Feds increasingly classify government reports

WASHINGTON -- The federal government reports that the number of documents being classified jumped 10 percent last year to 15.6 million. The numbers come from the Information Security Oversight Office in its latest annual report to the president. An increase in the number of documents being classified has raised concerns that the government is being too secretive, and the report notes that overclassification of documents has been a consistent issue for decades.

Iran's president-elect suspected in '89 attack

VIENNA, Austria -- Austrian authorities have classified documents suggesting that Iran's president-elect may have played a key role in the 1989 slayings of an Iranian Kurdish leader and two associates in Vienna. Austria's Interior Ministry and the public prosecutor's office are investigating alleged evidence pointing to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's possible involvement in the attack.

Priest accused of abuse will not face new trial

BALTIMORE -- The state won't retry a defrocked priest accused of molesting a boy who later shot him, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor said Friday. Maurice Blackwell, 58, was convicted in February of abusing a former parishioner who shot Blackwell in 2002, nearly a decade after the alleged abuse. Two months later, Blackwell was granted a new trial by a judge who said testimony about other alleged victims was inappropriate.

Sentencing may provide glimpse into BTK crimes

WICHITA, Kan. -- The courtroom confession by the BTK serial killer answered many questions haunting the families of his victims. At Dennis Rader's Aug. 17 sentencing, prosecutors plan to present more evidence about the killings and Rader's sexual motivations -- details that could ensure the maximum penalty and, perhaps, help the community come to grips with the case.

Explosions rock U.N. building in Kosovo

PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro -- At least three blasts rocked the center of Kosovo's capital on Saturday, and one targeted the U.N. mission headquarters. There were no immediate reports of any injuries after at least three near-simultaneous blasts, said Hua Jiang, chief U.N. spokeswoman. Police sealed off the areas after the explosions.

French woman to ordain herself a Catholic priest

LYON, France -- A French woman defied a threat of excommunication by the Roman Catholic Church and held a ceremony proclaiming herself a priest on Saturday. Genevieve Beney was joined by other women from around the world to draw attention to the church's policy against women priests. The Vatican has not commented on the case but has made clear it sees no room for debate about opening up the priesthood to women.

--From wire reports