Rivals both claim victory in Iran's election
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Hard-line incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was heading for a surprise landslide with nearly 80 percent of votes counted in Iran's stormy presidential elections, the Interior Ministry said Saturday. But his pro-reform rival countered that he was the clear victor and accused authorities of fraud....

Taliban claim responsibility for slaying cleric
ISLAMABAD (AP) -- The Taliban claimed responsibility Saturday for recent suicide attacks in Pakistan, including the assassination of a leading moderate cleric and the bombing of a Peshawar hotel frequented by foreigners....

UN imposes tough new sanctions on North Korea
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. Security Council imposed punishing new sanctions on North Korea Friday, toughening an arms embargo and authorizing ship searches on the high seas in an attempt to thwart the reclusive nation's nuclear and ballistic missile programs....

UN sanctions on NKorea may be futile
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Sanctions can hobble countries that have bustling global trade and whose leaders give higher priority to feeding their malnourished people than building a nuclear bomb....

Brazil: 6 more bodies found in jet crash
RECIFE, Brazil (AP) -- Six more bodies were recovered from the Atlantic Ocean where an Air France jet crashed, Brazilian officials said Friday, as the race to find the black boxes and gather key evidence from human remains and debris gained urgency....

Mexico candidate: Drug gangs contact all hopefuls
MEXICO CITY (AP) -- A ruling party mayoral candidate in Mexico's richest city told his supporters that drug traffickers have contacted all leading political contenders in the country seeking their loyalty ahead of elections next month....

Top Sunni lawmaker killed outside Baghdad mosque
BAGHDAD (AP) -- The moderate leader of the largest Sunni bloc in parliament was assassinated Friday after delivering a sermon at a Baghdad mosque, a killing that could set back efforts to reconcile differences between the two Muslim sects before national elections....

American student testifies at Italian murder trial
PERUGIA, Italy (AP) -- An American college student accused of murdering her British roommate in Italy testified for the first time on Friday, offering an alibi for the night of the 2007 killing and saying police beat her into making a false statement in the case....

Madonna can adopt 3-year-old Mercy from Malawi
BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) -- There's mercy for Madonna - Malawi's highest court ruled Friday that the pop star can adopt a second child from the African nation, citing her love, determination, and "income tax returns."...

NKorean leader's son is 'Brilliant Comrade'
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- The youngest son of North Korea's authoritarian leader has been given the title of "Brilliant Comrade," a sign the communist regime is preparing the 26-year-old to succeed the ailing Kim Jong Il, a newspaper reported....