AP - Gunmen assassinated an army general in Damascus Saturday in the first killing of a high ranking military officer in the Syrian capital since the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began in March, the state-run news agency said.

AP - Mitt Romney hoped to avoid a fourth straight election setback Saturday in the GOP presidential nomination race, but feisty Ron Paul could extend that losing streak with a victory in Maine's caucuses.

AP - The leaders of the two parties backing Greece's coalition government made dramatic appeals to their deputies Saturday to back legislation that calls for harsh new austerity measures — essential if Greece is to get a new bailout deal worth euro130 billion ($171.6 billion) and stave off bankruptcy.

AP - It's not like he wasn't warned.

AP - Human remains uncovered in Northern California with the help of a convicted serial killer have been preliminarily identified as one of his victims, and authorities continued to search another site for the remains of as many as 10 people.

AP - The faces of the Russian protesters who braved brutal cold to express their discontent were as varied as the vast country itself: youthful and aged, unshaven and elegantly made up, self-confident and shy.

AP - Max Pons is already anticipating the anxiety he'll feel when the heavy steel gate shuts behind him, leaving his home isolated on a strip of land between America's border fence and the violence raging across the Rio Grande in Mexico.

AP - Luke Skywalker would be proud. A rebel alliance has formed in the hills north of San Francisco to fight a perceived Evil Empire.

AP - An arts festival in northern Norway is offering a rare glimpse into North Korean culture this weekend, including performances by musicians whose accordion version of A-ha's megahit "Take on Me" has become an online sensation.

AP - Jeremy Lin came with an intriguing story even before he escaped the New York Knicks' bench.

Reuters - Maine's Republican presidential caucuses look like a two-man race between Mitt Romney, the party's current front-runner, and libertarian Ron Paul in a contest that has taken on new importance for Romney after his losses in three states this week.

Reuters - Syrian forces bombarded districts of Homs city on Saturday in a campaign to crush a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, whose ally Russia said it would not support an Arab peace plan circulating at the United Nations.