In the World

KUWAIT CITY - Kuwait's ruler dissolved parliament Tuesday and set the Gulf nation toward elections, citing "deteriorating conditions" amid a showdown over alleged high-level corruption.

The decision by the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, comes less than a week after he named a new prime minister and parliament sessions were put on hold.

Kuwait's tensions have roots years before the Arab Spring protests, but opposition factions could be further emboldened by the push for reforms around the region. Critics of Kuwait's ruling family contend it turns a blind eye to allegations of corruption and uses security forces to crush dissent. - AP

U.S. officials say a drone that crashed inside Iran over the weekend was one of a fleet of stealth aircraft that have spied on Iran for years from a U.S. air base in Afghanistan.

They say the CIA stealth version of the RQ-170 unmanned craft was also used to survey Osama bin Laden's compound before the May raid in Pakistan in which the al-Qaeda leader was killed.

According to these officials, the United States has built up the air base in Shindad, Afghanistan, with an eye to keeping a long-term presence there to launch surveillance missions and even special operations missions into Iran if deemed necessary. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss classified information.

The officials say that while no specific mission into Iran has been authorized, the military has contingency plans for such clandestine missions. - AP

KINSHASA, Congo - Congo was in limbo Tuesday as the government dispatched helicopters to the remote corners of the country to pick up missing tally sheets, and officials announced a 48-hour delay in the publication of election results from last week's disputed presidential ballot.

The delay was all but inevitable after an election that was marred by massive technical glitches. The government rushed ahead with the election because the current president's five-year term expired Tuesday at midnight.

The 48-hour delay means that President Joseph Kabila will stay in office past his legal mandate. Analysts worry that the country could slide into a situation of unconstitutional power that could stoke tension in Congo. - AP

TOKYO - Traces of radiation spilled from Japan's hobbled nuclear plant were detected in baby formula Tuesday in the latest case of contaminated food in the nation.

Meiji Co. said it was recalling the formula, with expiration dates of October 2012, as a precaution.

The levels of radioactive cesium were well below government-set safety limits. But experts say children are more at risk than are adults of getting cancer and other illnesses from radiation exposure. - AP