BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Four American soldiers were killed in Baghdad over the past two days, the U.S. military said on Monday.

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition troops have killed scores of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan over the past several days, the coalition said on Monday.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. said on Sunday it was working with the governments of Arizona, California, Utah and Virginia to make it easier for consumers to search for hard-to-find public information on state sites.

AP - The St. Louis Cardinals are mourning a teammate for the second time in five years, and it isn't any easier this time. Josh Hancock, a relief pitcher who helped the team win the World Series last season, died early Sunday when his sport utility vehicle slammed into the back of a tow truck, bringing back painful memories of Darryl Kile's death in June 2002.

AP - A former regional Boy Scout official has been charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old Scout at least four times since July.

AP - Baron Davis bedeviled the Mavericks one more time — and now his crazy, carefree Golden State Warriors are one win away from a historic playoff upset.

Reuters - Four American soldiers were killed in Baghdad over the past two days, the U.S. military said on Monday.

Reuters - Google Inc. said on Sunday it was working with the governments of Arizona, California, Utah and Virginia to make it easier for consumers to search for hard-to-find public information on state sites.

AFP - US and EU leaders gather Monday at the White House to boost economic ties but harbor little hope of striking an accord on the increasingly divisive issue of global warming and how to combat it.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Four U.S. soldiers were killed in Baghdad over the weekend, the military said on Monday, taking the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq this month to more than 100.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz will defend his handling of a promotion and pay increase for his girlfriend on Monday to a special panel, whose investigation will ultimately determine if he wins his fight to stay on as head of the development institution.

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition troops killed more than 130 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan over the past several days, the coalition said on Monday, the heaviest reported rebel losses this year amid rising violence in the country.

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's government and close ally the United States behaved in a tyrannical way and for 'evil purpose' by jailing militants at Guantanamo Bay, former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser said on Monday.

MANILA (Reuters) - Police in the northern Philippines have filed preliminary murder charges against a woodcarver who confessed he killed a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer after mistaking her for someone else, officials said on Monday.

AP - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faced strident calls for his resignation in the wake of harsh findings of an official inquiry into the shortcomings of his leadership during last summer's costly but inconclusive war in Lebanon.

Reuters - Four U.S. soldiers were killed in Baghdad over the weekend, the military said on Monday, taking the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq this month to more than 100.

Reuters - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz will defend his handling of a promotion and pay increase for his girlfriend on Monday to a special panel, whose investigation will ultimately determine if he wins his fight to stay on as head of the development institution.

Reuters - U.S.-led coalition troops killed more than 130 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan over the past several days, the coalition said on Monday, the heaviest reported rebel losses this year amid rising violence in the country.

Reuters - Police in the northern Philippines have filed preliminary murder charges against a woodcarver who confessed he killed a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer after mistaking her for someone else, officials said on Monday.

AFP - A top US congressional Democrat has raised the possibility of George W. Bush's impeachment in a bid to force the president to accept a compromise that would place conditions on continued US military involvement in Iraq.

AFP - Turkey's Constitutional Court is set to review Monday the legitimacy of a presidential vote that has led to a political crisis in the Muslim majority but secular country.

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition troops killed more than 130 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan over the past several days, the coalition said on Monday, but thousands of Afghans staged a protest saying the victims were civilians.

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq (Reuters) - A formal investigation began on Monday to decide if a U.S. Army officer accused of 'aiding the enemy' while he ran a U.S. detention centre in Iraq should face a court-martial.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal warned Israel could face another Palestinian uprising unless conditions in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank improved.

AP - Hundreds of British troops swept into the lush poppy fields of southern Afghanistan Monday, drawing hostile fire at the start of a NATO operation to expel the Taliban from a valley stronghold.

AP - As U.S. and European Union officials showcase closer ties at a summit Monday, they may have found common ground over Iran's nuclear program and Russia's objections to a missile defense plan.

AP - Delegates at a major climate meeting debated Monday how to rein in rising greenhouse gas emissions that could threaten hundreds of millions with hunger and disease in the coming decades.

AP - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, fighting to keep his job, is arguing that the poverty-fighting institution's ethics officials were aware of his role in helping secure a promotion and pay raise for his girlfriend, who was on the bank's staff.

Reuters - U.S.-led coalition troops killed more than 130 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan over the past several days, the coalition said on Monday, but thousands of Afghans staged a protest saying the victims were civilians.

Reuters - A formal investigation began on Monday to decide if a U.S. Army officer accused of "aiding the enemy" while he ran a U.S. detention centre in Iraq should face a court-martial.

Reuters - Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal warned Israel could face another Palestinian uprising unless conditions in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank improved.

Reuters - Australia's government and close ally the United States behaved in a tyrannical way and for "evil purpose" by jailing militants at Guantanamo Bay, former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser said on Monday.

AFP - US-led coalition forces Monday said troops killed 136 Taliban fighters in several days of clashes in a remote Afghan valley, but angry locals insisted civilians were among the dead.

LONDON (Reuters) - Five Britons were found guilty on Monday of plotting to carry out al Qaeda-inspired bomb attacks across Britain potentially killing hundreds at targets ranging from nightclubs to trains and a shopping centre.

AP - Five U.S. troops were killed in separate attacks in the capital this weekend, including three in a single roadside bombing, the military said Monday, pushing the death toll past 100 in the deadliest month so far this year.

AP - San Francisco Bay area residents faced nightmarish commutes Monday after one of the region's most traveled sections of freeway melted and collapsed following a fiery crash.

AP - The United States and China want to water down a key climate change report being discussed this week by experts, arguing that action to reduce greenhouse gases will be more costly and time consuming than scientists claim, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

Reuters - Five Britons were found guilty on Monday of plotting to carry out al Qaeda-inspired bomb attacks across Britain potentially killing hundreds at targets ranging from nightclubs to trains and a shopping centre.

AFP - Israel on Monday awaited the first official report into last year's war against Hezbollah, which is expected to criticise Prime Minister Ehud Olmert harshly but stop short of calling for him to resign.

LONDON (Reuters) - Omar Khyam and Anthony Garcia, two of five Britons found guilty on Monday of plotting a series of al Qaeda-inspired bomb attacks across Britain, were sentenced to life imprisonment, or 40 years in jail.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc. emerged from bankruptcy on Monday, after completing a $3 billion restructuring over the past 19 months.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - The deputy Palestinian prime minister, a Fatah leader, said on Monday that a six-week-old unity government led by Hamas should be disbanded if a Western embargo is not lifted within three months.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The European Union and United States will agree at a summit on Monday that climate change is a central challenge that requires 'urgent, sustained global action,' according to a draft statement seen by Reuters.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. said on Sunday it was working with the governments of Arizona, California, Utah and Virginia to make it easier for consumers to search for hard-to-find public information on state sites.

AP - A jury convicted five men on Monday of a plot to bomb targets in London including a popular nightclub, power plants and shopping mall, and the court for the first time revealed connections between the men and the suicide bombers who launched a deadly 2005 attack on the city's transit system.

AP - Consumer spending rose at the slowest rate in five months in March, even though personal incomes posted a solid gain.

AP - Tooth decay in young children's baby teeth is on the rise, a worrying trend that signals the preschool crowd is eating too much sugar, according to the largest government study of the nation's dental health in more than 25 years.

AP - The Chicago Bulls have won a postseason series for the first time since the Michael Jordan era. They swept the defending NBA champion Miami Heat out of the playoffs in the first round, 92-79. Ben Gordon scored 24 points and Luol Deng contributed 22 points and eleven rebounds. Chicago gets the Detroit Pistons in round two.

Reuters - The deputy Palestinian prime minister, a Fatah leader, said on Monday that a six-week-old unity government led by Hamas should be disbanded if a Western embargo is not lifted within three months.

LONDON (Reuters) - A judge jailed five 'cruel and ruthless' Britons for life on Monday for plotting al Qaeda-inspired bomb attacks on targets across Britain ranging from nightclubs to trains and a shopping center.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's Lebanon war commission leveled scathing criticism against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in an interim report on Monday that cast doubt on the unpopular leader's political future.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives killed more than 20 people when he blew himself up among mourners at a Shi'ite funeral north of Baghdad on Monday, Iraqi police said.

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq (Reuters) - A former U.S. detention facility commander in Iraq who is accused of aiding the enemy gave a box of computer programs to a detainee's daughter, a military investigation heard on Monday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Brain scans showing how cannabis affects brain function may help explain why heavy consumption of the drug triggers psychosis and schizophrenia in a small number of people, scientists said on Monday.

AP - A judge sentenced five men to life in prison Monday for plotting to attack targets in London, including a popular nightclub, power plants and shopping mall, with bombs made from a half-ton stockpile of fertilizer.

AP - A government commission that probed Israel's summer war against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon accused Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday of 'severe failure,' saying he hastily led the country into the conflict without a comprehensive plan.

AP - Consumer spending rose at the slowest rate in five months in March while construction activity managed only a tiny gain, weighed down by further weakness in housing.

AP - Shortstop Dave Concepcion, the Big Red Machine's infield anchor and one of the best defensive players of his time, will have his No. 13 retired by the Cincinnati Reds.

Reuters - A judge jailed five "cruel and ruthless" Britons for life on Monday for plotting al Qaeda-inspired bomb attacks on targets across Britain ranging from nightclubs to trains and a shopping center.

Reuters - Israel's Lebanon war commission leveled scathing criticism against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in an interim report on Monday that cast doubt on the unpopular leader's political future.

Reuters - A suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives killed more than 20 people when he blew himself up among mourners at a Shi'ite funeral north of Baghdad on Monday, Iraqi police said.

Reuters - A former U.S. detention facility commander in Iraq who is accused of aiding the enemy gave a box of computer programs to a detainee's daughter, a military investigation heard on Monday.

Reuters - Brain scans showing how cannabis affects brain function may help explain why heavy consumption of the drug triggers psychosis and schizophrenia in a small number of people, scientists said on Monday.

Reuters - The European Union and United States will agree at a summit on Monday that climate change is a central challenge that requires "urgent, sustained global action," according to a draft statement seen by Reuters.

AFP - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defence Minister Amir Peretz and former army chief Dan Halutz are to blame for the "serious failure" of the Lebanon war, said a government inquiry released on Monday.

AFP - A judge handed down life jail terms Monday to five men convicted of plotting an Al-Qaeda bombing campaign in Britain, including one with links to the ringleader of the 2005 attacks in London.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ex-CIA Director George Tenet faced accusations of hypocrisy from former espionage officials on Monday for not speaking out earlier against the White House's push to invade Iraq, which he criticizes in his new memoir.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The woman accused of running a prostitution ring serving Washington's elite, whose clients included at least one U.S. government official, also appears to be something of a stock picker.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear an appeal by two Guantanamo prisoners who face trial before a military tribunal and who sought review now of an anti-terrorism law that President George W. Bush pushed through Congress last year.

AP - The threat of a nightmarish morning commute led many Bay Area residents to use public transportation Monday, one day after a fiery tanker crash caused a heavily trafficked section of freeway to collapse.

AP - The head of the British army said Monday that he had personally decided that Prince Harry, the third in line to the throne, will serve with a combat unit in Iraq.

AP - The governor on Monday closed the loophole in state law that allowed the Virginia Tech gunman to pass a federal background check and buy the weapons used in the massacre.

AP - Chicago Bears defensive tackle Terry 'Tank' Johnson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge Monday as part of an arrangement with prosecutors that will keep him from serving additional time in jail.

Reuters - Ex-CIA Director George Tenet faced accusations of hypocrisy from former espionage officials on Monday for not speaking out earlier against the White House's push to invade Iraq, which he describes critically in his new memoir.

Reuters - A suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives killed 32 people when he blew himself up among mourners at a Shi'ite funeral north of Baghdad on Monday, Iraqi police said.

Reuters - The woman accused of running a prostitution ring serving Washington's elite, whose clients included at least one U.S. government official, also appears to be something of a stock picker.

Reuters - The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear an appeal by two Guantanamo prisoners who face trial before a military tribunal and who sought review now of an anti-terrorism law that President George W. Bush pushed through Congress last year.

AFP - A government commission on Monday blasted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and top army brass for "serious failure" in handling the Lebanon war, dealing a heavy blow to his flagging leadership.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz lashed back at critics on Monday who he alleged were conducting a 'smear campaign' against him and vowed he would not resign over what he termed unfair charges.

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Why do Mexicans use their car horns as a doorbell? Why is Mexican television so obsessed with dwarfs and transvestites? Why do they park their cars on the front lawn?

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc. emerged from bankruptcy on Monday, following a 19-month, $3 billion restructuring during which the carrier thwarted a hostile takeover, cut costs and jobs, and eliminated some unprofitable routes.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The European Union and the United States agreed on Monday that global warming is an 'urgent' priority, and President George W. Bush conceded he must work to convince Russia of the need for a missile shield in Europe.

AP - President Bush said Monday he wants to work with Democrats on compromise legislation to pay for the Iraq war even though he'll carry through on his threat to veto a spending bill that also sets a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal.

AP - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz on Monday decried what he called a 'smear campaign' against him and told a special bank panel that he acted in good faith in securing a promotion and pay raise for his girlfriend. He reiterated that he had no plans to resign, and President Bush gave him a fresh endorsement.

AP - An emotional Gov. Jon S. Corzine was discharged from a hospital Monday and asked forgiveness for his conduct in a crash 18 days earlier in which he was critically injured.

AP - Chicago Bears defensive tackle Terry 'Tank' Johnson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge Monday as part of an arrangement with prosecutors that will keep him from serving additional time in jail.

Reuters - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz lashed back at critics on Monday who he alleged were conducting a "smear campaign" against him and vowed he would not resign over what he termed unfair charges.

Reuters - Why do Mexicans use their car horns as a doorbell? Why is Mexican television so obsessed with dwarfs and transvestites? Why do they park their cars on the front lawn?

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A panel probing the conduct of Israel's war in Lebanon last year scathingly criticized Ehud Olmert on Monday but the prime minister said he would not resign but work instead to put right mistakes.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and the European Union signed a landmark air services agreement on Monday, opening up transatlantic markets to more competition beginning next year.

AP - President Bush said Monday he wants to work with Democrats on compromise legislation to pay for the Iraq war but will carry through on his threat to veto any spending bill that sets a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal.

AP - Five U.S. troops died in weekend attacks, pushing the death toll past 100 in the deadliest month for American forces since December, the military said Monday as a wave of violence battered Iraqi civilians including a suicide bombing at a Shiite funeral.

AP - Former CIA Director George Tenet says the United States needs to revitalize the Palestinian-Israeli peace effort and do a better job leveraging its own diplomatic and economic strength to offset Iran's growing influence in the Middle East.

AP - America might not need yet another exercise machine. Treadmills, weights and resistance equipment already jam the health clubs. Yet Gravity machines have found a niche at the YMCA in this resort town.

AP - 'Survivor' producer Mark Burnett and 'Angel' Roma Downey have tied the knot. The couple were married Saturday in a private ceremony at their home. The ceremony was officiated by Downey's 'Touched by an Angel' co-star Della Reese, an ordained minister, the couple's publicist, Jim Dowd, confirmed Monday.

AP - Wall Street retreated Monday as investors, casting a wary eye toward upcoming economic data, cashed in some profits on the last trading day of April — the Dow Jones industrial average's best month since 2003.

AP - Yankees owner George Steinbrenner backed manager Joe Torre and GM Brian Cashman on Monday, challenging players and staff 'to show me and the fans what they are made of' following a start he termed 'clearly not acceptable.'

Reuters - A panel probing the conduct of Israel's war in Lebanon last year scathingly criticized Ehud Olmert on Monday but the prime minister said he would not resign but work instead to put right mistakes.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of people killed by terrorism around the world surged by 40 percent to more than 20,000 last year largely because of greater violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, a U.S. report said on Monday.

AP - A former Target employee who was turned down for a private security license and planned to 'cause havoc' was identified Monday as the man suspected of killing two people in a crowded mall parking lot before he was shot by police.

AP - More than three decades after steam bursts from Mount Baker resulted in a temporary evacuation of the Baker Lake area, geologists are trying to determine what is happening beneath the volcano.

AP - Rosie O'Donnell may quickly be putting 'The View' in her rear-view mirror. Asked Monday about her future plans in television, she said, 'you'll hear very soon.'

Reuters - The number of people killed by terrorism around the world surged by 40 percent to more than 20,000 last year largely because of greater violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, a U.S. report said on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz lashed back on Monday at critics who he said were conducting a smear campaign against him and vowed he would not resign.

AP - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales gave two top aides authority to hire and fire political appointees other than U.S. attorneys, according to a Justice Department order obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

AP - Mexican druglords are taking over the business of smuggling migrants into the United States, using them as human decoys to divert authorities from billions of dollars in cocaine shipments across the same border.

AP - Wilmer Valderrama and the producers of 'American Idol' are getting into business together. The actor, who starred in Fox's 'That '70s Show' and has branched into production (MTV's 'Yo Momma') and movie roles ('Fast Food Nation'), will develop and possibly star in series projects for FremantleMedia North America.

AP - A day after the death of Josh Hancock, the St. Louis Cardinals tried to move on. They had a game to play. But for Scott Spiezio, it was too much to handle. He told manager Tony La Russa to pull him from the starting lineup Monday night.

Reuters - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz lashed back on Monday at critics who he said were conducting a smear campaign against him and vowed he would not resign.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz lashed back at critics on Monday who he said were conducting a smear campaign against him and vowed he would not resign.

AP - President Hugo Chavez announced Monday he would pull Venezuela out of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, a largely symbolic move because the nation has already paid off its debts to the lending institutions.

AP - Reggie the alligator reappeared Monday after vanishing for 1 1/2 years in an urban lake where the reptile turned up in 2005 and repeatedly skunked would-be 'gator wranglers.

AP - A year ago, winning a playoff series by any means was cause for major celebration by the Cleveland Cavaliers. This year's sweep of the Washington Wizards? That's simply what the Cavaliers were supposed to do.

Reuters - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz lashed back at critics on Monday who he said were conducting a smear campaign against him and vowed he would not resign.