Crying is good for relationships: Study

WASHINGTON - Crying is known to be a symptom of physical pain or stress but it can improve personal relationships, says a new study.

Former Malaysian PM says ‘whip-for-drinking-beer’ model’s sentence ‘too harsh’

PETALING JAYA - Former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammad has expressed concern over the whipping sentence given to part-time model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno for drinking beer, saying the punishment is “too harsh.”

Sarabjit’s lawyer meets Badal

CHANDIGARH - The lawyer representing Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in a Pakistani jail Wednesday met Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and appealed to him to take up the issue of his client’s release with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Develop a coconut plucking machine and win Rs.1 mn

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala’s industries department has called for innovative thinkers from across the country to develop a coconut plucking machine and win Rs.1 million as prize money.

4 women wounded in shooting at suburban Pittsburgh health club remain hospitalized

PITTSBURGH — Four of the women wounded in a shooting rampage at a suburban Pittsburgh health club remain hospitalized.

Catholic sisters asked about fidelity to church teaching, doctrine in sweeping Vatican inquiry

A Vatican-ordered investigation into Roman Catholic sisters in the U.S., shrouded in mystery when it was announced seven months ago, is shaping up to be a tough examination of whether women’s religious communities have strayed too far from church teaching.

Senior Iranian cleric says some leaders of election unrest should be executed

EDITOR’S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

16 killed in latest Somali violence

MOGADISHU - At least 16 people, including the police chief of the Somali capital, were killed and many others wounded Wednesday in a fierce fighting between the security forces and Islamist insurgents here, officials and eyewitnesses said.

Malawi’s highest court allows Madonna’s bid for 2nd adoption from southern African country

BLANTYRE, Malawi — Madonna can adopt a second child from Malawi, the southern African country’s highest court ruled Friday, overturning a lower court decision it said was out of touch with the times.

New York merchant who showed mercy on robber is cited in drug paraphernalia sweep

SHIRLEY, N.Y. — A New York convenience store owner who made headlines after showing mercy on a would-be robber has been accused of selling drug paraphernalia.

US journalist jailed in NKorea tells family she ‘cried so much’ after arrest

SEOUL, South Korea — For weeks after North Korean guards seized Laura Ling and Euna Lee near the border with China and spirited the American journalists to Pyongyang on criminal charges, their families waited quietly for news about them.

Abortion provider Tiller shot dead at Kansas church; Wichita official says suspect in custody

WICHITA, Kan. — Dr. George Tiller, who remained one of the nation’s few providers of late-term abortions through decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher and his wife was in the choir.

Oz police release images of gang bashing of Indian student

MELBOURNE - Melbourne police have released images of a vicious gang bashing of an Indian-origin student in the latest attack of what is being dubbed “Indian hunting”.

AP IMPACT: Mexico holds huge stash of seized weapons, but it makes tracing weapons painstaking

MEXICO CITY — Deep inside a heavily guarded military warehouse, the evidence of Mexico’s war on drug cartels is stacked two stories high: tens of thousands of seized weapons, from handguns and rifles to AK-47s, some with gun sights carved into the shape of a rooster or a horse’s head.

Sudanese immigrants seek answers after Maine police shoot armed man to death outside apartment

PORTLAND, Maine — Police officials met with members of the city’s Sudanese community to try to calm fears after police officers shot and killed an armed 26-year-old Sudanese man, the second violent death of a Sudanese immigrant in seven months.

Conn. lawmakers vote to update law for same-sex marriages; gov. says she’ll sign

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut lawmakers voted late Wednesday to update the state’s marriage laws to conform with last fall’s landmark state Supreme Court ruling allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.

Madge to share pain of failed adoption over Kabbalah Passover

LONDON - After the rejection of her application to adopt Mercy, a three-year-old Malawian orphan girl, pop queen Madonna is planning to “share her pain” over Passover this week with fellow Kabbalah devotees.

Mercy James’ ‘dad’ doesn’t want Madonna to be her mum

LONDON - Madonna’s plans of adopting Mercy James dealt another blow after the Malawian child’s “father” came forward and insisted that he was looking forward to being part of her life.

Madonna blasts ‘Malawian adoption’ critics

WASHINGTON - Queen of Pop Madonna has blasted critics who have slammed her second Malawian adoption bid, insisting it is “none of their business.”

A tusker dies in Kerala after battling injuries for 26 hours

KOLLAM - A temple elephant that was hit by a truck died after battling injuries for more than a day in Kerala on Thursday.

Pakistan coach wants Broad to apologise for his remarks

KARACHI - Pakistan cricket coach Intikhab Alam Wednesday asked International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee Chris Broad to apologise to his country and team over his ‘appalling’ allegations after a terror-attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers and match officials in Lahore earlier this month.

Child rights activists condemn police brutality on girl

NEW DELHI - As television channels Tuesday flashed images of police officers repeatedly assaulting an eight-year-old girl in an Uttar Pradesh village, child rights activists condemned the incident and said that instances of police roughing up children are a regular feature, even in the capital.