World

Israel fears Hezbollah could get arms from Syria
Jerusalem: Israeli defence officials say they are increasingly concerned that Lebanese militants could get their hands on weapons from violence-wracked Syria. The...

Iran calls new US sanctions 'psychological war'
Tehran: Iran's Foreign Ministry has dismissed the new US sanctions on Tehran, saying they are part of a "psychological war" meant to sow discontent among Iranians. Ramin...

Age, military ties mark Kim Jong Un's inner circle
PYONGYANG, North Korea Wherever North Korea's young new leader goes, they're there: a group of graying military and political officials who shadow Kim Jong Un as he visits army bases, attends concerts and tours schools. As Kim Jong Un steps into the role of "supreme commander" less than two months after his father's death, these officials can be seen in the background. They listen attentively as their leader speaks during "guidance visits" and stand at his side during group photos, smiling and clapping. Since Kim Jong Il died of a heart attack in December, Kim Jong Un has assumed the mantle of leadership with apparent confidence. But this aging circle of advisers is never far behind, lending...

Taiwanese-Japanese star implicated in beating
TAIPEI, Taiwan Prosecutors say Taiwanese-Japanese starlet Makiyo has been barred from leaving Taiwan pending a probe into her...

China says it may send envoys over Syria violence
BEIJING China says it is considering sending envoys to discuss ways to end the violence in Syria. Foreign Ministry...

Marines practice amphibious war, storm US beaches
ABOARD THE USS WASP — Thousands of Marines are storming U.S. shores to train for a more modern version of the well-known...

Shocking pictures open LA detective's murder trial
LOS ANGELES — Shocking death pictures of a murdered woman were shown to jurors in the trial of former police detective Stephanie Lazarus - huge close-up portraits of the battered face of Sherri Rasmussen, who died 26 years ago. One eye was swollen shut; the other wide open. Rasmussen's mouth was agape, her hands held up as if in a defensive posture. Prosecutors suggested that this mayhem was inflicted by Lazarus in a fit of rage after her lover married this woman instead of her. Another photo of Rasmussen ethereal in a wedding gown, holding a bouquet of flowers provides the motive prosecutors allege. "Sherri Rasmussen was wearing the gown that Stephanie Lazarus believed was hers,"...

Staff removed at LA school during abuse probe
LOS ANGELES — The entire staff at a Los Angeles elementary school is being removed while authorities investigate horrific allegations of sexual abuse by two of the school's teachers, one of whom is accused of blindfolding children, taping their mouths and photographing them in a classroom. Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy said Monday night that more than 120 staff members at Miramonte Elementary School - everyone from the principal and teachers to the cafeteria workers - were being replaced because a full investigation of the allegations will be disruptive and staffers will require support to get through the scandal. "We intend to interview every adult,...

Guilty plea expected in historian's theft case
BALTIMORE — A presidential historian is expected to plead guilty in a case in which he is accused of stealing documents signed by...

AP Enterprise: Brown bank regulator an insider
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Jerry Brown's appointee to head the department that oversees banking, financial and consumer regulations in California led a trade association that fought against tighter lending restrictions before the subprime mortgage crisis exploded and was an executive with Washington Mutual when the now-failed bank was among the most aggressive marketers of loans to high-risk borrowers. Jan Owen, a Democrat, also is named in a congressional inquiry into whether lawmakers and certain executives received preferential treatment for home loans, although she was not accused of wrongdoing. Consumer advocates said they are watching Owen's decisions carefully to see how she...

Oregon copter pilot has knack for finding the lost
GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A few years ago, John Rachor painted his helicopter orange and yellow, so it would be easier to spot if he ever crashed and became the target of a search and rescue operation in the rugged forests of southwestern Oregon. Over the past six years, he has been the one doing the spotting. On Saturday, Rachor found three members of a Gold Beach family after they got lost while picking mushrooms. The family spent six nights without food, slept in a hollow log, and considered killing their dog for food. Rain showers left them damp and cold as they fought through wet brush. Without a lighter, they couldn't start a fire to ward off cold nights when temperatures dipped into...

Maldives president quits after weeks of protest
MALE, Maldives — The president of the island nation of Maldives, who became the country's first democratically elected leader in three decades, resigned Tuesday following weeks of sometimes violent public protests over his controversial order to arrest a senior judge. President Mohamed Nasheed presented his resignation in a nationally televised address Tuesday afternoon after police joined the protesters...

Amanda Knox lawyer appeals slander conviction
SEATTLE — Amanda Knox's Italian lawyer has filed an appeal of her slander conviction in Italy, a Knox family spokesman in Seattle said Monday. In October, an Italian appeals court overturned the young Seattle woman's murder conviction in the 2007 death of her...

George Clooney gets challenged for wrestling match
SHARE AND DISCUSSTweetGeorge Clooney, Actor George Clooney has been challenged for a wrestling match by Muppet...

Maldives factfile
SHARE AND DISCUSSTweet Here is a factfile of the Maldives. GEOGRAPHY: Located southwest of Sri Lanka, some 850 kilometres (550 miles) across the equator, Maldives is a chain of 1,192 coral and sand-fringed islands. Fewer than 200 islands are inhabited and the terrain is flat. AREA: 298 square kilometres (115 square miles), about twice...