World/Nation Briefs

Frat's chant threatens long path to progress

NORMAN, Okla. - Almost a generation ago, the University of Oklahoma started to raise its profile, seeking to build a regional school that served mostly students from the Southwest into a leading institution that attracted top scholars.

President David Boren made striking progress, achieving a reputation that now extends well beyond the Sooners football team that once defined the campus. But those improvements seem in peril after members of a fraternity were caught on video chanting a racial slur. The chant referenced lynching and indicated black students would never be admitted to OU's chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Boren, a former Oklahoma governor and U.S. senator, acted swiftly. He immediately severed ties with the fraternity and ordered members to vacate their house. On Tuesday, he expelled the two students who appeared to be leading the chant for creating a hostile educational environment and promised others involved would face discipline.

Ferguson city manager out following report

FERGUSON, Mo. - The Ferguson City Council on Tuesday evening unanimously approved a resolution to part ways with City Manager John Shaw following a scathing Department of Justice report that alleged racial bias in the city police department and court system.

The St. Louis suburb has been beleaguered by unrest since a white police officer fatally shot black 18-year-old Michael Brown last summer.

A St. Louis County grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice both declined to bring charges against Officer Darren Wilson, who resigned from the department. The Department of Justice report said Wilson acted in self-defense when he shot Brown. But the Justice Department said in its report last week that Ferguson's police and court systems functioned as a money-making enterprise that heightened tensions among residents.

The DOJ report cited cases of racial profiling and bigotry by the predominantly white police force in the mostly black St. Louis suburb. Brown's shooting prompted protests in the St. Louis area and across the nation.

The findings have already led to a Missouri appeals court judge being tapped to overhaul the local court system.

Investigators pick through charred copters

VILLA CASTELLI, Argentina - Investigators picked through the wreckage of two helicopters Tuesday, removing cellphones, bits of paper and other charred and unrecognizable items, as France mourned the loss of prominent athletes in the dual crash in the Andean foothills.

The eight French nationals and two Argentine pilots on the two aircraft were killed when they collided and burst into flames shortly after taking off Monday near the remote settlement of Villa Castelli in northwestern Argentina.

Among the victims were Olympic champion swimmer Camille Muffat, Olympic bronze-medalist boxer Alexis Vastine and pioneering sailor Florence Arthaud. They were contestants on the reality TV show "Dropped," which was being shot in the sparsely populated region.

Expressions of grief poured in from French athletes and officials, including President Francois Holland, who said he felt "immense sadness." The International Olympic Committee announced it would fly its flag at half-staff for three days.

French officials said they would work with Argentine investigators to determine the cause of the accident.

IS releases video purporting to show spy's killing

BEIRUT - The Islamic State group released a video Tuesday that purports to show the killing of a Palestinian man accused of being a spy for Israeli intelligence.

In the 13-minute video posted online, a militant and a boy dressed in camouflage stand behind a man in an orange jumpsuit kneeling on the ground. The fighter makes a brief statement in French accusing the man of working for the Mossad before the boy steps forward and shoots the captive, identified as Mohamed Said Ismail Musalam, in the head.

The Associated Press could not independently verify the video, but it was released by the IS group's Furqan media arm and corresponds to previous IS videos.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry declined comment. Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency said it announced earlier this year that Musalam had left for Turkey to fight with IS.

- The Associated Press