KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Kabul on Monday to press for details from his generals on upcoming plans to broaden the fight against the Taliban and warned of 'very hard days' ahead.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Iraq war movie 'The Hurt Locker,' took the Oscars by storm on Sunday winning six of the major film honors, including best movie and director for Kathryn Bigelow who became the first woman to win that honor.

AP - The Iraq War drama 'The Hurt Locker' won best picture and five other prizes Sunday at the Academy Awards, its haul including best director for Kathryn Bigelow.

AP - A suicide car bomber struck a building where police interrogate high-value suspects in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Monday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 61 more including women taking children to school, officials said.

AP - Vince Carter had 25 points, Dwight Howard finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds and the Orlando Magic beat the Lakers 96-94 on Sunday to hand Los Angeles its first three-game losing streak of the Pau Gasol-Kobe Bryant Era.

Reuters - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Kabul on Monday to press for details from his generals on upcoming plans to broaden the fight against the Taliban and warned of 'very hard days' ahead.

AFP - A powerful car bomb struck a law enforcement building used to interrogate suspected militants in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Monday, killing 11 people and wounding more than 60.

AFP - Seventeen people were killed in a strong earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale that struck the eastern Turkish province of Elazig early Monday, the Anatolia news agency reported, citing the crisis management centre in Ankara.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Obama administration has boosted U.S. defense ties to Israel and will close ranks with its ally against any threat from a nuclear-armed Iran, Vice President Joe Biden said on Monday ahead of a trip to Israel.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - 'The Hurt Locker' director Kathryn Bigelow battled her way into Oscar history books on Sunday, topping her movie's best film honor with her own Academy Award for directing to become the first woman ever to earn that distinction.

AP - Intelligence officials are trying to establish the identity of an American militant suspect arrested in Pakistan, but doubts grew Monday that he is al-Qaida's U.S.-born spokesman.

AP - A strong earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6, hit eastern Turkey on Monday, killing at least 41 people and knocking down houses in at least six small villages, the government said.

AP - On a night when so many changes were intended to shake up the Oscar ceremony, the winners themselves were pretty predictable, with 'The Hurt Locker' taking six awards including best picture.

AP - A strong rain on a chilly night added to the misery Monday of survivors of Chile's terrible earthquake and tsunami, many of whom live in tents and improvised shelters as continuing aftershocks threaten to collapse what's left of their homes.

AP - Carl Edwards was 156 laps off the lead when he apparently decided it was time to settle a score with Brad Keselowski.

Reuters - The Obama administration has boosted U.S. defense ties to Israel and will close ranks with its ally against any threat from a nuclear-armed Iran, Vice President Joe Biden said on Monday ahead of a trip to Israel.

AFP - Rescuers struggled to dig survivors from under the rubble after a strong quake struck eastern Turkey early Monday, killing at least 41 people and injuring dozens more, officials said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi authorities counted votes on Monday, a day after a parliamentary election that Islamist militants tried to disrupt with attacks that killed 38 people.

KARACHI (Reuters) - Pakistani security agents denied on Monday that an American al Qaeda spokesman wanted in the United States for treason had been arrested, saying there had been confusion over the identity of a detained suspect.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood finally entrusted a female director with an Oscar on Sunday.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb attack on a police intelligence unit in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore killed at least 12 people and wounded about 65 during Monday's morning rush hour, officials said.

AP - A strong earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6, hit eastern Turkey on Monday, killing 57 people and knocking down houses in at least six small villages, an official said.

AP - With the fate of his signature legislative initiative far from certain, President Barack Obama is taking his last-ditch push for health care reform on the road.

AP - A suicide car bomber struck a building where police interrogate high-value suspects in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Monday, killing at least 12 people and wounding 61 more including women taking children to school, officials said.

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AP - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Afghanistan early Monday as coalition forces continue to restore order in the town of Marjah, the first major test of the U.S. and NATO counterinsurgency strategy since President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 new American troops to blunt the Taliban's momentum.

AP - Cablevision and ABC were negotiating a deal Monday that tentatively ended a dispute over fees and restored millions of viewers' access to the Academy Awards telecast in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut shortly after the broadcast began.

Reuters - Iraqi authorities counted votes on Monday, a day after a parliamentary election that Islamist militants tried to disrupt with attacks that killed 38 people.

Reuters - Pakistani security agents denied on Monday that an American al Qaeda spokesman wanted in the United States for treason had been arrested, saying there had been confusion over the identity of a detained suspect.

Reuters - A suicide car bomb attack on a police intelligence unit in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore killed at least 12 people and wounded about 65 during Monday's morning rush hour, officials said.

AFP - At least 51 people were killed in a powerful earthquake that struck eastern Turkey early on Monday, a local official said.

AP - A strong, pre-dawn earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6 struck eastern Turkey on Monday, killing 57 people as it knocked down stone or mud-brick houses and minarets in at least six villages, the government said.

AP - Preparations have begun for a crucial campaign to assert Afghan government control over Kandahar, spiritual home of the Taliban, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan said Monday.

AFP - A powerful earthquake in eastern Turkey on Monday buried villagers as they slept in mud-brick houses, killing at least 57 and injuring dozens more, officials said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - More than 55 percent of Iraqis voted in parliamentary election despite attempts by Sunni Islamist insurgents to disrupt the landmark vote with attacks that killed 38 people, officials said on Monday.

LISBON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Portugal became the latest euro zone country to announce austerity measures to rein in a ballooning budget deficit as bond markets eased pressure on debt-stricken Greece on Monday after a French pledge of EU help.

KABUL (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates cautioned against over-optimism despite 'bits and pieces of good news' from Afghanistan, warning of hard days ahead as he arrived on Monday to meet generals and President Hamid Karzai.

JOS, Nigeria (Reuters) - Soldiers patrolled the central Nigerian city of Jos on Monday and aid workers tried to assess the death toll after attacks on outlying communities in which several hundred people were feared to have been killed.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan's Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb attack on a police intelligence unit in the city of Lahore that killed at least 13 people during Monday's morning rush hour, officials said.

AP - A strong, pre-dawn earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Monday, killing 51 people as it knocked down stone and mud-brick houses and minarets in at least six villages, the government said.

AP - Early estimates from a range of Iraqi parties predict a coalition led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will take the lead in the parliamentary race.

AP - An American member of al-Qaida was picked up in a raid in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi, Pakistani officials said Monday, but reversed earlier assertions that the detained man was the terror network's U.S.-born spokesman.

Reuters - More than 55 percent of Iraqis voted in parliamentary election despite attempts by Sunni Islamist insurgents to disrupt the landmark vote with attacks that killed 38 people, officials said on Monday.

Reuters - Portugal became the latest euro zone country to announce austerity measures to rein in a ballooning budget deficit as bond markets eased pressure on debt-stricken Greece on Monday after a French pledge of EU help.

Reuters - Defense Secretary Robert Gates cautioned against over-optimism despite 'bits and pieces of good news' from Afghanistan, warning of hard days ahead as he arrived on Monday to meet generals and President Hamid Karzai.

Reuters - Soldiers patrolled the central Nigerian city of Jos on Monday and aid workers tried to assess the death toll after attacks on outlying communities in which several hundred people were feared to have been killed.

Reuters - Pakistan's Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb attack on a police intelligence unit in the city of Lahore that killed at least 13 people during Monday's morning rush hour, officials said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Turnout in Iraq's parliamentary election was 62 percent, higher than in last year's provincial ballot, despite attempts by Sunni Islamist insurgents to disrupt the vote with attacks that killed 38, officials said on Monday.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden began a visit to Israel and the West Bank on Monday, assuring Israelis in a newspaper interview that Washington would close ranks with them against any threat from a nuclear-armed Iran.

KABUL (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates, on a visit to Afghanistan on Monday, cautioned against over-optimism, warning of 'dark days' ahead despite grounds for hope on the battlefield.

AP - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Monday that an action plan to reintegrate low- to mid-level insurgent fighters into society and negotiate with the Taliban's top echelon will be crafted next month at a peace conference aimed at ending the war.

AP - President Barack Obama ratcheted up his attacks against insurance companies Monday in a last-ditch attempt to get a reluctant public and skittish Democrats behind his health overhaul legislation.

AP - Pakistani intelligence officials say a suspected U.S. drone has fired at least two missiles at a house in the country's northwest near the Afghan border, killing three people.

AP - Mary Josephine Ray, the New Hampshire woman who was certified as the oldest person living in the United States, has died at age 114 years, 294 days.

Reuters - Turnout in Iraq's parliamentary election was 62 percent, higher than in last year's provincial ballot, despite attempts by Sunni Islamist insurgents to disrupt the vote with attacks that killed 38, officials said on Monday.

Reuters - Vice President Joe Biden began a visit to Israel and the West Bank on Monday, assuring Israelis in a newspaper interview that Washington would close ranks with them against any threat from a nuclear-armed Iran.

Reuters - Defense Secretary Robert Gates, on a visit to Afghanistan on Monday, cautioned against over-optimism, warning of 'dark days' ahead despite grounds for hope on the battlefield.

AFP - The Vatican led a wave of revulsion on Monday at the slaughter of hundreds of Christians in Nigeria as survivors told of how the killers hacked victims to death after snaring them in animal traps.

AFP - A powerful earthquake buried sleeping villagers in eastern Turkey early on Monday, claiming at least 51 lives and leaving scores injured, officials said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Turnout in Iraq's parliamentary election was 62 percent, higher than in last year's provincial ballot, despite attempts by Sunni Islamist insurgents to disrupt the vote with attacks that killed 39, officials said on Monday.

AP - President Barack Obama accused insurance companies of placing profits over people and said Republicans ignored long-festering problems when they held power as he sought to build support Monday for swift passage of legislation stalled in Congress.

AP - A suicide car bomber Monday struck a building where police interrogate high-value suspects in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, killing at least 13 people and wounding dozens including women taking children to school, officials said.

Reuters - Turnout in Iraq's parliamentary election was 62 percent, higher than in last year's provincial ballot, despite attempts by Sunni Islamist insurgents to disrupt the vote with attacks that killed 39, officials said on Monday.

AFP - UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Monday appealed for 'maximum restraint' amid revulsion at the slaughter of more than 500 Christians in Nigeria, as survivors told how the killers chopped down their victims.

AFP - A powerful pre-dawn earthquake buried sleeping villagers in remote eastern Turkey Monday, claiming at least 51 lives and leaving dozens injured, officials said.

JERUSALEM/PARIS (Reuters) - Israel will this week unveil plans to produce nuclear-generated electricity, officials said on Monday, a move that could draw fresh international attention toward its assumed atomic arsenal.

Reuters - Israel will this week unveil plans to produce nuclear-generated electricity, officials said on Monday, a move that could draw fresh international attention toward its assumed atomic arsenal.

AFP - UN chief Ban Ki-moon appealed Monday for 'maximum restraint' amid revulsion at the slaughter of more than 500 Christians in Nigeria, as survivors told how the killers chopped down their victims.

GLENSIDE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - President Barack Obama criticized U.S. health insurance companies on Monday for raising premiums sharply and denying coverage to the sick, as he sought to rally Democratic support for his healthcare bill.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new poll on Monday found signs of trouble ahead for President Barack Obama and his Democrats on national security issues such as the handling of terrorism suspects.

DOGO NAHAWA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Villagers in central Nigeria buried dozens of bodies, including those of women and children, in a mass grave on Monday after attacks in which several hundred people were feared to have been killed.

AP - Stirring memories of his campaign for the White House, President Barack Obama made a spirited, shirt-sleeved appeal for passage of long-stalled health care changes Monday as Democratic congressional leaders worked behind the scenes on legislation they hope can quickly gain passage.

AP - One of two U.S. Baptist missionaries still held on kidnapping charges in Haiti was released Monday, but the group's leader remained in custody.

AP - The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan pledged Monday to retake the symbolic Taliban home ground of Kandahar in a campaign that builds on early signs of progress from the huge infusion of American and foreign forces.

AP - An estimated 41.3 million people saw 'The Hurt Locker' top the popular 'Avatar' for best picture in the most-watched Academy Awards telecast since 2005.

AP - The high-profile attorney representing Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is disputing a woman's claim that the two-time Super Bowl winner sexually assaulted her at a Georgia nightclub.

Reuters - A new poll on Monday found signs of trouble ahead for President Barack Obama and his Democrats on national security issues such as the handling of terrorism suspects.

Reuters - Villagers in central Nigeria buried dozens of bodies, including those of women and children, in a mass grave on Monday after attacks in which several hundred people were feared to have been killed.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama launched a sharp attack on health insurers on Monday and called on his fellow Democrats to rise above politics and pass a healthcare overhaul in the next few weeks.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp on Monday sought to discredit an outside study critical of its electronic safety systems and said it had found no flaw with its throttle controls.

AP - The Iraqi prime minister's coalition and its main secular rival both claimed to be ahead in the vote count Monday, a day after historic parliamentary elections that the top U.S. commander said would let all but 50,000 American troops come home by the end of summer.

AP - A high-profile defense attorney hired by Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on Monday disputed a college student's claim that the two-time Super Bowl winner sexually assaulted her at a Georgia nightclub.

Reuters - President Barack Obama launched a sharp attack on health insurers on Monday and called on his fellow Democrats to rise above politics and pass a healthcare overhaul in the next few weeks.

Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp on Monday sought to discredit an outside study critical of its electronic safety systems and said it had found no flaw with its throttle controls.

AP - One of two Baptist missionaries still held on kidnapping charges in Haiti has arrived in the U.S. after being released after more than a month in custody.

AP - Tina Charles, Maya Moore and the latest Connecticut Huskies dynasty now has its own place in the record books.

AFP - Nigerian troops were patrolling villages near the northern city of Jos Tuesday after the massacre of more than 500 Christians there that sparked international shock and outrage.

AFP - Palestinians and Israelis held their first indirect talks in more than a year in a tentative boost to the Middle East peace process, frozen since the Jewish state's devastating war on Gaza.