Liechtenstein prince angers German Jews by invoking Holocaust to defend bank secrecy rules

GENEVA — Liechtenstein’s reigning prince has angered German Jews by invoking the Holocaust to defend his country’s banking secrecy laws, drawing sharp reactions Monday.

Leader of al-Qaida-inspired group kills himself in Gaza shootout with Hamas

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Hamas crushed an al-Qaida-inspired group in an hours-long standoff that came to a fiery end when a large explosion killed the radical Muslim group’s leader inside his Gaza home on Saturday.

Regulators shut down Colonial BancGroup in biggest bank failure of this year

WASHINGTON — Real estate lender Colonial BancGroup Inc. has been shut down by federal officials in the biggest U.S. bank failure this year.

Authorities seize more than 500 dogs in raid on suspected puppy mill southwest of Dallas

KAUFMAN, Texas — Authorities have seized more than 500 dogs and about 15 cats from what they say is a puppy mill southwest of Dallas.

Akali Dal opposes separate gurudwara committee in Haryana

AMRITSAR - The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) with the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) would take all possible measures under the Constitution to prevent the setting up of a separate SGPC in Haryana, said Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday.

Divers recover 7 bodies, helicopter in Hudson River from mid-air crash that killed 9

HOBOKEN, N.J. —Divers pulled a helicopter and four more bodies out of the murky Hudson River on Sunday in their search for victims, wreckage and explanations from a midair collision of a sightseeing helicopter and a small plane that killed nine people.

Krishna conveys New Delhi’s concern over attacks on Indian students to Oz authorities

SYDNEY - External Affairs minister S.M.Krishna on Thursday conveyed New Delhi’s concerns to Australian authorities over the recent attacks on Indian students.

Hiroshima mayor echoes Obama’s call to abolish nuclear arms on anniversary of atomic attack

HIROSHIMA, Japan — Hiroshima’s mayor urged global leaders on Thursday to back President Barack Obama’s call to abolish nuclear weapons as Japan marked the 64th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bomb attack.

Top UN official in Afghanistan calls for talks with Taliban leadership, not just rank-and-file

KABUL — The top U.N. official in Afghanistan called Sunday for talks with Taliban leaders at the highest level, another indication that parts of the international community are reaching out to the top echelons of the radical Islamist movement.

Rita Bahuguna meets Prime Minister

NEW DELHI - Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Monday.

Lawyer for American student challenges murder charge over Hong Kong taxi crash

HONG KONG — A drunken American university student challenged a murder charge Monday after being accused of causing the crash of a Hong Kong taxi and death of its driver before commandeering the vehicle and slamming it into another cab.

Feds arrest mayors of 3 NJ cities, 2 lawmakers, several rabbis in broad corruption sweep

NEWARK, N.J. — An investigation into the sale of black-market kidneys and fake Gucci handbags evolved into a sweeping probe of political corruption in New Jersey, ensnaring more than 40 people Thursday, including three mayors, two state lawmakers and several rabbis.

Now the tough part: Calif.’s budget deal must be sold to lawmakers, who will hear objections

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s legislative leaders on Tuesday began lobbying their rank-and-file members to vote for a compromise designed to close the state’s $26 billion shortfall even as advocates objected to health care, transportation and public safety cuts.

Pak need not worry about my India visit: Clinton

WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said Pakistan need not worry about the outcome of her India visit.

Iran’s nuclear chief resigns

TEHRAN - The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, Gholam-Reza Aqazadeh, has resigned, the ISNA news agency reported Thursday.

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore selects SunGard Higher Education solution

BANGALORE - The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) has selected SunGard Higher Education’s Banner Unified Digital Campus (UDC) solution to help increase efficiencies in course administration, improve student services, and enhance capabilities for collaboration with institutions in India and worldwide.

China riot-hit city still tense a day after police shoot dead 2 Uighur men

URUMQI, China — Security tightened Tuesday in the capital of China’s western Xinjiang region, where paramilitary police blocked access to a Uighur neighborhood where two Uighurs were fatally shot a day earlier, the latest violent clash in the wake of last week’s ethnic riots.

Federal grand jury indicts 2 on terror charges in Minnesota missing Somalis case

MINNEAPOLIS — Two men are accused of supporting terrorism in a grand jury indictment unsealed Monday, the first charges in an investigation into the disappearances of several young Somali men who activists believe were recruited from the Minneapolis area by radical elements in Somalia.

THE INFLUENCE GAME: Health providers’ deals with lawmakers widening split with business

WASHINGTON — Health care providers have been crowing in recent days about deals they’ve cut with lawmakers to help pay for President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Those agreements have been announced in flashy White House ceremonies — but off camera and quietly, business lobbyists have been stewing.

Frederick Douglass heritage center lacks staff to officially open in Rochester, NY

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Passers-by frequently peer into the window at the new center honoring former slave, famed orator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. And if they knock on the door, they can get a quick tour guided by the Rev. Errol Hunt and his son Gerry.

India for continuing international focus on Afghanistan’s rehabilitation: Krishna

NEW DELHI - India favours greater and continuing international focus and attention on developmental and security issues concerning Afghanistan and its neighbours, saying this is necessary and would be helpful in the long term.

Truck explodes near Shiite mosque in northern Iraq, killing more than 70 people

BAGHDAD — A truck bomb exploded as worshippers left a Shiite mosque in northern Iraq on Saturday, killing more than 70 people and wounding nearly 200 in the deadliest bombing this year.

Police report new attack on Romanians living in N. Ireland after surge in racial violence

LONDON — Northern Ireland’s police chief warned Thursday that recent attacks on Romanian immigrants that forced 20 families to flee their homes are damaging the region’s economy and reputation.

Obama declares nuclear-armed North Korea is ‘grave threat,’ won’t be rewarded for bad behavior

WASHINGTON — Declaring North Korea a “grave threat” to the world, President Barack Obama on Tuesday pledged the U.S. and its allies will aggressively enforce fresh international penalties against the nuclear-armed nation and stop rewarding its leaders for repeated provocations.

Rest rooms, community kitchens benefit pilgrims bound for Amarnath shrine

KATHUA - In order to ensure that the journey to the Amarnath cave shrine is smooth, several voluntary organisations have set up camps along the arduous route.

Famed Darjeeling toy train motivates people to donate blood

SILIGURI - The Suryanagar Samaj Kalyan Sanstha, a voluntary forum observed the World Blood Donors Day by holding a blood donation camp aboard the famous toy train of Darjeeling Himalayan Railways Toy at Siliguri Railway Station on Sunday.

Racism exists in Australia: Oz official

MELBOURNE - With attacks on Indian students continuing in Australia, Race Discrimination Commissioner Tom Calma believes there is a case to give a racist tag to them.

Some attacks on Indians are ‘racial’, police in Australia admit

SYDNEY - The police chief of Australia’s Victoria state Tuesday admitted that some of the attacks on Indian students in this country are “racially motivated” - as maintained by the victims of a series of crimes.

Long overlooked law lets anyone sue companies over expired patents, split cash with feds

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Look carefully at the lid to your coffee cup or the handle of your disposable razor. A recent ruling on an obscure, century-old statute has opened the door for people familiar with the finer points of patent law to sue companies that stamp their products with expired patent numbers.

Pro-LTTE supporters protest against Sri Lanka

CHENNAI - Hundreds of pro-LTTE supporters under the banner of Viduthali Chiruthai Katchi, took out a mass rally in Chennai on Thursday to protest against Sri Lankan offensive on the ethnic Tamils in the island nation.