Joining Arab states, Israel to ban Al-Jazeera

JERUSALEM, Middle East - Israel has said that it plans to ban Qatar's flagship Al-Jazeera network from operating in the country over allegations it incites violence, joining Arab nations that have shut down the broadcaster amid a separate political dispute. The news organization, in turn, said it will take legal action.

IN BRIEF

Students on their guard after brutal murder

BERLIN - The verdict in a case involving the brutal killing of a Chinese student in Germany, which was delivered on Friday, has triggered mixed reactions among Chinese students in the country.

Colombia gets its first bar for deaf

BOGOTA, Colombia - It is not yet dark, but the two girls sitting at a table in a Bogota bar flick on the lamp on their wooden table.

Whale hits boat in drama on high seas

SYDNEY - A man was knocked unconscious and three others suffered facial fractures and broken ribs after a whale slammed into a charter fishing boat off Australia's north coast, the skipper said on Monday.

Signs to help Chinese tourists enjoy Russian capital

Around 100 Chinese-language road signs and tourist information boards will soon be seen along the streets of Moscow to meet the needs of growing numbers of Chinese tourists to the Russian capital.

82-year-old app-maker proves it's never too old to code

FUJISAWA, Japan - When 82-year-old Masako Wakamiya first began working she still used an abacus for maths - today she is one of the world's oldest iPhone app developers, a trailblazer in making smartphones accessible for the elderly.

Global goals benefit all: UN official

NEW YORK - Anti-globalization will hinder the international community from achieving a set of global goals aiming at eradicating poverty, promoting social equality and combating climate change, said Liu Zhenmin, new UN undersecretary-general for economic and social affairs.

Spaniards seek El Dorado in Germany

BERLIN - Germany's solid job market has attracted tens of thousands of southern Europeans seeking an El Dorado while crisis strangles their home economies, but few view Europe's biggest economy as a permanent home.

US court upends murder conviction

WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court on Friday overturned a former Blackwater security contractor's first-degree murder conviction, ordering a new trial for the man prosecutors say fired the first shots in the 2007 slayings of 14 Iraqi civilians at a crowded traffic circle in Baghdad.

Brazil troops storm Rio slums in bid to catch gang leaders

RIO DE JANEIRO - Thousands of Brazilian army troops raided Rio de Janeiro slums in a pre-dawn crackdown on crime gangs Saturday, leaving parts of the city looking like a war zone on the first anniversary of the opening of the Olympic Games.

UK prepared to pay EU 40 billion to settle its accounts

LONDON - Britain is prepared to pay up to 40 billion ($47.1 billion) to the European Union to settle its accounts when it leaves the bloc, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported.