AP - Four U.S. service members were killed in the past 24 hours in Afghanistan, NATO forces said Monday.

AP - Philippine troops found 21 bodies in the country's restive south after dozens of gunmen on Monday hijacked a convoy of politicians and supporters filing their nominations for next year's elections, officials said.

AP - A Chinese dissident was sentenced Monday to three years in prison after criticizing the government's response to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake that killed about 90,000 people.

AP - Grieving family members demanded answers Monday from mining officials about the underground gas explosion that left at least 104 men dead in northeastern China.

AP - Closing arguments began Monday in the genocide trial of a Khmer Rouge prison chief, with the prosecution accusing Kaing Guek Eav of having pursued his role with zeal despite his expressions of remorse for atrocities.

Time.com - Talking with the Taliban

AFP - Prime Minister Gordon Brown, seeking to lift Britain out of a record recession as he battles to stay in power, urged stronger trade links with China in a speech to business leaders on Monday.

AP - Iran on Sunday began large-scale air defense war games aimed at protecting its nuclear facilities from attack, state TV reported, as an air force commander boasted the country could deter any military strike by Israel.

AP - Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is seeking a new source of legitimacy while making his first visit to Brazil, a nation that maintains close ties to the U.S., Israel and other countries trying to halt Iran's nuclear push.

AFP - Two Congolese militiamen accused of seeking to wipe out a village blocking a strategic route in an ethnic war, enter the dock in The Hague Tuesday for the International Criminal Court's second trial.

AP - Pakistan's army killed 18 Islamist militants in a northwestern region Monday, part of an escalating campaign against insurgents intent on toppling the U.S.-allied government.

Reuters - Canada's ruling Conservatives and the main opposition Liberals both lost ground in a poll published on Friday as the left-leaning New Democrats enjoyed a surprising surge in public support.

AP - A man who blames the Church of Scientology for his brother's suicide added his voice Monday to calls for an Australia Senate inquiry into the religion.

McClatchy Newspapers - More than 200 Afghanis waited in line for several hours, enduring a harsh, cool wind and blowing sand.

The Christian Science Monitor - A senior Kurdish leader on Friday moved to defuse the latest threat to Iraq's imperiled elections – a possible Kurdish boycott – saying ongoing discussions with Iraqi leaders and political party blocs were close to resolving their differences.