Palin resigning as Alaska governor in surprise move

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Sarah Palin, the brash, deeply conservative governor of Alaska who crashed onto the U.S. national political scene last year as the Republican candidate for U.S. vice president, announced abruptly on Friday she was resigning as governor.

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North Korea defies U.S. with new missile launches

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired seven ballistic missiles on Saturday, South Korea's defense ministry said, in an act of defiance toward the United States that further stoked regional tensions already high due to its nuclear test in May.

Hardline Iran editor calls for Mousavi to face trial

TEHRAN (Reuters) - A newspaper editor seen as close to Iran's top authority said Saturday defeated election candidate Mirhossein Mousavi and a former pro-reform president had committed "terrible crimes" which should be tried in court.

Two U.S. soldiers killed in complex Afghan attack

KABUL (Reuters) - Two U.S. soldiers were killed in a complex attack on a base in southeast Afghanistan that ended with air strikes Saturday, the U.S. military said, two days after a major operation against the Taliban was launched in the south.

OAS set to suspend Honduras as it renounces charter

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The Organization of American States prepared to suspend Honduras on Saturday after a caretaker government refused to restore ousted President Manuel Zelaya and defiantly renounced the OAS charter in an apparent preemptive move.

U.N.'s Ban denied Suu Kyi meeting

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Saturday he was "deeply disappointed" that military-ruled Myanmar's top general had rejected his request to meet with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Massive demand for Jackson memorial tickets

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - More than half a million fans from around the world applied for 17,500 free tickets to Michael Jackson's public memorial service next week, organizers said on Friday as a massive security operation got underway.

Pakistani forces attack militants near crash site

KALLAY, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani helicopter gunships attacked Taliban militants on Saturday in a northwestern region where a military helicopter crashed the previous day killing 26 soldiers on board, a government official said.

Putin rejects Obama criticism before meeting

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday rejected U.S. President Barack Obama's charge that he was mired in Cold War thinking, setting the scene for a stormy first meeting at a Moscow summit next week.

Medici lawyer says Kohn didn't get Madoff payments

NEW YORK/VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian fund manager Sonja Kohn did not receive any kickbacks from Bernard Madoff to steer Bank Medici customer funds to the swindler's investment business, a Medici lawyer said on Friday.