Iraq's PM leads in early Baghdad vote count
BAGHDAD (AP) -- A coalition led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was winning in the all-important capital and a Shiite province in the south, according to a partial tally of election results released Saturday....

Vatican officials defend pope on abuse
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- The Vatican on Saturday denounced what it called aggressive attempts to drag Pope Benedict XVI into the spreading scandals of pedophile priests in his German homeland, and contended he has long confronted abuse cases with courage....

Economy the focus as China political session ends
BEIJING (AP) -- Mao Zedong's grandson couldn't have put it more simply. China's biggest challenge? "Economic development," he said, as the nation's most public political meetings end with sweeping goals to expand growth - and help more Chinese enjoy it....

Child abuse claims sweep Catholic Church in Europe
DUBLIN (AP) -- It often starts as a voice in the wilderness, but can swell into an entire nation's demand for truth. From Ireland to Germany, Europe's many victims of child abuse in the Roman Catholic church are finally breaking social taboos and confronting the clergy to face its demons....

Bluefin tuna tops CITES conference agenda in Doha
DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- The Atlantic bluefin tuna and other marine life in the world's overfished oceans will be the focus of a two week United Nations conference that opened Saturday in the Gulf state of Qatar....

Anti-government protesters head for Thai capital
BANGKOK (AP) -- Thousands of red-shirted anti-government protesters converged on the Thai capital Saturday, giving the government an ultimatum to dissolve Parliament or face mass marches on key spots in the city....

Suicide attack in northwest Pakistan kills 13
SAIDU SHARIF, Pakistan (AP) -- A suicide bomber driving a motorized rickshaw blew himself up at a security checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, officials said, killing at least 13 people, injuring 52 and underscoring the nation's relentless security threat....

Afghan leader to allow foreign election monitors
KABUL (AP) -- Afghanistan's president has agreed to reverse an earlier decision and allow two foreigners on a commission that will monitor upcoming parliamentary elections, his spokesman said Saturday....

Israeli troops, Palestinians clash near Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Several dozen Palestinian women scuffled with Israeli troops on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Saturday amid rising religious and political tensions in the disputed city....

Police: Suspect in poker heist released
BERLIN (AP) -- Berlin police said Saturday they had released a man previously suspected of taking part in the storming last weekend of a poker tournament in which armed robbers made off with euro240,000 ($328,000) in jackpot money....