Reuters - The United States and the European Union are near a deal on letting law enforcement and security agencies obtain private information like credit card transactions and travel histories about people on the other side of the Atlantic, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

AP - A member of an extremist cell believed to be behind a suicide attack that killed more than 20 people including three U.S. Marines has been arrested, the U.S. military said Friday.

AP - This city's famed marijuana bars have weathered many challenges over the years and are still smoking. But now they face an unwelcome blast of fresh air: On July 1, the Netherlands will be one of the last European countries to ban smoking in bars and restaurants in compliance with EU law.

AP - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice insisted Saturday that U.S. beef is safe to eat and urged South Koreans to accept their government's decision to lift a ban on the products.

AP - Roaming bands of government supporters heckled, harassed or threatened people into voting in a runoff election Friday in which President Robert Mugabe was the only candidate, ensuring he will remain in power despite international condemnation of the balloting as a sham.

AP - A Pakistani official says a military operation is under way against Taliban militants who have been threatening the main city in the country's volatile northwest region.

AP - Thailand's prime minister and seven of his Cabinet ministers held off a parliamentary challenge Friday as street protesters demanded the coalition government's resignation.

AFP - A cargo plane crashed mid-flight in Sudan on Friday, killing seven crew members, including five foreigners, in the third fatal aviation accident to blight the African country in the last two months.

AP - President Alvaro Uribe has thrown Colombia into political turmoil after a Supreme Court decision questioned the legitimacy of his 2006 re-election, asking that voters have an opportunity to redo the vote.

AP - A member of an extremist cell believed to be behind a suicide attack that killed more than 20 people including three U.S. Marines has been arrested, the U.S. military said Friday.

AP - The gray cooling tower crumbled behind billowing dust clouds in seconds Friday, reducing the structure at North Korea's nuclear reactor into a pile of rubble. It was a choreographed show by the communist regime meant to affirm an intention to stop making atomic bombs.

AP - The white short-haired mutt was found dragging his crushed hind legs through rubble-clogged streets after the massive earthquake devastated China's Sichuan province.

AP - Widespread voter intimidation and low turnout marked Zimbabwe's one-candidate presidential runoff Friday, further damaging the vote designed to bolster longtime President Robert Mugabe's credibility.