NEW YORK — The head of the International Monetary Fund was removed from a Paris-bound flight in New York minutes before takeoff Saturday afternoon and was arrested in connection with a sexual assault on a housekeeper at a Manhattan hotel earlier that day, police told the Associated Press.

The AP reported that Dominique Strauss-Kahn, 62, was questioned by the New York Police Department's special victims office, according to Paul J. Browne, police spokesman. The IMF chief was arrested at 2:15 a.m. Sunday on charges of criminal sex act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment, police said.

The federal government's largest housing construction program for the poor has squandered hundreds of millions of dollars on stalled or abandoned projects and routinely failed to crack down on derelict developers or the local housing agencies that funded them.

Nationwide, nearly 700 projects awarded $400 million have been idling for years, a Washington Post investigation found. Some have languished for a decade or longer even as much of the country struggles with record-high foreclosures and a dramatic loss of affordable housing.

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee will not run for president in 2012, taking himself out of contention despite polling that suggested he would be a strong player for the nomination.

"All the factors say go," Huckabee said during a live, final segment of his eponymous Fox News Channel show Saturday night. "But my heart says no."

Huckabee noted that while all of the "external" factors pointed toward him running, he only found an "inexplicable inner peace" when he decided not to enter the race.

Two weeks after the death of Osama bin Laden, the Obama administration remains uncertain and divided over the future of its relationship with Pakistan, according to senior U.S. officials.

The discovery of the al-Qaeda leader in a city near Pakistan's capital has pushed many in the administration beyond any willingness to tolerate Pakistan's ambiguous connections with extremist groups. After years of ineffective American warnings, many U.S. officials are concluding that a change in policy is long overdue.

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee will not run for president in 2012, taking himself out of contention despite polling that suggested he would be a strong player for the nomination.

"All the factors say go," Huckabee said during a live, final segment of his eponymous Fox News Channel show. "But my heart says no."

Huckabee's no-go decision was preceded by an appearance by Mario Lopez — of "Saved by the Bell" fame — as well as musician Ted Nugent. Before his announcement Huckabee played bass alongside Nugent on "Cat Scratch Fever."

The federal government's largest housing construction program for the poor has squandered hundreds of millions of dollars on stalled or abandoned projects and routinely failed to crack down on derelict developers or the local housing agencies that funded them.

Nationwide, nearly 700 projects awarded $400 million have been idling for years, a Washington Post investigation found. Some have languished for a decade or longer even as much of the country struggles with record-high foreclosures and a dramatic loss of affordable housing.

Several prominent congressional Republicans have dismissed the Obama administration's claim that the country would face dire consequences if Congress does not vote to raise the federal limit on government borrowing by August.

But an icon of the Republican Party – former president Ronald Reagan – warned Congress during his presidency that a failure to raise the debt limit could also cause a financial catastrophe.

In a November 1983 letter to then-Senate Majority Leader Howard H. Baker Jr. (R-Tenn.), Reagan warned that without a higher debt ceiling, the country could be forced to default for the first time in its history.

In an effort to defuse Republican and oil industry pressure over drilling permits and soothe public anger over gasoline prices, President Obama is ordering the Interior Department to conduct annual lease sales in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve and speed up seismic work that is a precursor to drilling off the south and mid-Atlantic coasts.

In his Saturday radio address, Obama said he would also extend oil company leases in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska where work was delayed by the drilling moratorium the president imposed during the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill resulting from a blowout on a BP well.

Two weeks after the death of Osama bin Laden, the Obama administration remains uncertain and divided over the future of its relationship with Pakistan, according to senior U.S. officials.

The discovery of the al-Qaeda leader in a city near Pakistan's capital has pushed many in the administration beyond any willingness to tolerate Pakistan's ambiguous connections with extremist groups. After years of ineffective American warnings, many U.S. officials are concluding that a change in policy is long overdue.

DAMASCUS, Syria — In the two-month-long uprising against Syrian authorities, the southern town of Daraa has been at the heart of the unrest, and the inspiration for many other Syrians as protests have spread across the country.

But Daraa's defiance has come with a cost: Civilians who have fled the town in the past week described scenes of terror, with arbitrary detentions and snipers on rooftops.

One young man, Mohammed, said he walked 13 miles through forests Tuesday to evade capture after his parents were arrested by security forces. He feared that if he did not leave Daraa, he would be next.

TRIPOLI, Libya — Libyans buried nine bodies Saturday in a dusty cemetery along Tripoli's Mediterranean shore, in a ceremony that raised as many questions as it answered.

The Libyan government said the men were Muslim religious leaders killed early Friday morning in a NATO airstrike in a guesthouse in the eastern Libyan town of Brega. If true, that would represent the largest loss of civilian lives in a NATO strike since the allied operation began.

NATO, however, said in a statement Saturday that it had struck a command-and-control bunker in Brega that was being used to coordinate strikes against civilians, adding that it regrets civilian deaths whenever they occur. It said it had not been able to confirm the validity of the government's claim.

BAGHDAD — A pledge this week by Iraq's Shiite prime minister to seek consensus on whether U.S. troops should stay or go came with a not-so-subtle challenge to an influential fellow Shiite.

If a solid majority of Iraq's main political blocs decide to back a U.S. presence beyond a year-end deadline, Nouri al-Maliki said, then even the anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr should abandon plans for renewed violence and fall in line.

"That is the mechanism of democracy," he said.

in doha, qatar

For months, Qatar-based al-Jazeera provided intense coverage of the uprisings that have rocked the Middle East, often almost cheering along the protesters. But when tanks from Saudi Arabia rolled in to quell anti-government demonstrations in neighboring Bahrain in March, the Arabic-language news network's reporting was only sporadic and markedly neutral, critics say.

That contrasting approach has brought fresh attention to al-Jazeera's close ties to the Qatari government, which owns the influential network, and prompted charges that the broadcaster is serving as an instrument of Qatar's ambitious foreign policy.

NAME: Dominique Strauss-Kahn AGE: 62. Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France on April 25, 1949. EDUCATION: Degrees in law, business administration, political studies and statistics. PhD in economics from the University of Paris. FAMILY: Wife, Anne Sinclair, and four children by a previous marriage. CAREER: Managing director of the International Monetary Fund since 2007, where he won praise for his handling of the global financial crisis. Strauss-Kahn was an economics professor, corporate lawyer and legislator in France's National Assembly. He served as finance minister from 1997-1999 and helped France prepare to abandon the franc for the euro. He sought the Socialist Party's nomination for the 2007 presidential elections and is a possible candidate in next year's presidential vote. He has been a visiting professor at Stanford University. QUOTE: "While this incident constituted an error in judgment on my part, for which I take full responsibility, I firmly believe that I have not abused my position," Strauss-Kahn wrote in an email to IMF staff after an affair with a subordinate became public in 2008.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The waiting the golf world endured Saturday — nearly 4¹ / ₂ hours of delays as dark, thunderous storms swept across Florida into the Atlantic Ocean — might just pay off come Sunday evening. The field at The Players Championship is now crammed together, and some players still have more than 30 holes remaining. The sorting out that was done on a wait-wait-wait Saturday amounted to a mess, with little resolved.

"We were able to relax," co-leader Graeme McDowell said, "put the feet up and eat lunch about three times."

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Players spent more time in the clubhouse than the golf course Saturday at The Players Championship, a rain-shortened day that left enough time for some high entertainment.

Martin Kaymer made four straight birdie putts that traveled a combined 71 inches.

The tournament staff had to move the cup on the 16th hole a few feet after the 4½-hour storm delay because of damage around the hole that it couldn't repair.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Ian Poulter sprinted from the 17th tee to the famed island green, pulled the flag stick and lined up his putt.

A minute later, he was off again, running to his bag, grabbing two clubs and then hustling to No. 18. He yelled ahead to Phil Mickelson and Martin Laird, clearing the path for another tee shot.

No doubt, Poulter wanted to get done before dark.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Nick Watney and Graeme McDowell were atop the leaderboard after a short day of work Saturday in The Players Championship. The winner of golf's richest prize will have to work overtime.

After storms that delayed the third round by 4½ hours and softened the TPC Sawgrass, Watney and McDowell came out firing in the twilight to reach 11 under through only five holes when play was suspended by darkness.

The biggest move all day might have been a pine that toppled by a big gust during the thunderstorms.

SON SERVERA, Spain — Chris Wood shot a 1-under 69 to extend his Iberdrola Open lead to four strokes after Saturday's third round.

The Englishman had birdies at Nos. 1 and 10 to offset a bogey at the 14th, finishing at 9-under 201 to improve his overnight lead by one in a bid for his maiden victory.

Shane Lowry shot a 63 to equal the Pula course record set Thursday by Frenchman Gregory Bourdy, moving into a tie for second at 5 under with Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland, who had a 70.

The bye week on May 8 for the Maryland women's lacrosse team was built into the schedule. The breather that many of its starters received for much of the second half of a 19-6 victory over Navy in an NCAA tournament first-round game Saturday in College Park was the result of a remarkable start.

Senior Sarah Mollison had four goals and four assists — all in the first 30 minutes 18 seconds — and classmate Laura Merrifield added all three of her goals in the first half for the Terrapins.

Top-seeded Maryland (19-1), the defending national champions, will face Princeton on May 22 at noon in College Park. Princeton defeated No. 8 James Madison, 11-10.

One day, Kevin Garnett is a rook, checking into his first game at Madison Square Garden, eyeing an aging Patrick Ewing at the scorer's table. "What's up, Gramps?" the 19-year-old rookie said in 1995 to the veteran, who called him "young fella" that night.

The next day, it seems, that kid is 34 — older than Ewing was then, his shot flatter, his legs hardly spry. The fire-breathing competitor in K.G. is still there, but the body of the player who beat his man to the rebound is not. A younger, more agile, maybe hungrier Chris Bosh gobbled up a miss by a teammate and scored. As 39-year-old Shaquille O'Neal watched from the Boston bench.

Washington Nationals starter Livan Hernandez has been one step ahead of Father Time for years now, defying the odds and much younger hitters while accumulating innings at a dizzying rate. The 36-year-old right-hander reached another milestone on Saturday. Although it came during a 1-0 loss to Florida, Hernandez's outing in which he tossed his 3,000th inning underscored how guile can overcome a conspicuous lack of velocity and prolong a career spanning 16 seasons.

Before 22,497 at Nationals Park, Hernandez scattered six hits over seven innings, struck out four and faced more than the minimum in just two innings. The second of those came in the seventh, when Marlins right fielder Mike Stanton homered deep to left center for the only blemish on Hernandez's otherwise sterling performance.

Here's moment that would make Crash Davis proud, even though it came against his team: Michael Aubrey of the Nationals' Class AAA affiliate in Syracuse hit four home runs Saturday in an 11-0 win over visiting the Durham Bulls.

Follow the above link for the Associated Press account and some more information on Aubrey, 29, a former first-round pick who was picked up by the Nationals in December. But first, a fun tidbit courtesy of the Syracuse Chiefs' Web site: Before Saturday's outburst, Aubrey had not homered this season.

This morning reliever Cole Kimball arrived at Nationals Park after being recalled from the minors. Then hours later, the hard-throwing right-hander made his debut in the majors by working the ninth inning of the Nationals' 1-0 loss to Florida.

Kimball was among the more impressive pitchers on the Nationals' roster in spring training, and he earned the call-up to the big leagues following a stellar stretch in Class AAA Syracuse, where he did not permit a run in 13 2/3 innings, going 1-0 with five saves in 12 appearances.

The Nationals will try to end a two-game losing streak, both in extra innings, when they face the Marlins in the second game of this weekend's three game series.

Washington sends out Livan Hernandez for his eighth start of the season, fifth at home and 34th of his career against the Marlins. Hernandez has won three in a row at Nationals Park and is 3 1/3 innings from 3,000 for his career.

Opposing Hernandez is Anibal Sanchez, whose last start came against the Nationals on Sunday. Sanchez allowed two hits and struck out a season-high 11 in seven innings during a 2-1 victory.

The Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Cole Kimball from Class AAA Syracuse and designed right-hander Brian Broderick for assignment.

Kimball dazzled in the minors, yielding no runs with five saves in 13 2/3 innings with the Chiefs, and gives the Nationals another lively arm out of the bullpen. Kimball, 25, was among the more intriguing pitchers during spring training with a fastball that reached the upper 90s and the demeanor of a veteran despite his lack of experience.

Over the past two seasons, Kimball is 9-1 with 23 saves and a 1.85 ERA in 69 appearances with Syrcause, Class AA Harrisburg and Class A Potomac. He averaged 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings during that time.

The country music stars are tying the knot May 14 in Texas.

The 6-foot-4 Manassas businessman Creston Owen was a go-big-or-go-home kind of guy, so when he began planning for the Civil War sesquicentennial, everyone knew it wouldn't be a small affair.

After immersing himself in history books and movies and buying Civil War garb, Owen unveiled in 2009 his grand vision for a nine-day extravaganza that would center on a reenactment in which tens of thousands of "soldiers" marched the rolling countryside, re-creating the First Battle of Manassas. Busloads would arrive for an event that he said would capture the nation's imagination. He even wanted to build an RV park where people could camp in the middle of the action.

The 6-foot-4 Manassas businessman Creston Owen was a go-big-or-go-home kind of guy, so when he began planning for the Civil War sesquicentennial, everyone knew it wouldn't be a small affair.

After immersing himself in history books and movies and buying Civil War garb, Owen unveiled in 2009 his grand vision for a nine-day extravaganza that would center on a reenactment in which tens of thousands of "soldiers" marched the rolling countryside, re-creating the First Battle of Manassas. Busloads would arrive for an event that he said would capture the nation's imagination. He even wanted to build an RV park where people could camp in the middle of the action.