World

JERUSALEM – Israel’s former defense minister, Ehud Barak, says three separate plans on Israel striking Iranian nuclear facilities were blocked in recent years, first by Israel’s military chief and later by two ministers. Israel’s Channel 2 TV aired a recording of Barak’s remarks on Friday. The TV says the former …

CANBERRA, Australia – An official says the deep sea hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner will likely include cutting-edge sonar when it ramps up again in October after the stormy southern hemisphere winter has passed. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is overseeing the search on Malaysia’s behalf, has …

BEIJING – China’s central bank governor has told a meeting of the G-20 that China’s currency has stabilized against the dollar after the country’s surprise announcement last month to revalue the yuan amid stock market turmoil. Zhou Xiaochuan told a meeting of G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors in …

LONDON – Fun facts about Queen Elizabeth II as she becomes Britain’s longest reigning monarch. ___ CORGIS, SWANS, ROYAL FISH Elizabeth’s love of the corgi is well known. Her father, George VI, introduced the breed to the royal famiy in 1933 when he bought a corgi called Dookie. The animal …

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – Sierra Leone’s Supreme Court has said that the president had the authority to fire the vice president. The court, in a unanimous vote, said Wednesday that because Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana didn’t belong to a political party, one of the requirements to hold office, President Ernest …

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution sparked by Argentina’s debt crisis Thursday that sets out nine principles to restructure national debts. The non-binding resolution, adopted Thursday by a vote of 136-6 with 41 abstentions, calls on debtors and creditors “to act in good faith and …

DALLAS – Josh Brent is no longer a Dallas Cowboy, but the stars on his old helmet figure heavily into his upcoming trial for a teammate’s death in a 2012 wreck. Brent’s trial is set to start Monday on allegations that he was driving drunk and caused the death of …

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Pundits have already renamed the Great American Race the Danica 500. They’re calling NASCAR’s kickoff to the 2012 season “Danicapalooza.” Yes, Danica Patrick will make her Sprint Cup Series debut in the Daytona 500 one week from Sunday. It’s the first time a woman has raced …

If the Cardinals had a problem with Adrian Gonzalez flashing Mickey Mouse ears after homering in Game 5, they’re not letting on. “As far as getting under our guys’ skin, our guys want to compete,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Thursday, an off-day in their series against the Los Angeles …

OKLAHOMA CITY – Even without injured stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City made the latest chapter of its rivalry with Memphis look like many of the previous ones. Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka missed what would have been a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Memphis held on for …