BEIJING (AP) — A prominent writer under house arrest in Beijing has pleaded with her fellow Tibetans to stop setting themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule. She says such self-destructive measures are doing nothing for the cause of Tibetan rights. Tsering Woeser said in online appeal posted Thursday that she was “grief-stricken” by the recent string of more than two dozen self-immolations and called on influential Tibetans, including monks and intellectuals, to help stop them. Woeser said Tibetans can... Read more

Today is Friday, March 16, the 76th day of 2012. There are 290 days left in the year. Highlights in history on this date: 1521 – Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reaches the Philippines, where he is killed by natives the following month. 1527 – Mogul Emperor Barbar defeats Hindu Confederacy at Kanwanha, India. 1534 – England severs all relations with Roman Catholic Papacy. 1690 – France’s King Louis XIV sends troops to Ireland to fight for King James II. 1792... Read more

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Mormon leaders have put up a virtual firewall in their massive genealogical database to block anyone who attempts to access the names of hundreds of thousands of Holocaust victims. The move comes amid criticism that the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hasn’t done enough to live up to commitments to stop its members from performing the baptism ritual on Holocaust victims. Mormons believe the baptism ritual allows deceased people a... Read more

Greece secures high participation in critical bond swap, staves off imminent bankruptcy ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece took a critical step toward staving off an imminent bankruptcy after securing the support of the vast majority of its bondholders to accept steep losses on their holdings of Greek debt, a move that should pave the way for the country’s second massive international bailout. Following weeks of intense discussions, Greece’s Finance Ministry said Friday that 85.8 percent of private investors holding its... Read more

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mitt Romney faces a tough sell in the Deep South. With Mississippi and Alabama primaries coming up next Tuesday, there’s concern that he’s too slick, not really a conservative. In a region where the evangelical vote is important, some are skeptical about his Mormon faith. But if Romney wins the Republican nomination and it’s a November choice between him and Democratic President Barack Obama, the former Massachusetts governor may be just good enough for some Southerners.... Read more

Foes and supporters of same-sex marriage are gearing up for five costly and bruising statewide showdowns in the coming months on an issue that evenly divides Americans. It’s an election year subplot sure to stir up heated emotions — even beyond the confines of North Carolina, Minnesota, Maryland, Maine and Washington state. National advocacy groups will be deeply engaged, and advertising is likely to surface from each side that outrages the other. “It’s crunch time,” said Brian Brown of the... Read more

NORRISTOWN, Pennsylvania (AP) — A Catholic cardinal who died a day after he was ruled competent to testify at the child endangerment trial of a longtime aide died of natural causes, a coroner said Thursday, after a prosecutor thought the timing was peculiar. Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua died Jan. 31 of heart disease, with a contributing factor of prostate cancer, Montgomery County Coroner Walter Hofman told a news conference. Scans of Bevilacqua’s brain also showed evidence of dementia that was “fairly... Read more

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A suburban Philadelphia coroner said Thursday that 88-year-old Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua died of natural causes a day after he had been ruled competent to testify at the child-endangerment trial of a longtime aide. Officials had said Bevilacqua, who served as archbishop from 1988 to 2003, was suffering from dementia and cancer. But last month, prosecutors asked the coroner to investigate because of the timing of his death. Bevilacqua, spiritual leader of the archdiocese’s 1.5 million Roman... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday he’s disturbed by what he’s read about the New York Police Department conducting surveillance of mosques and Islamic student organizations in New Jersey. Holder said the Justice Department is reviewing the matter, including letters from New Jersey officials complaining that they were kept in the dark about the surveillance. The attorney general made the remarks at a subcommittee hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee when asked by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.,... Read more

CLEVELAND (AP) — Critics of widespread church closings in the Cleveland Catholic Diocese called Thursday for the bishop to implement an extraordinary Vatican ruling and quickly reopen 13 churches. Bishop Richard Lennon must decide whether to abide by the ruling from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy or challenge it before the church’s top court. The 13 churches were among 50 shut down or merged by Lennon, who said the eight-county diocese could no longer keep them open because of... Read more