Calif. transportation officials unsure if Bay Bridge will reopen for Tuesday morning commute

SAN FRANCISCO — Transit officials are advising drivers who use the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to begin preparing alternate plans for their morning commute, saying they still don’t know if the span will reopen as scheduled at 5 a.m. Tuesday.

IRA victims seek huge payout from Libya for ’80s arms shipments, laud British aid for lawsuit

DUBLIN — Britain’s sudden decision to support a lawsuit against Libya by Irish Republican Army victims raised hopes Monday that thousands maimed or bereaved by IRA bombs might one day receive compensation.

European, Asian markets advance after G-20 countries commit to keeping stimulus in place

LONDON — European and Asian stocks rose Monday after finance officials from 20 rich and developing countries pledged to keep in place their massive stimulus programs to prop up the global economy.

Pittsburgh-area health club where gunman killed 3 women reopens to members

BRIDGEVILLE, Pa. — Members clad in workout gear and holding water bottles and towels quietly returned Saturday to a health club where a gunman killed three women, as calm replaced the chaos of just a few weeks ago.

Regulators close 2 banks in Florida, 1 in Oregon, marking 72 US bank failures this year

NEW YORK — Regulators on Friday shut down two banks in Florida and one in Oregon, bringing to 72 the number of federally insured banks to fail this year under the weight of the weak economy and rising loan losses.

Ireland agrees to take 2 Guantanamo inmates after meeting new US ambassador

DUBLIN — Ireland has agreed to accept two inmates from the Guantanamo prison camp in Cuba within the next two months, Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern announced Wednesday.

California ‘painfully’ manages budget with $26 billion deficit

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California may soon be able to stop printing IOUs now that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders have agreed on a compromise plan to close the state’s $26 billion shortfall without tax increases.

Clinton to sign deals expanding ties with India and promoting US defense and nuclear sales

NEW DELHI — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is applauding new progress in U.S.-India relations, highlighted by an agreement to broaden cooperation beyond trade and military ties to include agriculture, education and women’s issues.

Regulators shut small banks in Georgia, South Dakota; marks 55 US bank failures this year

WASHINGTON — Regulators on Friday shut down small banks in Georgia and South Dakota, boosting to 55 the number of federally insured banks to fail this year.

2 more banks fail as FDIC seeks stronger rules for buyers of failed banks

WASHINGTON — Two Illinois banks were shuttered Thursday as government regulators proposed new rules for private equity firms seeking to take over failed banks.

Regulators shut down 2 banks in Ga, 2 in Calif and 1 in Minn; 45 bank failures this year

NEW YORK — Regulators on Friday shut down five small banks, boosting to 45 the number of failures this year of federally insured banks. More are expected to succumb in the prolonged recession.

Cleric’s call for executing some protesters signals harsh new turn in Iran

EDITOR’S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

RI debates changing its longest-in-nation name to soothe wounds caused by slavery

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The country’s smallest state has the longest official name: “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.”

Shimla’s historic Gaiety Theatre set for comeback

SHIMLA - The stage at the 122-year-old Gaiety Theatre in Shimla will come alive with power-packed performances again as the famous British era building is set to reopen this week after five years of renovation.

UN: More than 1 billion are hungry around the world; economic downturn worsens the problem

ROME — The global financial meltdown has pushed the ranks of the world’s hungry to a record 1 billion, a grim milestone that poses a threat to peace and security, U.N. food officials said Friday.

Strapped auto supplier groups to ask government for up to $10 billion in new loan guarantees

NEW YORK — Automotive parts suppliers plan to seek an additional $8 billion to $10 billion in loan guarantees to help them weather a bleak auto sales environment and the bankruptcy court restructuring of major customers GM and Chrysler.

Text of Obama’s speech at Cairo University in Egypt

Text of President Barack Obama’s speech at Cairo University, as provided by CQ Transcriptions.

Pakistani military says Taliban fled Swat’s main town; fighting has displaced about 3 million

ISLAMABAD — The Taliban have fled the Pakistani army’s advance on the main town in the Swat Valley, delivering the military a strategic prize in its offensive against militants in the country’s northwest, commanders said.

Victory against Taliban only option available in Swat: Zardari

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has reiterated his pledge to defeat the Taliban, saying victory against the extremists is the only option available in the in Swat and Malakand regions of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard voted Footballer of the Year by England’s journalists

LONDON — Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has been voted Footballer of the Year by England’s Football Writer’s Association after the midfielder’s efforts helped put the Reds in contention for their first Premier League title since 1990.

Bells toll as Iowa town marks anniversary of immigration raid that upended local economy

POSTVILLE, Iowa — Church bells have started tolling in a small Iowa town to mark the first anniversary of the immigration raid on a kosher meatpacking plant that upended the local economy.

Mexico cautiously begins reopening schools amid massive disinfection campaign

SAN MIGUEL TOPILEJO, Mexico — As if marshaling for war, Mexico’s government mobilized thousands of education officials and parents across the country to swiftly disinfect schools and monitor millions of returning students for signs of swine flu.

Roo warned about missing Champions League final

LONDON - Wayne Rooney has been warned that he faces the heartbreak of missing a Champions League final.

Abortion, Death Penalty, Exxon Valdez: Souter’s 19-year record rarely predictable

WASHINGTON — If conservatives thought they had their man when David Souter joined the Supreme Court in 1990, that opinion likely changed in 1992 when the justice voted to preserve the landmark Roe v. Wade decision giving women the right to end their pregnancies.

Man U’s Ryan Giggs wins PFA player of the year

LONDON - Manchester United veteran Ryan Giggs was last night named PFA Player of the Year - while Wayne Rooney failed to make the Premier League select XI.

Fergie feels Roo could surpass Man U legend Giggs 800 appearances

LONDON - Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson feels that striker Wayne Rooney has time on his side, plus the energy and hunger to threaten the remarkable longevity of Ryan Giggs.

Freeport-McMoRan 1st-quarter profit, revenue tumble on price, demand weakness

DENVER — Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. on Wednesday reported a 96 percent drop in first-quarter net income as the global recession drove down demand and prices for its metals, used in everything from construction to steel.

‘Red’ Rooney plans to paint kid’s nursery with rival teams’ ‘blue’!

LONDON - Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney is reportedly planning to make his unborn child’s nursery a shrine for his team’s Premier League rivals Everton - by painting it blue.

Kayani meets PM as confrontation looms over sacked judges

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani Wednesday met Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani against the backdrop of a confrontation looming over restoring Supreme Court judges sacked two years ago, with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif bent on leading a countrywide ‘Long March’ of lawyers to force the issue.

Bobby Jindal, ‘the great beige hope’ of the Republican Party

CHICAGO - Being called the ‘great beige hope’ of the Republican Party and projected these days as a likely challenger to President Barack Obama in 2012, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal finds himself awkwardly ducking unprecedented media and popular attention.