Iraq prime minister holds narrow lead

March 15, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

BAGHDAD

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki edged ahead Sunday in a tight race in the country’s parliamentary elections after partial results from all of Iraq’s 18 provinces showed his bloc leading in seven — two more than his chief rival.

The early tally strengthens al-Maliki’s chances of retaining the prime minister’s post, although he is unlikely to win a majority necessary to govern alone.

The March 7 vote was Iraq’s second for a full-term government since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

3 with ties to US consulate killed

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico

Three people with ties to the American consulate were killed in a drug-plagued Mexican city, including a U.S. couple shot to death within sight of the border with their baby in their back seat, officials said Sunday.

President Barack Obama expressed outrage over the killings, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon promised a swift investigation.

Several U.S. citizens have been killed in Mexico’s drug war, most of them people with family ties to Mexico. However, it is rare for American government employees to be targeted.

The U.S. consulate employee and her husband were shot to death Saturday in their car near the Santa Fe International bridge linking Ciudad Juarez with El Paso, Texas.

Israeli’s apology gets cool reception

JERUSALEM

Israel’s prime minister expressed regret Sunday for a crisis with the United States over plans to expand a Jewish neighborhood in east Jerusalem, even as American officials played down the apology and called for bold Israeli action to get peace efforts back on track.

Israel’s strained relationship with the U.S. hit a new low last week when the Jewish state announced plans during a visit by Vice President Joe Biden to build 1,600 homes for Israelis in east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as their capital.

The announcement embarrassed Biden, who quickly condemned the plan, and cast a shadow over upcoming U.S.-mediated peace talks.

In his first public comments on the matter, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet Sunday that he was sorry about the diplomatic fiasco and had ordered an investigation into the incident.

Northeast copes with flooding

EGG HARBOR CITY, N.J.

Last month, the Northeast was smothered by blizzards. Now, it’s waterlogged by torrential rains.

The region mopped up Sunday after a bout with high wind and heavy rains that uprooted trees, downed power lines and flooded some creeks and rivers. Five people died in storm-related accidents.

More than a half-million customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut lost electricity at the peak of Saturday’s storm, which carried wind gusts of up to 70 mph.

Tiny clip safely fixes leaky valves

ATLANTA

Many Americans with leaky heart valves soon might be able to get them fixed without open-heart surgery. A study showed that a tiny clip implanted through an artery was safer and nearly as effective as surgery, doctors reported Sunday.

The device is already on sale in Europe, and its maker, Abbott Laboratories, hopes to win approval to sell it in the United States next year. Elizabeth Taylor reportedly got one last fall — the 77-year-old actress told fans about it on Twitter.

Associated Press