HIGHTSTOWN, N.J. -- A New Jersey high school student was arrested after he allegedly set a Sikh student's turban on fire during a fire drill.Garret Green, 18, was charged with criminal mischief and arson last week after the incident at Hightstown High School, The Star-Ledger newspaper in Newark, N.J., reported Tuesday.Green allegedly approached the 16-year-old victim from behind and set his cloth turban on fire, singing the boy's hair.The incident angered the boy's parents and ... [full story]

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Large sculptures made from donated canned food at City Hall in Edmonton, Alberta, were robbed of about 150 cans, officials said.Volunteers assembled four sculptures in the lobby made of 11,741 cans to heighten awareness of donating to the city's food banks, where the cans will go later this week, the Edmonton Journal reported."I just hope those individuals (who stole) need that food more than we did. It's really sad," Edmonton Food Bank ... [full story]

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- A top United Nations' envoy said peace talks between Somalia's government and a leading opposition group began on an encouraging note Tuesday.U.N. Special Representative Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said in a written statement that both sides appeared focused on what was best for the Somali people when they sat down in Djibouti." Many, especially the young people, told me that this is a new and important first step towards stability in their own country," ... [full story]

KHARTOUM, Sudan -- Human Rights Watch said Tuesday it fears the Sudanese government is "systematically" arresting Darfur rebels and has "grave" concern for their safety. "The Sudanese government may be systematically rounding up suspected rebel or opposition supporters in Khartoum," said African Director for Human Rights Watch Georgette Gagnon. "Given Khartoum's record of abuse, there is grave cause for concern about the fate of those detained."Sudanese officials arrested at least 100 rebel supporters since the ... [full story]

BEIJING -- The death toll pushed inexorably higher Tuesday in the aftermath of a massive earthquake in China, with state media saying 12,000 died in one province alone.The 7.9-magnitude quake struck southwestern China Monday afternoon, collapsing buildings and burying tens of thousands of people. The initial shaking was followed by more than 30 smaller jolts within 24 hours.Li Chengyun, vice governor of Sichuan province, said 12,000 people had died in that province alone and more ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday peace in the Middle East may be "improbable" but "not impossible."In a taped interview in Washington on CBS's "The Early Show," Rice said she remains convinced her upcoming trip to the Middle East with U.S. President George Bush will push the process forward. The trip begins Tuesday."Well, if the parties want to do this and will put the energy and the will into it, I ... [full story]

LONDON -- The British version of the FBI has high rates of attrition and a low-level of arrests of key crime magnates since its inception in 2006, analysts say.British officials established the Serious Organized Crime Agency in 2006 to coordinate policing and intelligence operations to target crime bosses but ranking officers are leaving "in droves" and only a fraction of the suspects on its target list faced prosecution, The Times of London said Tuesday.Unnamed sources ... [full story]

NEW YORK -- Sources say a guilty plea is expected from a woman reportedly involved with a high-priced escort service allegedly linked to former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer.People familiar with the case told The New York Times that Temeka Lewis, thought to have made appointments for the escort service, is expected to plead guilty to a couple of conspiracy counts in Manhattan federal court.Lewis's would be the first guilty plea in the case, which ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Public health experts say exempting menthol from a ban on flavored cigarettes shows the power the tobacco industry has over the U.S. Congress.Lawmakers are considering a bill giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration oversight of the tobacco industry.Some scientific data suggest flavored tobacco products make them more attractive to young consumers, and particularly to African-American smokers, who make up the overwhelming majority of menthol-cigarette smokers, The New York Times reported Tuesday.Menthol products ... [full story]

TULSA, Okla. -- An Oklahoma man says his 4-year-old grandson is recuperating after being pulled from his father's arms and thrown two blocks by a tornado during the weekend.Brandon Kelly has a head laced with stitches and staples. However, Larry Kelly told The Oklahoman, an Oklahoma City newspaper, the boy "is doing really well."Brandon's home was leveled when one of the twisters in Saturday's outbreak plowed into their home in Picher, Okla. The youngster, his ... [full story]