AP - Capping a long day and a consuming political journey, President Barack Obama celebrated the passage of health care legislation on Sunday with hugs, high fives and an emboldened attitude. Said the president to the nation, 'Tonight, we answered the call of history.'

AP - For those who haven't flown in a while, be prepared to be scanned, swabbed or thoroughly patted down. Maybe all three.

AFP - Australian national Stern Hu and a Chinese fellow employee of Rio Tinto will plead guilty to bribe-taking at their trial in Shanghai, Dow Jones Newswires reported Monday, quoting a defence lawyer.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Banking Committee will begin hammering out new rules for the financial system on Monday, two years after Bear Stearns' collapse ushered in the worst financial crisis in decades.

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - With speculation swirling that Google Inc will soon announce the closure of its China-based Internet portal, the reaction from some Chinese has been hurry up and leave, or simply: so what?

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai has met a senior delegation for peace talks with one of the main insurgent groups fighting against his government and foreign troops, Karzai's spokesman said on Monday.

AP - A transformative health care bill is headed to President Barack Obama for his signature as Congress takes the final steps in Democrats' improbable and history-making push for near-universal medical coverage.

AP - Capping a long day and a consuming political journey, President Barack Obama celebrated the passage of health care legislation with hugs, high fives and an emboldened attitude. Said the president to the nation, 'Tonight, we answered the call of history.'

AP - As the Red River slowly started to recede Monday and fears of major flooding diminished, Fargo residents were left to deal with another problem: environmental hazards that linger long after the waters decline.

AP - Not so long ago, having Butler and Xavier among the last 16 teams in the NCAA tournament would have spawned feel-good stories about the plucky mid-major conferences and the wonderful hoops democracy that is March Madness.

Reuters - The U.S. Senate Banking Committee will begin hammering out new rules for the financial system on Monday, two years after Bear Stearns' collapse ushered in the worst financial crisis in decades.

Reuters - With speculation swirling that Google Inc will soon announce the closure of its China-based Internet portal, the reaction from some Chinese has been hurry up and leave, or simply: so what?

Reuters - Afghan President Hamid Karzai has met a senior delegation for peace talks with one of the main insurgent groups fighting against his government and foreign troops, Karzai's spokesman said on Monday.

AFP - Australian national Stern Hu and a Chinese fellow employee of Rio Tinto will plead guilty to bribe-taking at their trial in Shanghai, Dow Jones Newswires reported Monday, quoting a defence lawyer.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday that Israel faces 'difficult but necessary choices' on the road to Mideast peace because the status quo with the Palestinians is unsustainable.

AP - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is vowing that the Obama administration will not accept a nuclear armed Iran and is working on sanctions 'that will bite' to press it to come clean about its suspect atomic program.

AP - Eight Marines were charged in the biggest criminal case against U.S. troops to arise from the Iraq war. Six have had charges dismissed, and one was acquitted.

AP - Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are traveling to Haiti's rubble-filled capital Monday as part of their effort to raise aid and investment for a country still reeling from a devastating Jan. 12 earthquake.

AP - A proposal by Tanzania to weaken the 21-year ban on ivory sales was rejected by a U.N. conservation meeting over fears the African country has been failing to crack down on rising incidents of poaching.

AP - The NCAA tournament's regional semifinals are set after a thrilling and exhausting first two rounds, which filled wastepaper baskets with battered brackets and left coaches on their knees in agony and throwing their arms to the heavens in joy.

Reuters - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday that Israel faces 'difficult but necessary choices' on the road to Mideast peace because the status quo with the Palestinians is unsustainable.

AFP - The US Congress narrowly passed an historic health overhaul, taking the United States closer to universal medical care and handing Barack Obama the biggest triumph of his presidency.

AFP - Australian Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu and a Chinese fellow employee will plead guilty to bribe-taking at politically charged trial which opened Monday, a defence lawyer was quoted as saying.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Monday it will put a 30-year-old U.S. man on trial for illegally entering the country.

AP - Sen. John McCain says Democrats who championed the historic health care bill that passed the House haven't heard the last of the issue, predicting reprisals at the polls and in the courts.

AP - North Korea says it will put a detained American on trial for illegally entering the country from China.

AP - Lawyers in Shanghai says an Australian executive and three Chinese officials with mining giant Rio Tinto have pleaded guilty to accepting bribes.

Reuters - North Korea said on Monday it will put a 30-year-old U.S. man on trial for illegally entering the country.

Reuters - French President Nicolas Sarkozy looked set to shake up his government on Monday after the center-right was savagely beaten in regional elections, with the minister in charge of sensitive pension reforms facing the chop.

AFP - The US Congress narrowly passed an historic health overhaul, taking the United States closer to universal medical care and handing Barack Obama the biggest triumph of his presidency.

AFP - Australian Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu pleaded guilty at a politically charged trial in Shanghai on Monday to taking bribes, a defence lawyer told AFP.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama secured a landmark victory with the House of Representatives giving final approval to a sweeping healthcare overhaul, expanding insurance coverage to nearly all Americans.

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's state-run Xinhua news agency launched a new broadside against Google Inc on Monday, saying in an angry commentary that the company had reneged on promises to abide by Chinese law.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday that Israel faces 'difficult but necessary choices' on Mideast peace and pledged to push for biting sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian and U.S. negotiators could finalize a new nuclear arms treaty within days, RIA news agency quoted a Russian deputy foreign minister as saying on Monday.

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy looked set to shake up his government on Monday after the center-right was savagely beaten in regional elections, with the minister in charge of sensitive pension reforms facing the chop.

AP - North Korea said Monday that it will put an American on trial for illegally entering the country from China.

AP - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington for talks with the Obama administration.

AP - PepsiCo Inc. plans to cut the sodium found in each serving of its key brands by one-fourth in five years, the company announced Monday, as the industry deals with pressure from the government and health-conscious shoppers who want more options.

Reuters - President Barack Obama secured a landmark victory with the House of Representatives giving final approval to a sweeping healthcare overhaul, expanding insurance coverage to nearly all Americans.

Reuters - China's state-run Xinhua news agency launched a new broadside against Google Inc on Monday, saying in an angry commentary that the company had reneged on promises to abide by Chinese law.

Reuters - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday that Israel faces 'difficult but necessary choices' on Mideast peace and pledged to push for biting sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

Reuters - Russian and U.S. negotiators could finalize a new nuclear arms treaty within days, RIA news agency quoted a Russian deputy foreign minister as saying on Monday.

AFP - An Australian executive with mining giant Rio Tinto pleaded guilty on Monday to taking bribes at a politically-charged trial in Shanghai that has stoked concerns about doing business in China.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans vowed to fight back on Monday after Congress passed President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare overhaul while states promised new legal challenges and health industry stocks rose.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Less than 24 hours after the House of Representatives gave final approval to a sweeping overhaul of healthcare, attorneys general from several states on Monday said they will sue to block the plan on constitutional grounds.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday stressed U.S. opposition to Israel's policy of expanding Jewish settlements as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived seeking common ground on the way forward for Mideast peace.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia denied on Monday that its state-run United Aviation Corporation (UAC) planned to bid for a $50 billion contract to replace the U.S. Air Force's fleet of air tankers, rivaling Boeing Co and Europe's EADS.

AP - The Auschwitz memorial says that documents related to the daily life of the death camp's commanders and guards have been found at a nearby house.

AP - Pakistani officials say two highly experienced Taliban militants have been arrested while planning to attack top hotels and kidnap diplomats in Pakistan. One of the men claims to have helped plan previous attacks.

AP - Four employees of mining giant Rio Tinto pleaded guilty Monday to taking bribes, lawyers and an Australian diplomat said, in an embarrassing case seen as part of a harsh new attitude toward foreign business in China.

Reuters - Republicans vowed to fight back on Monday after Congress passed President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare overhaul while states promised new legal challenges and health industry stocks rose.

Reuters - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday stressed U.S. opposition to Israel's policy of expanding Jewish settlements as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived seeking common ground on the way forward for Mideast peace.

Reuters - Russia denied on Monday that its state-run United Aviation Corporation (UAC) planned to bid for a $50 billion contract to replace the U.S. Air Force's fleet of air tankers, rivaling Boeing Co and Europe's EADS.

AFP - President Barack Obama's Republican foes in the US Senate prepared Monday to wage political war on the last piece of his historic health care overhaul, seeking an edge in November mid-term elections.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Banking Committee will vote on Monday on new rules for the financial system, shelving plans for a week-long debate and drafting session on the sweeping legislation, a key Republican on the panel said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday stressed U.S. opposition to Israel's policy of expanding Jewish settlements as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived seeking a way forward for Mideast peace.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Monday he was reviewing the role of contractors in intelligence gathering, after accusations some helped track and kill militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

AP - President Barack Obama is preparing to sign a transformative health care bill ushering in near-universal medical coverage for the first time in the nation's history — and then hit the road to sell it to a reluctant public.

AP - More people die from polluted water every year than from all forms of violence, including war, the U.N. said in a report Monday that highlights the need for clean drinking water.

AP - Food coupons for some of the notorious Nazi doctors at the Auschwitz death camp — including perhaps the sadistic Dr. Joseph Mengele — have been found in the attic of a nearby house, where they had lain unseen for decades.

AP - Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton toured Haiti's rubble-filled capital Monday to raise aid and investment for a country still reeling from a devastating Jan. 12 earthquake.

AP - Some of Yemen's most influential Islamic leaders, including one the U.S. says mentored Osama bin Laden, have declared supporters of a ban on child brides to be apostates.

Reuters - The Senate Banking Committee will vote on Monday on new rules for the financial system, shelving plans for a week-long debate and drafting session on the sweeping legislation, a key Republican on the panel said.

Reuters - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday stressed U.S. opposition to Israel's policy of expanding Jewish settlements as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived seeking a way forward for Mideast peace.

Reuters - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Monday he was reviewing the role of contractors in intelligence gathering, after accusations some helped track and kill militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

AFP - President Barack Obama's Republican foes in the US Senate prepared Monday to wage political war on the last piece of his historic health care overhaul, seeking an edge in November mid-term elections.

AFP - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday urged Israel to make 'difficult but necessary choices' for Middle East peace as she warned that Jewish settlements undermine fresh negotiations.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc moved its China Internet search service offshore to Hong Kong on Monday, in a bid to provide uncensored search results while still maintaining some business operations in the country.

AP - When historians write the book on how President Barack Obama's health care overhaul became law, they'll need to leave space for some unlikely advocates: lobbyists for the drug, insurance and hospital industries.

AP - Google Inc. will shift its search engine for China off the mainland but won't shut it down altogether, and it will maintain other operations in the country. It's an attempt to balance its stance against censorship with its desire to profit from an explosively growing Internet market.

AP - Police who investigated the crash of a Toyota Prius in the New York suburbs said Monday they agreed with federal regulators that driver error caused it.

AP - PepsiCo, largely known for junk-food brands such as Doritos and Pepsi, is setting out to triple its sales of healthier fare in the next decade.

AP - A fugitive wanted for bank robbery in Michigan is in custody after police say he walked out of a Pittsburgh hospital and into a bar wearing only his hospital gown, with an intravenous needle still his arm.

Reuters - Google Inc moved its China Internet search service offshore to Hong Kong on Monday, in a bid to provide uncensored search results while still maintaining some business operations in the country.

AFP - Google announced Monday it has stopped censoring its Chinese-language search engine Google.cn and was redirecting mainland Chinese users to an uncensored site in Hong Kong.

AFP - US President Barack Obama plans to sign his historic health care overhaul into law shortly then wage an all-out push to win over wary US voters ahead of November elections, his spokesman said Monday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Banking Committee was on track on Monday to approve landmark financial regulatory reform legislation, pushing a fight over the issue to the full Senate in April.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Banking Committee on Monday backed a bill to plug gaps in financial regulation and safeguard the country's financial system from future crises.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Police in New York on Monday said it appears a March 9 crash of a Toyota Motor Corp Prius was a case of driver error and not unintended acceleration.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City must pay $33 million in damages to thousands of victims of illegal strip searches conducted in city jails over an eight-year period, a U.S. judge ordered on Monday.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian and U.S. negotiators could finalize a landmark new nuclear arms pact within days, Russian officials said on Monday.

AP - The first changes under the new health care law will be easy to see and not long in coming: There'll be $250 rebate checks for seniors in the Medicare drug coverage gap, and young adults moving from college to work will be able to stay on their parents' plans until they turn 26.

AP - The once mighty community activist group ACORN announced Monday it is folding amid falling revenues — six months after video footage emerged showing some of its workers giving tax tips to conservative activists posing as a pimp and prostitute.

AP - Afghan President Hamid Karzai held an unprecedented meeting Monday with representatives of a major Taliban-linked militant group, boosting his outreach to insurgency leaders to end the eight-year war.

AP - Google Inc. stopped censoring the Internet for China by shifting its search engine off the mainland Monday but said it will maintain other operations in the country. The maneuver attempts to balance Google's disdain for China's Internet rules with the company's desire to profit from an explosively growing market.

Reuters - The U.S. Senate Banking Committee was on track on Monday to approve landmark financial regulatory reform legislation, pushing a fight over the issue to the full Senate in April.

Reuters - The Senate Banking Committee on Monday backed a bill to plug gaps in financial regulation and safeguard the country's financial system from future crises.

Reuters - Police in New York on Monday said it appears a March 9 crash of a Toyota Motor Corp Prius was a case of driver error and not unintended acceleration.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Monday, approved landmark financial regulatory reform legislation, pushing the fight over the issue to the full Senate in April.

AP - Michael Jackson's doctor halted CPR on the dying pop star and delayed calling paramedics so he could collect drug vials at the scene, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press that shed new light on the singer's chaotic final moments.

AP - Democrats sent a massive Wall Street regulation bill to the full Senate on a party line vote Monday after a temporary retreat by Republicans that still left the bill's chances for bipartisan passage in doubt.

AP - An on-duty Colorado state trooper was pulled over Monday and accused of driving drunk after several people called 911 to report a State Patrol vehicle driving erratically, authorities said.

AP - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell likes the proposal to modify overtime in the playoffs. Can his support sway enough owners to approve it for next season?

Reuters - The U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Monday, approved landmark financial regulatory reform legislation, pushing the fight over the issue to the full Senate in April.

Reuters - New York City must pay $33 million in damages to thousands of victims of illegal strip searches conducted in city jails over an eight-year period, a U.S. judge ordered on Monday.

AFP - Google stopped censoring Internet search results in China on Monday in a move that was hailed by rights groups but drew an angry reaction from the Chinese authorities.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc closed its China-based search service and began redirecting Web searchers to an uncensored portal in Hong Kong, drawing harsh comments from Beijing that raised doubts about the company's future in the world's largest Internet market.

AP - Transforming the nation's air traffic system by replacing World War II-era radar with 21st century GPS technology would be accelerated under a bill approved Monday by the Senate.

AP - Virgin Galactic's fledgling space tourism rocket was taken aloft over the California desert on an inaugural test flight Monday attached to the wing of its mothership, the company said.

Reuters - Google Inc closed its China-based search service and began redirecting Web searchers to an uncensored portal in Hong Kong, drawing harsh comments from Beijing that raised doubts about the company's future in the world's largest Internet market.

AFP - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he is confident that Israel will have the 'enduring friendship' of the United States.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Unacceptably high unemployment and well-contained inflation make it likely that U.S. monetary policy will remain accommodative for at least several months more, a top U.S. Federal Reserve official said on Tuesday.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China will have more scope to allow its currency to appreciate if the U.S. government adopts a low-key stance on the issue, a Harvard University economist who also advises the U.S. government on economic policy said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Declaring 'Jerusalem is not a settlement,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a defiant note on Monday after new U.S. criticism of Jewish home construction in disputed territory in and around the city.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nearly half of Japanese voters think Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama should quit if he fails to resolve by the end of May a row over a U.S. airbase that is eroding his ratings ahead of a mid-year election, a survey showed on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge ordered on Monday that a man accused of having ties to some of the hijackers in the September 11, 2001, attacks, be released from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

AP - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented dueling positions on Jerusalem construction Monday, underlining a recent spat between the allies while simultaneously suggesting the incident is behind them.

AP - Gold medal figure skater Evan Lysacek and Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger emerged as early favorites on the new season of 'Dancing With the Stars.'

Reuters - Unacceptably high unemployment and well-contained inflation make it likely that U.S. monetary policy will remain accommodative for at least several months more, a top U.S. Federal Reserve official said on Tuesday.

Reuters - China will have more scope to allow its currency to appreciate if the U.S. government adopts a low-key stance on the issue, a Harvard University economist who also advises the U.S. government on economic policy said.

Reuters - Declaring 'Jerusalem is not a settlement,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a defiant note on Monday after new U.S. criticism of Jewish home construction in disputed territory in and around the city.

Reuters - Nearly half of Japanese voters think Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama should quit if he fails to resolve by the end of May a row over a U.S. airbase that is eroding his ratings ahead of a mid-year election, a survey showed on Tuesday.