TIJUANA, Mexico - Airline passengers at Tijuana International Airport Wednesday were finding alternative ways to get to their destinations in Mexico after the government suspended operations Monday of Lineas Areas Azteca. "Other airlines are trying to help the passengers, but the airlines can't help unless they have a traditional paper ticket," said Diana Gonzalez, a representative of the Viajes Ancla travel agency in the airport. Three airlines - Avolar, Aviacsa and Alma - are offering ... [full story]

TIJUANA, Mexico - Modern new car dealerships have materialized here in a city where most buyers once shopped for used cars at tiny dirt lots bedecked with brightly colored, flapping plastic flags. "The market used to be used cars from the United States," said Roberto Gonzalez, manager of a Volkswagen dealership on Boulevard Sanchez Taboada. "In the last three years, it has become new cars." A few years ago, Gonzalez was one of the first ... [full story]

JERUSALEM - The head of the Israeli missile defense agency says the country has the capability to destroy any missile in the Middle East. Arieh Herzog, in an interview with the Jerusalem Post, said Israel's Arrow has the capacity to intercept all the "currently operational" missiles in Iran. He said Iran and Syria are spending record amounts of money on long-range ballistic missile capabilities and have all but given up building modern air forces. "The Iranians ... [full story]

VAN, Turkey - Armenian officials came to Turkey for a ceremony marking the renovation of an 11-century-old church. Turkey and Armenia do not have diplomatic relations. But the reopening of the church as a museum is perceived as a fence-mending gesture by the Turkish government, the BBC reports. Patriarch Mesrob II, who heads the Armenian Orthodox Church in Turkey, said the government could improve relations by allowing religious services to be held in the church at ... [full story]

DHAKA, Bangladesh - A United Nations official probing the deaths of 27 people in Bangladesh has accused its security forces of staging extra-judicial killings. Philip Alston said Bangladesh authorities have not answered his request for information on the recent deaths, although they have said the deaths were the result of crossfire in police shootouts, reports the BBC. The report said government officials, disputing the figures, had said criminals who were killed had fired first on security ... [full story]

MEXICO CITY - Officials have begun discussing the possibility of legalizing abortion in Mexico City, sparking debate between activists and the Catholic Church in Mexico. Lawmakers have kicked off debate about whether to make abortion legal, El Universal reported Thursday. Women's rights groups in the predominantly Catholic country have come out in favor of the proposed law, while the church remains adamantly opposed. If the law is approved, Mexican women could travel from anywhere in the ... [full story]

BOGOTA - Thousands of Colombians fled their homes in 2006 for fear of being swept up in the country's conflict, the Red Cross said Thursday. "In 2006 once again, thousands were forced to flee their homes as a result of pressure to participate in hostilities, death threats, killing of family members and the danger of being caught in crossfire," said Barbara Hintermann, head of the delegation in Colombia of the International Committee of the Red Cross. ... [full story]

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani Air Force Chief Tanvir Ahmed says his country plans to acquire up to 250 JF-17 Thunder fighters from China. The disclosure, made in an interview with Jane's Defense Weekly, is far more than the 150 fighters originally planned, reports India's Press Trust of India news agency. Ahmed was quoted as saying there were "no issues" over using Russian engines in JF-17s, although there have been questions regarding Russia's objections to re-exporting RRD-93 ... [full story]

SPLIT, Croatia - A judge in Croatia's central Adriatic city of Split ordered a couple held for 30 days while police investigate allegations they mistreated their six children. Ana Asanovic, 29, and her common-law husband Tonci Zuban, 42, were arrested on suspicion they abused their children, aged 4-12, beating them and locking them in a shed without water and food on many occasions, the Croatian daily newspaper Vecernje List of Zagreb reported Thursday. Police were advised ... [full story]

SEATTLE - An accused drug trafficker lived the good life in Mexico for 14 years before U.S. agents tracked him down, federal marshals said Thursday. Jeffery Jay Warren, 57, was arrested by Mexican police as he returned to his home in Puerto Vallarta, the U.S. Marshals service reported. He was being held in Mexico pending extradition proceedings. Jeffery Jay Warren, 57. Photo: US Marshalls Warren was one of 16 people charged by the U.S. Attorney's ... [full story]

Mexico - The mega container port and rail project planned 150 miles south of San Diego at Baja California's Punta Colonet will benefit the United States as well as Mexico, a top Mexican federal official said recently. "This is a very important project. It's a project that should be taken in the interest of both nations. Even though it's on Mexican soil, the United States should be interested in this project," said Manuel Rodriguez Arregui, ... [full story]

Dominican Republic - Gary Stephen Kaplan was arrested late Wednesday, March 28, in the Dominican Republic, U.S. Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway for the Eastern District of Missouri announced today. The arrest stems from a federal grand jury indictment returned in the Eastern District of Missouri on June 1, 2006. The indictment names Kaplan and 10 other individuals and four corporations. In 22 counts, the indictment alleges that the defendants engaged in racketeering, conspiracy and fraud, ... [full story]

MITZPE HILA, Israel - Hundreds of Israelis rallied Friday in support of three kidnapped soldiers. The demonstration took place outside the home of Gilad Shalit, who was abducted last year in Gaza. About 1,500 people participated, YNetNews reported. Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were kidnapped by Hezbollah. The abduction was one of the incidents that triggered last year's war with Lebanon. The protests were held on the eve of Passover. ... [full story]