Mystery of a minister's ring

Here is a case for Inspector Maigret or, perhaps, Inspector Clouseau. Who "stole" a 15,000 (13,000) ring from the finger of the embattled French Justice Minister, Rachida Dati? A front-page photograph of Mme Dati appeared in the pro-government newspaper Le Figaro on Wednesday. The Justice Minister was wearing no ring.

Shots fired as leaders near South Ossetia

Gunfire broke out yesterday on the South Ossetian de facto border after a convoy carrying the Georgian and Polish presidents approached, forcing them to turn back, officials said. Georgia and Russia, which fought a five-day war in August, accused each other of provocation over the incident. "Frankly I didn't expect Russians to open fire.

South Korea Joins Lucrative Practice of Inviting Medical Tourists to Its Hospitals

SEOUL, South Korea In this citys Apgujeong district, famous for its high-end boutiques and plastic surgeons, tourist buses unload Chinese and Japanese visitors looking for a nip and tuck as part of their packaged tour. Gregory Kellstrom, an American, recently visited the Wooridul Spine Hospital in South Korea. Baialinova Dariakul, 49, center, the wife of a Kyrgyzstan businessman...

John Leighton Stuart, China Expert, Is Buried There at Last

SHANGHAI On Aug. 2, 1949, with the Communists about to seize power in Beijing, the United States recalled its ambassador to China, John Leighton Stuart, a respected missionary, educator and diplomat. A ceremony on Monday honored John Leighton Stuart,a missionary and educator whose ashes were laid to rest at a cemetery near the eastern city of Hangzhou, China.

In Drug Inquiry, Mexico Arrests Another Top Police Official

MEXICO CITY (AP) A top police official who worked as Mexicos main liaison with Interpol was placed under house arrest as part of an investigation into leaks of information to drug cartels, prosecutors said Tuesday. The arrest of Ricardo Gutirrez Vargas, who served as director for international police affairs and Interpol at the Federal Investigative Agency...

Study Abroad Flourishes, With China a Hot Spot

Record numbers of American students are studying abroad, with especially strong growth in educational exchanges with China, the annual report by the Institute on International Education found. The number of Americans studying in China increased by 25 percent, and the number of Chinese students studying at American universities increased by 20 percent last year, according to the report...

Maldives Considers Buying Dry Land if Seas Rise

The president-elect of the Maldives, a nation of 1,200 low islands in the Indian Ocean, is planning to establish an investment fund with some of its earnings from tourism so it can buy a haven for its citizens should global warming raise sea levels at a dangerous pace, according to several news reports. On the Dot Earth blog, Andrew C.

Former President of Taiwan Held in Jail

SHANGHAI A judge in Taipei, Taiwan ruled on Wednesday that former President Chen Shui-bian of Taiwan be held in jail while prosecutors in the city pursue money laundering and corruption charges against him. Mr. Chen, who served two terms as president before leaving office in May with his administration mired in a corruption scandal...

Co-Pilot Disabled, Attendant Helped Land Jet, Irish Report Says

DUBLIN (AP) An Air Canada co-pilot having a mental breakdown had to be forcibly removed from the cockpit, restrained and sedated early this year, and a flight attendant with flying experience helped the pilot safely make an emergency landing, an Irish investigation concluded Wednesday.

U.S. Attack in Pakistan Kills 12 People

Suspected U.S. drones fired missiles into a Pakistani tribal region on Friday, killing 12 people, including five foreigners, in an area known as a stronghold of Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud. Pakistani officials said the attack targeted a house in a remote village on the border between North and South Waziristan, where Mehsud, an al Qaeda ally...

Officer spoke of kit shortage before death

base just days before his death in a firefight, it was revealed last night. the Taliban at their makeshift base. Robert McKibben. his six-month tour was finished. were missing, but said: "I keep asking for things and I'm not getting them". of Defence for forcing troops to "make do". inquest. something," she added. weren't properly protected.

Chinese Leader in Cuba on Trade Tour

HAVANA President Hu Jintao of China toured Havana on Tuesday as his country expanded its already extensive economic relationship with Cuba. Mr. Hu laid a wreath at a monument to the Cuban independence hero Jos Mart a day after China agreed to buy Cuban nickel and sugar and to send food to Cuba in the wake of three devastating hurricanes.

World Briefing | The Americas: Canada: Seventh Foot Washes Ashore

U.S. Another human foot in a sneaker has been found on the coast of British Columbia, the police said Wednesday. The foot, a womans in a New Balance running shoe, was the seventh to wash up in the region since August 2007. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said that it was too early to say if the foot had been severed. But at a news conference before the latest discovery...

Claims of a Rigged Vote Foment Bitter Protests in Nicaragua

MANAGUA, Nicaragua As homemade mortar rounds exploded over this capital, and angry demonstrators poured into the streets for a second consecutive day, Nicaragua found itself mired Wednesday in an increasingly bitter struggle over who controls Managua and scores of other cities across the country. Police officers on Sunday in Len, Nicaragua, detained a supporter of Eduardo Montealegre...

Memo From New Delhi: With Economic Crisis, a Newly Flush India Exercises Caution

U.S. Employees of Jet Airways, Indias largest private carrier, protested announced layoffs on Thursday in Mumbai. The airline later reinstated the employees, many of whom are members of a new generation of avid consumers. NEW DELHI Aman Walia, 21, dreamed of flying. Armed with a student loan, he enrolled in flight attendant school and snatched himself a dream job with Jet Airways...

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