AP - Iran pressed ahead Monday with plans that will increase its ability to make nuclear weapons as it formally informed the U.N. nuclear agency of its intention to enrich uranium to higher levels.

AP - Rep. John Murtha, the tall, gruff-mannered former Marine who became the de facto voice of veterans on Capitol Hill and later an outspoken and influential critic of the Iraq War, died Monday. He was 77. The Pennsylvania Democrat had been suffering from complications from gallbladder surgery. He died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., with his family at his bedside, the hospital said.

AP - Could this turn into something more than political theater? President Barack Obama's televised dialogue with Republican lawmakers on health care, promised for later this month, has the makings of an entertaining exchange. But the differences between the basic Democratic and GOP ideas are stark — and the two sides have increasingly hardened their positions in this election year.

AP - New York Gov. David Paterson on Monday lashed back at what he called a callous and sleazy assault on his character in statehouse rumors and media reports that include accusations about womanizing and drug use, allegations he flatly denied.

AP - A $20 cab ride to the airport skyrocketed to the snow rate of $100 in the nation's capital, and those travelers who could get to the airport or train station still had to haggle or wait in long lines to escape the snowbound Mid-Atlantic.

AP - The world's tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks.

AP - Michael Jackson's doctor pleaded not guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop star at a brief hearing that had all the trappings of another sensational celebrity courtroom drama.

AP - Days before a former suburban Chicago police officer's fourth wife vanished in 2007, she told a divorce attorney that her husband thought she suspected he had killed his previous wife and suggested extorting money from him to keep quiet, the lawyer testified Monday.

AP - The New Orleans Saints' victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of M-A-S-H to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history, the Nielsen Co. said Monday.

Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp was preparing a global recall of its new Prius model on Monday, further damaging its reputation for quality and reliability on the heels of two other massive recalls.

Reuters - President Barack Obama's call for a bipartisan healthcare summit sets the stage for a final push to get the stalled legislation through Congress, but skeptical Republicans said on Monday the only solution is to start over.

Reuters - Democratic Representative John Murtha, chairman of the House of Representatives defense appropriations subcommittee who exercised enormous influence on defense issues, died on Monday.

Reuters - All workers at the Connecticut power plant construction site rocked by a massive explosion on Sunday have been accounted for, leaving the death toll at five, the town's mayor said on Monday.

Reuters - New York Governor David Paterson on Monday restated his intention to run for governor and denied rumors he might resign over potentially scandalous allegations in a forthcoming news report that fueled new speculation about his political future.

Reuters - Ukraine waited for Yulia Tymoshenko Tuesday to contest a weekend presidential election or concede defeat and allow the winner, Viktor Yanukovich, to start piecing together a governing coalition in parliament.

AFP - Iran said on Monday it has formally told the UN nuclear watchdog of its plan to produce higher enriched uranium, sparking US and French calls for strong sanctions against the defiant Islamic republic.

AFP - NATO commanders urged the Taliban to surrender as troops dug in Monday for a major assault on a key insurgent stronghold in southern Afghanistan, sending thousands of residents fleeing.