China says 42 dead, 66 trapped in mine explosion
BEIJING (AP) -- A gas explosion tore through a state-run coal mine in northern China on Saturday, killing 42 people and leaving 66 others trapped underground as rescuers worked hastily to save them....

Italian police arrest 2 linked to Mumbai attacks
ROME (AP) -- Italian police on Saturday arrested a Pakistani father and son accused of helping fund and providing logistical support for last year's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, authorities said....

3 men blow themselves up in Pakistani Kashmir
ISLAMABAD (AP) -- Three suspected militants blew themselves up as police gave chase Saturday in the Pakistani part of disputed Kashmir, authorities said....

Sri Lanka to release 136,000 Tamil war refugees
MANIK FARM, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Sri Lanka will release next month the remaining 136,000 Tamil refugees still in the squalid and overrun government camps where they've been detained since the country's civil war ended six months ago, a top official said Saturday....

Quick restart of Big Bang machine stuns scientists
GENEVA (AP) -- Scientists moved Saturday to prepare the world's largest atom smasher for exploring the depths of matter after successfully restarting the $10 billion machine following more than a year of repairs....

Russia president criticizes ruling party over vote
ST.PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) -- Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday sharply criticized officials in the ruling Kremlin-backed party for using its clout and undermining democracy in recent regional votes, saying it must learn to win fairly....

Iraqi lawmakers seek to end election crisis
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's parliament is discussing ways to end a dispute over an election law after a vice president vetoed the bill, throwing national polls slated for January into question....

Sentence request for US woman in Italy murder case
PERUGIA, Italy (AP) -- Prosecutors on Saturday were expected to request life in prison for an American student and her former boyfriend accused of killing a young British woman in Italy....

Resort island reels after deadly attack by gunman
SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands (AP) -- The gunman who carried out Saipan's most violent attack in recent memory ended his life on the same rocky cliffs where numerous Japanese leapt to their deaths to avoid capture by U.S. troops during World War II....

Afghan police are weak link in security force
KABUL (AP) -- Underpaid, under-equipped and under-trained, Afghanistan's 93,000-member police force is the weak link in an ambitious security strategy to hand over defense of the country to Afghans so American and other foreign troops can go home....