AP - Australia's top Roman Catholic cleric has denied trying to cover up a sexual abuse case involving clergy, attempting Tuesday to fight off an embarrassing scandal just days before Pope Benedict XVI arrives for a visit.

AP - Afghanistan blamed a foreign intelligence agency Tuesday for the bombing of the Indian Embassy, making a clear reference to Pakistan as U.S. generals step up calls for the neighboring nation to crack down on extremists.

AFP - The US ambassador to the UN said Tuesday that he was confident a sanctions resolution targeting Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his cronies would be passed by the Security Council this week.

AP - Israeli troops stormed the shopping mall in this West Bank city Tuesday and ordered it to close, saying the popular facility is linked to the militant Islamic Hamas.

AP - The tabloids are calling them the "Tarantino murders."

AP - She charmed the queen of England, captivated Israel, impressed President Bush and won over the hardest sell of all — the French.

AP - Sultan al-Mazeen recently stopped at a gas station to fill up his SUV, paying 45 cents a gallon — about one-tenth what Americans pay these days.

AP - World leaders on Tuesday endorsed halving world emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050, edging forward in the battle against global warming but stopping short of tough, nearer-term targets.

AP - Iraq's national security adviser said Tuesday his country will not accept any security deal with the United States unless it contains specific dates for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.

AFP - The leader of the Catholic church in Australia Tuesday denied trying to cover up allegations of sex abuse against a priest, just days before Pope Benedict XVI is due to visit for World Youth Day.

AP - A panel of judges at the International Criminal Court ruled Monday that a former Congolese warlord must remain in custody while they consider prosecutors' appeal of the decision to free him.