ABERDEEN, Scotland -- Police confirmed Thursday all 16 people aboard a helicopter that crashed into the North Sea off the Scottish coast have died. As the recovery operation continued Thursday, officials said they were trying to determine what caused the helicopter to crash in apparently calm conditions and good visibility, The Time of London reported. The Super Puma helicopter was returning from the BP Miller oil platform when the accident occurred. Eight bodies have been recovered. Colin ... [full story]

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- Police in Northern Ireland arrested a 19-year-old man Thursday in the deaths in March of two British soldiers, a law enforcement spokeswoman said. Police didn't release the name of the man arrested in the shooting deaths of Cengiz "Pat" Azimkar, 21, and Mark Quinsey, 23, at a military base in Massereene, CNN reported. Azimkar and Quinsey were killed March 7 during an attack as pizzas were being delivered to the base. Two ... [full story]

JERUSALEM -- The Palestinian Authority has again warned its people that selling homes and other properties to Jews would be a death-penalty offense. Those who violate the religious order banning such activity would be accused of "high treason," said Sheik Tayseer Rajab Tamimi, chief judge of the PA, The Jerusalem Post reported. The latest warning was issued Wednesday after reports that Jewish businessmen from the United States had purchased land from Palestinians on the Mount of Olives ... [full story]

REDMOND, Ore. --A Eugene man was arrested early Wednesday morning after he led police on a 70-mph pursuit before crashing the car he allegedly stole from his brother along with a gun and $1,000 cash.   Justin Teague Britton - DCJ photo  According to Redmond Police Sgt. Brad McMurrian, officers, Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies and Oregon State Police troopers responded to 1950 SW 22nd Street about 1:50 a.m., April 1, to the reported theft of a car, ... [full story]

Twelve-month Oregon state park day-use passes are now on sale at a discounted price until April 30.Normally priced at $25, the discounted pass costs $20. "You could say it's our annual springtime stimulus to start people thinking about enjoying the outdoors and their parks this summer," said Richard Walkoski, recreation programs manager for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. "For sure, it gives folks who missed the December holiday sale another chance to take advantage ... [full story]

Comments Due By April 30, 2009 PRINEVILLE, Ore. -- The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is providing notice for a public opportunity to review and comment on the draft Record of Decision for the American Pine Products site in Prineville. A Record of Decision is a public document that explains the cleanup alternatives used to clean up a contaminated property. The document contains a description of the site history, site characteristics, contaminants present, an ... [full story]

Health Insurer Will Pay Claims, Provide Coverage to Policyholders during Transition SALEM, Ore. — Preferred Health Plan Inc., a Klamath Falls-based health insurer, will withdraw from the Oregon insurance market because of financial problems, the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) announced yesterday. Preferred Health Plan is looking for another insurer to pick up its business. In the meantime, DCBS is monitoring the company on a daily basis to ensure it has the ... [full story]

JERUSALEM -- Binyamin Netanyahu took office as Israeli prime minister Wednesday during a ceremony in Jerusalem, observers said. Saying the government faces many challenges, Netanyahu promised he and his Cabinet would "roll up our sleeves and start working straightaway, as soon as we step out of this office," the Jerusalem Post reported. Netanyahu praised his predecessor, Ehud Olmert, saying he "was one of Israel's most talented prime ministers" and wished him well. Netanyahu also thanked "my ... [full story]

BOSTON -- An immigration judge Wednesday allowed the aunt of U.S. President Barack Obama to stay in the United States until February 2010, officials said. U.S. Immigration Judge Leonard Shapiro continued the deportation case of Zeituni Onyango for 10 months during a closed-door hearing in Boston, allowing the half-sister of Obama's late Kenyan father to remain in the country until then, The Boston Globe reported. Smiling broadly as she emerged from a brief hearing, Onyango said, "praise ... [full story]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Construction workers preparing a building site adjacent to a cemetery in downtown Montgomery, Ala., unearthed a mass grave from the 19th century, police say. The grave found Tuesday is believed to contain victims from an epidemic of yellow fever that swept through the city in the 1870s, CNN reported Wednesday. "Based on the information we have from historical documents kept by the actual cemetery, it does appear that it may be remains from a ... [full story]