AP - The military men don't look like diplomats and the sun-baked checkpoint dividing the West Bank from Israel couldn't have been farther from the Jerusalem hotels and ministerial residences where Israeli-Palestinian peace talks unfold.

AFP - Prime Minister Gordon Brown faced a grim holiday weekend as speculation mounted Saturday over whether he might face a leadership challenge.

AP - Afghan officials expressed outrage Saturday at a decision by the U.S. military not to charge U.S. Marines involved in a shooting spree that left 19 Afghan civilians dead in 2007.

AP - China's deadly earthquake may have saved the Beijing Olympics. Just a few weeks ago, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge described the games as "in crisis." They were being battered by pro-Tibet protests, health concerns about Beijing's noxious pollution, and calls for boycotts tied to China's support for Sudan.

AP - Foreign aid agencies Saturday called on Myanmar's junta to urgently clarify the rules for operating in the country's cyclone-devastated areas, expressing hope tinged with skepticism after the regime promised to open its doors to the international community.

AP - China's earthquake death toll jumped to more than 60,000 and Premier Wen Jiabao said it could rise to more than 80,000 as he and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited the disaster area Saturday.

AFP - Australia's first female Anglican bishop has denied that her appointment will lead to a split within the church despite lingering opposition to women priests.

Reuters - Myanmar's military government agreed on Friday to allow aid workers into the country "regardless of nationalities," a breakthrough for delivering assistance to cyclone survivors, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said.

AP - U.N. experts investigating violations of an arms embargo against Somalia report that countries and private traders are supplying weapons to warlords and militants, South Africa's U.N. ambassador said Thursday.

AP - Colombia's chief prosecutor opened preliminary investigations Thursday into contacts between leftist rebels and prominent politicians, journalists and foreigners — including a U.S. consultant.

AP - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Friday faced a second police interrogation about corruption allegations that threaten his political survival and Israeli efforts for peace with Syria and the Palestinians.

AP - Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric has been quietly issuing religious edicts declaring that armed resistance against U.S.-led foreign troops is permissible — a potentially significant shift by a key supporter of the Washington-backed government in Baghdad.