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Values Voters Summit. Values Voters find no satisfactory candidate "Several conservative leaders yesterday concluded that none of the principal Republican presidential hopefuls deserves their support, not even Mike Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister." Religious Right's Tough Call "After two days of wooing by all the Republican presidential candidates, religious conservatives appear no more in agreement on whom to support than they did going in." Religious Right Divides Its Vote"After an earnest appeal for acceptance from Rudolph W. Giuliani, Christian conservatives ended their two-day summit here Saturday still divided about which of the Republican presidential candidates to marshal their collective might behind." Giuliani Works to Win Over Religious and Social Conservatives "… Giuliani implored an audience of religious and social conservatives to look beyond their differences over abortion and other issues as he sought to allay their fears that his nomination would mean the abandonment of the GOP's core principles." Evangelicals Gather at Summit "The 2,000 activists attending the Values Voter Summit listened to the candidates, some prayed for guidance, and many expressed deep discomfort with the Republican Party's two front-runners: former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani."

GOP debate. GOP debate signals race to the right "The top four Republican presidential hopefuls squared off in the party's eighth debate last night - three of them refused to attack their opponents conservative credentials, but Fred Thompson was not so deferential." Attacks Sharpen Among Party's Principal Rivals- "The leading Republican presidential candidates staged their most contentious and personal debate of the long campaign season, clashing sharply over abortion, immigration, tort reform and their readiness to challenge Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton" GOP rivals argue who's most conservative "Republican front-runners Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney defended their conservative credentials in the face of pointed attacks from campaign rivals in the most aggressive debate to date of the race for the White House."

Turkey . Turkey bombards northern Iraq after ambush "The Turkish army stepped up its bombardment of the Iraqi side of the border after the rebels ambushed a military unit inside Turkey, hitting 11 different areas close to towns and villages,"

Turkey weighs PKK raid response "The Turkish government is weighing calls for action against international pressure for restraint, after Kurdish separatist fighters killed 17 Turkish soldiers and captured several others." Kurds From Iraq Kill 17 Soldiers in Turkey "An audacious cross-border ambush by Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq killed at least 17 Turkish soldiers Sunday, ratcheting up pressure on the Turkish government to launch a military offensive into Iraq." Iraq and Turkey See Tensions Rise After Ambush"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice intervened to ward off a strike by Turkey on northern Iraq after an ambush by Kurdish rebels left at least 12 Turkish soldiers dead."

Iraq-Shiites. U.S. Planners See Shiite Militias as Rising Threat "Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker have concluded that Shiite extremists pose a rising threat to the U.S. effort in Iraq, as the relative influence of Sunni insurgent groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq has diminished drastically because of ongoing U.S. operations." Confusion on Deaths After Fighting in Sadr City "American forces on Sunday came under heavy fire in three locations in Sadr City, the Shiite enclave in Baghdad, and returned fire, killing 49 militants, … Iraqi witnesses said that 17 people had been killed, one of whom was an elderly woman who died of her wounds, and that of 40 people who had been wounded, a number were children."

Iran-nuclear negotiations. Iran's ex-nuclear negotiator to attend talks "A Foreign Ministry official said Sunday that Iran's former nuclear negotiator, considered a relative moderate, would attend talks in Rome this week even though he had left his post." In nuclear chief, Iran signals harder line "The abrupt resignation of Iran's chief nuclear negotiator signals a turn toward a harder line with the US and Europe as talks over Iran's nuclear program resume in Rome Tuesday." Iran's nuclear negotiator resigns "A government spokesman said Mr Larijani had repeatedly offered his resignation and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had finally accepted it." Iran's Nuclear Envoy Resigns; Talks in Doubt "Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, viewed by the West as a moderating influence in Tehran, resigned before crucial talks with Europe this week over Iran's nuclear program, signaling that officials here may have closed the door to any possible negotiated settlement in its standoff with the West." Iran's power struggle intensifies "Saeed Jalili, who replaced Ali Larijani as Iran's top nuclear negotiator at the weekend, is a man of strong moral views who believes spiritual values must inform political actions."

Iran-Cheney. Cheney, Like President, Has a Warning for Iran"Vice President Dick Cheney issued a pointed warning to Iran on Sunday, calling the government in Tehran "a growing obstacle to peace in the Middle East" and promising "serious consequences" if the government there does not abandon its nuclear program."

Iraq-politics. Republicans against war face uphill races "While most Americans want U.S. troops out of Iraq, Republicans remain solidly behind the president and the war. A recent CBS News survey found 58% of Republicans approve of the way Bush is handling the war, compared with just 5% of Democrats and 20% of independents."

Pakistan . In Pakistan Quandary, U.S. Reviews Stance "The scenes of carnage in Pakistan this week conjured what one senior administration official on Friday called "the nightmare scenario" for President Bush's last 15 months in office: Political meltdown in the one country where Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and nuclear weapons are all in play."

US military. Joint Chiefs Chairman Looks Beyond Current Wars"The new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff plans to press Congress and the public to sustain the current high levels of military spending - even after the Iraq war - arguing for money to repair and replace worn-out weapons and to restore American ground forces he described as "breakable," though not yet broken."

Rural poverty. Rural poor a growing problem "More and more children in rural Ohio are growing up poor. One in five now lives in poverty. The rate has risen 7 percentage points since 2000, more than in any other state."

Safe streets. Volunteers eager to patrol Philadelphia "A month after civic leaders and the police chief in this crime-plagued city called on 10,000 black men to patrol the streets, thousands arrived Sunday by foot, car, motorcycle, bus, in wheelchairs, with sons and nephews in tow."

Australia . Rudd extends lead "Kevin Rudd has pulled further ahead of John Howard, according to the latest Newspoll figures. The poll, which closed at 6pm on Sunday - before the leader's debate - shows Labor stretching an election-winning lead over the Coalition," Rudd gets a wriggle on "KEVIN RUDD shook off his rugged start to the election campaign last night by taking the viewers' verdict in a close-fought and sometimes terse leaders' debate after which both sides claimed victory."

World Bank. World Bank Report Puts Agriculture at Core of Antipoverty Effort "For the first time in a quarter century, the World Bank's flagship annual report on development puts agriculture and the productivity of small farmers at the heart of a global agenda to reduce poverty. Three-quarters of the world's poor still live in the countryside." World Bank welcomes new leader's stability "Zoellick has taken steps to win over the economists and technocrats at the bank. For one thing, he did not install his own personal staff.

Faith & politics. Romney: Beliefs won't influence my presidency "Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said yesterday that he fully accepts the teachings of his Mormon religion but that as president he would not take dictates from the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Op-Ed.

A Christian foundation (Dinesh D'Souza, USAToday) "Popular efforts to tuck Christianity neatly aside as a footnote to this country's history and to deliver a secular society will fail. Why? Because the faith is inextricably tied to our values, our institutions and even modern science."