Sunni mosques in Iraq's capital have closed for three days amid simmering sectarian violence. Sunni clerics in Baghdad called for the closure Friday to protest what they say are the deliberate killings of some Sunni preachers by members of the main Shi'ite militia -- a charge the militia denies.
In the mainly Shi'ite southern cities of Najaf, Kufa and Nasiriyah, thousands of Shi'ites stomped on Israeli and American flags painted on the ground outside several mosques to protest the U.S. presence in Iraq. U.S. First Lady Laura Bush has called for greater rights for women in the Middle East. In an address to the World Economic Forum in Jordan today (Saturday), the president's wife said freedom for women means not just the absence of oppression, but the right to speak, vote and worship freely. Afghan President Hamid Karzai says his government wants control over U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and custody of all Afghan detainees, after a published report alleged widespread abuse of prisoners at a U.S. military base in HIS country. South Korea has resumed shipments of fertilizer to North Korea, as part of an agreement reached during a meeting of senior officials from the two countries earlier this week. Doctors in Singapore have begun a risky operation to separate 15-month old Indonesian twin girls conjoined at the hip and waist. Officials say the surgery, which could take 20 hours, began early today (Saturday).Listen to our World News for details of these stories and others.