A French teacher who has been accused of asking her students to write an essay in which they imagined themselves as a suicidal teenager has been suspended pending an investigation, education officials said Monday.The teacher, who works at the Montmoreau-Saint-Cybard secondary school in the Charente region of western France, will discover next week if she is to face disciplinary action following an outcry among parents over a composition she reportedly set for her class of 13- and 14-year-olds.Ac

Responding to reports that a U.S. citizen is being held in North Korea, the U.S. government on Tuesday emphasized the importance of protecting its people."We're obviously aware of these reports that a U.S. citizen has been detained in North Korea," said Victoria Nuland, spokeswoman for the State Department, at a press briefing. "We obviously have no higher priority than the welfare of our citizens." She would neither confirm nor deny the reports, citing "privacy considerations."Nuland, however,

The city of Mildura is not at the end of a dirt road in the Australian bush, in tire-choking desert sand far from food and water. Unfortunately, Apple‘s much-maligned mapping application thinks it is.More than two months after Apple’s CEO apologized for errors in its Maps service, Australian police say the app is ``potentially life threatening‘’ because of the bad directions it has given to the southern city. On Tuesday, a police official said Apple had ``sort of half-fixed‘’ the problem.Victori

A woman was convicted Monday of first-degree murder in the slaying of a lottery winner in central Florida and was sentenced to mandatory life without parole by a judge who called her “cold, calculating and cruel.” Dorice “Dee Dee” Moore showed no emotion as the verdict was read. Judge Emmett Battles sentenced her to an additional minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years for using a gun in the commission of a felony. Moore has 30 days to appeal.“I can sleep good at night because I know I had done t

Former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan declared his backing for opposition presidential candidate Moon Jae-in on Tuesday, saying he believes he and the liberal contender can share his vision that bigger and smaller firms should seek shared growth.Chung held the country's No. 2 post in 2009-2010 under President Lee Myung-bak before serving as head of the National Commission for Corporate Partnership until earlier this year, a post that promotes "shared growth" between conglomerates and smaller busin

Germany on Monday expelled four employees of the Syrian embassy in Berlin, the foreign minister said, as part of moves to sharply curb ties to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad."We are sending a clear message with the expulsion of four Syrian embassy staff that we are reducing relations with the Assad regime to an absolute minimum," Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a statement."We are counting on the (opposition) national coalition growing more stable and developing as soo

Nelson Mandela is set to undergo additional medical tests on Monday, the South African government announced."Mandela had a good night's rest. The doctors will still conduct further tests today," a statement from President Jacob Zuma's office said, without specifying the procedures.Zuma's spokesman Mac Maharaj could not say if the ailing 94-year-old Mandela would spend a third night in hospital since being airlifted to a Pretoria hospital at the weekend."That (decision) is still in the hands of t

A former model says the Victoria's Secret TV special is not "wholesome," and criticizes producers for booking Canadian singer Justin Bieber to perform on it.Nicole Clark, a former fashion model who advises girls on the pitfalls of modeling, said the appearance by the 18-year-old pop star is "clear evidence" the lingerie maker is targeting teen and preteen girls."The practice some corporations use of applying the rule 'sex sells,' regardless of the cost, should not apply to our children," Clark s

U.S. researchers found women with the highest levels of carotenoids -- found in produce -- in their blood had the lowest risk of breast cancer. A. Heather Eliassen of the Channing Division of Network Medicine, the Department of Medicine at Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and colleagues, conducted an analysis of eight studies involving 80 percent of the world's published prospective data on plasma or serum carotenoids and breast cancer.The study, published in the Journal of

South Korea and Spain have agreed to share military supplies in peacekeeping and rescue operations as part of efforts to expand military ties between the two sides, the defense ministry said Monday.Lee Sang-wook, the head of South Korean defense ministry's logistics management bureau, met his Spanish counterpart Prieto Oses Ramon in Madrid to sign a memorandum of understanding on the bilateral military support, the ministry said. Under the agreement, the two countries will share military supplie

South Korean All-Star pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball (MLB), the Los Angeles Times reported Monday, Korean time.The Times said the Dodgers "expect him to be part of the rotation next season" but added terms of the deal weren't immediately known.Ryu and the Dodgers had a 30-day window to sign a deal after the LA-based club earned the exclusive negotiating rights to Ryu in November, and the deadline fell at 7 a.m. Monday, Korean time, or 2 p.m.

A Wakefield, Mass., man accused of raping and abusing toddlers was a low-level sex offender with three previous convictions, court records said.John Burbine, 49, will be arraigned next week on charges he sexually assaulted 13 children ranging in age from 8 days to 3 years, many of them repeatedly, in a two-year span beginning in 2010 through his wife's unlicensed day care center. The abuse allegations involve 100 counts that include forcible rape and indecent assault, the Boston Globe reported F

Two foreign teachers living in Thailand -- one American, the other British -- have died in what police said appeared to be a double drug overdose.The bodies of Charlie Milsom, 35, a British citizen, and Jonathan Louis, 40, from the United States, were found in Louis‘ apartment Saturday morning, the Bangkok Post reported.Louis’ wife said she returned home from work Friday to find the men apparently dozing in the living room and discovered the next morning both were dead.Thamaporn Apison said her

North Korea's government has further intensified its surveillance of residents, viewing the problem of defectors as a serious threat to its regime stability, a source in Seoul said Sunday.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently issued an instruction demanding that even the "sound of the drop of a needle" be detected and reported to him, according to the source who ask to remain anonymous.Kim, who late last year ordered on-site execution of defectors and severe punishment of their families, agai

The South Korean government is likely to cut its 2013 estimate for economic growth to the 3-percent range as downside risks at home and abroad will weigh on the economy, officials said Sunday.The government earlier forecast that Asia's fourth-largest economy would grow 4 percent next year, much rosier than outlooks presented by the central bank and private think tanks."I think that we have to consider the weak growth in the third quarter (in adjusting the growth forecast). The government is taki

A nurse found dead days after she took a crank call about the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge was originally from India, British police said Saturday, as details began to trickle out about the woman whose death has sparked anger at the Australian radio DJs behind the hoax.Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found dead early Friday at nurses' housing provided by London's King Edward VII hospital, where Prince William's wife, the former Kate Middleton, was being treated for acute morning sickness this week.

North Korea may have decided to reschedule its planned rocket launch apparently due to technical problems, a senior government source in Seoul said Sunday. The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said earlier in the day Pyongyang was considering postponing the dates of its rocket launch, scheduled for between Dec. 10-22, providing few details.The announcement sparked speculation over the latest development as recent satellite images showed that the North has installed all three-stages of t

Kim Yu-na made a triumphant return after her 19-month sabbatical from competition by posting the season's highest score with a flawless short program routine at the NRW Trophy on Saturday.Kim, the Olympic champion, produced a performance of exceptional elegance and grace to soar to 72.27 points and leave fans eagerly anticipating Sunday's free skate. ``I made one mistake, but overall I was satisfied with my performance,'' she said with typical modesty. ``Well, instead of a mistake, it was more o

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti is stepping down, the president's office announced Saturday, just hours after the man he replaced, Silvio Berlusconi, said he would run again for head of government.Monti "does not think it possible to continue his mandate and consequently made clear his intention to present his resignation", said a statement from President Giorgio Napolitano's office.The announcement came after Monti met with Napolitano at the presidential Quirinal palace for more than an hour

Seeking to control global warming, nearly 200 countries agreed Saturday to extend the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty that limits the greenhouse gas output of some rich countries, but will only cover about 15 percent of global emissions.The extension was adopted by a U.N. climate conference after hard-fought sessions and despite objections from Russia. The package of decisions also included vague promises of financing to help poor countries cope with climate change, and an affirmation of a previous dec