AFP - A Sri Lankan soldier was shot dead by a Tamil rebel in the island's east, the first military fatality after the crushing of the guerrilla leadership in May, the army said on Sunday.

AP - Drug violence, an economic downturn and recent cases of political malfeasance weigh heavily on Mexico's midterm congressional elections Sunday, a vote that could decide the future of President Felipe Calderon's anti-crime and economic policies.

AFP - Israeli police arrested three people as they restored order in annexed Arab east Jerusalem where a brawl killed one person and wounded three, a spokesman said.

AFP - Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao ordered local officials Saturday to step up flood control work in south China after over 150,000 people were forced to evacuate following torrential rains.

Reuters - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview published Sunday that the United States must compromise on plans for a missile defense system in Europe to get a deal on cutting back nuclear warheads.

AP - Honduras braced for a threatened confrontation Sunday as ousted President Manuel Zelaya insisted he was coming home to reclaim his post, urging his supporters to mass at the airport for a showdown with the interim government in power since the army sent him into exile a week ago.

AP - Gunmen abducted 16 mine-clearing personnel working for the United Nations in eastern Afghanistan, a provincial police chief said Sunday.

AP - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin didn't wait long to give some hint of what her political life might look like after she leaves office at the end of the month.