AP - President Bush conceded Friday that "right now it's tough" for American forces in Iraq, but the White House said he would not change U.S. strategy in the face of pre-election polls that show voters are upset.

AP - Shops and government offices reopened and army units manned checkpoints Saturday around a southern Iraqi city where gunmen loyal to an anti-American Shiite cleric briefly seized control in a bold confrontation with local security forces.

AP - North Korea showed signs Friday it could be backing away from its nuclear showdown with the world, even as it staged a show of domestic support in Pyongyang, where tens of thousands gathered to laud the country's first atomic test.