Israel's relationship with the U.S., a defining feature of the troubled Middle East, is under severe strain with diplomats trying to save newborn peace talks with the Palestinians.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's political coalition took an early vote lead Saturday in the election's all-important battleground of Baghdad, pulling away from its two closest rivals in the latest indication that Iraqis want a moderate government instead of Shiite religious hard-liners leading the postwar nation.
A former laborer at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island who is accused of murdering a man during a shootout in a Yemeni hospital is likely to be held and tried by authorities in Yemen rather than sent back to the United States, according to a U.S. government official.
Israeli forces sealed off the West Bank and massed riot squads around Jerusalem's Old City and Arab neighborhoods during Muslim weekly prayers on Friday.
Israel is moving to amend the country's planning procedures on sensitive political decisions following an embarrassing diplomatic flap during a visit this week by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, a Cabinet minister said Friday.
