SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea made clear on Sunday it will not back down in mounting tensions with North Korea, which has threatened to shut their heavily armed border next week over what it sees as Seoul's antagonistic approach to relations.

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelans vote Sunday in state elections where President Hugo Chavez aims to consolidate his grip on the OPEC nation to re-energize his drive toward socialism a year after he suffered a referendum defeat.

AP - Sam Bradford jumped around as he took a victory lap at Owen Field, handing out high-fives along the way to a line of adoring fans who had yet another reason to love him.

Reuters - South Korea made clear on Sunday it will not back down in mounting tensions with North Korea, which has threatened to shut their heavily armed border next week over what it sees as Seoul's antagonistic approach to relations.

Reuters - Venezuelans vote Sunday in state elections where President Hugo Chavez aims to consolidate his grip on the OPEC nation to re-energize his drive toward socialism a year after he suffered a referendum defeat.

AFP - Asia-Pacific leaders on Sunday were to wrap up a summit in which they vowed a united front against the world finance crisis but with bold initiatives looking unlikely to emerge before the meeting adjourned.

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama told Afghan President Hamid Karzai he would make it a priority to fight terrorism and bring security to Afghanistan and the region, the Afghan presidential palace said Sunday.

BOSASSO, Somalia (Reuters) - As dawn breaks over the Indian Ocean each morning, elders in Somali pirate bases sip strong coffee and clutch mobile phones to their ears, eager to hear the latest from the gunmen out at sea.

AP - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama pledged in a telephone conversation with Afghan President Hamid Karzai that fighting terrorism in Afghanistan and the region — an apparent reference to Pakistan — would be a top priority during his administration, Karzai's office said Sunday.

AP - Astronauts hope they have a solution for getting a pivotal piece of equipment working so it can convert urine and sweat into drinkable water and allow the international space station to grow to six crew members.

Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama told Afghan President Hamid Karzai he would make it a priority to fight terrorism and bring security to Afghanistan and the region, the Afghan presidential palace said Sunday.

Reuters - As dawn breaks over the Indian Ocean each morning, elders in Somali pirate bases sip strong coffee and clutch mobile phones to their ears, eager to hear the latest from the gunmen out at sea.

AP - President George W. Bush, wrapping up his final summit with world leaders, offered a message of hope that despite the worst economic crisis in decades, the global economy will emerge in better shape.

AP - Armed men have attacked the residence of Guinea-Bissau's president and engaged in a three-hour gunbattle with security forces.

AFP - The Dalai Lama warned Sunday of the 'great danger' facing the Tibetan people as he addressed leading exiles who vowed continued support for his policy of seeking greater autonomy from China.

WASHINGTON/LIMA (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama has picked two experienced policymakers, Timothy Geithner and Lawrence Summers, to spearhead the fight against the global financial crisis -- appointments which should bring some cheer to world markets

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters)- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday he would call for presidential and parliamentary elections if a reconciliation deal is not reached with rival Hamas by the end of this year.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert began on Sunday a visit to Washington to bid farewell to President George W. Bush before the two lame duck leaders leave office without the Palestinian statehood deal they had sought.

AP - Police on Sunday were searching for a gunman who opened fire in a packed Seattle-area shopping mall, killing one man and critically injuring another, before apparently slipping away in a crowd of panicked shoppers.

AP - Mutinous soldiers fought their way into the fortified residence of Guinea-Bissau's president in a three-hour gunbattle Sunday but did not hurt the head of state, a top official said.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama has picked two experienced policymakers, Timothy Geithner and Lawrence Summers, to spearhead the fight against the global financial crisis -- appointments which should bring some cheer to world markets

Reuters - RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters)- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday he would call for presidential and parliamentary elections if a reconciliation deal is not reached with rival Hamas by the end of this year.

Reuters - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert began on Sunday a visit to Washington to bid farewell to President George W. Bush before the two lame duck leaders leave office without the Palestinian statehood deal they had sought.

AFP - Asia-Pacific leaders on Sunday were to wrap up a summit in which they vowed a united front against the world finance crisis but with bold initiatives looking unlikely to emerge before the meeting adjourned.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama may consider delaying an election promise - to roll back tax cuts on high-income Americans - as part of his economic recovery strategy, a senior aide and an adviser said on Sunday.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters)- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday he would call for elections in 2009 if his secular Fatah movement and its Islamist rivals Hamas do not reconcile by the end of this year.

AP - A top aide to President-elect Barack Obama hopes Congress will get to work quickly on a new economic recovery plan in early January.

AP - Mutinous soldiers fought their way into the fortified residence of Guinea-Bissau's president in a three-hour gunbattle Sunday but did not hurt the head of state, a top official said.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama may consider delaying an election promise - to roll back tax cuts on high-income Americans - as part of his economic recovery strategy, a senior aide and an adviser said on Sunday.

Reuters - RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters)- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday he would call for elections in 2009 if his secular Fatah movement and its Islamist rivals Hamas do not reconcile by the end of this year.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama may consider delaying a campaign promise - to roll back tax cuts on high-income Americans - as part of his economic recovery strategy, two aides said on Sunday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday that Congress could put together an economic stimulus package of several hundred billion dollars that should also contain tax cuts.

AP - The market's positive reaction to President-elect Barack Obama's choice of treasury secretary was gratifying, a top Obama adviser said Sunday, and set the stage for a massive economic aid plan in January.

AP - Iraq needs an agreement allowing U.S. troops in the country through 2011, two Cabinet members said Sunday, arguing that the pact will keep violence at bay and help the national economy recover from years of bloodshed and isolation.

AP - A Democratic official says President-elect Barack Obama will name New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as commerce secretary.

AP - Mutinous soldiers fought their way into the fortified residence of Guinea-Bissau's president in a three-hour gunbattle Sunday but did not hurt the head of state, a top official said.

AP - President George W. Bush, wrapping up his final summit with world leaders on Sunday, offered a message of hope that despite the worst economic crisis in decades, the global economy will emerge in better shape.

AP - The vampire romance 'Twilight' has drained the box office in its opening weekend with ticket sales totaling $70.5 million.

AP - Vatican media are praising the Beatles' musical legacy and sounding philosophical about John Lennon's boast that the British band was more popular than Jesus.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama may consider delaying a campaign promise - to roll back tax cuts on high-income Americans - as part of his economic recovery strategy, two aides said on Sunday.

Reuters - Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday that Congress could put together an economic stimulus package of several hundred billion dollars that should also contain tax cuts.

Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama will announce the members of his economic team at a news conference in Chicago at 11 a.m. CST Monday, his transition office said.

AFP - Asia-Pacific leaders were wrapping up a summit Sunday to forge united front on the world finance crisis as US President George W. Bush went on a last diplomatic drive to push for free trade.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama on Sunday prepared to announce his top economic team as he worked on a stimulus plan designed to lift the country out of its worst financial crisis in decades.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's leaders met with recalcitrant politicians on Sunday to try to persuade them to accept a pact allowing U.S. troops to remain in Iraq for three years ahead of a parliamentary vote this week.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) may boycott a meeting to discuss a constitutional bill that would allow President Robert Mugabe to form a unity government, an opposition official said on Sunday.

AP - Mutinous soldiers fought their way into the fortified residence of Guinea-Bissau's president, launching a three-hour gunbattle with his guards as the leader and his family hid elsewhere in the building, a top official said.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama on Sunday prepared to announce his top economic team as he worked on a stimulus plan designed to lift the country out of its worst financial crisis in decades.

Reuters - Iraq's leaders met with recalcitrant politicians on Sunday to try to persuade them to accept a pact allowing U.S. troops to remain in Iraq for three years ahead of a parliamentary vote this week.

Reuters - Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) may boycott a meeting to discuss a constitutional bill that would allow President Robert Mugabe to form a unity government, an opposition official said on Sunday.

AFP - US president-elect Barack Obama was set to unveil his economic team amid the global financial crisis, his transition office said Sunday as a top advisor confirmed Timothy Geithner had been tapped for Treasury.

LIMA (Reuters) - The United States, China, Japan and 18 other economies in Asia and the Americas pledged quick and decisive action on Sunday to prevent a severe global economic downturn.

AP - After more than two weeks of virtual silence on the economy, President-elect Barack Obama's transition team burst on the scene with new ambition and urgency Sunday, demanding swift passage by Congress of a massive two-year spending and tax-cutting recovery program.

AP - A gunman has fired shots inside a church in New Jersey and authorities say three people have been wounded, one critically.

AP - The inauguration of an enormous new mosque named after Yemen's authoritarian president has bewildered the people of this impoverished Arab country — especially when they learned it cost a staggering $60 million.

AP - Cash or credit? For more Americans, who have already maxed out their credit cards or are just trying to manage their spending better in the tough economy, the answer is increasingly the old-fashioned one.

AP - The vampire romance 'Twilight' drained the box office in its opening weekend, taking in $70.6 million. Catherine Hardwicke's film also enjoyed the biggest opening ever for a female director, blowing away the previous standard of $41.1 million set by Mimi Leder's 'Deep Impact' in 1998.

AP - The Southeastern Conference title could have a national championship feel when Alabama faces Florida in the Georgia Dome in two weeks.

Reuters - The United States, China, Japan and 18 other economies in Asia and the Americas pledged quick and decisive action on Sunday to prevent a severe global economic downturn.

Reuters - White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said on Sunday she knew of no talks going on between banking giant Citigroup and the federal government for financial aid.

AFP - Asia-Pacific leaders wrapped up a summit Sunday voicing confidence the world would overcome the financial crisis within 18 months by jumpstarting global trade talks and resisting protectionism.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc is looking at putting risky assets in a 'bad bank' -- a step to reassure investors that the rest of its assets were safe, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

LIMA (Reuters) - The United States, China, Japan and 18 other economies in Asia and the Americas pledged quick and decisive action on Sunday to prevent a severe global economic downturn.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq will not seek to extend the U.N. mandate of U.S. troops and they will pull out immediately if Iraqi parliament fails to approve a pact allowing them to stay until 2011, Iraq's prime minister said on Sunday.

AP - A gunman opened fire during services Sunday at a northern New Jersey church, injuring three people, one of them critically, authorities said. The gunman remained at large.

AP - The Tennessee Titans are unbeaten no more. Brett Favre and the New York Jets served notice they will be a factor in the AFC this season.

Reuters - Citigroup Inc is looking at putting risky assets in a 'bad bank' -- a step to reassure investors that the rest of its assets were safe, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

Reuters - The United States, China, Japan and 18 other economies in Asia and the Americas pledged quick and decisive action on Sunday to prevent a severe global economic downturn.

Reuters - Iraq will not seek to extend the U.N. mandate of U.S. troops and they will pull out immediately if Iraqi parliament fails to approve a pact allowing them to stay until 2011, Iraq's prime minister said on Sunday.

AFP - US president-elect Barack Obama was set to unveil his economic team amid global financial turmoil, his transition office said Sunday, as a top advisor confirmed Timothy Geithner had been tapped for Treasury.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc is looking at putting risky assets in a government-supported 'bad bank' -- a step to reassure investors that the rest of its assets were safe, reports said on Sunday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. average retail gasoline prices fell below $2 per gallon, due to a continuing slide in crude oil prices, falling gasoline demand and a weakening global economy, according to the latest nationwide Lundberg survey.

AP - The government was weighing a plan on Sunday to rescue Citigroup Inc., whose stock has been hammered on worries about its financial health.

AP - A gunman entered a northern New Jersey church during Sunday services and shot three people in the vestibule, killing his estranged wife and injuring the other two before fleeing, authorities said.

AP - Astronauts tinkered Sunday with a troublesome piece of equipment designed to help convert urine and sweat into drinkable water, which is vital to allowing the international space station crew to double to six.

Reuters - Citigroup Inc is looking at putting risky assets in a government-supported 'bad bank' -- a step to reassure investors that the rest of its assets were safe, reports said on Sunday.

LIMA (Reuters) - The United States, China, Japan and 18 other economies in Asia and the Americas promised fast and decisive action on Sunday to prevent a severe global economic downturn.

AP - The government was weighing a plan on Sunday to rescue Citigroup Inc., whose stock has been hammered on worries about its financial health.

AP - The New York Giants were great in Glendale again, especially Eli Manning.

AP - With Tony Romo scrambling, Terrell Owens kept chugging down the sideline. Once the pass went up, Owens went to work. He caught the ball and turned upfield, getting pushed out of bounds after a 52-yard gain. Then he kept going, drawing more attention. With all eyes and TV cameras on him, Owens stretched his arms out to form a T, then curled them over his head to form an O.

Reuters - The United States, China, Japan and 18 other economies in Asia and the Americas promised fast and decisive action on Sunday to prevent a severe global economic downturn.

AFP - Thousands of Thai protesters surrounded parliament Monday in an effort to prevent lawmakers from meeting in what they say is their final push in a six-month campaign against the government.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc is looking at putting risky assets in a government-supported 'bad bank' -- a step to reassure investors that the rest of its assets were safe, a person briefed on the matter said on Sunday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea on Monday said that it would go ahead with its threat to effectively close its land border with the South, including expelling South Korean managers from an industrial site just inside its border, from December 1.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B singer Chris Brown swept the American Music Awards on Sunday, winning three prizes including artist of the year.

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelans voted into the night on Sunday in state elections that test President Hugo Chavez's 10-year grip on power as he seeks to renew a socialist drive in the OPEC nation despite falling oil prices.

Reuters - Citigroup Inc is looking at putting risky assets in a government-supported 'bad bank' -- a step to reassure investors that the rest of its assets were safe, a person briefed on the matter said on Sunday.

Reuters - North Korea on Monday said that it would go ahead with its threat to effectively close its land border with the South, including expelling South Korean managers from an industrial site just inside its border, from December 1.