World/Nation
Wing part could help solve mystery of MH370
SAINT-ANDRE, Reunion - A barnacle-encrusted wing part that washed up on a remote Indian Ocean island could help solve one of aviation's greatest mysteries, as investigators work to connect it to the Malaysia Airlines flight that vanished more than a year ago.
The surprise discovery of the debris on a rocky beach stirred hopes and emotion among families of the missing, after a year and a half of grieving and frustration at a lack of answers, despite a wide, deep and expensive multinational search effort in the southern Indian Ocean, the China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.
Even if it is confirmed to be a long-awaited first clue to the disappearance of Flight 370, there's no guarantee investigators can still find the plane's recorders or other remains.
French authorities moved the plane piece from the beach to the local airport on Reunion, and will send it next to the city of Toulouse, the hub of Europe's aerospace industry. The plane part will be analyzed in special defense facilities used for airplane testing and analysis, according to the Defense Ministry.
Afghan Taliban confirm death of longtime leader
KABUL, Afghanistan - The Taliban confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and appointed his successor Thursday, as a new round of peace talks was indefinitely postponed amid concerns over how committed the new leadership is to ending the militant group's 14-year insurgency.
The Afghan Taliban Shura, or Supreme Council, chose Mullah Omar's deputy, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, as its new leader, two Taliban figures told The Associated Press, saying the seven-member council had met in the Pakistani city of Quetta.
Mansoor is considered close to Pakistani authorities who hosted peace talks earlier this month, and his election could widen an internal split between fighters who favor negotiations with the Afghan government and those who want to continue an insurgency that has gained speed following the end of the international combat mission last year.
The peace process was plunged into uncertainty earlier Thursday when the Taliban indicated they were pulling out of the negotiations and Pakistan's Foreign Ministry announced the talks, which were to have been hosted by Islamabad beginning Friday, had been postponed.
Cincinnati officer denies guilt in fatal shooting
CINCINNATI - A University of Cincinnati police officer who fatally shot a motorist during a traffic stop pleaded not guilty Thursday to a charge of murder and was ordered jailed on $1 million bail.
Fired UC officer Ray Tensing later posted 10 percent of that amount and was released, the Hamilton County Court clerk's website said. He was freed about 6:30 p.m., county sheriff's spokesman Mike Robison confirmed.
People in the courtroom audience had erupted into cheers and clapped when Tensing's bail was set at $1 million, drawing the ire of Judge Megan Shanahan.
"Ladies and gentlemen! This is a courtroom," the judge said sharply.
Man attacks Jerusalem gay pride parade
JERUSALEM - Revelers dancing and singing through the streets of Jerusalem during the holy city's annual gay pride parade were left shrieking in pain and panic Thursday night, as an anti-gay extremist lunged into a group leading the march and stabbed six people, Israeli police and witnesses said.
Police said the attacker, Yishai Schlissel, who was arrested at the scene for Thursday's attack, had been released from prison just three weeks ago, after serving a sentence for stabbing several people at the parade in 2005.
Six people were wounded in the attack, two of them seriously, Eli Bin of Israel's emergency service said.
The Gay Pride Parade was proceeding as planned with party music, Israeli flags and rainbow-clad marchers wending their way through central Jerusalem's barricaded streets, under a heavy police presence.
An Associated Press photographer witnessed the attacker enter the throng of people with his hand in his coat and within seconds raise a knife and begin stabbing people in the back. Police pounced on him and arrested him.
- The Associated Press