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.

AP - A North Carolina judge wants a security officer to accompany a former John Edwards aide as he goes to retrieve a sex tape of the two-time presidential candidate, increasing the court's control of the disputed video.

Reuters - Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich pressed rival Yulia Tymoshenko to concede defeat on Monday after a narrow victory in a presidential election that could tilt the ex-Soviet state back toward Moscow.

Reuters - Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corp said it was preparing a global recall of its new Prius model, risking a fresh dent to its battered reputation for quality and reliability.

Reuters - New York Democratic Governor David Paterson is not planning to resign, his spokeswoman said on Monday, calling blog reports "entirely fabricated."

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.

Reuters - International pressure for new sanctions against Iran grew on Monday after Tehran announced plans to make higher-enriched uranium and add 10 nuclear sites in a year, raising Western fears it wants to develop atom bombs.

Reuters - A senior Chinese official met North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on Monday and a top U.N. political envoy was slated to arrive a day later in a new push to get the reclusive state to return to stalled nuclear disarmament talks.

AP - A massive avalanche plowed into an Indian army training center at a ski resort town in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Monday, killing 17 soldiers and critically injuring 17 others.

AP - Michael Jackson's doctor was charged Monday with involuntary manslaughter, capping an exhaustive investigation into the pop star's stunning death last summer and setting up the prospect of another sensational celebrity courtroom drama.

AP - Federal workers and school children got a day off Monday as the Mid-Atlantic region dug out from as much as 3 feet of snow that made travel nearly impossible and knocked out power to tens of thousands of people.

AP - Toyota plans to recall about 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem and is likely to notify both the U.S. and Japanese governments Tuesday, news reports said, as a top executive will testify before U.S. lawmakers about defects that have tarnished its reputation for quality and safety.

AP - Rep. John Murtha, a retired Marine Corps officer who became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress and later an outspoken and influential critic of the Iraq War, died Monday. He was 77.