SAfrican court frees brother of Oscar Pistorius
JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- The brother of murder-accused Olympian Oscar Pistorius cried tears of relief as a magistrate acquitted him of culpable homicide in the death of a woman in a car accident....

The pope and the devil: Is Francis an exorcist?
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Is Pope Francis an exorcist?...

Guatemala top court overturns genocide conviction
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) -- Guatemala's top court has thrown another curve into the genocide case of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, overturning his conviction and ordering that the trial be taken back to the middle of the proceedings....

Myanmar Muslims jailed for killing Buddhist monk
MEIKHTILA, Myanmar (AP) -- A Myanmar court sentenced seven Muslims to prison Tuesday - one of them to a life term - in the killing of a Buddhist monk amid deadly sectarian violence that was overwhelmingly directed against minority Muslims but has not led to any criminal trials against members of the country's Buddhist majority....

Owner: Chinese boat's captain beaten by NKoreans
BEIJING (AP) -- Gunmen wearing North Korean military uniforms released a Chinese fishing boat Tuesday after holding its crew for two weeks, beating up the captain and stealing the vessel's fuel, the boat's owner said. He added that the hijackers did not get the 600,000 yuan ($100,000) ransom they had demanded....

Reports: Iran bars 2 top figures from June ballot
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian news websites have boosted speculation that election overseers have barred two prominent but divisive figures from next month's presidential ballot....

3 Hezbollah fighters die of wounds from Syria
BEIRUT (AP) -- Three members of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group died of wounds sustained while fighting for control of a strategic Syrian town near the Lebanese border, activists said Tuesday, as the battle in the area raged for its third straight day....

Pigeon sale yields world record for feathered Bolt
BRUSSELS (AP) -- Lightning fast pigeon Bolt, with a name and pedigree to match, has become the world's most expensive racing bird with his Belgian breeder selling it for 310,000 euros ($400,000) to a Chinese businessman....

Justin Bieber's monkey to become German property
BERLIN (AP) -- Justin Bieber's pet monkey is set to become the property of Germany....

New rice contamination reported in China
BEIJING (AP) -- Authorities are investigating rice mills in southern China following tests that found almost half of the staple grain in one of the country's largest cities was contaminated with a toxic metal....