AP - The decapitated body of the police chief of a northern Mexico town and the body of his brother were found inside the chief's patrol truck Friday, authorities said. Hours earlier, gunmen killed a deputy police chief and his bodyguard in another part of Mexico's north.

AP - A military judge on Friday refused to dismiss charges against a Marine who led a squad that killed 24 Iraqi men, women and children in the town of Haditha after a bomb killed a Marine.

AP - The regional finals are set after two days of games that separated the contenders from the pretenders, the upstarts from the just starting to get serious.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai 'red shirt' protesters raised tensions on Saturday with threats to expel thousands of troops guarding Bangkok's old city during a rally to oust Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

BAENGNYEONGDO, South Korea (Reuters) - South Korea on Saturday all but ruled out the chance that North Korea was involved in the sinking of one of its navy vessels near their disputed border.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli troops and tanks left the Gaza Strip on Saturday, witnesses said, ending an incursion into the Hamas-ruled enclave made after the bloodiest clash in 14 months killed two soldiers and at least one Palestinian.

AP - Republicans were for President Barack Obama's requirement that Americans get health insurance before they were against it. The obligation in the new health care law is a Republican idea that's been around at least two decades. It was once trumpeted as an alternative to Bill and Hillary Clinton's failed health care overhaul in the 1990s. These days, Republicans call it government overreach.

AP - From rotting garbage to sweet-roasting peanuts at sidewalk stands, New Yorkers are constantly bombarded with the aromas of urban life.

Reuters - Thai 'red shirt' protesters raised tensions on Saturday with threats to expel thousands of troops guarding Bangkok's old city during a rally to oust Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Reuters - South Korea on Saturday all but ruled out the chance that North Korea was involved in the sinking of one of its navy vessels near their disputed border.

Reuters - Israeli troops and tanks left the Gaza Strip on Saturday, witnesses said, ending an incursion into the Hamas-ruled enclave made after the bloodiest clash in 14 months killed two soldiers and at least one Palestinian.

AP - Sarah Palin and thousands of tea party activists plan to descend on Sen. Harry Reid's hometown in the Nevada desert Saturday to call for the ouster of Democrats who supported the health care overhaul.

AP - Tens of thousands of red-shirted protesters threatened to force soldiers from the historic heart of Thailand's capital Saturday, raising tensions in what so far has been a nonviolent bid to bring down the government.

AP - The U.S. health care system is in serious need of changes, but the Democratic plan to overhaul it is badly flawed and should be repealed and replaced, the Senate Republican leader says.

AP - Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich entered military court thinking charges against him in a case involving the deaths of 24 Iraqis — some children — would be dismissed. He left resigned to being court-martialed in the biggest criminal case against U.S. troops to arise from the Iraq war.

AP - Unsealed search warrants in the Michael Jackson case reveal large quantities of general anesthetic and dozens of tubes of skin-whitening creams were among items found in the singer's home after his death.

AFP - Former premier Iyad Allawi on Saturday began talks which could last months to form a government after narrowly edging out incumbent Nuri al-Maliki in Iraq's parliamentary elections.

AFP - Almost 50 sailors were missing after a South Korean warship sank near the tense border with North Korea, the military said Saturday, but officials said there was no sign so far the North was to blame.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq election winner Iyad Allawi said on Saturday he was open to alliances with any faction and wanted quickly to form a government that would build strong relationships with its regional neighbors.

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece has taken no final decision to issue a bond next week, the finance minister said on Saturday after a Financial Times report that the country planned to launch a multi-billion euro bond issue in the coming days.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House temporarily went dark on Saturday as nations across the western Pacific turned out the lights for Earth Hour 2010 to call for action on climate change.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hosted regional leaders on Sunday for a celebration of the ancient Persian New Year, in an apparent effort to push political ties to combat Iran's isolation.

AP - Relatives of marines missing after a South Korean military ship sank near the disputed sea border with North Korea are protesting over a lack of information about what caused the disaster.

AP - The white-shelled roof of the Sydney Opera House fell dark Saturday night, one of the first landmarks to turn out the lights in an hour-long gesture to be repeated by millions of people around the world who are calling for a binding pact to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Reuters - Iraq election winner Iyad Allawi said on Saturday he was open to alliances with any faction and wanted quickly to form a government that would build strong relationships with its regional neighbors.

Reuters - Greece has taken no final decision to issue a bond next week, the finance minister said on Saturday after a Financial Times report that the country planned to launch a multi-billion euro bond issue in the coming days.

Reuters - Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House temporarily went dark on Saturday as nations across the western Pacific turned out the lights for Earth Hour 2010 to call for action on climate change.

Reuters - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hosted regional leaders on Sunday for a celebration of the ancient Persian New Year, in an apparent effort to push political ties to combat Iran's isolation.

AFP - Ships and aircraft searched choppy and frigid seas Saturday for survivors of one of South Korea's worst naval disasters, but hopes faded for 46 missing after an unexplained explosion tore a warship in half.

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian opposition politicians were barred from visiting their jailed leader, Birtukan Mideksa, Saturday after a U.S. State Department human rights report said her mental health has deteriorated.

AP - Sarah Palin and thousands of tea party activists plan to descend on Sen. Harry Reid's hometown in the Nevada desert Saturday to call for the ouster of Democrats who supported the health care overhaul.

AP - Republicans were for President Barack Obama's requirement that Americans get health insurance before they were against it.

AP - A top Vatican cardinal is calling for 'housecleaning' and urging the Roman Catholic Church to be more alert and brave in dealing with cases of clerical sex abuse.

AP - Apolo Anton Ohno is going for the green at the Kids' Choice Awards.

Reuters - Thousands of Thai protesters surrounded the office of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Saturday, raising fears of a confrontation after repeated threats to expel troops guarding Bangkok's old city.

Reuters - Ethiopian opposition politicians were barred from visiting their jailed leader, Birtukan Mideksa, Saturday after a U.S. State Department human rights report said her mental health has deteriorated.

AFP - Ships and aircraft searched choppy and frigid seas Saturday for survivors of one of South Korea's worst naval disasters, but hopes faded for 46 missing after an unexplained explosion tore a warship in half.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thousands of Thai protesters surrounded the office of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Saturday, raising fears of a confrontation after repeated threats to expel troops guarding Bangkok's old city.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The death toll from two bombs that struck a crowded market in Iraq's mainly Sunni Diyala province rose to 59, police said on Saturday, as politicians started coalition talks to form a new government.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Landmarks such as Sydney's Opera House, Beijing's Forbidden City and Taiwan's Taipei 101 office tower temporarily went dark on Saturday as nations dimmed the lights for Earth Hour 2010 to call for action on climate change.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former Soviet world chess champion Vasily Smyslov died on Saturday of heart failure, Russian television reported.

AP - Former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi reached out to his rivals to form a governing coalition Saturday, staking his claim as the top vote-getter in Iraq's elections and saying he hoped to build strong relations with neighboring countries.

AP - The United Arab Emirates state news agency says the head of Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund — the world's largest — is missing after his glider crashed in Morocco.

Reuters - The death toll from two bombs that struck a crowded market in Iraq's mainly Sunni Diyala province rose to 59, police said on Saturday, as politicians started coalition talks to form a new government.

Reuters - Landmarks such as Sydney's Opera House, Beijing's Forbidden City and Taiwan's Taipei 101 office tower temporarily went dark on Saturday as nations dimmed the lights for Earth Hour 2010 to call for action on climate change.

AFP - Ex-premier Iyad Allawi, whose bloc emerged strongest from Iraq's polls, launched talks Saturday with political foes in a bid to form a coalition, offering to work with any group 'without exception.'

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Catholic Church's response to cases of sexual abuse by priests is crucial to its credibility and it must 'acknowledge and make amends for' even decades-old cases, a Vatican spokesman said on Saturday.

AP - The number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan has roughly doubled in the first three months of 2010 compared to the same period last year as Washington has added tens of thousands of additional soldiers to reverse the Taliban's momentum.

AP - Thousands of tea party activists streamed into Sen. Harry Reid's hometown in Nevada Saturday morning, bringing American flags, 'Don't Tread on Me' signs and outspoken anger toward President Barack Obama and his health care overhaul.

AP - At the edge of arid foothills far outside Los Angeles, hundreds of Scientology followers live on a gated, 500-acre campus and work long hours for almost no pay reproducing the works of founder L. Ron Hubbard and creating the church's teaching and promotional materials.

AP - After the white-shelled roof of the Sydney Opera House fell dark, after Taiwan's skyscrapers dimmed and Beijing's Forbidden City became, well, a little more forbidding — Moscow took its turn in switching off the lights as Saturday's global Earth Hour event rolled around to Europe.

AP - Brittney Griner had 27 points and 10 blocks to lead fourth-seeded Baylor to a 77-62 win over top-seeded Tennessee on Saturday and advance to the NCAA tournament regional finals.

Reuters - The Catholic Church's response to cases of sexual abuse by priests is crucial to its credibility and it must 'acknowledge and make amends for' even decades-old cases, a Vatican spokesman said on Saturday.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A U.S. missile strike in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border killed four people in a suspected Al Qaeda and Taliban hideout on Saturday, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Spain's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday it regretted that some Libyans had been blacklisted for travel to Europe's Schengen borderless zone and said the blacklist had now been scrapped.

AP - Sarah Palin told thousands of tea party activists assembled in the Nevada desert Saturday that Sen. Harry Reid will have to explain his votes when he comes back to his hometown to campaign.

AP - Aid officials say they have finally figured out where to put hundreds of thousands of Haitians who lost their homes in a cataclysmic earthquake: right back where they came from.

Reuters - A U.S. missile strike in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border killed four people in a suspected Al Qaeda and Taliban hideout on Saturday, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

Reuters - Spain's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday it regretted that some Libyans had been blacklisted for travel to Europe's Schengen borderless zone and said the blacklist had now been scrapped.

AFP - Israeli tanks pushed into Gaza and killed a Palestinian militant on Saturday after the army lost two soldiers, in the heaviest clashes since the Gaza war ended 14 months ago, medics said.

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Libya lifted a visa ban on citizens of 25 European countries on Saturday after EU president Spain said a Swiss-instigated visa blacklist against 188 Libyans in those countries had been scrapped.

AP - Republicans were for President Barack Obama's requirement that Americans get health insurance before they were against it.

AP - The head of the Arab League urged the 22-nation bloc on Saturday to engage Iran directly over concerns about its growing influence in the region and its disputed nuclear program.

AP - Matt Howard missed the front end of a one-and-one, and it may come back to hurt Butler.

Reuters - Libya lifted a visa ban on citizens of 25 European countries on Saturday after EU president Spain said a Swiss-instigated visa blacklist against 188 Libyans in those countries had been scrapped.

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Libya lifted a visa ban on citizens of 25 European countries on Saturday after EU president Spain said a Swiss-instigated visa blacklist against 188 Libyans in those countries had been scrapped.

AP - At least 321 civilians were killed in a previously unreported massacre in Congo in late 2009, while villagers that escaped their rebel captors were sent back with their lips and ears cut off as a warning to others of what would happen if they tried to talk, according to an investigation by a human rights group.

AP - Perimeter shooting has trumped post play after 20 minutes — just barely.

Reuters - Libya lifted a visa ban on citizens of 25 European countries on Saturday after EU president Spain said a Swiss-instigated visa blacklist against 188 Libyans in those countries had been scrapped.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Landmarks such as Sydney's Opera House, Beijing's Forbidden City and Taiwan's Taipei 101 office tower temporarily went dark on Saturday as nations dimmed the lights for Earth Hour 2010 to call for action on climate change.

AP - More than 1,000 people paid tribute Saturday to a 14-year-old girl whose remains were found more than a year after she disappeared walking to school. Her father urged anyone who cried for her to demand a crackdown on child predators.

AP - Team Jacob was triumphant at the Kids' Choice Awards. 'Twilight' star Taylor Lautner picked up two orange, blimp-shaped trophies at Saturday's 23rd annual shenanigan-packed Nickelodeon spectacle inside UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. Lautner snared the favorite actor honor for his 'New Moon' role as hunky werewolf Jacob Black as well as the inaugural cutest couple award with his 'Twilight' co-star Kristin Stewart.

AP - Da'Sean Butler scored 18 points, Joe Mazzulla had the best game of his career and second-seeded West Virginia knocked off No. 1 seed Kentucky 73-66 to earn a spot in the Final Four.

Reuters - Landmarks such as Sydney's Opera House, Beijing's Forbidden City and Taiwan's Taipei 101 office tower temporarily went dark on Saturday as nations dimmed the lights for Earth Hour 2010 to call for action on climate change.

AP - Former first lady Barbara Bush was hospitalized Saturday in Houston to undergo routine tests but doctors don't suspect anything serious, a family spokeswoman said.

AP - The number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan has roughly doubled in the first three months of 2010 compared to the same period last year as Washington has added tens of thousands of additional soldiers to reverse the Taliban's momentum.

AP - The California family of an Iraqi-American contractor said to have been kidnapped in Baghdad is rejoicing over his release. The family of 60-year-old Issa Salomi told the Associated Press in San Diego on Saturday that they had spoken to him on Friday, but the Pentagon asked them to keep quiet until they gave official word of his release.

AP - A listing crane struck the side of a 25-story building near Wall Street on Saturday, sending debris cascading to the ground, disrupting traffic and leading to evacuations at five buildings.

AP - Half of the Final Four is set, and anybody who predicted it could be making a fortune.

AFP - Pope Benedict XVI will not be weakened by abuse scandals rocking the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican said Saturday, amid mounting criticism of his handling of predator priests.