TEHRAN - Tehran is threatening to banish women who disregard the Iranian capital's strict dress code. Prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi said women could face up to five years' exile from Tehran for repeat violations, The Scotsman newspaper reported. "Those women who appear in public like decadent models endanger the security and dignity of young men," Mortazavi said. More than 3,000 people have received a warning since Saturday for violating the dress code. The newspaper said nearly ... [full story]

ATHENS, Greece - Two Greek Orthodox nuns were found dead of knife wounds in a convent near Astros in southern Greece in what police suspect was an overnight robbery. The women, both in their late 70s, were found in their beds on the first floor of the 17th century monastery, The Kathimerini newspaper reported Wednesday. Police said they suspect it was a robbery. Several doors at the convent were forced open and the church was ... [full story]

KIEV, Ukraine - Closed door hearings by Ukraine's Constitutional Court on the presidential move to dissolve the nation's Parliament are underway. President Viktor Yushchenko signed a decree to dissolve Parliament and set snap elections for May 27 after the defection of 11 opposition members to the ruling coalition, RIA Novosti reported Wednesday. The ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, has refused to obey the presidential decree until the Constitutional Court announces its ruling. ... [full story]

Bend Police are asking the public’s assistance in locating three suspects -- two men and a woman in their late teens or early 20s -- who allegedly beat and robbed a man as he was walking on Franklin Avenue near the tunnel under the Bend Parkway late Wednesday night. According to Lt. Ken Mannix, 27-year old Matthew J. Weber of Bend was approached from behind by the suspects about 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday, then one ... [full story]

LONDON - U.S. banking tycoon Matthew Mellon is accused of hiring private detectives to hack into his estranged wife's computer files and e-mails in Britain. The Times of London said Mellon hired the London firm Active Investigation Services to snoop into the files of his wife Tamara, who is head of the Jimmy Choo footwear empire, during their divorce. Matthew Mellon, 43, denies one count of conspiring to cause unauthorized modification of computer material between ... [full story]

TEL AVIV, Israel - Israeli Labor leader candidate Ami Ayalon says he will transfer the Golan Heights to Syria as part of a lease agreement if elected prime minister. In an online pamphlet, Ayalon said he would return the Golan Heights to Syria in exchange for a 99-year lease, YnetNews said. A source described Ayalon's position on the Golan as "a bit more to the right than Ehud Barak's and a bit more to the ... [full story]

BEIJING - The deadly attack by gunmen in Ethiopia on a Chinese oil facility has raised concerns in China about its overseas expansion. The attack Tuesday killed nine Chinese and 65 Ethiopian workers. Seven more Chinese were kidnapped. "The safety of Chinese has become an increasing concern as more and more mainland enterprises adopt a go-overseas strategy and recruit people to work for them abroad," the China Daily said Wednesday. Recalling other attacks in recent ... [full story]

HAVANA - Cuban leader Fidel Castro will likely never fully recover from the illness that prompted him to hand over authority to his brother Raul, a U.S. official says. The intelligence official added that Castro is, however, showing signs of becoming more active in the day-to-day operations on the communist island, The Miami Herald reported Wednesday. Over the weekend, Cuba's state-run newspaper, Granma, ran several photos of Castro holding meetings with visiting Chinese officials. Though ... [full story]

As part of an ongoing narcotics investigation involving a 37-year old Redman man, law enforcement officers with a Street Crimes Unit seized evidence during a search of the suspect’s vehicle and residence Wednesday evening, which ultimately led to the arrest of Gary Kenneth Schaupp on charges related to selling methamphetamine.   Gary K. Schaupp - DCJ photo Street Crimes Unit (SCU) members, comprised of Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies and Redmond Police Officers, developed information during their investigation ... [full story]

ALBUQUERQUE - The Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque was vandalized by suspected gang members who tagged rocks with illegible scrawls of paint. The vandals reportedly used spray paint to write on the black basalt boulders, although the words were not legible, The Albuquerque Journal reported Thursday. The silver-colored graffiti popped up late last week and was reported to monument spokeswoman Diane Soulder, who said that graffiti has been an issue on the monument from time ... [full story]