CAIRO (AP) — The Egyptian justice minister returned a letter Tuesday from the U.S. Ambassador to Egypt asking him to re-examine the issue of Americans barred from leaving the country. The snub is the latest in a spat between the allies over a politically charged Egyptian investigation into foreign funded groups. Egyptian security forces raided 17 offices of 10 pro-democracy and human rights groups last month then barred at least 10 foreigners, including six Americans, from leaving the country. Among... Read more

DETROIT (AP) — Documents outlining the crime that landed Malcolm X in prison in the 1940s are among some 1,000 recently unearthed items purchased jointly by the civil rights leader’s foundation and an independent collector of African-American artifacts. The documents and other artifacts belonged to late musician Malcolm “Shorty” Jarvis, who served in prison with Malcolm X and was one of his closest friends. Jarvis’ 1976 pardon paper also is part of the collection, which was recently discovered by accident.... Read more

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The mountaintop Jesus can stay at a northwest Montana ski resort — for now. The religious statue, which has been on federal land since 1955, was allowed to remain in place for at least 10 more years after the U.S. Forest Service reversed its eviction order Tuesday. The initial decision came amid heated debate over the separation of church and state. The agency had faced a firestorm of criticism from religious groups, the state’s congressman and... Read more

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI has named Francesco Moraglia, the bishop of La Spezia, as the new patriarch of Venice, a post that served as a launching pad for three 20th century pontiffs. The 58-year-old prelate will be in line for a red hat as the Venice post is traditionally headed by a cardinal. Three popes last century had served in Venice: Pius X, John XXIII and John Paul I. Read more

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s Islamist-dominated parliament flexed its newly acquired powers Tuesday, accusing the country’s military rulers of overstepping their powers by imposing a new presidential election law before the legislators were even seated. The law, which lays out the rules for the vote expected later this year, and other military decrees are shaping up as a litmus test of the relationship between the new lawmakers and the generals who took power after former President Hosni Mubarak stepped down nearly... Read more

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s newly elected lawmakers took aim at the country’s military rulers Tuesday, accusing them of trampling on democratic norms and overstepping their powers by passing laws, including a crucial one regulating presidential elections. Led by the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood movement, the parliament is the first elected since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak last February. It is eager to assert its authority in the face of the powerful military council that took power after Mubarak’s fall and... Read more

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s newly elected lawmakers have criticized the country’s military rulers, saying the army overstepped its authority by passing a law to regulate the upcoming presidential election. The criticism emerged during the parliament’s first working session Tuesday. The lawmaker referred to a decision by the military, which has run the country since Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow in a popular uprising last February, to impose a law on the presidential vote. The law stipulates who is eligible to run for... Read more

LONDON (AP) — An Irish court has sentenced a defrocked Roman Catholic priest who served time for molesting children in California to three years in prison for possessing child pornography. Oliver O’Grady was arrested in Dublin in December 2010 after leaving a computer containing pornographic images of children on a flight from Amsterdam. O’Grady worked in northern California from 1971 until 1993, when he was arrested for abusing two brothers. He served seven years in prison and was deported to... Read more

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s parliament reconvened on Tuesday as Sunni-backed lawmakers ended their boycott to protest alleged persecution of Sunni officials, a development that could restore some stability to the turbulent political processes in the war-ravaged country. The Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc had banned lawmakers and government ministers from parliament and Cabinet sessions last month after the Shiite-led government issued an arrest warrant for the Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi on terrorism charges. The boycott brought government work to a standstill... Read more

ISLAMABAD (AP) — For decades, archenemies Pakistan and India have engaged in a dangerous nuclear arms race. Now they’re also competing in a more cheerful forum. The outcome will be mouthwatering curries and soothing Sufi ballads, not violent conflict. The fractious neighbors are going head-to-head in a pair of reality TV shows that pit chefs and musicians against each other. Producers hope the contests will help bridge the gulf between two nations that were born from the same womb and... Read more