VATICAN CITY -- In his first Easter message as pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday urged nations to use diplomacy to defuse nuclear crises -- a clear reference to worries over Iran -- and prayed that Palestinians would one day have their own state alongside Israel.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Efforts to form a unity government suffered a new setback Sunday as Iraqi leaders postponed a parliament session after failing to agree on a prime minister. Bombs targeted Shiites near a mosque and on a bus as attacks nationwide killed at least 35 people.

TORONTO -- Canada confirmed a case of mad cow disease on Sunday at a farm in British Columbia -- the country's fifth case since May 2003, when the United States closed its border to Canadian beef.