The nations weather

Weather Underground Forecast for Thursday, February 09, 2012.

Police issue warrant for ex Maldives president

MALE, Maldives — A criminal court in the Maldives has issued an arrest warrant for former President Mohamed Nasheed, who stepped down from power earlier this week but later insisted he had been ousted in a coup, a police official said Thursday.

Syrian forces renew bombardment in Homs

BEIRUT — Syrian forces fired mortars and rockets Thursday in the rebellious city of Homs, the latest salvo in a weeklong assault that has killed hundreds as President Bashar Assad's regime tries to crush increasingly militarized pockets of dissent.

Greek unions call two-day strike, protests

ATHENS, Greece — Greek labor unions have called a two-day general strike starting Friday to protest new cutbacks decided to secure the country's vital rescue loan program.

LA abuse charges prompt awkward talks for parents

LOS ANGELES — Sinister allegations of abuse by at least two teachers in a Los Angeles school have forced awkward discussions as parents warn youngsters that people they trust - pastors, teachers, even relatives - might do things that could hurt them.

911 log shows time lapse in Powell emergency call

TACOMA, Wash. — Nearly eight minutes elapsed between when a social worker called 911 to report that Josh Powell's children were in danger and when sheriff's deputies were dispatched, emergency call logs show. The home was a gas-fueled inferno - with Powell and his two young boys inside - by the time officers were on their way.

LA abuse charges prompt awkward talks for parents

LOS ANGELES — Sinister allegations of abuse by at least two teachers in a Los Angeles elementary school are prompting parents to remind their children that pastors, teachers and even relatives might do things that could hurt them.

LA school in sex abuse case gets entire new staff

LOS ANGELES — An entirely new staff of teachers will greet students Thursday at an elementary school rocked last week by the arrests of two longtime teachers on lewdness charges.

Group wants Supreme Court to save war memorial

SAN DIEGO — Supporters of a war memorial cross deemed unconstitutional last year by a federal court plan to ask the Supreme Court to reverse the decision, amid a growing fight nationwide over the use of religious symbols to honor fallen troops.

Wash. moves step closer to legalizing gay marriage

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The last time same-sex marriage was debated in the state Capitol, the Legislature's sole gay lawmaker watched as his colleagues passed the state's version of the Defense of Marriage Act in 1998 banning gay marriage. Fourteen years after that "lonely moment," Sen. Ed Murray stood in the wings as lawmakers approved his bill allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.