AP - Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Australia on Sunday, saying he wants to use his visit to raise awareness about global warming and address the crisis of clergy sexual abuse.
Reuters - Pope Benedict said on
Saturday he will apologize for a sexual abuse scandal that has
rocked the Catholic Church in Australia, saying pedophilia was
"incompatible" with being a priest.
AFP - German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a personal appeal for the immediate release of three Germans kidnapped in Turkey earlier this week by Kurdish rebels, in an interview to appear Sunday.
AP - Hurricane Bertha was on course Saturday to create tropical storm conditions in Bermuda as it slowly approached the Atlantic island, forecasters said.
AP - In the rural outskirts of Baghdad, where the war seems distant in Iraq's new period of relative calm, a prominent Sunni tribal chief makes no bones about what is lacking in the drive to turn security improvements into lasting economic and political reform.
AFP - Britain's Mark Cavendish wrote a notable page in the history of British cycling at the Tour de France when he won his second stage of this year's edition here on Saturday.
AP - All Africans must speak out about injustices in places like Zimbabwe, Liberia's leader said Saturday during a speech honoring former South African President Nelson Mandela.
AP - North Korea agreed to disable its main reactor by the end of October and allow international inspections to verify its nuclear disarmament in a deal reached Saturday at the end of six-nation talks.
AP - France's president affirmed Saturday that Syria and Lebanon will open embassies in each other's countries. However, Syria's leader was more cautious. -- read full article
AP - It is a politician's dream: Handing out cold, hard cash to people on the street as they plead for help. Iraq's prime minister has been doing just that in recent weeks, doling out Iraqi dinars as an aide trails behind, keeping a tally.
AP - A government-owned agency says a moderately strong earthquake has rocked New Zealand's southern region — but there are no immediate reports of injury or damage. -- read full article
AP - A journalist working for a pro-opposition Cambodian newspaper was killed along with his son in a drive-by shooting in the capital, police said Saturday. -- read full article
Reuters - Sudan asked the Arab League to hold an
emergency meeting of foreign ministers after reports the
International Criminal Court's (ICC) prosecutor may seek the
arrest of Sudan's president, Egyptian media said on Saturday. -- read full article
AP - Hurricane Bertha was spinning over open water and headed toward Bermuda, but tourists didn't expect it to wreck their weekend on the idyllic Atlantic island.
