Pope Francis to lead Easter celebrations at St Peter's
Pope Francis is set to celebrate his first Easter Sunday since his election with an open-air Mass in St Peter's Square.
He will then deliver a speech to Rome and to the world - the "Urbi et Orbi" address - from a balcony of St Peter's.
Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar.
At an Easter vigil Mass in St Peter's, the Pope appealed to non-believers and lapsed Catholics to "step forward" towards God.
"Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward," Pope Francis said.
"He will receive you with open arms."
At the start of the service, the basilica was kept dark to signify Jesus' tomb before what Christians believe was his resurrection. The Pope and the congregation held candles.
The service was shorter than usual, which the Vatican said was in line with Francis' preference for shorter Masses.
The Pope, formerly Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected on 13 March.
He is the first non-European pope for almost 1,300 years.
He has surprised many of the clerics who work at the Vatican, eating in a communal dining room with other priests and clearly finding much traditional Vatican ceremonial tedious, our correspondent says.
Rather than moving into grand papal apartments, Pope Francis has remained in a Vatican guesthouse, where he has been inviting ordinary people to morning Mass.
In the days before Easter, the Pope reached out to women and Muslims.
During a Holy Thursday Mass at a youth detention centre he washed and kissed the feet of 12 people, including two girls and two Muslims, and in a Good Friday procession he appealed to "Muslim brothers and sisters" in the Middle East.
--BBC
Egyptian Satirist Faces Arrest for 'Insulting' Islam, President
A state prosecutor in Egypt has ordered a popular satirist to be arrested for allegedly insulting Islam and President Mohammed Morsi.
The arrest warrant issued Saturday is one of a series of legal actions against Bassem Youssef, whose popular weekly television program pokes fun at public figures and the media.
Youssef wrote on his Twitter account Saturday that he will go to the public prosecutor's office on Sunday. He joked that the authorities could send him a police car to him in advance to save him the trouble of arranging transportation.
Opposition groups contend the government is intensifying a crackdown on dissent in Egypt, and that this has put at risk the safety of freedom of expression in the country.
Eiffel Tower Evacuated After Bomb Threat
French police evacuated about 1,400 people from the Eiffel Tower for about two hours Saturday after an anonymous caller phoned in a bomb threat.
The tower was reopened after a search of the monument with sniffer dogs found no suspicious objects.
French authorities have stepped up counterterrorism measures in recent weeks amid heightened concern of threats over France's military campaign against al-Qaida-linked fighters in Mali.
The 324-meter tower is one of the world's top tourist attractions, with millions of visitors a year.
NATO Strike Kills Child in Afghanistan
Afghan officials say a NATO helicopter strike Saturday killed at least one child near the capital of Ghazni province.
Other reports said two children had died. Officials said the helicopter strike also killed at least nine Taliban fighters. The NATO-led force in Afghanistan said it was aware of the reported civilian casualties and was assessing the incident.
Civilian casualties have been one of the most sensitive issues in relations between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and international forces.
Due to another sensitive issue, the U.S. military Saturday pulled out of a strategic district of eastern Afghanistan, handing security responsibility over to Afghan forces. The troops' withdrawal from the district of Nerkh in Wardak province was part of a deal with President Karzai following allegations that Afghan forces had committed human rights abuses there under U.S. orders. The charges involved the torture and murder of militant suspects in the area -- charges U.S. officials denied.
In a statement on the U.S. troop withdrawal from Nerkh, General Joseph Dunford, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said the rest of Wardak province will "continue to transition over time."
Afghan forces are scheduled to take over full security responsibility in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, when most coalition forces are set to be out of the country.
Separately Saturday, President Karzai traveled to Qatar to discuss the potential for future peace talks with the Taliban.
Syrian Rebels Kill Pro-Government Cleric
Syrian rebel forces have killed a pro-government Sunni cleric in the northern city of Aleppo and reportedly mutilated his body.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrian state media reported Saturday that Sheikh Hassan Seifeddine, the imam of a mosque in northern Aleppo, was killed by rebels during heavy fighting in the neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud. The observatory says the rebels then paraded the cleric's body around the neighborhood.
The latest brutality comes just days after a suicide bomber blew himself up in an ancient Damascus mosque, killing pro-government cleric Mohammed al-Buti. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed Friday to purge his country of extremists blamed for that attack, which killed about 50 people.
Extremists have been playing a bigger role among rebel groups recently in Syria as the two-year uprising drags on with no sign of ending.
Beckham crowned soccer's top earner
David Beckham is the highest-paid soccer player in the world, according to prestigious magazine France Football.
The former England captain, who recently joined Paris Saint-Germain on a five-month contract, attracts more cash than four-time FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Beckham, who spent five years with the Los Angeles Galaxy between 2007 and 2012, is set to earn $46.5 million (€36 million) during the 2012-13 football season through his salary, endorsements and other business ventures.
The midfielder's entire PSG salary, which is estimated to make up 5% of his total earnings, will be donated to a Paris children's charity.
Second on the magazine's rich list was Barcelona's Messi, who will reportedly make $45.2 million this season, with $17 million coming from salary and bonuses.
The Argentine has been in prolific form this season, scoring 42 goals in 28 Spanish First Division matches. The 25-year-old recently signed a new contract with Barca which will keep him in Catalunya until June 2018.
Real's Ronaldo has so often trailed narrowly behind Messi on the pitch, and so it is the financial stakes. The forward is set to pocket $39 million, although his salary and bonuses are slightly higher than Messi's at $17.5 million.
Ronaldo's coach and compatriot Jose Mourinho is the highest paid team boss on the planet, according to the list. The former Inter Milan and Chelsea coach will take home $18 million over the course of this season.
Carlo Ancelotti, Beckham's coach at PSG, is set to earn $15.5 million, while his fellow Italian Marcello Lippi was given $14 million to lead Guangzhou Evergrande to the Chinese Super League title.
France Football, first published in 1946, organized the Ballon d'Or award for European footballer of the year until it was merged with FIFA's world player of the year award in 2010.
Nuggets win 14th straight, 101-100 over 76ers
The Denver Nuggets' streak lives on thanks to some luck and pluck.
Corey Brewer sank three free throws with 2.1 seconds left and the Denver Nuggets stretched their franchise-best winning streak to 14 games with a 101-100 thriller over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.
Anthony Randolph blocked Damien Wilkins' desperation jumper at the buzzer to secure Denver's 16th straight win at the Pepsi Center - and its most unlikely.
The Nuggets, overlooked in the great surge by the Miami Heat, trailed by five as the clock ticked below 10 seconds.
Brewer sank a 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds left that made it 100-98. He fouled Evan Turner with 7.1 seconds left and Turner, a 75 percent free-throw shooter, missed both of his foul shots, the first one bouncing out and the second one slowly rimming out.
"It's crazy. To be honest, I didn't think we had any chance of winning,'' Brewer said. "Then he missed those free throws and I was like, "OK, we've got a little chance.' He gave us life.''
After a timeout, Anthony Miller inbounded to Danilo Gallinari, who handed it off to Brewer, who quickly fired up a 3-pointer as Wilkins slapped him on his left arm, drawing the whistle with 2.1 seconds left.
"I saw him coming and I just tried to get it off quick. He hit my arm, luckily, so I'll take the foul,'' said Brewer, who finished with 29 points.
Brewer took a deep breath and sank the first shot.
"I was just trying to be calm. I knew I needed to make two out of three and once I made the first one, a little pressure's off,'' Brewer said.
He hit his second, then took a step back while JaVale McGee returned to the game. Once McGee was in place for a possible rebound, Brewer swished his third free throw.
After a timeout, Randolph blocked Wilkins, who finished with 24 points, and win No. 14 was theirs.
"There's no one to point the finger at,'' Turner said. "We played hard the whole game, whatever could go wrong did go wrong.''
The Nuggets haven't lost at home since Jan. 14 against Washington and they're in the midst of their longest winning streak since joining the NBA in 1976, a streak that survived despite an uncharacteristic 20 turnovers.
Even though Miller scored a season-high 21 points, the Nuggets sorely missed Ty Lawson (right heel) and Wilson Chandler (left shoulder), both of whom were hurt in Denver's signature win at Oklahoma City Tuesday night.
They nearly lost to the NBA's lowest scoring team, one that owns just six road wins, tied for the fewest in the league this season.
New Zealand v England: Peter Fulton hits maiden Test century
Peter Fulton made a maiden Test century as New Zealand dominated England after being asked to bat in the final Test.
England opted to bowl on an Eden Park pitch that looked like it might offer some pace and bounce early on.
But the wicket had little life in it and Fulton, playing his 13th Test at the age of 34, hit an unbeaten 124 and Kane Williamson 83 in the hosts' 250-1.
Steven Finn dismissed Hamish Rutherford (37) to record England's only success on a challenging first day in Auckland.
With the third Test set up as a series decider following rain-affected draws on flat pitches in Dunedin and Wellington, England captain Alastair Cook hoped the wicket would provide his bowlers with a better chance of taking 20 wickets.
Opposing captain Brendon McCullum admitted he would also have bowled first but the pitch, dropped into the square for this match, proved to be perfect for batting despite there being tinges of green on the surface.
England's pace attack was blunted, while Monty Panesar was unable to extract any noticeable turn with his left-arm spin.
Fulton, who made his Test debut in 2006 and had a previous highest score of 75, was recalled for this series after an absence of 39 months and with an average in the low 20s.
He added 79 for the opening wicket with Rutherford and then 171 with Williamson to help the hosts punish the world's second-ranked side.
Nicknamed 'Two-Metre Peter' because of his height, Fulton became only the second New Zealander, after Zin Harris in South Africa in 1962, to score a maiden century after turning 34.
Fulton had a life on 16 when a James Anderson delivery flew off the edge of his bat and narrowly avoided the slip fielders before running away to the boundary.
The 6ft 6in opener made another mistake going after a Stuart Broad delivery a few overs later but the short boundaries at Eden Park, which is normally used for rugby, meant the ball flew over the rope for six.
Rutherford smashed two sixes off Panesar, but came undone on 37 while trying to do the same to Finn and was caught by Cook at first slip in the penultimate over before lunch.
Fulton grew in confidence after the interval and surpassed his previous Test-best with a leg-side sequence of 4-4-6 in one Panesar over.
With Williamson batting with complete control and England failing to create a noteworthy chance, the duo moved the score along to 173-1 at tea.
After being on 99 for nine balls, Fulton brought up his three figures early in the last session, having faced 203 deliveries, and the opener continued to frustrate England's labouring pace attack after the new ball was taken in the final hour.
England's body language looked poor as they grew increasingly deflated and unable to change the course of the match.
Williamson, 22, made his second successive half century, and was closing in on a flawless fourth Test ton at the close of play.
--BBC
Rose eclipses Tiger in Arnold Palmer event
Justin Rose carded six birdies and an eagle in a seven-under-par 65 to take a two-shot lead over John Huh on day one of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The world number five, 32, who was fourth and eighth in his first two PGA strokeplay events of 2013, had four successive birdies on his inward nine.
Tiger Woods, who can regain the number one spot from the absent Rory Mcllroy by winning this week, began with a 69.
Lee Westwood posted a 71, while Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell shot 72s.
Defending champion Woods, who has spent a record 623 combined weeks as world number one, was last top of the rankings in October 2010 but has already recorded two victories this year, at Torrey Pines in January and in last month's World Golf Championship in Doral.
The 37-year-old American has won seven times professionally at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge lay-out in Orlando, and also claimed the 1991 US Junior Amateur tournament at the course.
He began his round at the 10th and moved to three under with an eagle at the 501-yard par-five 16th, his seventh.
Woods, who won the last of his 14 majors in 2008, then ran up successive bogeys but three consecutive birdies on his inward nine took him within four shots of Rose.
"I certainly didn't play my best, but I got around and made a few good saves out there," he said. "I got a lot out of this round, and I threw away a few shots as well."
Rose, who ranked a lowly 128th in putting statistics last year and is 127th thus far in 2013, took only 25 putts on day one at Bay Hill and said: "Today was probably the first real hot day I've had with the blade in a long, long time. That's been the error of my game since June last year.
"We all know it's about consistency and that's what I'm still working toward. It's just fun to know that I obviously can do it, and I take a lot of confidence from that."
Four-time major winner Phil Mickelson twice drove into the water, holed from 12 feet to eagle the 16th, then missed from inside four feet to drop a shot at the last in a mixed round of 73.
Masters champion Bubba Watson had two double bogeys but birdied the last to finish with a 74, while world number four Brandt Snedeker took a triple bogey six at the par-three 17th en route to a 76.
--BBC
Serena Williams victorious on return
Serena Williams shook off any rustiness after a month-long break from competitive tennis as she launched her quest for a sixth Miami title with a straight sets victory over Italian Flavia Pennetta.
The world No. 1 hasn't played since losing to Victoria Azarenka in the final of the Qatar Open on February 17 but made light work of her unseeded opponent winning 6-1 6-1.
Williams, a 15-time grand slam winner, pulled out of the Dubai Tennis Championships after her defeat in Doha complaining of a back injury but looked in good touch as she raced to victory in just under 80 minutes.
"I think I missed a few shots, but only because I think I was off footwork-wise," she told reporters. "But it's always just good just to win a match and stay in the tournament and keep going. "I felt like I should be putting the balls away for my opponent but she was so quick and she was running every ball down."
As for coming into the tournament as the world's best player she said: "It always feels better when you're No. 1. There's nothing like when they announce you and they say, the No. 1 player in the world.
"It definitely gives you a little bit more confidence ... a little more pep in your step. I have a lot of matches to play. If I can just stay relaxed -- I really feel like I can do it, but, you know, I'm sometimes my own worst enemy."
Defending champion and No. 4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, from Poland, breezed into round three with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Taiwan's Hsieh Su-Wei.
"I was happy to have a quick match," Radwanska was quoted as saying on the WTA Tour's official website. "The first match is always a little bit tough and tricky, especially after Indian Wells, where we had a little bit of different conditions.
"It was a really special tournament for me because I was really playing a lot of good matches against top players and not even losing a set.
"I definitely have great memories from here. And the final was a very good match. Hopefully I can play the same level of tennis this year. I will do everything to hold the trophy again."
China's Li Na, seeded fifth, was also making a return after spending six weeks on the sidelines with an ankle injury but she eased past Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens 6-3 6-1.
"I wasn't nervous before the match today, I was excited," Li told the WTA Tour website. "For the last six or seven weeks I haven't played any tournaments so I was happy to win my first match after such a long time.
"There were a lot of fans there to support me today, I was like, 'Wow!' My game was pretty good today, I followed the plan of what I should do. I just had to believe in myself that I could do it."
Petra Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion defeated China's Peng Shuai 5-7 6-2 6-2.