BEIJING (AP) — A teenage Tibetan monk set himself on fire in protest on the 53rd anniversary of the failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule, an overseas activist group said Tuesday. The London-based Free Tibet group said 18-year-old Gepey self-immolated on Saturday in Aba, a town that is under heavy security lockdown in western Sichuan province. The group says Gepey was a monk from the town’s Kirti Monastery, the scene of numerous protests against the Chinese government over the past... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — A secret New York Police Department program to spy on Muslim businesses, infiltrate mosques and monitor Muslim students on college campuses has ignited a debate over how to strike a balance between civil liberties and national security. The NYPD has vigorously defended the tactics, calling them legal and necessary. Here’s a look, in question-and-answer format, of the key legal and policy issues at play. ___ Q: What does it mean that police were “spying?” A: Since... Read more

US officials: Soldier accused of killing 16 Afghans trained as sniper, injured head in Iraq KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — The soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians, most of them children, and burning their bodies was trained as a sniper and recently suffered a head injury in Iraq, U.S. officials said Monday. The name of the suspect, a married, 38-year-old father of two, has not been released. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said he may face capital charges, and that... Read more

Afghan man recounts US soldier entering his home, shooting his father amid killing spree KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan man recounted Monday the harrowing tale of how an American soldier on a killing spree burst into his home in the middle of the night, searched the rooms, then dropped to a knee and shot his father in the thigh as he emerged from a bedroom. The staff sergeant is now in custody, accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians, most... Read more

Afghan man recounts US soldier entering his home, shooting his father amid killing spree KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan man recounted Monday the harrowing tale of how an American soldier on a killing spree burst into his home in the middle of the night, searched the rooms, then dropped to a knee and shot his father in the thigh as he emerged from a bedroom. The staff sergeant is now in custody, accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians, most... Read more

MONT VERNON, N.H. (AP) — For many long-time residents of this rural town, the quest to change the name of Jew Pond is much ado over a muddy, manmade body of water not used for much of anything besides ice skating and fishing. For more recent transplants and the town’s health officer, though, it’s a way to banish an offensive title that’s recorded on at least one official map. Mont Vernon’s approximately 2,400 residents will have a chance to vote... Read more

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s Islamist-dominated parliament has unanimously voted in support of the expulsion of Israel’s ambassador in Cairo and for a halt to gas exports to the Jewish state. The motion is largely symbolic because only the ruling military council can make such decisions, and it is not likely to impact Egypt’s relations with Israel. But the move signals the seismic change in Egypt after the ouster of longtime leader and Israeli ally Hosni Mubarak a year ago. The... Read more

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish court released four journalists from jail on Monday who had been accused of being involved in an alleged secularist plot to topple the country’s Islamic-rooted government. The case is considered a key test for press freedom in Turkey. Investigative journalists Nedim Sener and Ahmet Sik were freed more than one year after they were detained along with more than 10 other journalists for allegedly forming the media wing of an alleged secularist network that... Read more

CLEVELAND (AP) — Twelve defendants charged in beard-cutting attacks on fellow Amish in Ohio are challenging the constitutionality of the federal hate crimes law. University of Akron Law professor J. Dean Carro, who filed one of the challenges, said Monday that all the defendants would join the effort to overturn the law. The challenges say the alleged attacks aren’t religion-based hate crimes but internal church discipline not involving anti-Amish bias. The government faces a Monday deadline to respond to the... Read more

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Wealthy New Englander Mitt Romney is trying to woo Southern voters with a mix of regional references that sometimes show self-deprecating humor, and sometimes are just plain awkward. The GOP presidential contender admits that campaigning in Alabama, Mississippi and other Southern states is “a bit of an away game” for him. Unlike Kansas, however, he’s campaigning hard in those states, hoping essentially to tie or even steal a victory from more conservative rivals Rick Santorum and... Read more