AP - Michael Jackson insisted that his concert promoter's payroll include his personal physician, a financially troubled cardiologist who was with the entertainer when he collapsed.

AFP - Michael Jackson's cause of death will not be confirmed for several weeks, officials said, as attention turned to the possible involvement of drugs in the tragic King of Pop's demise.

AFP - The UN special envoy to Myanmar met with junta leaders on Saturday as he paves the way for a visit by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon next month expected to focus on the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and South Korea agreed on Saturday on the need to start examining an exit strategy for their expansionary fiscal policies as they overcome the worst of the global recession.

AP - Sweeping legislation to curb the pollution linked to global warming and create a new energy-efficient economy is headed to an uncertain future in the Senate after squeaking through the House.

AP - Bernard Madoff would be stripped of all his possessions under a $171 billion forfeiture order handed down only days before prosecutors seek to put the disgraced financier away in prison for the rest of his life.

AP - The details of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's secretive trips to visit his lover in South America aren't just headline fodder or political kryptonite.

AP - EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

Reuters - Japan and South Korea agreed on Saturday on the need to start examining an exit strategy for their expansionary fiscal policies as they overcome the worst of the global recession.

AP - Most of Michael Jackson's family members have gathered in their Encino compound, where they are contemplating funeral arrangements and caring for his three children. They are feeling confused, upset and angry by the lack of information about those who were around the pop superstar in his final days, a person close to the family told The Associated Press.

AP - Hours after the House passed landmark legislation meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions and create an energy-efficient economy, President Barack Obama on Saturday urged senators to show courage and follow suit.

AP - The White House is considering whether to issue an executive order to indefinitely imprison a small number of Guantanamo Bay detainees, concerned that Congress might otherwise stymie its plans to quickly close the naval prison in Cuba.

AP - Republicans concerned about the Obama administration's big spending on economic stimulus, energy and health care are asking, 'Where are the jobs?'

WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani warplanes killed at least a dozen Taliban fighters on Saturday, in a strike on their stronghold near the Afghan border, while police in the southern city of Karachi shot dead five militants.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Saturday that the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraqi cities at the end of June showed Iraq can handle its own security, despite a wave of bombings this week.

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on the Taliban and their allies on Saturday to vote in August's elections rather than attempt to disrupt the nation's second presidential poll.

By David Brunnstrom CORFU, Greece (Reuters) - NATO foreign ministers meet their Russia counterpart Saturday in their highest level contact since the Georgia war, hoping to launch a new program of cooperation on issues like Afghanistan and counter-terrorism.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ruth Madoff, the wife of epic swindler Bernard Madoff who reaped billions and a lavish family lifestyle, will be left with $2.5 million and have to look for a new home as she forfeits claim to some $80 million in assets.

AP - EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

AP - Hours after a tractor-trailer slammed into stopped traffic on a northeast Oklahoma turnpike, tow trucks dislodged the rig from a crushed car to find the body of a ninth victim inside the mangled wreckage.

Reuters - Pakistani warplanes killed at least a dozen Taliban fighters on Saturday, in a strike on their stronghold near the Afghan border, while police in the southern city of Karachi shot dead five militants.

Reuters - Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Saturday that the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraqi cities at the end of June showed Iraq can handle its own security, despite a wave of bombings this week.

Reuters - Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on the Taliban and their allies on Saturday to vote in August's elections rather than attempt to disrupt the nation's second presidential poll.

Reuters - Gathering on the Greek island of Corfu, many ministers will stay on for an informal European Union review of ties with Iran over its post-election crackdown on opposition protesters, and a session of Europe's biggest security and human rights group to tackle Western-Russian tensions stoked by the Georgia conflict.

Reuters - Ruth Madoff, the wife of epic swindler Bernard Madoff who reaped billions and a lavish family lifestyle, will be left with $2.5 million and have to look for a new home as she forfeits claim to some $80 million in assets.

AFP - The main loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland announced Saturday they were decommissioning their weapons, a new milestone in the journey to peace after decades of unrest.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has banned an ally of the country's opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi from leaving the Islamic state, the official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.

TRIESTE, Italy (Reuters) - Washington is to dramatically overhaul its Afghan anti-drug strategy, phasing out opium poppy eradication, the U.S. envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan told allies on Saturday.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader Saad al-Hariri was appointed prime minister-designate on Saturday, pledging to seek a national unity government but warning that his task would be difficult.

AP - The United States has announced a new drug policy for opium-rich Afghanistan, saying it was phasing out funding for eradication programs while significantly increasing its funding for alternate crop and drug interdiction efforts.

AP - Republicans concerned about the Obama administration's big spending on economic stimulus, energy and health care are asking, 'Where are the jobs?'

AP - Venus Williams powered her way into the second week of Wimbledon, beating Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-0, 6-4 Saturday to reach the fourth round.

Reuters - Iran has banned an ally of the country's opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi from leaving the Islamic state, the official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.

Reuters - Washington is to dramatically overhaul its Afghan anti-drug strategy, phasing out opium poppy eradication, the U.S. envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan told allies on Saturday.

Reuters - Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader Saad al-Hariri was appointed prime minister-designate on Saturday, pledging to seek a national unity government but warning that his task would be difficult.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader Saad al-Hariri was appointed prime minister-designate on Saturday, pledging to seek a national unity government but warning that his task would be difficult.

CORFU, Greece (Reuters) - NATO foreign ministers met their Russian counterpart on Saturday in their highest level contact since the Georgia war, aiming to kick off a new era of cooperation on issues like Afghanistan and counter-terrorism.

AP - The White House is considering whether to issue an executive order to indefinitely imprison a small number of Guantanamo Bay detainees, concerned that Congress might otherwise stymie its plans to quickly close the naval prison in Cuba.

AP - When 17-year-old American Melanie Oudin concluded the biggest match of her life Saturday at Wimbledon, she had trouble finding the exit on cozy Court 3.

Reuters - Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader Saad al-Hariri was appointed prime minister-designate on Saturday, pledging to seek a national unity government but warning that his task would be difficult.

AFP - The main loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland announced Saturday they were decommissioning their weapons, a new milestone on the road to peace after decades of unrest.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The body of Michael Jackson has been released to his family, a Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman said on Saturday after an autopsy failed to immediately determine what killed the troubled pop star.

CORFU, Greece (Reuters) - NATO and Russia on Saturday re-launched formal cooperation on security threats, an alliance official said after their first high-level talks since falling out over the Georgia war last year.

AP - Janet Jackson arrived at her brother Michael Jackson's Holmby Hills estate Saturday, where moving vans arrived earlier in the day.

AP - From the wow to the weird, Michael Jackson leaves a fashion legacy to rival his musical one.

AP - Texas Gov. Rick Perry was raising money at campaign headquarters when an Associated Press reporter called his press staff to ask what he was doing. An hour later, he walked into AP's statehouse bureau to show he was alive and well and not, say, in South America for a romantic rendezvous.

AP - Larry Roberta's every breath is a painful reminder of his time in Iraq. He can't walk a block without gasping for air. His chest hurts, his migraines sometimes persist for days and he needs pills to help him sleep.

AP - Bernard Madoff would be stripped of all his possessions under a $171 billion forfeiture order handed down only days before prosecutors seek to put the disgraced financier away in prison for the rest of his life.

AP - Dayne Morris eats out less, cooks at home more. He hunts for online bargains and shops at discount stores.

Reuters - NATO and Russia on Saturday re-launched formal cooperation on security threats, an alliance official said after their first high-level talks since falling out over the Georgia war last year.

AFP - The family of Michael Jackson may seek an independent autopsy, it emerged Saturday amid mounting anger and frustration over the final hours of the tragic pop icon's life.

AFP - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again slammed US President Barack Obama on Saturday for 'interfering' in Iran, as debate over the Iranian president's disputed re-election showed no sign of abating.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi on Saturday rejected authorities' proposals for a partial recount of votes from this month's election and repeated his demand the entire ballot be annulled.

CORFU, Greece (Reuters) - NATO and Russia on Saturday resumed formal cooperation on broad security threats but failed to bridge major differences over Georgia in their first high-level talks since the war in the Caucasus region.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Saturday that the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraqi cities at the end of June showed Iraq can handle its own security, despite a wave of bombings this week.

AP - Spiritual teacher and medical doctor Deepak Chopra said Saturday he had been concerned since 2005 that Michael Jackson was abusing prescription painkillers and most recently spoke to the pop star about suspected drug use six months ago.

AP - A Houston lawyer says his firm has been hired by the doctor who reportedly was with Michael Jackson when the pop star was fatally stricken in his Los Angeles home.

AP - EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

AP - Hailing the House, President Barack Obama put pressure on senators Saturday to follow its lead and pass legislation to limit greenhouse gas emissions, helping usher the U.S. into a new age of energy efficiency.

Reuters - Defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi on Saturday rejected authorities' proposals for a partial recount of votes from this month's election and repeated his demand the entire ballot be annulled.

Reuters - NATO and Russia on Saturday resumed formal cooperation on broad security threats but failed to bridge major differences over Georgia in their first high-level talks since the war in the Caucasus region.

Reuters - Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Saturday that the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraqi cities at the end of June showed Iraq can handle its own security, despite a wave of bombings this week.

AFP - Political deadlock continued in Iran as opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi on Saturday rejected a panel set up to hold a partial recount of votes in the disputed presidential election.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson's family gathered at his parents' suburban Los Angeles home on Saturday to make funeral arrangements for the troubled King of Pop amid reports that they are seeking a second, independent autopsy.

AP - EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

AP - Republicans concerned about the Obama administration's big spending on economic stimulus, energy and health care are asking, 'Where are the jobs?'

AP - The discovery of 10 lynx kittens this spring marks the first newborns documented in Colorado since 2006, heartening biologists overseeing restoration of the mountain feline.

AP - As a tyke growing up in Marietta, Ga., Melanie Oudin would watch Venus and Serena Williams on TV and tell anyone who would listen that she was going to play at Wimbledon, too, one day.

Reuters - Michael Jackson's family gathered at his parents' suburban Los Angeles home on Saturday to make funeral arrangements for the troubled King of Pop amid reports that they are seeking a second, independent autopsy.

AFP - The family of Michael Jackson is to hold an independent autopsy, it emerged Saturday, as associates revealed their anger over unanswered questions surrounding the tragic pop icon's death.

AP - It was the last day of shooting for a Pepsi commercial at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in 1984, and the only hiccup had been an argument between Michael Jackson and an ad executive over whether the young superstar would take off his sunglasses.

AP - Republicans concerned about the Obama administration's big spending on economic stimulus, energy and health care are asking, 'Where are the jobs?'

AP - Hailing the House, President Barack Obama put pressure on senators Saturday to follow its lead and pass legislation to limit greenhouse gas emissions, helping usher the U.S. into a new age of energy efficiency.

AP - Republicans concerned about the Obama administration's big spending on economic stimulus, energy and health care are asking, 'Where are the jobs?'

AP - A prominent under-bite, scrunched face and floppy ears are the hallmarks of a winner.

AFP - Grief is turning into anger for fans of Michael Jackson who are bitterly accusing his doctors -- and society at large -- for cutting short the King of Pop's tragic life.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles police on Saturday again questioned Michael Jackson's doctor, while the family of the pop music icon ordered its own private autopsy two days after his death shocked fans around the world.

AP - A spokeswoman for the doctor at Michael Jackson's side when he died says he met for a second time with police and is not considered a suspect.

AP - South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford admits he used bad judgment when he secretly visited his mistress during a state-funded trip to Argentina last year. But did he break the law?

Reuters - Los Angeles police on Saturday again questioned Michael Jackson's doctor, while the family of the pop music icon ordered its own private autopsy two days after his death shocked fans around the world.

AFP - The family of Michael Jackson ordered a second autopsy of the tragic pop icon as associates told of mounting anger over 'unanswered questions' surrounding the superstar's death.

AFP - South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak has arrived in Japan for talks with Prime Minister Taro Aso, as simmering tensions over North Korea's nuclear programmes topped the agenda.