Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno, being treated for lung cancer, is in serious condition, a family spokesman said Saturday.
"Over the last few days Joe Paterno has experienced further health complications. His doctors have now characterized his status as serious," spokesman Dan McGinn said. "His family will have no comment on the situation and asks that their privacy be respected during this difficult time."
FULL STORYYemen's parliament approved a controversial law Saturday that ensures President Ali Abdullah Saleh complete immunity from prosecution.
The law was delayed for weeks as Saleh insisted on specific changes guaranteeing his aides partial protection from legal actions.
In return, Saleh will step down from power in Yemen next month after ruling the country for more than 33 years.
Since the president signed a power transfer deal in November, tens of thousands of young activists have marched in provinces across Yemen. They have vowed to have Saleh tried for the deaths of hundreds of unarmed protesters.
The largest protests Saturday took place in Sanaa, where many continued pushing for Saleh's prosecution.
FULL STORYDivers resumed their search for survivors from the Italian cruise ship Saturday, a day after somber relatives tossed flowers into the sea near the wreck of the doomed vessel.
At least 11 people died and 21 remain missing since the ship ran aground last week, according to the Italian Crisis Unit.
Bouquets of red and yellow flowers swayed in the clear blue waters as the massive ship lay on its side nearby.
The underwater search for survivors resumed after divers suspended operations due to shifting of the cruise ship.
Three German citizens, including a German army colonel, were arrested in a police raid Saturday in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar, authorities said.
Police official Mian Saeed said the three men had set up an office in the city without the permission of either the Pakistani or the German government.
He said police raided the office and asked the men to provide the necessary paperwork showing their legal status in the country. When they couldn't provide the paperwork, they were taken into custody, Saeed said.
FULL STORYU.S. diplomat Marc Grossman arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday for talks with President Hamid Karzai on peace efforts with the Taliban.
"I am pleased to be in Kabul to consult with the government of Afghanistan," Marc Grossman, the special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said in a statement Saturday. "The United States stands ready to assist in any way we can an Afghan-led reconciliation process to find a peaceful end to this conflict. I look forward to calling on President Karzai and discussing next steps."
Grossman has been meeting secretly with Taliban negotiators for more than a year. Last week, U.S. senior administration officials said the United States could inch closer toward peace talks with the Taliban if Karzai blesses the negotiations.
FULL STORYThe Iowa Republican Party officially declares Rick Santorum the winner of the Iowa caucuses late Friday.
Initial returns gave Mitt Romney a eight-vote margin of victory over Santorum, giving the former Massachusetts governor a major momentum boost heading into the New Hampshire primary.
However, a recount later gave Santorum a 34-vote advantage over Romney in Iowa. The news comes as voters head to the polls Saturday for the South Carolina primary.
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