a solution to its row with the West, but made clear it would not halt a nuclear fuel enrichment program, which the West fears could produce an atomic bomb.

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Rotting corpses lay in the open and explosions shook Mogadishu on Sunday for a fifth day of battles between insurgents and allied Somali-Ethiopian troops that have killed more than 200 people, residents said.

KHOST, Afghanistan (Reuters) - At least seven people were killed and 10 wounded in a suicide blast and a bomb explosion in Afghanistan's southeastern town of Khost on Sunday, officials said.

AP - France began choosing a new president Sunday with millions of voters undecided and millions more voting for the first time, making the selection of two final candidates highly unpredictable.

AP - Two suicide car bombers attacked a police station Sunday in western Baghdad, killing at least 13 people and wounding 82, police said.

AP - Computer forensics are playing a key role in the probe of the Virginia Tech gunman, with investigators revealing he bought ammunition clips on eBay designed for one of two handguns used to kill 32 people and himself.

AP - Democrats are considering their next step after President Bush's inevitable veto of their war spending proposal, including a possible short-term funding bill that would force Congress to revisit the issue this summer.

AP - One million new trees will join the urban landscape of New York City by the year 2017 to reduce air pollution, cool temperatures and help improve the city's long term sustainability, officials said Saturday.

Reuters - Two suicide car bombers rammed their vehicles into a Baghdad police station on Sunday, killing 12 people in one of the worst attacks against Iraq's security forces since a security crackdown was launched in the city.

Reuters - Iran expressed hope on Sunday that talks with a senior EU official next week could lead to a solution to its row with the West, but made clear it would not halt a nuclear fuel enrichment program, which the West fears could produce an atomic bomb.

Reuters - Rotting corpses lay in the open and explosions shook Mogadishu on Sunday for a fifth day of battles between insurgents and allied Somali-Ethiopian troops that have killed more than 200 people, residents said.

PARIS (Reuters) - France voted in a presidential election on Sunday, with right-wing front-runner Nicolas Sarkozy facing a strong challenge from Socialist Segolene Royal who wants to be the country's first woman head of state.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - The United States is showing signs of softening its attitude towards Iran, an Iranian official said on Sunday, but added that Tehran had not yet decided to attend a meeting on Iraq with senior U.S. officials.

AP - France began choosing a new president Sunday with millions of voters undecided and millions more voting for the first time, making the selection of two final candidates highly unpredictable.

AP - A fast-moving fire tore through an orphanage in Bosnia's capital early Sunday, killing five babies and injuring 17 others and a nurse, police and hospital officials said.

Reuters - France voted in a presidential election on Sunday, with right-wing front-runner Nicolas Sarkozy facing a strong challenge from Socialist Segolene Royal who wants to be the country's first woman head of state.

Reuters - The United States is showing signs of softening its attitude towards Iran, an Iranian official said on Sunday, but added that Tehran had not yet decided to attend a meeting on Iraq with senior U.S. officials.

AFP - France voted Sunday in its most unpredictable presidential election in decades, with rightwinger Nicolas Sarkozy and socialist Segolene Royal favourites among a dozen contenders for next month's run-off ballot.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A fight between the U.S. Congress and President George W. Bush over the Iraq war is set to come to a head this week when Democrats are expected to send him $100 billion to pay for continuing combat while setting timetables for withdrawing troops.

PARIS (Reuters) - French voters flocked to choose a new president on Sunday in an election dominated by right-wing front-runner Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal, who hopes to be the first woman elected head of state.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson stepped down temporarily on Sunday to battle allegations of fraud and embezzlement at a previous job.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two suicide car bombers rammed their vehicles into a Baghdad police station on Sunday, killing 12 people in one of the worst attacks aimed at Iraq's security forces since a security crackdown was launched in the city.

AP - Two suicide car bombers attacked a police station Sunday in western Baghdad, police said, killing at least 13 people and turning nearby buildings into piles of rubble.

AP - Raymond Voegeli was backing out of a driveway when a Navy Blue Angel jet suddenly came ripping through a grove of pine trees and crashed, showering his truck in flames and debris.

AP - Humans weren't the only species basking in the Northeast's warm weekend weather, as police helped capture a small alligator sunbathing by a small pond in this Long Island town.

Reuters - A fight between the U.S. Congress and President George W. Bush over the Iraq war is set to come to a head this week when Democrats are expected to send him $100 billion to pay for continuing combat while setting timetables for withdrawing troops.

Reuters - French voters flocked to choose a new president on Sunday in an election dominated by right-wing front-runner Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal, who hopes to be the first woman elected head of state.

Reuters - Israeli Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson stepped down temporarily on Sunday to battle allegations of fraud and embezzlement at a previous job.

Reuters - Two suicide car bombers rammed their vehicles into a Baghdad police station on Sunday, killing 12 people in one of the worst attacks aimed at Iraq's security forces since a security crackdown was launched in the city.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two suicide car bombers rammed their vehicles into a Baghdad police station on Sunday, killing 12 people in one of the worst attacks aimed at Iraq's security forces since a security crackdown was launched in the city.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Remarks by senior U.S. commanders and officials and a change in Army deployment plans all suggest the higher level of American troops now building in Iraq is likely to remain for months beyond the summer.

AP - Two suicide car bombers attacked a police station Sunday in western Baghdad, police said, killing at least 13 people and turning nearby buildings into piles of rubble.

AP - Raymond Voegeli was backing out of a driveway when a Navy Blue Angel jet suddenly came ripping through a grove of pine trees and crashed, showering his truck in flames and debris.

AP - French voters turned out in force Sunday to choose a new president in one of the country's most suspense-filled elections in recent times, after a frenzied campaign by a dozen contenders left voters undecided but eager for a say.

AP - Madonna jetted out of the Malawi on Sunday after a six-day visit to the impoverished homeland of the toddler she wants to adopt, carrying the boy in her arms as she boarded her plane.

Reuters - Remarks by senior U.S. commanders and officials and a change in Army deployment plans all suggest the higher level of American troops now building in Iraq is likely to remain for months beyond the summer.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Car bombs killed 18 people in Baghdad on Sunday and gunmen shot dead 23 workers from a minority sect after pulling them off a minibus in Iraq's northern city of Mosul in an apparent revenge attack.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal are set to contest a French presidential run-off after topping the first-round poll on Sunday, Belgian media said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has hurt President George W. Bush and himself, and they must decide if he should go, a senior Republican U.S. lawmaker said on Sunday.

BLACKSBURG, Va (Reuters) - The United Methodist Church in this grief-stricken town offered prayers on Sunday for those killed last week in the massacre of 32 people just blocks away at Virginia Tech.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany believes Paul Wolfowitz's position at the helm of the World Bank has become unsustainable, a German minister was quoted as saying on Sunday.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran is not holding a former FBI agent, who went missing on a visit to the Gulf island of Kish in Iran, but is investigating the case, the country's intelligence minister was quoted as saying on Sunday.

AP - Gunmen in northern Iraq stopped a bus filled with Christians and members of a tiny, mostly Kurdish religious sect on Sunday, police said, separating out the groups and taking 23 of the passengers away to be shot.

AP - As pastor of Blacksburg Baptist Church, Tommy McDearis was called on tell more than 20 familes a loved one had fallen victim to Virgina Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho. On Sunday, he urged his congregation and the university to put the pain of the rampage behind them by returning to classes Monday.

AP - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has hurt the Department of Justice and the Bush administration with his poor handling of the firing of eight federal prosecutors, a leading Republican senator said Sunday.

AP - Nearly three-quarters of France's electorate rushed to vote Sunday for a new president, in a suspense-filled election that could be a turning point for the country as it tries to steer a new course in the 21st century's globalizing world.

AP - When Martin Marshall started looking for his dad about three years ago, he had a fantasy: One day, he might sit down over a cup of coffee with a half-sibling he'd never even met and hear a few stories about the father he'd never known. It hasn't exactly worked out that way.

AP - The face of Hannibal Lecter was no match for Shia LaBeouf in a box-office battle of murder thrillers. DreamWorks and Paramount's 'Disturbia,' starring LaBeouf as a teen who suspects a neighbor of murder, took in $13.5 million to hold the top weekend movie spot for a second straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

AP - Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4 Sunday to win his third straight Monte Carlo Masters title and extend his winning streak on clay to 67.

Reuters - Car bombs killed 18 people in Baghdad on Sunday and gunmen shot dead 23 workers from a minority sect after pulling them off a minibus in Iraq's northern city of Mosul in an apparent revenge attack.

Reuters - Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal are set to contest a French presidential run-off after topping the first-round poll on Sunday, Belgian media said.

Reuters - Iran is not holding a former FBI agent, who went missing on a visit to the Gulf island of Kish in Iran, but is investigating the case, the country's intelligence minister was quoted as saying on Sunday.

Reuters - The United Methodist Church in this grief-stricken town offered prayers on Sunday for those killed last week in the massacre of 32 people just blocks away at Virginia Tech.

AFP - Voters turned out en-masse Sunday in France's cliff-hanger presidential election, with rightwinger Nicolas Sarkozy and socialist Segolene Royal predicted to go through to the run-off ballot.

AFP - One of the three leading contenders in the race for Nigeria's presidency called Sunday for the election to be re-run after widespread chaos with ballot papers and charges of voter fraud.

PARIS (Reuters) - Conservative leader Nicolas Sarkozy finished first in the opening round of France's presidential election on Sunday and will meet Socialist rival Segolene Royal in a run-off vote, initial returns showed.

AP - Gunmen in northern Iraq stopped a bus filled with Christians and members of a tiny, mostly Kurdish religious sect on Sunday, police said, separating out the groups and taking 23 of the passengers away to be shot.

AP - Democrats are considering their next step after President Bush's inevitable veto of their war spending proposal, including a possible short-term funding bill that would force Congress to revisit the issue this summer.

AP - Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal appeared headed Sunday to a presidential runoff, according to preliminary results and pollsters' projections, setting up a stark choice between one of France's most intensely ambitious politicians and a liberal who would be the country's first female leader.

AP - The Dow Jones industrial average is now perched below the 13,000 mark, lifted last week by surprisingly strong earnings reports. If this week's reports follow that trend, investors may send the index hurtling past that milestone.

Reuters - Conservative leader Nicolas Sarkozy finished first in the opening round of France's presidential election on Sunday and will meet Socialist rival Segolene Royal in a run-off vote, initial returns showed.

Reuters - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has hurt President George W. Bush and himself, and they must decide if he should go, a senior Republican U.S. lawmaker said on Sunday.

Reuters - Germany believes Paul Wolfowitz's position at the helm of the World Bank has become unsustainable, a German minister was quoted as saying on Sunday.

AFP - A dramatic voter surge on Sunday swept rightwinger Nicolas Sarkozy and socialist Segolene Royal into a runoff for the French presidency.

AFP - One of the three leading contenders in the race for Nigeria's presidency called Sunday for the election to be re-run after widespread chaos with ballot papers and charges of voter fraud.

PARIS (Reuters) - Conservative leader Nicolas Sarkozy finished first in the opening round of France's presidential election on Sunday and will meet Socialist rival Segolene Royal in a run-off on May 6, initial returns showed.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Prompted by the Virginia Tech massacre, a U.S. Congress reluctant to tackle gun control may pass limited legislation to help keep firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill, lawmakers and aides said on Sunday.

AP - Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho fired enough shots to wound his 32 victims more than 100 times before killing himself with a bullet to his head, a medical examiner said Sunday.

AP - Gunmen shot and killed 23 members of an ancient religious sect in northern Iraq on Sunday after stopping their bus and separating out followers of other faiths, while at least 20 people were killed in car bombings in the capital.

AP - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has hurt the Bush administration and the Justice Department with his poor handling of the firing of eight federal prosecutors, a leading Republican said Sunday.

AP - Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Calif., died early Sunday of cancer, an aide said. Millender-McDonald, who was 68, died at her home in Carson, Calif., said her chief of staff, Bandele McQueen.

AP - Even as a young boy, Navy Blue Angels Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis was intrigued by speed.

AP - Itziar Arzanegi can still hear the roar of the German warplane overhead, and see the old woman shaking her fists at the foreigners destroying her town. She remembers the look of horror on the woman's face as the plane swooped low, opened fire and cut her down.

AP - Any time his 6-year-old son or 5-year-old daughter walks in on Jon Klein watching CNN, he quickly changes the channel. The CNN U.S. president knows better than most the conflicting agendas of news organizations and parents during tragic, disturbing stories. Seung-Hui Cho's massacre of 32 people at Virginia Tech last week was a particularly vivid example.

AP - Flat on his back, LeBron James grimaced as he looked toward the arena rafters, where giant banners spelled out his team's playoff motto: 'RISE UP!' And he did.

Reuters - Conservative leader Nicolas Sarkozy finished first in the opening round of France's presidential election on Sunday and will meet Socialist rival Segolene Royal in a run-off on May 6, initial returns showed.

Reuters - Prompted by the Virginia Tech massacre, a U.S. Congress reluctant to tackle gun control may pass limited legislation to help keep firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill, lawmakers and aides said on Sunday.

AFP - A dramatic surge by French voters hungry for change on Sunday swept rightwinger Nicolas Sarkozy and socialist Segolene Royal into the runoff for the presidency.

AFP - One of the three leading contenders in the race for Nigeria's presidency called Sunday for the election to be re-run as foreign observers slammed ballot chaos and voter irregularities.

PARIS (Reuters) - Conservative leader Nicolas Sarkozy secured a commanding lead in the opening round of France's presidential election on Sunday and will meet Socialist rival Segolene Royal in a run-off on May 6.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's prime minister said on Sunday he had urged the U.S. military to halt work on a wall separating a Baghdad Sunni enclave from nearby Shi'ite areas after sharp criticism from some residents.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald of California, who recently took a leave of absence from Congress after being diagnosed with cancer, died on Sunday, a congressional aide said.

AP - Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho was as mysterious in death as he was in life, leaving behind few clues for medical examiners.

AP - Investigators looked through wreckage Sunday to determine what caused a Navy Blue Angel jet to crash during a maneuver, while the military identified the fallen pilot as a 32-year-old who was performing in one of his first air shows with the team.

AP - Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, a seven-term congresswoman from southern California, died early Sunday of cancer. She was 68. Millender-McDonald died at her home in Carson, said her chief of staff, Bandele McQueen.

AP - Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal advanced to a runoff in Sunday's presidential election, presenting France with a fundamental left-right choice between a conservative who could push his anxious nation toward painful change and a socialist who would be the country's first female leader.

AP - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is calling the United States' foreign-oil reliance and global warming twin threats the country must aggressively confront.

AP - Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom said goodbye Sunday to Broadway, as 'The Producers,' the hit Mel Brooks musical, ended its New York run after 2,502 performances.

AP - For a long time Sunday, the Phoenix Suns couldn't make a shot and Kobe Bryant couldn't miss. Then Leandro Barbosa, the 'Brazilian Blur', brought the NBA's highest-scoring offense to life, and Bryant went from awesome to awful.

Reuters - Iraq's prime minister said on Sunday he had urged the U.S. military to halt work on a wall separating a Baghdad Sunni enclave from nearby Shi'ite areas after sharp criticism from some residents.

Reuters - Democratic U.S. Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald of California, who recently took a leave of absence from Congress after being diagnosed with cancer, died on Sunday, a congressional aide said.

AFP - France was set for a dramatic left-right presidential showdown after voters demanding change on Sunday swept rightwinger Nicolas Sarkozy and socialist Segolene Royal into the runoff.

OVER THE NORTH SEA (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates meets on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin to address criticism of Washington's European missile defense plans, a dispute that has helped drive relations between the countries to a low.

LONDON (Reuters) - A group of top former World Bank executives has urged Paul Wolfowitz to resign, as the bank's watchdog warned his actions were undermining the ability of the institution to carry out development work.

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Iran to take part in a meeting on Iraq next month, telling the Financial Times it would be a 'missed opportunity' if Tehran failed to attend.

AP - Investigators looked through wreckage Sunday to determine what caused a Navy Blue Angel jet to crash during a maneuver, while the military identified the fallen pilot as a 32-year-old who was performing in one of his first air shows with the team.

AP - Gunmen shot and killed 23 members of an ancient religious sect in northern Iraq on Sunday after stopping their bus and separating out followers of other faiths while car bombings in the capital killed at least another 20 people.

AP - OMG! Thirteen-year-old Morgan Pozgar, of Claysburg, Pa., was crowned LG National Texting champion on Saturday after she typed 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' from 'Mary Poppins' in 15 seconds.

AP - The countdown is on. Barry Bonds is closing in on Hank Aaron in a hurry. Bonds hit his 740th home run Sunday, connecting for the second consecutive game and helping Matt Cain earn his first win of the season in the San Francisco Giants' 2-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Reuters - Conservative leader Nicolas Sarkozy has clinched a commanding lead in the opening round of France's presidential election and will face Socialist Segolene Royal in a run-off on May 6 that hinges on centrist voters.

Reuters - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates meets on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin to address criticism of Washington's European missile defense plans, a dispute that has helped drive relations between the countries to a low.

Reuters - A group of top former World Bank executives has urged Paul Wolfowitz to resign, as the bank's watchdog warned his actions were undermining the ability of the institution to carry out development work.

SEOUL (Reuters) - A shipment of U.S. beef landed in South Korea on Monday, the first since Seoul rejected tonnes of the product due to the discovery of tiny bone chips, triggering trade tensions with Washington.

BLACKSBURG, Va (Reuters) - The United Methodist Church in this grief-stricken town offered prayers on Sunday for those killed last week in the massacre of 32 people just blocks away at Virginia Tech.

AP - Iraq's prime minister said Sunday that he has ordered a halt to the U.S. military construction of a barrier separating a Sunni enclave from surrounding Shiite areas in Baghdad after fierce criticism over the project at home.

AP - The wife of former Gov. James E. McGreevey describes him in her upcoming memoir as self-absorbed and controlling and says that, among other demands, he insisted she move out of the governor's mansion before his official resignation.

AP - The Red Sox hit four straight home runs Sunday night against the New York Yankees, tying a major league record.

Reuters - A shipment of U.S. beef landed in South Korea on Monday, the first since Seoul rejected tonnes of the product due to the discovery of tiny bone chips, triggering trade tensions with Washington.

Reuters - The United Methodist Church in this grief-stricken town offered prayers on Sunday for those killed last week in the massacre of 32 people just blocks away at Virginia Tech.